"BobbyG, this is Ronnie. Could you go pick up a friend of mine?"

So, Ronnie Foster calls me last night to say that a friend of his was gigging in town and wanted to come to The Artisan to hang after he got through. He might need a ride, and, if so, would I be able to swing by and pick him up, as a favor?

'Yeah, bro', no sweat, just lemme know.'

It was, uh, just the legendary David Sanborn, one of the Major Gods in the Pantheon of alto sax jazz, performing at the Suncoast this weekend.

Try to imagine the thrill, to finally meet this cat whose music I been diggin' for decades. As it turned out he didn't need a ride, and showed up on his own with his bassist Richard Patterson (below, with Dave at the Strand Theatre in NY in 2001, photo by Patti Stirk).

Our own A-List alto sax wizard Phil Wigfall came to hang and sit in with Ronnie and the band. Dave (who did not sit in) dug it. The band was cookin' as usual last night, and the place was jammed. Note, on the pic below, foreground left, percussionist Leddie Garcia sittin' in this week. Leddie is from Hawaii, and recently came to Vegas after a long stint gigging in Chicago. The cat can really play. If you know of any gig situations, give him a call, cell# (702) 635-6066.

David Sanborn, aside from being a monumental musical talent, is a very nice cat. It was an honor an a pleasure to meet him. His show at the Suncoast has a final night tonight.

BTW, if you don't already have a copy of Phil Wigfall's excellent solo CD "Cosmic Soul," I gotta give it another plug. You can order it from CD Baby. Worth every penny.

AGAIN, REMEMBER: the Healing resumes at The Palms Monday night at 10 pm. Santa Fe and The Fat City Horns! Be there.
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MAY 29TH UPDATE: Wow, comped. What can I say? Except, 'thank you, David, and thank you Ronnie!' Cheryl and I hooked up with Ronnie Foster at David Sanborn's final show at the Suncoast last night. Jaw-dropping excellence, simply wonderful (and a very nice showroom). David told us they'd be back in August for four nights (the schedule says August 24th - 27th at the Orleans). It's a must-see. The band was unreal: the mighty Ricky Peterson (of the fabulous Minnesota Peterson family) on keys, Gene Lake on drums (yikes!), Richard Patterson on bass, and Nicky Moroch on guitar. A great evening. What a band! And, David, OhMyGod!

Remember, y'all, Santa Fe and The Fat City Horns return to the stage at The Palms tonight. Yes!!