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David Sanborn | |
|---|---|
 Sanborn in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | David William Sanborn (1945-07-30)July 30, 1945 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | May 12, 2024(2024-05-12) (aged 78) Tarrytown, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1959–2024 |
| Labels | |
| Website | davidsanborn |
David William Sanborn (July 30, 1945 – May 12, 2024) was an Americanalto saxophonist. He worked in many musical genres; his solo recordings typically blendedjazz withinstrumentalpop andR&B.[1] He began playing the saxophone at the age of 11 and released his first solo album,Taking Off, in 1975.[2] He was active as asession musician and played on numerous albums by artists includingStevie Wonder,Bruce Springsteen,Aretha Franklin,Sting, theEagles,Rickie Lee Jones,James Brown,George Benson,Carly Simon,Elton John,Bryan Ferry,Ween, andThe Rolling Stones. Sanborn released more than 20 albums[3] and won six Grammy awards.[4]
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."[5] He became identified with radio-friendlysmooth jazz, although he disliked the term and said he was not a jazz musician.[6][1]
Sanborn was born in 1945 inTampa, Florida, where his father was stationed in theUS Air Force.[6] David grew up inKirkwood, Missouri, a western suburb ofSt Louis. He contractedpolio at the age of three. He "accepted his fate stoically" and endured a "miserable childhood".[6] He was confined to aniron lung for a year,[7] and polio left him with impaired respiration and a left arm shorter than the right.[6]
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 asFats Domino's "Ain't That a Shame" andLittle Richard's "Tutti Frutti".[6] He loved the sound of the saxophone and at the age of eleven[8] 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.[6] When he was 14, he was competent enough playing saxophone to play withblues musicians in local clubs. Alto saxophonistHank Crawford, who was a member ofRay Charles's band at the time, was an early and lasting influence on Sanborn.[9]
Sanborn attended college atNorthwestern University inEvanston, Illinois, directly north of Chicago and studied music.[2] He transferred to theUniversity of Iowa where he played and studied with saxophonistJ. R. Monterose.[2]
Sanborn performed with blues musiciansAlbert King andLittle Milton at the age of 14.[7] In 1967 he took aGreyhound bus toSan Francisco to join the "Summer of Love". While visitingrecording studios he was invited to sit in on a session withThe Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He made such an impression that he joined the band for five years.[9][6] He recorded on four Butterfield albums as ahorn section member and a soloist from 1967 to 1971. Early in the morning on August 18, 1969, he appeared with the band at theWoodstock Music Festival inBethel, New York.
In 1972, Sanborn played on the track "Tuesday Heartbreak" on the Stevie Wonder albumTalking Book. In 1975 he worked withDavid Bowie onYoung Americans and on theJames Taylor recording of "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" on the albumGorilla. In the mid-1970s, Sanborn became active in the popularjazz fusion scene by joining theBrecker Brothers band, where he became influenced byMichael Brecker. While with the Brecker brothers, he recorded his first solo album,Taking Off, which became a jazz/funk classic. In 1985, Sanborn andAl Jarreau played two sold-out concerts at Chastain Park inAtlanta.[10] Although Sanborn was most associated withsmooth jazz, he studiedfree jazz in his youth with saxophonistsRoscoe Mitchell andJulius Hemphill. In 1993, he revisited this genre when he appeared onTim Berne'sDiminutive Mysteries, which was dedicated to Hemphill, who was Berne's mentor. Sanborn's albumAnother 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 includedIstanbul andNairobi, Kenya.[11]
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, theBrecker 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, andToto.
Many of Sanborn's solo recordings were collaborations with bassist/multi-instrumentalist/composer and producerMarcus Miller, whom he met in theSaturday Night Live band in the late 1970s. Sanborn performed with Clapton on film soundtracks such asLethal Weapon (and its sequels) andScrooged. In 1991, Sanborn recordedAnother Hand, which theAll Music Guide to Jazz described as a "return by Sanborn to his real, true love: unadorned (or only partly adorned) jazz" that "balanced the scales" against his smooth jazz material.[12] The album, produced byHal Willner, featured musicians from outside the smooth jazz scene likeTerry Adams,Charlie Haden,Jack DeJohnette,Bill Frisell, andMarc Ribot.
