David SANBORN

Inside

(1999)

On "INSIDE", Sanborn worked closely with producer / songwriter / musician Marcus Miller (who wrote many of the tracks) to retain as much spontaneity as possible.
The two would trade tapes, fleshing out the songs into more complete pieces, complementing each other's respective styles.
That process was perfectly realized on the Aretha Franklin penned "Daydreaming", which features vocals by Cassandra Wilson. "That song was pretty much all done at home except for Cassandra's singing", says Sanborn. "Marcus sent me a tape of a track he did in California. I did some solos and fills at home. The feeling of that song - the laid back riffs - caught that effortless kind of feel I wanted for the whole album. It's a more offhanded sound for me. I wanted to capture the moment".
There are countless such "moments" on the ethereal "INSIDE", like the casual, careening funk of "Trance", which uses a sample of the Dr. John song "I Walk On Gilded Splinters".
"I just happened upon that old Dr. John song", says Sanborn. "It has this strange kind of vibe to it. The kind of vibe I wanted to get on a tune for this album. I ended up using a sample because it worked so well with it".
Another gem Sanborn stumbled upon was a long ago performance he did with Sting of the Bill Withers' classic "Ain't No Sunshine". It surfaced one night when he was watching an old re-run of his TV show Night Music. "I happened to catch it when BET was rebroadcasting the show one night. The performance was so good I called Sting and told him I wanted to put it on my album. He loved the idea. We got the multi-track tape of the performance and just re-did a few parts. It really fits with the feel of the album".

"The good side to this record was that I wasn't feeling the anxiety and pressure of being in the studio", he smiles.
"I've learned as a musician you have to kind of ambush yourself psychologically. Trick yourself into saying this is just a demo. And once in awhile you come up with something that is just magic. That's the rewarding part".

1. Corners (for Herbie) 4'50
(Marcus Miller)
2. Daydreaming 5'36
(Aretha Franklin)
Arranged by Marcus Miller
3. Trance 5'02
(Marcus Miller)
4. Brother Ray 5'57
(Marcus Miller)
5. Lisa 4'33
(David Sanborn)
6. When I'm With You 4'58
(Marcus Miller)
7. Naked Moon 5'41
(Marcus Miller)
8. Cane 0'46
(Me'shell Ndegeocello)
9. Ain't No Sunshine 4'12
(Bill Withers)
10. Miss You 5'55
(David Sanborn)
Arranged by Gil Goldstein

Total Time: 47:30

  • David Sanborn - Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone
  • Marcus Miller - Bass, Fender Rhodes, Drums, Electric Piano, Drum & Percussion Programming, Sitar, Synth Bass, Guitar, Synths, Calrinet, Bass Clarinet
  • Marvin Sewell - Guitar
  • Michael Brecker - Tenor Saxophone
  • Ricky Peterson - Organ
  • Don Alias - Percussion
  • Sting - Guest Vocal on "Ain't No Sunshine"
  • Cassandra Wilson - Guest Vocal on "Daydreaming"
  • Lalah Hathaway - Guest Vocal

    Marcus Miller - Producer
    David Isaac - Producer, Programming, Engineer, Drum Programming
    Goh Hotoda - Engineer, Mixing
    Dean Sharenow - Engineer
    Paul Mitchell - Engineer
    Malcolm Pollack - Engineer
    John R. Reigart III - Assistant Engineer
    Rory Romano - Assistant Engineer
    Mike Tocci - Assistant Engineer
    Greg Calbi - Mastering
    Dr. John - Sampling
    Zach Wind - Assistant Engineer
    Takamasa Honda - Assistant Engineer
    Bibi Green - Production Coordination
    Jennifer Roddie - Artwork
    Michael Wilson - Photography
    Eric Johnson - Photography