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SMOOTH JAZZ SAXOPHONIST David Sanborn, who played on recordings by Stevie Wonder, James Brown, and Carly Simon and performed live with David Bowie and the Rolling Stones, died in Tarrytown, New York, on Sunday afternoon. A rep confirmed the news to Rolling Stone. A message on Sanborn’s social media cited complications after an extended battle with prostate cancer. He was 78.
“Mr. Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018 but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently,” the message said. “Indeed he already had concerts scheduled into 2025.”
Earlier this month, Sanborn canceled a number of dates set to take place throughout the rest of May. “For the last weeks I’ve been dealing with unbelievable pain in my spine that prohibited me from walking, let alone playing my horn,” Sanborn wrote in a statement. “We were finally able to diagnose the issue as two stressed fractures in my spine.” He underwent spinal surgery and doctors told him he could recover after taking six to eight weeks off. Sanborn wrote that abandoning the dates was difficult for him: “Playing for all of you, friends, fans, staff, and supporters, is what keeps me alive. You have my assurance that as soon as I’ve healed … I will be back.” He signed off with “heartfelt apologies.”
As a solo artist, Sanborn made a blend of jazz, pop, and R&B his trademark sound. Throughout his career, he released more than two dozen albums, nine of which went gold or platinum, and won six Grammys. It was a miracle since Sanborn, who grew up near St. Louis, survived a polio diagnosis at age 3. “I wasn’t like the other kids,” Sanborn told JazzTimes in 2008. “My mantra was, ‘Hey, guys, wait up.’ I used to lie in bed a lot, listening to the radio, which was my theater of the imagination.”
Playing saxophone was an important part of his recovery, according to his official bio, and by the time he was a teenager he was playing alongside blues legends like Albert King and Little Milton. He released his debut solo album, Taking Off, in 1975, when he turned 30.
Before he was a solo artist, though, he joined the Butterfield Blues Band and was a part of that group’s lineup when it performed at Woodstock. Sanborn toured with Stevie Wonder and played on the musician’s Talking Book album. In addition to touring with Bowie, he played the saxophone solo on “Young Americans.”
“On the Young Americans tour, Bowie would sometimes let the band play for 20 minutes before he came on,” Sanborn told Downbeat in 2017. “I remember we had a week at the Universal Amphitheater in L.A. It was a great rhythm section with Doug Rauch on bass and Greg Enrico on drums. On the Young Americans album, there was no lead guitar, so I played the role of lead guitar. I was all over that record.”
Throughout the Seventies, Sanborn effortlessly bounced back and forth between jazz, blues, and pop music, recording with B.B. King, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen (contributing to “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” on Born to Run), Elton John, Chaka Khan, Ron Carter, George Benson, Kenny Loggins, and Eagles, to name but a few. The Eighties found him playing alongside Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Roger Water, Eric Clapton, and Mick Jagger, among others.
From 1988 to 1990, Sanborn hosted Night Music, which Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels produced. It featured archival performances by Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck, Billie Holiday, and others. He also contributed music to the films Psycho III and the second through fourth installments of the Lethal Weapon franchise. Sanborn also performed the sax solo on “The Seduction (Love Theme),” a hit instrumental off the soundtrack to American Gigolo written by Giorgio Moroder and credited to James Last.
He has also hosted a syndicated radio program, The Jazz Show, and produced a YouTube series called Sanborn Sessions with his nephew and brother-in-law, and guests like Sting and Christian McBride, and a podcast called As We Speak. During Covid-19 lockdowns, Sanborn offered master classes in saxophone over Zoom.
“I’m not so interested in what is or isn’t jazz,” Sanborn told Downbeat. “The guardians of the gate can be quite combative, but what are they protecting? Jazz has always absorbed and transformed what’s around it. … Real musicians don’t have any time to spend thinking about limited categories.”
The label inks drummer Pat Petrillo while dropping new albums by Billboard chart-topper Blake Aaron and keyboardist Cal Harris Jr. A new album from smooth soul vocalist Erin Stevenson will be “Uncovered” next.
Springtime is about new growth, and this season finds Innervision Records in full bloom. Joining Billboard’s No. 3 Smooth Jazz Label of the Year for five consecutive years is drummer Pat Petrillo, who will make his label debut on June 7 with the single “Glide in My Stride.” The Southern California-based imprint also has a prolific release slate of blossoming spring albums and singles.
Petrillo joins Innervision Records on the heels of his critically acclaimed 2023 album, “The Power Station Sessions,” a set that landed him on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine and featured a collaboration with multi-time Grammy winner Nile Rodgers. The new single, “Glide in My Stride,” previews Petrillo’s next album, which will drop next year.
“Signing drummer Pat Petrillo is a welcome addition to the Innervision Records family. We are proud to be a part of the development and promotion of his upcoming first release on Innervision Records, ‘Glide in My Stride,’ and have already received glowing feedback from Pat's new music. We are expecting wonderful things from him,” said Innervision Records’ A&R and radio promotions executive Adam Leibovitz.
"I'm really excited about signing with Innervision Records and joining their amazing roster of chart-topping artists. They've been leaders in the contemporary jazz genre for years, and the team that's in place is exceptional and experienced. I'm looking forward to releasing more radio singles as well as my new full-length album soon,” said the New York City-based Petrillo.
Innervision Records opened the year with guitarist Blake Aaron’s single, “She’s the One,” which romanced its way into the No. 1 spot on the Billboard chart last month. It’s the third Billboard No. 1 single from Aaron’s newly released “Love and Rhythm” album.
The label also issued four new singles this spring, each of which is making its way up the national charts. Released in March, keyboardist Cal Harris Jr.’s new “Bridges” set spawned the single “Lemon Salt.” Hitmaking flutist Kim Scott is back with the sizzling single “Like Butter.” Guitarist JJ Sansaverino’s is having a spring fling with the single “Love Can’t Wait.” Smooth soul vocalist Erin Stevenson’s single “Almost” offers a glimpse into her forthcoming “Cover Girl Uncovered” album, which will be revealed on June 28.
Also expected to heat up the charts this spring are new singles from bassist Blair Bryant who will release the first cut, “Summit,” on Friday (May 17) from his forthcoming “Amethyst” album, which will arrive in 2025. On May 24, saxophonist Tom Braxton will release “Canyon Dreams,” the second single from his “Flashback” collection. Guitarist Keith Andrew will wrap the month with the release of his latest single, “Sapphire Cove,” on May 31.
Twenty-six-year-old Innervision Records has curated a diverse family of recording artists who craft contemporary jazz, R&B and world music that consistently impacts the Billboard, Mediabase, Groove Jazz, Radiowave and multiple smooth jazz charts. The boutique label is energized about what’s to come from their roster this year.
“We are thrilled as the year 2024 is shaping up to be one of exponential growth for Innervision Records through new and exciting chart-topping hits from many of our artists who are coming out with long awaited and highly anticipated new releases,” said Innervision Records’ general manager Steve Belkin.
For more information, please visit www.innervisionrecords.com.
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