Saxophonist David Sanborn, a three-time Grammy winner whose smooth style has influenced and enhanced the jazz world for four decades, will perform and talk about his work on Friday, Oct. 15, at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. The 8 p.m. program, "An Evening with the David Sanborn Band," is part of the Quick Center's season-long Jazz Tribute Project, which also includes performances by The John Pizzarelli Trio, Arturo Sandoval, Diane Schuur and several others.

Born in 1945 in Florida, Sanborn was raised in St. Louis, a city steeped in musical tradition. When he was just 3, he developed polio and spent time in an iron lung and his doctors encouraged him to take up a wind instrument as part of his physical therapy. He chose the alto sax and the rest is history.

Sanborn started writing music and performing publicly before he was out of high school, backing Little Milton and Gil Evans when they appeared in local clubs. The experience led him to pursue music as a career.

"When I was 17 or 18 and it was time to figure out what to do with my life. I realized I didn't enjoy anything as much as I enjoyed playing music," he said. "I felt that I had no choice, that I had to become a musician. Either that or stealing cars."

Sanborn studied music at both Northwestern University and the University of Iowa and, in the late 1960s, joined the Paul Butterfield Band, with whom he played at Woodstock. He spent the early 1970s touring with Stevie Wonder and the Rolling Stones before releasing his first solo album, the Grammy-winning "Taking Off" in 1975.

Sanborn followed his debut hit with a slew of other recordings as a solo artist, a band member and sought-after side man. His 1981 album "Voyeur" and "Double Vision," an album he released in 1986 with Bob James, each received Grammy Awards. He's also heard on recordings with Evans, Miles Davis, Steve Kahn and David Spinozza among others.

Over the years, Sanborn has branched out, bringing his personable style and knowledge of music to "Night Music," a television show he hosted with Jools Holland, and "The Jazz Show," a New York City radio program he hosted in the late 1980s. In addition, he's composed music for three of the "Lethal Weapon" films and "Psycho III" and appeared in "Forget Paris," "Scrooged," and Paul Simon's "One Trick Pony."

"'An Evening with the David Sanborn Band' will be a wonderful start to The Jazz Tribute Project. We look forward to hearing from this talented and influential artist," said Deborah Sommers, director of programming for the Quick Center.

Tickets are $30, $35 and $40. For tickets, call the Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. For more information, visit www.quickcenter.com.

Posted On: 09-27-2004 10:09 AM

Volume: 37 Number: 52