David Sanborn


David William Sanborn was an American alto saxophonist. He worked in many musical genres; his solo recordings typically blended jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He began playing the saxophone at the age of 11 and released his first solo album, Taking Off, in 1975. He was active as a session musician and played on numerous albums by artists including Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Sting, the Eagles, Rickie Lee Jones, James Brown, George Benson, Carly Simon, Elton John, Bryan Ferry, Ween, and The Rolling Stones. Sanborn released more than 20 albums and won six Grammy awards.
In 2012, Sanborn was described by critic Scott Yanow as "the most influential saxophonist on pop, R&B and crossover players of the past 20 years." He became identified with radio-friendly smooth jazz, although he disliked the term and said he was not a jazz musician.
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Early life

Sanborn was born in 1945 in Tampa, Florida, where his father was stationed in the US Air Force. David grew up in Kirkwood, Missouri, a western suburb of St Louis. He contracted polio at the age of three. He "accepted his fate stoically" and endured a "miserable childhood". He was confined to an iron lung for a year, and polio left him with impaired respiration and a left arm shorter than the right.
While confined to bed, Sanborn was inspired by the "raw rock 'n' roll energy" of music he heard on the radio, particularly saxophone breaks in songs such as Fats Domino's "Ain't That a Shame" and Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti". He loved the sound of the saxophone and at the age of eleven was happy to change to saxophone from piano lessons when doctors recommended that he take up a wind instrument to improve his breathing and strengthen his chest muscles. When he was 14, he was competent enough playing saxophone to play with blues musicians in local clubs. Alto saxophonist Hank Crawford, who was a member of Ray Charles's band at the time, was an early and lasting influence on Sanborn.
Sanborn attended college at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, directly north of Chicago and studied music. He transferred to the University of Iowa where he played and studied with saxophonist J. R. Monterose.

Career

Sanborn performed with blues musicians Albert King and Little Milton at the age of 14. In 1967 he took a Greyhound bus to San Francisco to join the "Summer of Love". While visiting recording studios he was invited to sit in on a session with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He made such an impression that he joined the band for five years. He recorded on four Butterfield albums as a horn section member and a soloist from 1967 to 1971. Early in the morning on August 18, 1969, he appeared with the band at the Woodstock Music Festival in Bethel, New York.
In 1972, Sanborn played on the track "Tuesday Heartbreak" on the Stevie Wonder album Talking Book. In 1975 he worked with David Bowie on Young Americans and on the James Taylor recording of "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" on the album Gorilla. In the mid-1970s, Sanborn became active in the popular jazz fusion scene by joining the Brecker Brothers band, where he became influenced by Michael Brecker. While with the Brecker brothers, he recorded his first solo album, Taking Off, which became a jazz/funk classic. In 1985, Sanborn and Al Jarreau played two sold-out concerts at Chastain Park in Atlanta. Although Sanborn was most associated with smooth jazz, he studied free jazz in his youth with saxophonists Roscoe Mitchell and Julius Hemphill. In 1993, he revisited this genre when he appeared on Tim Berne's Diminutive Mysteries, which was dedicated to Hemphill, who was Berne's mentor. Sanborn's album Another Hand featured avant-garde musicians.
He found life on the road increasingly difficult but continued to tour. In 2017, despite plans to reduce his workload to no more than 150 gigs a year, he embarked on a tour which included Istanbul and Nairobi, Kenya.

