Famous saxophone player to bring his jazz tunes to campus Saturday

 

 

by Corey Hord

A man who played saxophone for David Letterman and toured with the Rolling Stones is bringing world-class music to UK.

David Sanborn, renowned saxophonist will perform at the Singletary Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Singletary Center for the Arts Director Michael Grice said that it was a “big deal” getting Sanborn to come to Lexington.

“We tried to get him a year ago,” said Grice. Because of some booking troubles, Sanborn wasn’t able to coordinate a date last year.

Sanborn is most well- known for his appearances on Late Night with David Letterman as part of Paul Shaffer’s Band and for performing with touring acts such as The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Miles Davis.

Sanborn said Hank Crawford, David Newman and Ray Charles profoundly influenced his latest two albums, “Only Everything” and “Here & Gone.”

“My last two albums paid tribute to these men,” Sanborn said.

Crawford and Newman were saxophonists for Ray Charles at different times during the late ‘50s to early ‘60s.

Sanborn has played for more than 50 years and has been a prominent saxophonist since the 1980s.

His career dates as far back as Woodstock in 1969, where he participated with Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

This year, Lexington is just one stop on a touring schedule that includes 200 dates.

Despite the success that music has brought him, Sanborn offered advice for aspiring musicians at UK.

“Be sure that you love music,” Sanborn said.“You can’t always expect to be sustained economically.”

Grice said the Singletary Center was “closing in on” 900 tickets for an auditorium that seats 1,450 guests.

Sanborn will perform Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Alltech Fortnight Festival and Spotlight Jazz are sponsoring the event. Tickets are begin at $25. For more information, visit, (www.uky.edu/scfa).