David Sanborn? You've probably heard him

Some of you reading this column may be unfamiliar with David Sanborn.But I can almost guarantee you've heard him, especially if you have any kind of interest in popular music over the last five decades.When I told my father that Sanborn — one of the most prolific saxophone players in the industry — had died, he said he'd never heard of him.In short order, I was able to confirm that not only had my dad heard Sanborn play, he'd probably seen him play.Sanborn was a frequent collaborator of James Taylor, and often joined him on tour.There is even video of Taylor and Sanborn at Blossom Music Center in 1979, playing "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight."While my father wasn't at that show, he frequently attended Taylor concerts at Blossom in the 1970s; Taylor was and remains one of his favorite performers.And if you've heard James Taylor, you've heard David Sanborn.But that's just scratching the surface of Sanborn's career.He played with so many artists, in so many genres, that to try to list them all would be impossible, to list the most prominent would be painstaking.But he played the piercing sax solo in David Bowie's "Young Americans." He contributed to most of Taylor's records in the 1970s and 80s.He worked with Bruce Springsteen, and played sold-out concerts with Al Jarrau.He also was an extremely successful solo artist, winning six Grammys with a sound some referred to as "smooth jazz."Sanborn never liked that label, or any label for that matter.In the late 1980s, he had a television show that showed audiences why."Night Music" was a syndicated show that ran for a few seasons in the late 1980s, and featured live performances from artists from rock, jazz, pop, folk and blues.You could see performers like Al Green, Joe Walsh and Cream's Jack Bruce.And that would just be one episode.On another, you might see country icon Conway Twitty, or jazz pioneer Dizzy Gillespie. There is, frankly, nothing like it today.I found the show on YouTube more than a quarter of a century after it left the air. It was incredible.Not just for who played, but how they played."Night Music" had a brilliant house band that included Sanborn, the guitarist Hiram Bullock and drummer Omar Hakim.That group could keep up with, and elevate anyone.It was something to watch Warren Zevon come up to the piano, rip through his classic "Lawyers, Guns and Money" while Sanborn added some wild saxophone parts.Sometimes, Sanborn would introduce a musician to a crowd, then step aside.This happened when Stevie Ray Vaughan joined the band, and gave an insane rendition of "Crossfire" that left the audience — and perhaps the musicians themselves — in awe.In a way, Sanborn personified something that was and is wonderful about music: The ability to bridge differences.You bring people together, with different styles, different backgrounds, different abilities.Yet, in a way, the musicians all spoke the same language, and could interact beautifully.His ability to bring musicians together, and people to music, was a very special talent.And so was he. Baker is sports editor for The Courier.