David Sanborn, influential saxophonist whose work spanned genres, dies at 78

Saxophonist David Sanborn died Sunday afternoon after a years-long battle with prostate cancer. He was 78. 

(Martial Trezzini / Associated Press)

By Alexandra Del Rosario

Staff Writer 

May 13, 2024

David Sanborn, the influential saxophonist whose Grammy-winning career included collaborations with Stevie Wonder and David Bowie, has died. He was 78.

Sanborn died Sunday afternoon “after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications,” his team said Monday in an announcement shared to his social media pages. A representative for Sanborn confirmed the details to The Times.

“Mr. Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018, but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently,” his team said in an X (formerly known as Twitter) thread. “Indeed he already had concerts scheduled into 2025.”

Sanborn was known for luxurious saxophone melodies on songs including “Maputo,” but his sound — informed by R&B and global funk— and his legacy extended far beyond his jazz roots. Often perceived as a “smooth jazz” artist, Sanborn loathed that term.

“I sometimes get looped in with jazz musicians because I play sax and improvise,” Sanborn told The Times in 1996. “But if you know my music, you wouldn’t confuse it with jazz. There are certain stylistic and rhythmic elements that keep me from being in that category.”

Sanborn’s vast roster of elite session work and high-profile collaborators proved his range of influences. Stevie Wonder, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie were among Sanborn’s collaborators early in his career. After going solo in 1975, Sanborn worked with musicians including Paul Simon, James Taylor, Luther Vandross and Eric Clapton, according to his website.

Among pop and R&B fans, Sanborn is best known for his work on Wonder’s “Talking Book,” Bowie’s “Young Americans” and records by Bonnie Raitt and Chaka Khan.

Over the course of his career, Sanborn earned 16 Grammy Award nominations and six wins, including honors for his albums “Straight to the Heart” and “Double Vision,” a collaboration with keyboardist Bob James. Sanborn released 25 albums, including eight that went gold and one that achieved platinum status.

“David Sanborn was a seminal figure in contemporary pop and jazz music,” Monday’s statements added. “It has been said that he ‘put the saxophone back into Rock ’n Roll.’”

David Sanborn, pictured at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, was “a seminal figure in contemporary pop and jazz music,” his team said in a statement. (Amy Harris / Invision / Associated Press)

Sanborn’s passion for the saxophone can be traced back to his childhood, when he contracted polio as a toddler and music was part of his treatment. By the time he graduated from the University of Iowa, Sanborn had played with guitarist Albert King and studied with studied saxophonist J.R. Monterose.

After joining the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the 1960s (he performed with them at Woodstock), Sanborn began a long, fruitful partnership with Miles Davis’ arranger Gil Evans. Then in 1975, the release of “Taking Off” marked the beginning of Sanborn’s solo career.

His 1980 LP “Hideaway” was steeped in funk and raw production (the track “The Seduction” was a theme for the film “American Gigolo”) and kicked off a decade-long bestseller streak that included 1981’s “Voyeur” and “As We Speak,” 1983’s “Backstreet,” 1984’s live LP “Straight to the Heart” and 1988’s “Close Up,” which incorporated electronics.

In 1991, Sanborn released “Another Hand,” perhaps his most beloved album among core jazz traditionalists. The project featured an incendiary band with Bill Frisell, Charlie Haden and Marc Ribot. Later in his career, Sanborn returned to his genre-expansive roots on albums like 2015’s “Time and the River,” an acclaimed LP that spanned Latin, African and soul rhythms. “This Masquerade,” released in 2018, was Sanborn’s most recent solo album.

Beyond music, Sanborn pursued a variety of TV and film opportunities.

 

From 1998 to 1990, he and pianist Jools Holland co-hosted the late-night TV series “Night Music” (also known as “Sunday Night), which platformed musicians including Sonny Rollins, Sun Ra and Sonic Youth. That program was produced by “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels.

He regularly hosted the “After New Year’s Eve” TV special on ABC and fronted his syndicated jazz program. The saxophonist wrote scores for the “Lethal Weapon” film franchise and frequently joined David Letterman’s live band. He also hosted the podcast “As We Speak” from WBGO Studios.

Sanborn, who channeled and contributed to a wide range of genres and mediums, brushed off the need for labels during his 1996 interview with The Times.

