#ThrowbackThursday: The Night Femi Kuti Broke Kenny G’s Saxophone Record

For twenty years, American jazz musician Kenny G held the record for the longest single note blown on the saxophone. Until May 7 2017.

Nigerian Afrobeat legend Femi Kuti stunned fans at the Afrika Shrine when he held a note on sax for an incredible 46 minutes and 38 seconds. No mean feat for a man that was 55 years old at the time. He beat Kenny G’s by a full sixty-one seconds- which trailed Vann Burchfield’s: 47 minutes 5 seconds.

But Femi broke that too a week later when he repeated the note for a lung-bursting 51 minutes 35 seconds.

Done.proven. #circular breathing tonight at the Shrine 51 mins 35secs 83mili secs . Now to focus on great song/melodies/tunes. pic.twitter.com/QZG4SRHL1z

— Femi Anikulapo-Kuti (@Femiakuti) May 14, 2017

Sure, the Guinness World Records came out afterwards to declare that they no longer recognized that particular category (rolls eyes), it removes not a jot of Femi Kuti’s iconic status.

We no longer monitor a Guinness World Records record category for longest wind instrument note using the circular breathing technique

— GuinnessWorldRecords (@GWR) May 8, 2017

On September 22 2018, he would have a concert at the Sheraton Hotel Lagos. A Night With Femi Kuti would also serve as an exclusive listening of his seventh album, One People One World.

Tickets are available on Netshop. Click here to buy now.

Who knows what records he could be breaking on that night?

Ararara!!!