David Sanborn, the influential saxophonist whose Grammy-winning profession included collaborations with Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon, has died. He was 78.
Sanborn died Sunday afternoon “after an prolonged struggle with prostate most cancers with troubles,” his crew reported Monday in an announcement shared to his social media webpages. A consultant for Sanborn confirmed the information to The Occasions.
“Mr. Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer because 2018, but experienced been equipped to manage his standard plan of concerts right until just a short while ago,” his group mentioned in an X (formerly Twitter) thread. “Indeed he now had live shows scheduled into 2025.”
Sanborn may possibly be acknowledged for smooth saxophone melodies on tunes like “Maputo,” but his get the job done and legacy increase significantly past the earth of jazz.
“I occasionally get looped in with jazz musicians for the reason that I perform sax and improvise,” Sanborn informed The Situations in 1996. “But if you know my music, you would not confuse it with jazz. There are sure stylistic and rhythmic aspects that keep me from remaining in that group.”
Early in his career, Sanborn collaborated with R&B giant Stevie Surprise as well as the Rolling Stones and David Bowie. Right after launching his solo job in 1975, Sanborn went on to collaborate with musicians including Simon, James Taylor, Luther Vandross and Eric Clapton, according to his site.
Around the course of his career, Sanborn gained six Grammy Awards, together with prizes for his albums “Straight to the Heart” and “Double Vision,” a collaboration with Bob James. Sanborn unveiled 25 albums, which includes 8 that went gold and 1 that attained platinum status.
“David Sanborn was a seminal figure in contemporary pop and jazz new music,” Monday’s statements additional. “It has been mentioned that he ‘put the saxophone back again into Rock ’n Roll.’”