“If you shut out music because it doesn’t fit your preconceived listening patterns, you’re cheating yourself,” he said. “Opera, country, outside music, commercial music ... if you like it, it’s good. If it has meaning, use it.”

Alexandra Del Rosario is an entertainment reporter on the Los Angeles Times Fast Break Desk. Before The Times, she was a television reporter at Deadline Hollywood, where she first served as an associate editor. She has written about a wide range of topics including TV ratings, casting and development, video games and AAPI representation. Del Rosario is a UCLA graduate and also worked at the Hollywood Reporter and TheWrap.

First published at The Los Angels Times, May 13 2024

Farewell Dinner and Presentation on board S.S. Orama, March 12, 1940

My grandfather on my Mother's side, Mr Clarence Boston, was Chairman of the Australian Aircraft Technicians during WWII.

This is the program for a Farewell Dinner and Presentation, including tongue-in-cheek menu and order of events for the evening of March 12, 1940 on board the Orient Line steamer S.S. Orama.

Orama was sunk three months later in June 1940*

I discovered it amongst a pile of papers in a desk just today (May 13, 2024) and reproduce below:

Builder: Vickers-Armstrong Ltd., Barrow-in-Furness, England, for the Orient Steam Navigation Co. Inaugural voyage London-Brisbane, November 1924. Base Port: London. Gross Tonnage: 19,777 grt. Dimensions: 201.m x 23m, draught 9m. Power: Six Parsons S.R.G. steam turbines @ 20,000 SHP. Service Speed: 20 knots. Screws: Twin. Passenger Decks: Eight. Crew: 420. Passengers: 590 first and 1240 third

Departure of the passenger liner SS Orama from Sydney on 10 January 1925.

Converted to a troopship in 1940, Orama was used to take members of the British Expeditionary Force to Norway after the German invasion. 

*On the 8th June 1940, she was 300 miles West of Narvik, together with the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious, two destroyers and an oil tanker, when she was spotted by aircraft from the German High Seas Fleet comprising Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Admiral Hipper. Orama was sunk losing 19 killed and 280 taken prisoner. 

One of those prisoners was Richard Flynn, Able Seaman, of Tramore, Co. Waterford.

Photos and above text from a website dedicated to Abel Seaman Richard Flynn, aboard Orama when she was sunk, taken as a POW. Link here.

Switzerland's Nemo wins Eurovision Song Contest

May 12 2024

Nemo of Switzerland celebrates his win at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden. (AP PHOTO)

Swiss rapper and singer Nemo has won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest with The Code, a drum-and-bass, opera, rap and rock tune about Nemo’s journey of self-discovery as a non-binary person.

Billed as a feel-good celebration of European diversity, this year’s contest has been thrust into the political spotlight with calls for Israel to be excluded over its military campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’ deadly attack on October 7 in Israel.

In accepting the Eurovision glass trophy on stage, Nemo said: “I want to say thank you so much, I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person in this world.”

“To know that a song that has changed my life and a song where I just speak about my story has touched so many people and maybe inspired other people to stay true to their story is the most insane thing that has ever happened to me,” he said during a press conference.

Cheers of joy broke out in bars in central Zurich when the winner was announced, and Swiss revellers sang along as Nemo tore through a victory rendition of The Code.

“I think it’s just great, Nemo is fantastic,” said Maha Nater, a 24-year-old kindergarten worker celebrating the win in the city after watching the marathon contest.

Nemo’s victory would blaze a trail for others who had had to cope with prejudice against non-binary people, Nater said.

“It sets an example to follow,” she said.

Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, real name Marko Purisic, 28, came second with Rim Tim Tagi Dim, a song about a young man who leaves home aspiring to become a “city boy” with better opportunities.

Israel’s Eden Golan, 20, finished fifth in the contest despite demonstrators’ calls for a boycott of the country.

The female solo artist on Thursday emerged as one of the leading contenders to win after qualifying for the final.

Booing was heard during Golan’s performance but also applause, a Reuters photographer in the auditorium said. The noise was partly audible in the broadcast viewed by tens of millions of people in Europe and around the world.

There was also booing when the points of the Israeli jury were presented.

