Wishes: A Holiday Album

Wishes: A Holiday Album
Studio album by Kenny G
Released	October 22, 2002
Studio	Studio G (Malibu, California) WallyWorld Studios (Marin County, California) Westlake Studios, Signet Sound Studios and 20th Century Fox Studios (Los Angeles, California) Sony Pictures Studios (Culver City, California) Paramount Recording Studios (Hollywood, California) Barking Doctor Studios (Mount Kisco, New York)
Genre	Smooth jazz Christmas
Length	38:36
Label	Arista
Producer	Kenny G
Kenny G chronology
Paradise (2002) Wishes: A Holiday Album (2002) Ultimate Kenny G (2003)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	D [2]

Wishes: A Holiday Album is the third Christmas album and twelfth studio album by saxophonist Kenny G. It was released by Arista Records on October 22, 2002, and peaked at number 1 on the Contemporary Jazz chart, number 2 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, number 29 on the Billboard 200, number 34 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 64 on the Internet Albums chart. ^[3] It was the second best-selling Christmas album in the US for 2002 with sales of 501,000 copies for the year. ^[4]

Track listing

1. "Deck the Halls / The Twelve Days of Christmas" (Traditional) - 3:01
2. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / O Come All Ye Faithful" (Felix Mendelssohn/Charles Wesley/John Francis Wade/Frederic Oakeley) - 4:37
3. "Joy to the World" (Lowell Mason/Isaac Watts) - 2:29
4. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (Traditional) - 4:34
5. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer / Frosty the Snowman" (Johnny Marks/Steve Nelson/Jack Rollins) - 5:21
6. "Wishes" (Walter Afanasieff/Kenny G) - 3:59
7. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (Noel Regney/Gloria Shayne) - 3:08
8. "Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night)" (Adolphe Adam) - 4:27
9. "Jesus, Joy of Man's Desiring" (Johann Sebastian Bach) - 2:07
10. "Auld Lang Syne (Freedom Mix)" (Robert Burns/Traditional) - 4:53

Personnel

• Kenny G – arrangements, soprano saxophone (1-4, 6-10), tenor saxophone (5)
• Walter Afanasieff – keyboard programming (1-4, 6-9), rhythm programming (1-4, 6-10), arrangements (1-3, 8-10), keyboards (10), synthesizers (10), drum programming (10)
• John Binder – programming (1-4, 6-9)
• Greg Bieck – programming (2, 4), digital programming (10), Macintosh programming (10), additional drum and rhythm programming (10)
• Robert Conley – programming (2-4, 7-9)
• Greg Phillinganes – keyboards (5)
• Randy Waldman – acoustic piano (5)
• Frank Maranzino – programming (6)
• Dave Foxx – additional synthesizers (10), additional drum programming (10)
• Ramón Stagnaro – nylon guitar (6)
• Nathan East – bass (5)
• Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (5)
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion (5)
• William Ross – orchestral arrangements and conductor (1, 2, 4, 6, 10)
• Harvey Cohen – horn and orchestral arrangements (5)
• Jorge Calandrelli – orchestral arrangements and conductor (7, 8)
• Matthew Delapolla – scoring consultant (1, 2, 4-6)
• Debbie Datz-Pyle – orchestra contractor (1, 2, 4-8, 10)
• Patti Zimmitti – orchestra contractor (10)

Production

• Antonio L.A. Reid – executive producer
• Kenny G – producer, liner notes
• Dave Foxx – audio collage producer and arrangements (10)
• Lou Simon – audio collage producer and arrangements (10)
• Steve Shepherd – engineer (1-4, 6-9)
• Nick Thomas – engineer (1, 6), assistant engineer (2-4, 8)
• David Gleeson – engineer (2, 4, 10)
• Humberto Gatica – engineer (5, 6, 10), orchestra engineer (6), mixing (10)
• David Reitzas – engineer (6)
• Cesar Ramirez – assistant engineer (1, 7, 9)
• Chris Brooke – assistant engineer (5, 10)
• Brian Dixon – assistant engineer (6)
• Nick Marshall – assistant engineer (6)
• Peter Doell – assistant engineer (10)
• Mark Eshelman – assistant engineer (10)
• Pete Krawiec – assistant engineer (10)
• Grant Schmitz – assistant engineer (10)
• Bill Smith – Pro Tools engineer (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8)
• Joe Wohlmuth – Pro Tools engineer (5-9)
• Al Schmitt – orchestra engineer (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8)
• John Rodd – orchestra recordist (7, 8)
• Mick Guzauski – mixing (1-9)
• George Spatta – mix assistant (1-9)
• Vlado Meller – mastering at Sony Music Studios (New York, NY)
• Tom Steel – stage manager (7, 8)
• Damon Tedesco – stage manager (7, 8)
• Rich Davis – production coordinator for Walter Afanasieff
• Joe Mama-Nitzberg – creative director
• Courtney Walter – art direction, design
• Lyndie Benson – photography
• Dennis Turner – management
• Turner Entertainment Group, Inc. – management company

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2002-2003) Peak position US Billboard 200 [5] 29 US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard) [6] 2 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [7] 34

Year-end charts Chart (2002) Position Canadian Jazz Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [8] 9

Singles

Information taken from this source. ^[9]

Year	Title	Chart Positions
		US AC	US R&B
2002	"Deck the Halls/The Twelve Days of Christmas"	22
2003	"Auld Lang Syne (Freedom Mix)"		98

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [10]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Allmusic review
2. Entertainment Weekly review
3. Charts & Awards at Allmusic
4. Paul Grein (October 29, 2013). "Chart Watch Extra: What Will Be This Year's Top Christmas Album?". Chart Watch. Yahoo.
5. "Kenny G Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
6. "Kenny G Chart History (Top Contemporary Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
7. "Kenny G Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
8. "Canada's Top 50 Jazz Albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam! . Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
9. Billboard Singles at Allmusic
10. "American album certifications – Kenny G – Wishes". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved September 30, 2023.