David Sanborn - Upfront

It may come as a surprise to some that David Sanborn, the smooth-toned alto saxophonist who has become one of the most imitated players of the post-fusion era, got his start blowing red-hot blues charts with one of Paul Butterfield's better lineups.

Certainly Sanborn has gone on to slicker, more technically challenging, horizons. This 1992 set is a fairly typical major-label moneyfest lined with big-ticket studio studs, an undoubtedly huge production budget and the obligatory celebrity walk-on (guitarist Eric Clapton). Marcus Miller plays bass and co-produces a lineup filled with studio vets like Richard Tee, Hiram Bullock, and Cornell Dupree, and the Uptown Horns get paid. It does sound like they all had fun.