Several thousand protesters gathered in central Malmo ahead of Saturday’s final, waving Palestinian flags and shouting “Eurovision united by genocide” – a twist on the contest’s official slogan “United by music”.

A few hundred people later also protested outside the venue, chanting: “Eurovision, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide.”

Protesters have been pointing to double standards as the EBU banned Russia from Eurovision in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.

Police hauled away some protesters before surrounding and ushering them away, a Reuters reporter outside the arena said. Some protesters were seen lying on the ground after police used pepper spray to disband the demonstration.

Twenty-five countries competed in the final after Dutch artist Joost Klein was expelled earlier on Saturday due to a complaint filed by a production crew member.

Viewer votes made up half of Saturday’s final result, while juries of five music professionals in each participating country made up the other half.

The Eurovision winner is awarded the contest’s official glass trophy, which is shaped like a classic, old-fashioned microphone, with sand blasted and painted details. The winner also gets to host the competition the following year.

Published at The Canberra Times, via Australian Associated Press, May 12, 2024

'It's great for Canberra': Symphony Orchestra's budget score

By Sally Pryor and Dana Daniel

May 12 2024

It's one of Australia's oldest orchestras, and has always received a fraction of the funding of its state siblings.

Now, on the eve of its 75th birthday, the Canberra Symphony Orchestra is getting a much-needed funding boost as part of the 2024-25 federal budget.

The orchestra will receive an additional $4.1 million of funding over four years from 2024-25, and $1.1 million per year ongoing and indexed.

It's a shot in the arm for a much-loved institution that has been teetering on the brink since COVID cancelled concerts, shut down stages and forced musicians to find other creative outlets.

But now, says chief executive Rachel Thomas, the orchestra can finally shake off the trials of the past few years and perform its heart out.

Canberra Symphony Orchestra chief executive Rachel Thomas is thrilled about the boost in funding. Picture by Karleen Minney

"We'll be looking to build our reserves up again ... we're in COVID recovery, which has been tough," she said.

"That's been tough, not just for us, but for all performing arts. So I think this is a really good news story in that the injection of funding puts us on an equal footing to what other orchestras are able to achieve."

Like so many Canberra anomalies, the orchestra's relative lack of funding has been the result of a historical quirk, from when the ABC used to fund state orchestras.

The ACT wasn't included in this arrangement, a situation that continued when funding arrangements changed.

As a result, the CSO is a professional part-time orchestra, which engages casual musicians.

"Obviously, we've been recognised generously by the ACT government, and federally as well, but it's always been so much less than what the states received," Ms Thomas said.

"It's meant that we just were not able to do as much, essentially."

But now, as well as being able to usher in its 75th year with confidence, it can also create new programs with more certainty.

Chief conductor and artistic director Jessica Cottis and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra at
Llewellyn Hall. Picture by Thomas Lucraft

"It's great for us, but it's great for Canberra, mainly because it allows us to continue to do the performances and the activity that we do within the community," Ms Thomas said.

"We can build on the foundations that we have and continue to grow, which is something that we're poised to do."

The orchestra is one of the country's most diverse in terms of its programming and performers, and employs the ACT's largest arts workforce, with more than 130 casual, full-time and part-time staff and contractors.

It was the first Australian orchestra to appoint a female chief conductor and artistic director, London-based Jessica Cottis.

The orchestra's long-time chair, retired Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston, said the funding came at a crucial time for the orchestra.

"It will ensure the orchestra can remain a vibrant part of the ACT community, supporting a large arts workforce and delivering educational and outreach initiatives," he said.

"This funding will provide critical support for our flagship Llewellyn and Australian Series which lead the nation in championing Australian voices, generating pathways for emerging artists and bringing diversity to the stage."

Federal Finance Minister and senator for the ACT Katy Gallagher said the CSO had been running "on the smell of an oily rag" for too long, and the funding decision was "great news ... for the cultural fabric of our city".

She said Canberra had untapped potential in the arts, both as a tourism drawcard and to service its "arts loving community" locally, as the nation's largest inland city and "part of a broader region that comes to Canberra frequently".

"The arts precinct is an important part of that," she said.

The timing and prioritisation of Commonwealth funding for other arts projects was part of ongoing negotiations with the territory.

"That's the discussion we have to really lock down with the ACT government," Senator Gallagher said.

