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David Sanborn Quotes

Powerful David Sanborn for Daily Growth

About David Sanborn

David Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American saxophonist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who has made significant contributions to jazz and pop music genres over five decades. Born in Tampa, Florida, he was raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where his love for music began by playing the clarinet at the age of 10. Later, he switched to the saxophone, inspired by John Coltrane's recordings. Sanborn moved to New York City in the late 1960s and quickly established himself as a sought-after session musician. His unique sound, characterized by his use of overblowing and circular breathing techniques, caught the attention of major artists such as Michael Jackson, James Taylor, and David Bowie. In the 1970s, Sanborn released several albums on Columbia Records, which showcased his versatility in both jazz and pop. His breakthrough hit came with the release of "Taking Off" (1975), which included the popular single "Hope Town." The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Jazz Performance by a Group. Sanborn's subsequent albums, such as "David Sanborn" (1976), "Everything's Just About to Change" (1981), and "Straight from the Heart" (1986), further solidified his place in contemporary jazz music. He continued to collaborate with various artists throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Hornsby. In recent years, Sanborn has focused on teaching and mentoring young musicians while continuing to tour and record new music. He was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 2018. David Sanborn's innovative approach to jazz and pop music, as well as his versatility as a performer, have made him one of the most influential saxophonists of his generation.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"You can't be a genius at everything."

The quote by David Sanborn, "You can't be a genius at everything," highlights the idea that it is humanly impossible to excel or possess exceptional skills in every single area. This statement underscores the importance of focusing efforts on developing expertise in specific areas rather than trying to be an expert in everything, as this approach will inevitably lead to a lack of mastery and growth. Instead, one should prioritize their passions and talents while accepting that there will always be other domains where they might not shine as brightly. This recognition fosters self-awareness and encourages personal growth within chosen areas of expertise.

"To improvise effectively, you have to know what not to play as well as knowing what to play."

This quote from saxophonist David Sanborn highlights the importance of understanding the boundaries and spaces in music, just as much as knowing what notes or phrases to play. Effective improvisation requires a keen sense of when to hold back, allowing for the right moments to shine through, rather than simply filling every available space with sound. This balance between restraint and expression is key to creating compelling and dynamic improvisations.

"There is no substitute for hard work when it comes to mastering your craft."

David Sanborn's quote emphasizes the importance of diligence and dedication in achieving proficiency in one's chosen field or craft. In other words, there are no shortcuts; the path to mastery requires persistent effort, determination, and consistent practice. This sentiment applies universally, not just to music as Sanborn suggests, but to any endeavor where expertise is sought after. The quote underscores that while talent may open doors or provide a foundation, it's the tireless work ethic that truly sets apart masters from mere practitioners in their craft.

"Music is the universal language that transcends boundaries and unites us all."

David Sanborn's quote emphasizes music as a powerful tool for human connection, irrespective of geographical, linguistic, or cultural barriers. It underscores the idea that despite our diverse backgrounds, we can find common ground through the universal language of music. This shared understanding fosters unity and empathy among people worldwide.

"I think improvisation is one of those things where you have to have a certain amount of self-confidence, or you won't take the risks necessary to really make something happen."

This quote by David Sanborn suggests that improvisation requires a level of self-assurance, as it necessitates taking risks for creative success. In other words, without confidence, one may not be willing to venture into the unknown or experiment with new ideas, which are essential elements of improvisation. Thus, confidence plays a crucial role in creating something significant and impactful through spontaneous creation or action.

Music is an expression of individuality; it's how you see the world. All art is, for that matter. You take how you experience the world, interpret it, and send it out there - express it - whether it's sculpture, dance or singing.

- David Sanborn

Art, Expression, Express, Singing

While St. Louis is technically regarded as part of the Mid-West, it's actually - geographically and emotionally - more part of the South. I mean, the sensibility of St. Louis is really very much that of a Southern Mississippi river-town.

- David Sanborn

St. Louis, Southern, Very, Sensibility

Instrumental music is increasingly marginalized and there's just no outlet, there's no venue for it, in terms of media.

- David Sanborn

Music, Increasingly, Venue, Marginalized

I was actually in an iron lung for about a year, and then I was paralysed from the neck down for another year after that. So I spent a lotta time just lying down as a kid. And some of my earliest memories from then are of listening to the radio.

- David Sanborn

Year, Some, Another, Lung

When you see the same familiar faces, it's nice when you get a chance to play with the same musicians. You start to develop this shorthand so everybody knows where you're at and where you're going, but then again, there are always surprises. But the more people are comfortable with the material, the more free you can be with the music.

- David Sanborn

Musicians, Play, Everybody, Surprises

I think a valid approach to being a musician is to take all of the experience of your life and filter it through your personality and send it back out there, and that's what art is.

