Entertainment

Kenny G loves talking up his latest album, Rhythm & Romance. But his eagerness to discuss his foray into Latin music isn't just about trying to sell a few copies.

Rhythm & Romance is a decidedly daring record for a saxophonist who's never been considered musically adventurous. Inspired by his love of Stan Getz's early bossa nova albums, the disc is a milestone in many ways:

•It's his first record nominated for a Latin Grammy Award, in the best instrumental album and best engineered recording categories.

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Jazz saxaphonist Kenny G

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•It's his first project mixed at his home studio.

•It's his first album after leaving Arista Records, his label home since debuting in 1982 with Kenny G.

That last accomplishment carries particular weight. Arista Records and its founder, Clive Davis, with whom Kenny worked closely throughout much of his career, rejected Rhythm & Romance.

"The bottom line is I asked them to trust me, trust my instincts," he says by phone from his home in Los Angeles. "And they didn't. ... They didn't think it would make any money. I thought, 'Haven't you done the math on my CDs?' Whether you think this is going to make money or not, we've made enough. Be in my camp."

He is no slouch when it comes to record sales. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Kenny G has shipped 48 million CDs to retailers since 1982. Rhythm & Romance, which debuted on Billboard's pop album chart at No. 14, has sold 185,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

So the 52-year-old Seattle native took his project to Concord Records. Rhythm & Romance is a sultry effort, crafted with talented players such as drummer Alex Acuña, percussionist Paulinho Da Costa, bassist Nathan East and pianist Walter Afanasieff. His signature sax work is smooth, romantic in a breezy, tropical night sort of way. He employs guest vocalists Barbara Muñoz and Latin pop group Camila. Out of a dozen tracks, only two are covers – "Sabor a Mi" and "Besame Mucho."

"Here I am, a white guy just trying to put myself in a place where I am going to write music that sounds authentic," he says. "When I finished the record and played it for people, a lot of them thought they were cover songs. That was a compliment to me."

He's also mighty humbled by those two Latin Grammy nominations, especially the one for best engineered album.

"It was the first record that I mixed in my home studio," he says. "I'm really proud of that. The Latin Grammy Awards ... it's an area where I'm coming into somebody else's world. I'm not a Latin guy, and I didn't grow up with Latin music. ... To have that nomination from the community that I'm dabbling in is quite an honor."

He has only one request from the folks at the Latin Grammy Awards, which will be presented Nov. 13 in Houston and broadcast live on the Univision Network.

"Let me perform ... We're actually working on that now."

PLAN YOUR LIFE

Kenny G performs with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Wednesday and Thursday at 8 p.m. at the Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St. Tickets are $40-$100. 214-692-0203, www.dallas symphony.com