Down Beat devotes cover story to David Sanborn

Saxophonist David Sanborn, raised right here in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood, is the subject of the cover story in the March 2007 issue of Down Beat magazine. The article by Ken Micalief is titled "Evolution of the Sound", and in addition to profiling Sanborn, it makes a case for him as one of the most influential alto players of his generation. Unfortunately, the article is not available online - Down Beat offers its current content in print form only - so here are a few noteworthy excerpts:

Sanborn on his own abilities as a player:

"I have a style of playing but I am far from being an innovator," he said. "I don't think I am bringing anything new to the music aside from the way I phrase and a certain conception of sound. I'm being realistic. I have a good life and I'm grateful as a result of people liking what I do. At the same time that is not why I started doing this. I didn't have a choice."

And later in the piece, on the same subject:

"I am a jazz fan who makes records," he said. "I will leave it to somebody else to decide how much jazz is in there. 1 would not define myself that way."

Sanborn on his current state, both spiritual and physical:

"I'm more content with my life than I have been in the past," he said. "I've been racked with insecurities throughout my life. I always feel a bit like I am playing catch up. A lot of that is due to my physical condition. Now I am dealing with the physical ramifications of post-polio syndrome. It's coming back. We're trying to figure out end runs around the physical difficulties. I do therapy and a gym regimen that helps me maintain, but I am comfortable in my skin."

A description of Sanborn's residence:

Sanborn owns a classy brownstone on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The five-story building is an architectural gem. Built in 1892, its details are dazzling: domed ceilings with natural wood inlays, parquet floors and panoramic staircases with elaborate banisters. Off the main floor a large deck leads to a courtyard; the upper floor holds a professional recording studio, complete with a high-end two-channel stereo, Neumann mics, grand piano and Argosy mixing desk. Downstairs, two chihuahuas, Lucy (good dog) and Miles (bad dog), greet Sanborn in the comfy living room. Family photos and books fill the space: Thesaurus Of Scales And Melodic Patterns by Nicolas Slonimsky, The Mystery Of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs In The West And Fails Everywhere Else by Hernando de Soto, The Hidden Connections: A Science For Sustainable Living by Fritjof Capra. Sanborn's interests are as eclectic as his musical influences.

Sanborn on his recording career as a leader:

"In retrospect I've made ill-advised choices on some records," he said-a few weeks after the Blue Note gig and upon returning from a tour of Asia-as the dogs took up protective positions on his lap. "Sometimes I will hear music that moves me and I will try to do that music too literally. Songs that worked as vocals, for example, I tried to translate and it didn't work. 'Neither One Of Us,' for example, was a little superficial.

'There are moments on a lot of my records that I like," he continued. "But there aren't any records that I like all the way through. There are two or three songs on Upfront that I like. 'Snakes' works, in the sense that it was what I set out to do. The solo there works and it connects the song. There were a lot of songs on Upfront that are what I intended. That is what I consider a successful record."

About that famous alto sound:

"My sound was a result of trying to emulate those players I respected," Sanborn said. "If you combine Red Prysock, Phil Woods, Jackie McLean, Cannonball, Hank Crawford and David Newman, and filter that through my physiology and experience, that's what you get. I didn't have. any goals. Music was so fulfilling on so many levels I couldn't think of doing anything else."…The sound that fired '70s hit singles by Bowie ("Young Americans"), Wonder ("Tuesday Heartbreak") and Taylor ("How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)") is the product of Sanborn's "beat to shit" mid-'60s Selmer Mark VI alto, Dukoff D8 mouthpiece, Vandoren V16 reeds and a conception that sounds as Zen as his reading habits.

"At the risk of getting abstract," Sanborn explained, "if you drop a pebble in the water you have a point of impact, which is the fundamental, the note. Then all the waves that radiate out from that are all the overtones. You need to get the fundamental and those radiating waves because that is the color. That has to do with your physiology, your equipment, the amount of resistance, all the mechanical stuff that allows you to connect to your instrument in an unobstructed way to get to the sound that you hear in your head. My sound is that fundamental laser center, with as many colors as I can get on the outside of it. How you phrase and connect the notes is how you shape the line."

Sanborn on what's next:

"I'm thinking.about the blues," he explained. "But is the blues a set of changes or a sensibility? What does the blues mean? Percy Mayfield or Albert King? In the end you try to remain true to who you are, for better or worse. Records have to have a point of view and a certain coherence."

There's much more, including Sanborn's opinions on the current state of the music business and some anecdotes from his early days in New York. If you're a David Sanborn fan, you'll definitely want to read the whole article; the March 2007 issue of DB should be available at better bookstores and newsstands now.