- David Sanborn

Art, Think, Through, Filter

Jazz music should be inclusive. Smooth jazz to me rules out a certain kind of drama and a certain tension that I think all music needs. Especially jazz music, since improvising is one of the cornerstones of what jazz is. And when you smooth it out, you take all the drama out of it.

- David Sanborn

Rules, Jazz, I Think, Improvising

I have pretty ecumenical tastes. I'm interested in a lot of different kinds of music, so I don't listen with a jaundiced ear to music because it's in a certain category, whether it's country or opera or hip-hop or bebop or whatever it is.

- David Sanborn

Country, Opera, Tastes, Category

When you're on stage, unless you surrender to the moment, you're not telling the truth. I look for people that tell me the truth.

- David Sanborn

Look, Tell, Telling, Surrender

When you have an acoustic bass in the ensemble it really changes the dynamic of the record because it kind of forces everybody to play with a greater degree of sensitivity and nuance because it just has a different kind of tone and spectrum than the electric bass.

- David Sanborn

Play, Tone, Everybody, Sensitivity

Everyone goes through the ups and downs of living - fretting about the future, worrying about what happened. Music teaches us how to be in the moment.

- David Sanborn

Living, Through, Downs, Fretting

I try to do things that keep me interested. And play music that moves me. I like to move around and play in a lot of different ways.

- David Sanborn

Play, Like, Move, Play Music

I think 'Horace Silver' was actually the first live jazz group I ever heard back when I was a kid in St. Louis. So along with most players of my generation, I have a real affection for the music of 'Horace Silver.'

- David Sanborn

Kid, Jazz, I Think, Louis

It's always difficult to define what jazz is or what jazz isn't. To me, the only definition that I can think of is it's music where a lot of different elements are played at the same time. The harmonic, the melodic... You're pushing the boundaries on every level. That could be true of rhythm and blues as well. I'm a musician.

- David Sanborn

Blues, Jazz, Melodic, Different Elements

My drummer, Gene Lake, is Oliver Lake's son. So I certainly have wide tastes, in not only what I listen to, but what I play as well.

- David Sanborn

Play, Certainly, Tastes, Lake

Ninety-nine percent of the music that was of any interest to me when I was growing up came out of the black community.

- David Sanborn

Black, Ninety-Nine Percent, Ninety-Nine

Its all about finding the right note at the right place and knowing when to leave well enough alone. And that's a lifelong quest.

- David Sanborn

Right Place, Note, Lifelong, Well Enough

I kinda always wanted to be a tenor player, but I'm a small guy, and tenor was just too big.

- David Sanborn

Small, Big, Always, Tenor

In regard to music, I just think that it's always best to have an attitude of being a perpetual student and always look to learn something new about music, because there's always something new to learn. Don't dismiss something out of hand because you think it's either beneath you or outside of the realm of where your interests lie.

- David Sanborn

Lie, Student, About, Dismiss

I think, in a lot of ways, it's easier to play a smaller room. You can exploit the quieter dynamics you would shy away from in larger venues.

- David Sanborn

Play, Think, Larger, Exploit

If you're playing with somebody from another idiom, you can't react to them in the same way that you react to somebody that is closer to your idiom. You don't fall into the same habits. You find a new way of communicating.

- David Sanborn

New, Habits, Another, Communicating

To me, the object of practicing is to allow you to play what you hear. But you're always hearing new things, so you never get to the end of it.

- David Sanborn

Play, Always, Allow, Hearing

Well, I guess my unease with that is... I'm always a little uneasy with that phrase - smooth jazz, as opposed to what?

- David Sanborn

Always, Opposed, Unease, Uneasy

I look at the artistic process as like experiencing the world, channeling it through your personality and sending it back out there. That's the process.

- David Sanborn

Process, Through, Like, Experiencing

I have a certain temperament, a disposition that I think lends itself to not playing outside the lines that much. But I do test the boundaries, certainly, and break one or two of my own. Some people are mystified by it, but not me.

- David Sanborn

Some, I Think, Lends, Lines

All the music that I've made in the past I've believed in. I think some of it has been more commercially successful than others, but it wasn't premeditated.

- David Sanborn

Think, Some, In The Past, Believed

As a melody instrument player, it's all about getting from one note to the next, and those intervals and how you navigate your way through these vertical structures of chords. You realize that everything's moving forward, and it's all linear.

- David Sanborn

Through, Next, Note, Intervals

I'm moved by a lot of different kinds of music, whether it's pop music or R&B or straight-ahead jazz or free or opera or music from all parts of the world.

- David Sanborn

Opera, Jazz, Moved, Pop Music

I always wanna be in the process of evolving and growing.

- David Sanborn

Growing, Process, Always, Evolving

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

- David Sanborn

My Life, Figure, Felt, No Choice

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