Kenny G retunes after hitting sour note in China

BEIJING -- When you think about controversial artists, Kenny G probably doesn't come to mind. But that changed Thursday -- at least in one country -- as the global saxophone superstar, who is particularly popular in China, waded straight into the thorny issue of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

It may have seemed innocent enough: Kenny G snapped a selfie at the Hong Kong street demonstration, made a peace sign, and tweeted: "I wish everyone a peaceful and positive conclusion to this situation."

With those 68 characters on the social media platform, CBS News correspondent Seth Doane says the musician known for his smooth jazz stepped into a rather discordant debate.

The pro-democracy protesters, who've blocked Hong Kong streets for almost a month now, are the most public, political challenge to China's Communist central government since the Tiananmen Square demonstrations of 1989.

Kenny G is a wildly popular figure in China. He regularly performs here and his song, "Going Home" is ubiquitous. It's played in Chinese shopping malls and supermarkets, restaurants, airports, even on board Chinese passenger jets.

So, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying shot back on Wednesday: "I think Kenny G's music is popular in China," she admitted, adding: "We hope all foreign countries and individuals could be discreet... and not support the illegal protest."

Those comments were not included in the ministry's "official transcript" of Hua's comments.

That wasn't not the only thing deleted. The offending selfie no longer appears on Kenny G's official website. Following a photo of the "amazing" dim-sum he had, are a number of back-peddling posts from the musician.

"I was not trying to defy government orders with my last post," he tweeted. Another message reads, "I don't really know anything about the situation and my impromptu visit to the site was just part of an innocent walk around Hong Kong."

In non-Kenny G protest news, student leaders met with government officials Tuesday for unprecedented face-to-face talks. It was broadcast on TV, but yielded little.

"I am afraid that we can only agree to disagree," announced Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's chief secretary.

This democracy debate is serious, but late-night comedians pounced on Kenny G's presence.

"The Chinese government is furious and they responded the only way they could - they used Enya," Craig Ferguson said on CBS' "Late Late Show."

Though it's impossible to verify with the government, Doane says it's believed there is a "black list" of artists who are not invited to perform in China. With such a big market, no star wants to be on that list.

Incidentally, CBS News was making calls to a government office on an unrelated story Thursday, and we were put on hold. The music? Kenny G.