David Sanborn Dies: Grammy-Winning Jazz Saxophonist, Film Composer & ‘SNL’ Bandmember Was 78
deadline.comDavid Sanborn, the six time Grammy-winning alto saxophonist who played at Woodstock, composed music for the Lethal Weapon movies, played in the SNL and Late Night with David Letterman bands and worked with everyone from Stevie Wonder to David Bowie, died Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications.
He Was 78. Sanborn’s music is often described “smooth jazz,” but he reportedly rejected that characterization, and one can see why.
His lively, iconic sax solo on Bowie’s “Young Americans” is anything but. Sanborn preferred the idea that he “put the saxophone back into Rock ’n Roll.” Indeed, he worked with a virtual who’s who of rock and R&B legends, including James Brown, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Elton John, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel, Roger Waters, Steely Dan, the Eagles, the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones.
In TV and film, Sanborn was a member of the legendary Saturday Night Live band from 1979-1980 alongside fellow alto player — and future Lord of the Rings composer — Howard Shore, future Late Night with David Letterman band leader Paul Shaffer on keyboards and his future frequent collaborator, Marcus Miller, on bass.
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