Cupid isn’t real, but you might be fooled by a certain 63-year-old saxophone player with long locks of curly brown hair and an affinity for custom-made suits. Every Valentine’s Day, that saxophone player—beloved by Kanye West, and the same one whose music you hear, well, everywhere—takes a gig. Not out of need for money or even for self-affirmation, mind you, but rather in the name of love. Out of the (correct) notion that if he pushes the right buttons on his instrument and the vibe is correct, he might just shoot an arrow through the hearts of some lucky lovers.

Which is how Kenny G (probably) wound up on the (hopefully) forthcoming Kanye West album. This past Valentine’s Day, duty took Cupid to the West-Kardashian household. The plan, hatched by Kanye, was to surprise serenade Kim with the sax-playing synonym of smooth himself. In a completely bare—sorry, minimal—white room, Kanye laid out a garden of roses in clear vases, like it was a conceptual exhibit at LACMA. In the middle of it all, there was a clear path, and at the end of it, Kenny G, his soprano, and an ethereal sensation.

The gig went well. Kim taped it, and posted the clip online with an ecstatic caption. For most of the video, the camera is trained on Kenny G, but you imagine that what’s happening behind the camera looks something like this. For a change, Kanye was in the news for something uncomplicatedly good and sweet (the only red in the room was the flowers). Spirits high, after the performance, Kanye took Kenny to his studio to play him some music he was working on… And that’s when Kenny G had an idea. "You know, I think if my saxophone was on there it would sound really good," he said. To which Kanye said, "Cool," pulled out a microphone, and let Kenny G do his thing. He noodled, took the record home and noodled on it some more, and sent it back to Kanye. The album, which has since transformed from Yandhi to Jesus Is King, remains a mystery to all but a few. But one thing does seem clear: Kenny G’s playing stuck. We spoke to the currently touring silky jazz maestro about the experience, what he knows of the album, and how collaborating with Kanye affected his own art.

GQ: I haven't heard the record yet. What can you tell me about it?

Kenny G: I haven't heard the final either. I know what I recorded. Basically, I've heard little snippets from people that put it out online. But I haven't heard the final song. I'm sure it's cool. What I heard from the little snippets people posted online sounded good.

So I know that you performed for Kim for Valentine's Day. What came next?

Well, that was the day that I met Kanye. And he just could not have been nicer. It was super fun. And it was a great vibe doing that performance in their house. The room was set up cool. And of course, as a saxophone player, if you're playing in a place that sounds like a cathedral, it's awesome. You know, we love stairwells, we love places that have high ceilings—gymnasiums, anything like that. An instrumentalist loves to practice because that sound goes everywhere. His living room was just like that, so it was really, really a pleasure for me to play. And the vibe was really cool.

And after that, he asked me if I want to come over to see his studio. So I said, "Cool." So I went with him. And he started playing me some tracks. And as he was playing the tracks, I did not hesitate to say what I thought about the tracks. And I suggested on a particular track, "You know, I think if my saxophone was on there it would sound really good." And he said, "Cool." And he pulled out the microphone, and I started playing on it.