Wishes: A Holiday Album

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]

Wishes: A Holiday Album
Studio album by Kenny G
Released	October 22, 2002
Genre	Smooth jazz Christmas
Length	38:36
Label	Arista
Producer	Kenny G Dave Foxx L.A. Reid Louie Simon
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]

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, 2, 3, 8, 9, 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, 3, 4, 7, 8, 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, 5, 6)
• Debbie Datz-Pyle – orchestra contractor (1, 2, 4-8, 10)
• Patti Zimmitti – orchestra contractor (10)

Production

• Kenny G – producer, liner notes
• Antonio L.A. Reid – executive producer
• 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, 3, 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
• 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

Studios

• Recorded at WallyWorld Studios (Marin County, CA); Studio G (Malibu, CA); Westlake Studios and Signet Sound Studios (Los Angeles, CA); Sony Pictures Studios (Culver City, CA).
• Orchestra recorded at Sony Scoring Stage (Culver City, CA); Paramount Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA); 20th Century Fox Studios (Los Angeles, CA).
• Mixed at Barking Dog Studios (Mount Kisco, NY); WallyWorld Studios.
• Mastered at Sony Music Studios (New York, NY).

Singles

Information taken from this source.^[5]

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

Year-end charts

Chart (2002)	Position
Canadian Jazz Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[6]	9

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[7]	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. Billboard Singles at Allmusic
6. . Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
7. "American album certifications – Kenny G – Wishes". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 30, 2023.