"Havana" is the title of a 1997 single and instrumental by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

musician

Kenny G Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), known professionally as Kenny G, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the best-selling artis ...

. It was the second single taken from his 1996 studio album '' The Moment'', released on Arista Records.

Production

The song was written and produced by Kenny G and

Walter Afanasieff Walter Afanasieff (born Vladimir Nikitich Afanasyev; February 10, 1958), formerly nicknamed Baby Love in the 1980s, is an American record producer and songwriter of Russian-Chinese descent. He was a collaborator with Mariah Carey on her first ...

. As with virtually all of his songs, Kenny G plays the

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

on this track. The music was arranged by Bill Ross. The song peaked at number 66 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart in early 1997.

Personnel

* Kenny G – soprano saxophone *

– keyboards * Michael Thompson – guitars * Paulinho da Costa – percussion * William Ross – string arrangements

Remix

More noteworthy, however, is the fact that the song was remixed by two well-known DJs

Todd Terry Todd Norton Terry (born April 18, 1967) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer in the genre of house music. Musical career Todd Terry was influential in moving House music beyond the early Chicago house sound of 1984–86. He crosse ...

and

Tony Moran Anthony "Tony" Moran is a DJ, record producer, remixer, singer and songwriter known for remixing popular songs. In 2007, he hit number one on the U.S. '' Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart twice with " Walk Away" featuring Kristine W and " K ...

. These mixes gave the song a completely different sound, with an electronic house music backdrop layered in with the original recording. These mixes were released to dance clubs on promotional

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

s, and the remixed "Havana" went to number one on '' Billboard''s

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart in April 1997. To date, this is Kenny's only number one song on this chart. Both the original and dance versions received radio airplay in the United States as well.Billboard - 1 Feb 1997 - Page 29 Vol. 109, No. 5 ... Among the numerous club-friendly items due from Arista in the coming weeks are Kenny G's "Havana," as interpreted by Tony Moran ...

References

Single release info at discogs.com
{{authority control 1997 singles 1996 songs Kenny G songs Music videos directed by Wayne Isham Songs written by Walter Afanasieff Song recordings produced by Walter Afanasieff House music songs

Production

Personnel

Remix

See also

References