More Than Life at Stake

He effortlessly blends genres and avoids being pigeonholed like the plague. Jazz, R&B, funk, pop – they are just words to him, and all that matters is the music itself. Over the years he has developed such a distinctive style that his saxophone can be recognised in just three notes. David Sanborn blows as though his life depended on it. And that’s not as crazy as it sounds, since he first started playing sax to strengthen his chest after suffering from polio as a child.

Once he moved to St. Louis, he quickly found himself surrounded by professional musicians. Since then he has been able to achieve almost everything which can be achieved in the industry: he has won six Grammy Awards for his projects, performed with some of the greatest jazzmen and bluesmen of his time, and he is in constant demand as a session musician. His saxophone sounds have accompanied some of Stevie Wonder’s greatest hits; Sanborn has also played alongside David Bowie providing the inspired solo in Young Americans, and accompanied Elton John, Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. And as is right and proper for a music addict, he isn’t resting on his laurels. He is currently touring the world’s finest clubs and concert halls with his ensemble. On 9 March 2018, David Sanborn’s shows of his spectacular skills at ICE Kraków. Let the walls shake with the sound!

Igor Kuranda, “Karnet” magazine