David Sanborn

Musician

Forfans of jazz, fusion and smooth jazz; listeners interested in alto saxophone and session-player collaborations.
2 Reviews 0 Definitions 13 Charts

The Profile

David Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist known for his solo recordings and extensive work as a session musician.

Plays alto saxophone. Mentioned collaborations and sidemen in DeBaser reviews include Jaco Pastorius (featured on Pastorius's first album), the Brecker brothers, Mike Stern, Christian McBride, Steve Gadd, Gil Goldstein, Russell Malone, Marcus Miller, Buzzy Feiten, Lenny Castro, and background vocalists Patti Austin and Valerie Simpson. A 2006 review notes a debut for Verve at age 58.

DeBaser reviews highlight David Sanborn's expressive alto sax and masterful control. Critics praise the mood, musicianship and notable collaborators on Time Again and Voyeur. One review is highly enthusiastic; the other is appreciative but notes genre decline.

Notable Quotes

❝ An essentially nocturnal record, a master of the sax able to stir emotions with three long notes held just right, and then lightly flying away on a sudden arpeggio.

❝ Voyeur brings the fusion that started a few years earlier into the '80s, keeping at a good level, before the total downfall that from the mid-'80s onward would have sunk the genre.