Kenny G, the American saxophonist as famed for his magnificent head of curls as for his easy-listening horn playing, surprised fellow Delta Air Lines passengers with an impromptu performance on Saturday 22 April.
On an otherwise uneventful flight from Tampa Bay to Los Angeles, the best-selling instrumentalist whipped out his soprano sax and played his way down the aisle, like a cross between a modern day pied piper and an enigmatic snake charmer.
You never get something for nothing in this life though. Cabin crew announced on the intercom that they were collecting donations for Delta Relay For Life, an American Cancer Society event to support those affected by the disease. Flight attendants promised that if they raised over $1,000 on the flight, Kenny G would put on a special performance.
Clearly this was a plane of sax fans, or good-natured philanthropists at least, as within five minutes those on board had pledged more than $2,000 to the cause – enough for two Kenny G performances (although, disappointingly, he just gave the one).
The whole thing was caught on camera many times over; the video shows most passengers were also filming it on their mobile phones, though somewhat gratifyingly there is one woman who appears more interested in her book than Kenny’s sensual jazz playing.
Delta thanked the musician on Twitter following the flight, to which he replied, “happy to help!”. It’s lucky for the airline he was on a commercial plane at all; Kenny is in fact a qualified pilot, and flies his Havilland Beaver seaplane regularly. Is there anything he can’t do? (Don’t answer that.)
However, impromptu saxophone playing isn't always welcomed with open arms in the States. In 2011, self-proclaimed sexy sax man Sergio Flores infuriated security guards in LA when he played Careless Whisper, topless, in a variety of locations including a mall and upmarket shopping district The Grove. A video of his exploits, which include Flores writhing around the floor of a food court while playing his saxophone to a round of applause, went viral, garnering 33 million views.
"He is not above the law," says The Grove's security guard in the video. To which the cameraman replies, "Look at him, he's playing to a baby right now." Which says it all, really.
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