Recordings

Sanborn was a highly regarded session player from the late 1960s onward and played with an array of well-known artists, including James Brown, Phil Woods, Bryan Ferry, Michael Stanley, Eric Clapton, Bobby Charles, Cat Stevens, Roger Daltrey, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Jaco Pastorius, the Brecker Brothers, Michael Franks, Kenny Loggins, Casiopea, Players Association, David Bowie, Todd Rundgren, Bruce Springsteen, Little Feat, Tommy Bolin, Bob James, James Taylor, Al Jarreau, Pure Prairie League, Kenny G, Loudon Wainwright III, George Benson, Joe Beck, Donny Hathaway, Elton John, Gil Evans, Carly Simon, Guru, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel, Kenny Garrett, Roger Waters, Steely Dan, Ween, the Eagles, Grateful Dead, Nena, Hikaru Utada, The Rolling Stones, Ian Hunter, and Toto.
Many of Sanborn's solo recordings were collaborations with bassist/multi-instrumentalist/composer and producer Marcus Miller, whom he met in the Saturday Night Live band in the late 1970s. Sanborn performed with Clapton on film soundtracks such as Lethal Weapon and Scrooged. In 1991, Sanborn recorded Another Hand, which the All Music Guide to Jazz described as a "return by Sanborn to his real, true love: unadorned jazz" that "balanced the scales" against his smooth jazz material. The album, produced by Hal Willner, featured musicians from outside the smooth jazz scene like Terry Adams, Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Frisell, and Marc Ribot.
In 1994, Sanborn appeared in A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who, also known as Daltrey Sings Townshend, a two-night concert at Carnegie Hall produced by Roger Daltrey of English rock band The Who in celebration of his fiftieth birthday. In 1994 a CD and a VHS video were issued, and in 1998 a DVD was released. In 1995 Sanborn performed in The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True, a musical performance at Lincoln Center to benefit the Children's Defense Fund. The performance was broadcast on Turner Network Television and released on CD and video in 1996.
In 2006, he featured in Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band's album The Phat Pack on the track "Play That Funky Music", a remake of the Wild Cherry hit in a big band style. Sanborn often performed at Japan's Blue Note venues in Nagoya, Osaka, and Tokyo. Sanborn played on the song "Your Party" on Ween's 2007 release La Cucaracha. On April 8, 2007, he sat in with the Allman Brothers Band during their annual run at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan, New York. In 2010, Sanborn toured with a trio featuring jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco and Steve Gadd. They played the combination of blues and jazz from his album Only Everything. In 2011, Sanborn toured with keyboardist George Duke and bassist Marcus Miller as the group DMS. In 2013, Sanborn toured with keyboardist Brian Culbertson on "The Dream Tour" celebrating the 25th anniversary of the song "The Dream".
Besides playing alto saxophone as his main instrument, Sanborn also played baritone, soprano and sopranino saxophones; saxello; flute; and keyboards/piano on some recordings.

Broadcasting

Sanborn performed and hosted radio, television, and web programs. He was a member of the Saturday Night Live band in 1980. Beginning in the late 1980s he was a regular guest member of Paul Shaffer's band on Late Night with David Letterman. He also appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman a few times in the 1990s.
From 1988 to 1989, Sanborn co-hosted Night Music, a late-night music show on television with Jools Holland. Using producer Hal Willner's eclectic approach, the show positioned Sanborn with many famed musicians including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Pharoah Sanders, NRBQ, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Lou Reed, Elliott Sharp, Jean-Luc Ponty, Santana, Todd Rundgren, Youssou N'dour, Pere Ubu, Loudon Wainwright III, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Leonard Cohen, Sonic Youth, Was (Not Was), Anson Funderburgh, Warren Zevon, John Zorn, Curtis Mayfield, Richard Thompson, and Jo-El Sonnier.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Sanborn hosted a syndicated radio program, The Jazz Show with David Sanborn. He recorded many shows' theme songs, as well as several other songs for The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder. In 2021, as the coronavirus pandemic paused live music performances in public venues, Sanborn hosted a series of master classes on Zoom and also virtual productions of "Sanborn Sessions" with artists such as Marcus Miller, Christian McBride, Sting, Michael McDonald, which involved live performances and interviews from his home in Westchester, New York.

Equipment

Sanborn played a Selmer Mark VI alto saxophone. In the early 1980s he was endorsed by Yamaha and he played their saxophones on the albums As We Speak and Backstreet. He can be seen playing a Yamaha saxophone at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1981.
According to an April 1988 interview in the jazz magazine DownBeat, he had a preference for Selmer Mark VI alto saxophones in the 140,000-150,000 serial number range, all produced in 1967. From the late 1970s, Sanborn played with mouthpieces created by Bobby Dukoff. He later played a mouthpiece designed by Aaron Drake.

Personal life

Sanborn was married to his fourth wife, French-born Alice Soyer Sanborn, a pianist, vocalist, and composer. His first three marriages ended in divorce. He had one son, Jonathan, a bass player and two granddaughters.
Sanborn died of complications from prostate cancer in Tarrytown, New York, west of White Plains, on May 12, 2024, at the age of 78. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2018.
On November 25, 2024, a David Sanborn Tribute Concert was held at Sony Hall in New York City. The concert was live-streamed by WBGO and hosted by Marcus Miller and Pat Prescott, and featured performances by Eric Marienthal, Bob James, Paul Shaffer, Will Lee, Kurt Elling, Randy Brecker, Alex Han and Dave Koz.