Meanwhile, Ms Thomas said the orchestra would make careful plans to maximise the funding boost.

"We plan everything to a dime, and we really just have to be so careful with every cost we have," she said.

"In the scheme of things, this will allow us ... to be able to grow our presence in Canberra. What we really want to be able to do is to provide opportunities, and access for everyone in Canberra to experience CSO in some way.”

Sally Pryor

Features Editor

As features editor at The Canberra Times, I love telling people things they didn't know - or even things they've always known - about the city we live in.

Dana Daniel

Senior Political Reporter

Dana Daniel is Senior Political Reporter for The Canberra Times. She investigates and writes about federal politics and government from the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery. Dana was previously a Federal Health Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and has also been a Media Reporter at The Australian and Finance Editor at news.com.au. Contact her on dana.daniel@canberratimes.com.au

Article first published at The Canberra Times, May 12 2024

Marilyn Maye 96th birthday concert

Live stream from New York’s cabaret nightclub 54Below

Sunday May 5, 2024

Reviewed by Tony Magee

Each year, the enduring Marilyn Maye - New York’s grand dame of cabaret - marks her birthday with a month long season at 54Below - New York’s cabaret mecca.

And no, my review title is not a typo. This woman is celebrating her 96th birthday and the birthday show tradition has been going on for many years now. She fills the room every night. Now, the great lady takes to the stage again.

Opening with a sparkling rendition of Golden Rainbow from the musical of the same name, done as a fast samba, the singer showcased eight decades of experience and stagecraft in a show that swept her audience through The Broadway Songbook.

Now, this is a little bit different to what we know as “The Great American Songbook”, which has been her penchant in previous shows. Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, and many more.

For this show however, Maye chose material from shows in which she has sometimes starred, sharing repertoire that is still American, but much more aligned with the shows the songs come from.

Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends followed, beginning with a colla voce introduction. A beautiful contrast to what preceded, Maye continued the piece with natural style and elegance.

Hello Dolly brought forth We’ve Got Elegance, Hello Dolly and Before the Parade Passes By. Opening in free time, just voice and piano, she had the audience in the proverbial “palm of her hand” before a swinging delivery of the title song, continuing with Parade. In this, the singer started to hit her straps, the voice was warming up and she appeared comfortable and relaxed on stage.

She told us how she played Dolly in Kansas City many years ago. In fact, as each bracket unfolded, you got a sense that she was transporting back to her stages of yesteryear, bringing to life one more time a historical glimpse of a long and distinguished career in music theatre.

A Mame bracket followed, with of course Mame, and then one of the high points of the show, a heartfelt and deeply moving rendition of If He Walked Into My Life. Lights dimmed, the audience breathless and then a thundering standing ovation.

The voice has aged somewhat, as one would expect, but Maye still has an impressive vocal range, from low tones of depth and colour to high notes with long sustains, aided by her excellent breath control.

On A Clear Day (not a live show, but a movie starring Barbra Streisand) began, unusually, with the bridge in colla voce, a lovely touch in terms of a different approach to arranging, moving into an easy swing feel. Nicely done.

Then, a musical triptych from My Fair Lady. “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” she sang mournfully, reflectively, with gentle hand gestures honed from decades of stagecraft. On the Street Where You Live followed in an up-beat swing style, finishing with a sustained high soprano note which took everyone by surprise. 

Get Me to the Church on Time was an even faster swing arrangement in which Maye traded improvised phrases with her pianist. A nice deviation from conventional cabaret and an opportunity to showcase the considerable jazz stylings and dazzling technique of Theodore Firth.

Firth was ably joined by Jeff Carney on double bass and Mark McClean on drums. A superb band and one which felt and followed every nuance and phrase of the remarkable Maye.

For my taste, Firth on piano way overplays. His is a cavalcade of pianistic expression and style, very florid, lots of glissando, many fast passages and runs, heavy thick chords and very “in your face” playing. Almost more a solo performance than an accompaniment. Gery Scott would have hated it.

However, playing for Marilyn Maye in the autumn years of her career, it was appropriate. Her powers are just starting to fade slightly and she craved the extra support he was providing. She really leans on him. I don’t think she could achieve anything without him.

“What am I doing next?”, she asked occasionally, her pianist gently bailing her out with some gentle musical hints. He loved doing that, with a big grin on his face and she loved him for it, in what could be her Swan song.

