Kenny G Plays Blue Note Gigs This Week Updated January 9, 2012 2:55pm

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MANHATTAN — Kenny G, the smooth jazz phenomenon who catapulted to lite FM stardom in the 1980s, will soon bring his sweet saxophone sounds to Greenwich Village. 

The curly haired musician will play eight shows at Blue Note starting Thursday, according to the websites of both the jazz club and the artist.

Kenny G, whose 1992 album "Breathless" sold more then 12 million copies in the U.S. alone, will play 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. shows at the 131 W. 3rd St. club Thurs. Jan. 12 through Sun., Jan. 15. 

Tickets run $45 for seats at the bar and $85 for table seats, according to Blue Note's website. As of Monday afternoon, table seats for the 8 p.m. show Saturday were sold out.

One of Kenny G's mid-January shows has sold out several days before the concert. (Facebook/Kenny G)

In a parody video released in Feb. 2011, the Grammy winner showed he's a good sport about criticism of his work. 

Kenny G, who is 55 and was born Kenneth Bruce Gorelick, plays "the head of riot suppression" at a "luxury prison" in the parody.

"I'm in charge of playing some of the softer songs from my repertoire to calm the inmates when they get out of hand," he says in the video.

Inmates shouting in the prison's cafeteria and banging their silverware against the tables are instantly lulled to sleep when the saxophonist plays over the prison's loudspeaker. 

Kenny G also performed on "Saturday Night Live" with the rock band Foster the People in October and appeared in the music video for Katy Perry's song "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)."

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By Andrea Swalec, DNAinfo.com

Follow Andrea on Twitter @AndreaSwalec