Awards and honors

Sanborn's first Grammy Award was for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for the single "All I Need is You". Sanborn won six Grammy Awards and had eight gold albums and one platinum album. He won Grammy Awards for Voyeur, Double Vision, and the instrumental album Close Up.
In 2004, Sanborn was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

Discography

As leader

Taking Off David Sanborn Promise Me the Moon Heart to Heart Hideaway – No. 2 jazz hit; No. 33 R&B hitVoyeur – No. 1 jazz hitAs We Speak – No. 1 jazz hitBackstreet – No. 1 jazz hitStraight to the Heart – live; No. 1 jazz hitDouble Vision with Bob James – No. 1 jazz hit; No. 16 R&B hitA Change of Heart Close-Up Another Hand Upfront Hearsay Pearls Songs from the Night Before Inside Time Again Closer Here and Gone Only Everything Quartette Humaine with Bob James Time and the River
CompilationsThe Best of David Sanborn Love Songs Dreaming Girl Then Again: The Anthology This Masquerade Anything You Want
As guest

As sideman

With George Benson
With James BrownHell Reality
With the Brecker BrothersThe Brecker Bros. Back to Back Return of the Brecker Brothers
With Randy BreckerThe Brecker Brothers Band Reunion Rocks
With Paul ButterfieldThe Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw In My Own Dream Keep on Moving Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin Better Days Put It in Your Ear Live: New York, 1970 – live rec. 1970The Paul Butterfield Blues Band Live At Woodstock – live rec. 1969
With Ron CarterAnything Goes Yellow & Green – in bonus tracks
With Gil EvansSvengali The Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix Montreux Jazz Festival '74 There Comes a Time Gil Evans Live at the Royal Festival Hall London 1978 Priestess – live rec. 1977
With Maynard FergusonPrimal Scream Maynard – compilationHollywood
With Michael FranksThe Art of Tea Sleeping Gypsy Tiger in the Rain Objects of Desire Skin Dive Abandoned Garden
With Bob JamesHeads Touchdown Lucky Seven Foxie
With Al JarreauHeart's Horizon Tenderness – live
With Steve KhanTightrope The Blue Man Arrows
With Lisa LaurenWhat Comes Around My Own Twist It Is What It Is Lisa Lauren Loves the Beatles
With The Manhattan TransferThe Manhattan Transfer Brasil – 1 track
With Pure Prairie LeagueCan't Hold Back Firin' Up Something in the Night
With Kenny LogginsHigh Adventure Vox Humana
With Carly SimonBoys in the Trees Spy Torch Hello Big Man
With Mike SternNeesh Upside Downside Give and Take
With James TaylorGorilla JT Flag That's Why I'm Here
With John TropeaTropea To Touch You Again
With others

Video

Love and Happiness The Super Session βˆ’ David Sanborn & FriendsThe Super Session II βˆ’ David Sanborn & FriendsLegends: Live at Montreux 1997 The Legends of Jazz: Showcase
  • ''Live at Montreux 1984''

Filmography

Actor/Host

The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True
Cast member in the TV stage musicalScrooged
Played a street musicianSunday Night
Was the host of this music showMagnum P.I.
Was guest saxophonist in the episode L.A.
  • ''Stelle Sulla Citta''

Himself

Saturday Night Live One Trick Pony Late Night with David Letterman / Late Show with David Letterman The 1st Annual Soul Train Music Awards The 2nd Annual Soul Train Music Awards Benny Carter: Symphony in Riffs Michael Kamen: Concerto for Saxophone Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who Forget Paris Burt Bacharach: One Amazing Night The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts

Composer

Moment to Moment Stelle Sulla Citta Finnegan Begin Again Psycho III Lethal Weapon 2 Lethal Weapon 3

Musician

Saturday Night Live Murphy's Romance Psycho III Lethal Weapon Tequila Sunrise Lethal Weapon 2 Lethal Weapon 3 Forget Paris
  • ''Lethal Weapon 4''

Videography

  • , official Youtube channel