The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson ran from 1962 to 1992. Broadcast from the RCA Building in New York, later shifting to NBC Burbank in Los Angeles, Maye mentioned that she appeared in 76 episodes during its 30 year run.

 

“Are there any singers here tonight?”, she asked. “Oh sweetheart, thank you for coming. And another one over here. Thanks for coming honey. A note for all you singers - NEVER, ever read your lyrics when performing - no, no - you must learn your lyrics thoroughly, own them, and sell the song, so never read your lyrics from bits of paper on stage - unless you’re 96!”

And sure enough, there was indeed a music stand on stage, just to her right, with discretely placed sheets of paper with lyrics. A little prop, which she turned to occasionally to confirm what she already knew anyway, but it was a handy safety net.

Maye reminisced about performing in Carnegie Hall some years ago, “The big room of course. 2,800 seats and an 80 piece orchestra. I filled it,” she quipped. “And on closing night, the Mayor of New York joined me on stage and proclaimed, “From now on, March 23 is Marilyn Maye Day!”

A single piece from The Most Happy Fella followed - Joey - beautifully arranged as a beguine. Drummer Mark McClean’s gentle and romantic latin feel was superb. Throughout the show, his was a polished and refined performance, discrete and stylish. Gery Scott would have loved him.

The piece closed with an ingenious tiny little nod from the piano to Sondheim’s Being Alive. And that was a hint of something to come, although we didn’t know it at the time.

“Guys and Dolls is my most favourite show of all ladies and gentlemen,” she said.

Luck Be a Lady began wistfully and thoughtfully in free time, and then kerpow! - a swinging upbeat arrangement in, unusually, triple time. I’ve never heard it done like that before, and this is another of Maye’s many unique hallmarks. Unusual arrangements.

Then came what for me and I think many in the audience, was the high point of the show. Fifty Percent from the show Ballroom was performed colla voce throughout, just gentle piano at first with the lyric sung very thoughtfully and with some despair. Then the bass oozed in gently, bowed this time, and for the finale, dramatic cymbal rolls from McClean on drums - all three musicians creating a massive sound wash underneath Maye as she poured out her heart: “I’d rather have 50 percent of him, or any percent of him, than all of anybody else,” she sang, so powerfully, so definitely, almost in tears.

It was electric. The room stood still and then erupted into deafening applause, with a full standing ovation.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

“I’m gonna love you like nobody’s loved you, come rain or come shine” she crooned, showcasing a great song from the show St. Louis Woman, the performance again featuring an extended jazz improvisation from Firth on piano. He really is a masterful jazz pianist. In fact, I’d love to hear him and the trio in a dedicated jazz nightclub. I imagine they must get plenty of work in that arena.

Now, remember that little Sondheim hint I mentioned previously? This was the result:

“Somebody hold me too close,” she sang, “Somebody tell me the truth….Oh no, I just messed up the lyric! Ahh - after all these years. What is it honey? (her pianist set her straight). Oh yeah, I have it now.”

And so she started Being Alive again and we all loved it. This arrangement, for the third time in the show, done in triple time. A very unusual treatment of a Sondheim classic and brilliantly done it was too, featuring a key change for the finale - another first.

Maye told a lovely story of how she once phoned Jerry Herman, asking him if it was okay if she recorded an album of songs Dolly doesn’t sing. He loved the idea, and so it was born.

I Am What I Am from La Cage aux Folles was the penultimate number, this time using her own specially created and amusing lyrics.

Then, finally, a song she has closed with before, It’s Today, also from Mame. In a belting fast tempo rendition, with a few Rockettes style kicks in the air - yes, she can still do that - Marilyn Maye brought the house down again, the applause deafening, sustained, genuinely heartfelt and with another full standing ovation. The New York cabaret audiences absolutely adore this woman. Gliding across the front of the stage, the band playing her off, she shakes hands with many supporters, before gently making her way to the side, some last waves goodbye, the audience still on their feet, then disappearing off into the distant gloom.

She has to do it all again tomorrow tonight and for many nights to come. And next year? Marilyn Maye at 97? Let’s wait and see…

Photos by Kevin Alvey

254 W 54th St. Cellar, NYC 10019