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‘It was always about the craft’: Memories of David Sanborn

David Sanborn and Steven A. Williams in 1992
David Sanborn and Steven A. Williams in 1992

The above photo of Dave and me was taken soon after he finished a Washington DC concert in the late summer of 1992. I was telling Dave something known to only a couple of people at the time - it was the most important development of my broadcasting career – I was preparing to leave my job at a DC radio station to become Music Director of WQCD (CD 101.9) in New York, which was where he was living, and lived for many years. I think the exchange began with something like, “don’t tell anybody but I’m about to quit my job to come to New York…” which probably explains the rather reserved posture we held.

Not long after that hospitality encounter, I was a dinner guest at his gorgeous brownstone on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Ultimately, I don’t think I was invited because of my persona or because he thought to invite me because I would program more of his music – that wasn’t who Dave was and hell, he didn’t need the “airplay” because he had plenty of that already – much more than any other jazz musician in the entire world at the time. There was a personality “click” between us which was never really discussed, but I have no doubt the connection sparked because we were fellow travelers on a journey to fulfilment. And we derived the meaning of our world by drawing from similar or in some cases, the same sources for energy and inspiration – there was commonality in the books we read, the music we listened to, the places we’d been, our midwestern roots, our love of New York etc...

Five years before that NYC dinner, Dave and I met for the first time in Detroit, where I was working as Program Director of WJZZ, one of America’s first full time jazz radio stations. At the time, Dave was also working in radio, as the host of a syndicated network program that was heard on my station and a large number of stations across America – 400, I believe – which is indicative of a powerful and singular consciousness within the music world. I have a clear recollection of being surprised by Dave’s diminutive stature - relative to his forceful musical persona - and his down-to-earth comfort with a guy he just met. What followed was the characteristic inquisitiveness, penetrating humility and ice-breaking humor, and his peppering me with questions – in “radio speak” - about the show’s production values his natural inclination toward the medium and of course, the craft - with Dave it was always about the craft; I replied to him in awe and reverence, “Wow, Dave, congratulations, you’re on 400 stations…” and I recall his humble awareness of this astonishing metric – he replied , “Thanks, man - what do you think about the show…how does it sound?”

The radio show was hit and because of its wide popularity, the logical extension led to Dave hosting a landmark NBC television program, Sunday Night (later named Night Music) from 1988-1990, which I watched at home religiously – it aired at 11:30 pm on the East Coast, and the lateness of the hour necessitated a measure of fanatical dedication.

The program was a bespoke curation by Dave, musical director Marcus Miller and producer Hal Willner, always magical and unapologetically eclectic – rare and rainbow coalitions of genres and well-known artists who you didn’t usually see on TV, separate, together, if ever. I was also incomparably lucky to see the program in production – here’s an excerpt that featured Dave, Leonard Cohen and Sonny Rollins:

Leonard Cohen / Sonny Rollins - Who By Fire - Night Music

I would eventually hear Sonny and Dave making magic together again, many years later, during a lengthy conversation they had in an episode of his WBGO-produced podcast As We Speak, which was, remarkably, the most recent of a series of attempts by me and Patrick Rains (Dave’s manager and guardian angel) to return Dave to radio, where I believed he should be. And he believed it too! His manager and I explored numerous avenues over the course of a couple of decades (a story much too long for this piece) until finally in late 2022, WBGO provided the impetus and showcase for Dave’s uncommon brilliance as an interviewer and podcast host. I remember seeing him skillfully converse with Cecile McLorin Salvant with an audience, on board The Blue Note Cruise Ship in January 2022, and afterwards thinking – “Wow – he continues to be outstanding, with and without a saxophone. I must find an opportunity for BGO listeners to have this experience.” 6 months later we launched As We Speak, which quickly became a successful venture, and it is, to date, our most downloaded series of podcast episodes. There is a degree of personal satisfaction in that achievement, a “we finally did it!” moment to be sure, but much more - I feel deeply fortunate to have witnessed in Dave, the unforgettable evolution, the glowing crescendo and the honorable coda of a once-in-a-lifetime, “for the ages” performing artist, like watching the maturation of Picasso.

Looking at that photo from 1992 - oh my goodness… did the memories from that pivotal time – for both of us - come rushing in! But moreover, I was struck by the image of our youth, the suggestion of continuity, and the mystery of what could or would happen - more so than our commonalities, more than the effect of Dave’s powerful and steadfast exploration of possibilities. Neither he nor I could know what was waiting in the years ahead - the rarity of knowing each other in the fullness of time and experience, at many points along the journey home. What has been revealed by our proximity and the passage of time will be for me the lasting impression of the friendship and a distinction that will forever be a source of inspiration as I remember Dave and what he meant to me and the world. He was a truly wonderful and irreplaceable human being.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Williams brings a rich and extensive background in media to WBGO with a reputation as a creative, people-centric, and data-driven leader. He has held key leadership roles at top media organizations across a diverse range of markets including Cincinnati, Detroit, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, New York City, and most recently Seattle. Williams is also a nationally recognized authority on best practices for jazz radio programming, research, marketing, and administration and content production. A jazz aficionado, Williams previously served as Director of Programming for WBGO.