David Sanborn

BIOGRAPHy

Most of David Sanborn’s recordings have been in the dance music/R&B vein, although Sanborn is more than a capable jazz player. His greatest contributions to music have been his passionate sound and his emotional interpretations of melodies which generally uplift any record he is on. Unlike his countless number of imitators, Sanborn is immediately recognizable within two notes. While growing up in St. Louis, Sanborn played with many Chicago blues greats. After important stints with Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, and others, Sanborn began recording as a leader in the mid-’70s, and he racked up a string of pop successes. For a couple years in the early ’90s, Sanborn was the host of the syndicated television series Night Music, which had a very eclectic lineup of musicians. In 2013, Sanborn released Quartette Humaine. He continues to play all over the world.

Career Path

1962While still a teenager in St. Louis, sat in with blues legend Albert King, a formative experience that shaped the raw, emotive alto tone that would define his career.
1975Released debut album 'Taking Off,' staking out the passionate R&B-inflected jazz-saxophone voice that would make him immediately recognizable within two notes.
1976Featured alongside David Bowie and Stevie Wonder, two of the era's biggest recording artists, building a reputation as the session player other stars called first.
1981'Voyeur,' recorded with Marcus Miller and Steve Gadd, won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance and became the first of four straight albums to top the jazz charts.
1984'Straight to the Heart' won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, cementing his streak of top-chart jazz albums across consecutive years.
1985'Double Vision,' the collaboration with pianist Bob James, won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance and became a cornerstone of the contemporary jazz genre.
1988Co-hosted NBC's Sunday-night music variety show 'Night Music' with Jools Holland, produced by Lorne Michaels, assembling an eclectic lineup that mixed jazz legends with rock and world-music artists across two seasons.
2013Reunited with Bob James for 'Quartette Humaine,' an all-acoustic tribute recorded shortly after Dave Brubeck's passing, with drummer Steve Gadd and bassist James Genus completing the quartet.
2024Passed away in Tarrytown, New York at age 78 after a six-year battle with prostate cancer, leaving behind six Grammy Awards, more than a dozen Billboard 200 albums, and an alto saxophone voice that influenced every player who followed him.

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