INDIANAPOLIS — Remember that hot, piercing saxophone solo on David Bowie’s song “Young Americans”? How about that blasting nightlife call on the theme song to the syndicated “Saturday Night Live” TV program?
Thank David Sanborn, an alto saxophonist who not only has put his stamp on jazz but decades of pop music.
For his latest project, though, he went back to his roots. “Here & Gone,” his 23rd album, is comprised of classic songs performed by Sanborn with guests like Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, and Joss Stone.
“It was really kind of a labor of love for me — a chance for me to acknowledge my debt,” Sanborn said of the project. He wanted to honor his influences — namely Hank Crawford and David “Fathead” Newman, who both played with Ray Charles. Tracks by Crawford and Charles, all brimming with gritty blues and tender soul, get due deference from Sanborn and his assembled cast.
Given Sanborn’s accomplished career, it felt like the right time for an album like “Here & Gone.” He’s come a long way from the young boy who took up the alto sax as part of his therapy for polio. Sanborn had already become enamored with the instrument’s sound.
“It got to me on an emotional level,” he said. “It has the ability to communicate in an emotionally direct way. I felt like it was kind of my voice.”
Growing up in St. Louis, Sanborn would attend teen dances in the summer where local and regional acts would play. He befriended Little Milton’s piano player, eventually earning an invitation to perform with them.
“They were very generous and didn’t kick me off the stage,” Sanborn said. “I thought wow, this is a good job.”
He also performed with Albert King, another popular artist, before graduating high school.
“I think for them it was a bit of a novelty,” Sanborn said of being a 15-year-old playing backup to these greats. “But they also understood I had a great love for music and were supportive and encouraging.”
Many others have as well. Sanborn’s ardent solos have complemented tracks by artists as widespread as James Taylor and Paul Simon to Stevie Wonder and Ween.
“A lot of people (have been) very generous with me, giving me the opportunity to express myself in the context of their music,” Sanborn said. “I feel lucky.”
He’s not, however, just some session player paid to add preconceived textures to these songs.
“These people hired me to be myself,” Sanborn said. “So whatever situation I walked into, there was never any expectation other than play this how you hear it. I’ve never had to sublimate my personality, other than playing something appropriate to the context.”
It’s why Sanborn has managed to carve out a variegated niche for himself — from solo work and collaborations to film scores and even hosting a late-night talk show in the ’80s that brought luminaries from across the musical spectrum together.
Almost none of it has ever really been planned either.
“I’ve never been very goal-oriented,” Sanborn said. “I kind of take things as they come. I’ve been lucky that a lot of things that have come my way have been things that have been very rewarding and important for me — musically and otherwise. Following your instincts and doing the next right thing in terms of what’s going to serve the music well can lead you to good things. Occasionally there’s a dead end, but it’s all part of the journey.”
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Online:
www.davidsanborn.com
Just the Facts
WHO: David Sanborn
WHEN: 7 and 9:30 p.m. Sept. 25
WHERE: The Music Mill, 3720 E. 82nd St., Indianapolis
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Related Photos
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Renowned for his solo and sideman work, David Sanborn’s 23rd album, “Here & Gone,” has him performing the music that emboldened him to play the alto saxophone. / Photo by Lynn Goldsmith Lynn Goldsmith
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