Kenny G is probably the first thing that comes to our mind when there is a mention of saxophone. There are many who have heard so much of Kenny’s soothing music but ironically, very few among them actually buy the maestro’s album. In a survey conducted among ten of my friends, only one of them buys Kenny G CDs. However, all ten could identify his songs. If you think ten maybe too little for a specimen, here’s more evidence.

If you’ve been to a shopping mall you know what I’m getting at. Kenny G is the God of shopping centres because he is ubiquitous in there. No matter which part of the country you are, his soulful breath is omnipresent in the malls. Everyone loves to shop and with the rapid mushrooming of malls, Kenny’s audience also gets bigger. Does that mean the saxophone will replace the guitar in times to come? Not really.

Most of my friends, the same cohort, say Kenny’s music is gay. I have no doubt about my friends’ sexual orientation. Nine of them are straight men and one a woman. She also is the one who ‘buys’ Kenny’s works.

While music from a saxophone is soft and soothing, it takes a lot of lungpower to blow the instrument. Therefore you need a man’s strength and a woman’s sentiment to produce music like Kenny does. And no, he is not gay. He’s married and has two sons.

It is not surprising why shopping and sax go hand in hand.

Women take sinful pleasure in shopping. They spend a lot of time, and of course a lot more money, on the pastime. And men are not their best company in this game. If you’ve been shopping with a woman, you know what I am taking about.

There is a reason why malls play Kenny G and it is not just to make shoppers lose track of time. The ‘gay’-ish music becomes the perfect partner for woman shoppers. Unlike men and rock ’n’ roll, the music does not hurry her — it simply provides her inspiration to buy the right things.

Women may find the saxophone a perfect partner to shop with but very few will take it home with her. It’s the guitar she longs for after she’s done with shopping.

Hard Rock Café or the likes is next on her mind and there the sax gets the axe.

So there you have it; the God of malls is such a modest character outside but we all know what it can do in its domain.