In 1994, Sanborn appeared inA Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who, also known asDaltrey Sings Townshend, a two-night concert atCarnegie Hall produced by Roger Daltrey of English rock bandThe 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 inThe Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True, a musical performance atLincoln Center to benefit theChildren's Defense Fund. The performance was broadcast onTurner Network Television (TNT) and released on CD and video in 1996.
In 2006, he featured inGordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band's albumThe Phat Pack on the track "Play That Funky Music", a remake of theWild Cherry hit in abig band style. Sanborn often performed at Japan'sBlue Note venues inNagoya,Osaka, andTokyo.[13] Sanborn played on the song "Your Party" onWeen's 2007 releaseLa Cucaracha. On April 8, 2007, he sat in withthe Allman Brothers Band during their annual run at theBeacon Theatre inManhattan, New York. In 2010, Sanborn toured with a trio featuring jazz organistJoey DeFrancesco andSteve Gadd. They played the combination of blues and jazz from his albumOnly Everything. In 2011, Sanborn toured with keyboardistGeorge Duke and bassist Marcus Miller as the group DMS. In 2013, Sanborn toured with keyboardistBrian 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.[14][15][16][17]
Sanborn performed and hosted radio, television, and web programs. He was a member of theSaturday Night Live band in 1980. Beginning in the late 1980s he was a regular guest member ofPaul Shaffer's band onLate Night with David Letterman. He also appeared on theLate Show with David Letterman a few times in the 1990s.
From 1988 to 1989, Sanborn co-hostedNight Music, a late-night music show on television withJools Holland. Using producer Hal Willner's eclectic approach, the show positioned Sanborn with many famed musicians includingMiles 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, andJo-El Sonnier.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Sanborn hosted a syndicated radio program,The Jazz Show with David Sanborn.[9] He recorded many shows' theme songs, as well as several other songs forThe 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 onZoom 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 inWestchester, New York.[18]
Sanborn played aSelmer Mark VI alto saxophone.[19] In the early 1980s he was endorsed byYamaha and he played their saxophones on the albumsAs We Speak andBackstreet. He can be seen playing a Yamaha saxophone at theMontreux Jazz Festival in 1981.
According to an April 1988 interview in the jazz magazineDownBeat, 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 byBobby Dukoff. He later played a mouthpiece designed by Aaron Drake.
Sanborn was married to his fourth wife,French-born Alice Soyer Sanborn, a pianist, vocalist, and composer. His first three marriages ended in divorce.[6] He had one son, Jonathan, a bass player[6] and two granddaughters.[20]
Sanborn died of complications fromprostate cancer inTarrytown, New York, west ofWhite Plains, on May 12, 2024, at the age of 78.[21] He was diagnosed with the disease in 2018.[22]
On November 25, 2024, a David Sanborn Tribute Concert was held at Sony Hall in New York City. The concert was live-streamed byWBGO and hosted by Marcus Miller and Pat Prescott, and featured performances byEric Marienthal, Bob James,Paul Shaffer,Will Lee,Kurt Elling,Randy Brecker, Alex Han andDave Koz.[23]
Sanborn's first Grammy Award was for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for the single "All I Need is You".[24] Sanborn won sixGrammy Awards and had eight gold albums and one platinum album.[25] He won Grammy Awards forVoyeur (1981),Double Vision (1986), and the instrumental albumClose Up (1988).
In 2004, Sanborn was inducted into theSt. Louis Walk of Fame.[26]
Compilations
As guest
WithGeorge Benson
WithJames Brown With theBrecker Brothers
WithRandy Brecker WithPaul Butterfield
WithRon Carter
WithGil Evans
WithMaynard Ferguson
WithMichael Franks
WithBob James
WithAl Jarreau
WithSteve Khan
With Lisa Lauren
WithKenny Loggins
WithCarly Simon
WithMike Stern
WithJames Taylor
WithJohn Tropea
| With others
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