Saviano, Tom

He is a jazz saxophonist, keyboardist, lyricist, composer and arranger born Tom Richard Saviano who was raised in Chicago, Illinois with a family where his father was a big band conductor and arranger. He played several woodwind instruments and majored in music throughout his high school and college years.

After graduation from college he began his musical career as a sought after session musician in Los Angeles, California and worked as an arranger and saxophonist on three albums by Melissa Manchester from 1977 where he was her musical director. During this time he put together the group Heat and recorded, performed, produced, composed and/or co-composed and arranged the two albums Heat and Still Waitin’ which produced the R&B chart Top 40 hits “Just Like You” and “This Love That We Found”.

His career as a session musician continued where he has worked with numerous artists on chart hits including writing the hit song “Hard to Say It’s Over” recorded by Sheena Easton and playing saxophone on the Grammy winning hit songs “I Wanna Be With You” by Earth, Wind and Fire and “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton.

Moving into writing, arranging and producing music for television he became the conductor and band leader for NBC’s Leave It to Dave with David Letterman followed by the Billboard video chart-topping Aerobicise for Showtime which he composed, performed and produced for. In 1986 he became a member of the band and a featured soloist for The Late Show with Joan Rivers and remained there until 1989.

In the 1990s he collaborated with Bill Champlin when he co-wrote “Holdin’ On” which was released as a single by the band Chicago. He was a member of the band The Sons of Champlin during their 1997 reunion tour and he was a co-producer of the album The Sons of Champlin Live in 1998. He later went on to perform, arrange and be music director with the singer David Krapes in his DK and his Allstar Band.

In 1998 he released his solo album Making Up Lost Time and in the 2000s he released his second album Crossings.

The recordings he has appeared on during his career are numerous and a select few include Words & Music by Alessi Brothers, Listen to Your Heart by Paul Anka, The Magic Is You by Shirley Bassey, It’s the World Gone Crazy by Glen Campbell, Wild Child by Valerie Carter, Through It All by Bill Champlin, Genius Loves Company by Ray Charles, Chicago Twenty 1 by Chicago, Heartbreak Radio by Rita Coolidge, Fantasy by Mac Davis, Raise! by Earth, Wind and Fire, Tonight! by The Four Tops, Thelma Houston by Thelma Houston, The Kids from Fame by The Kids from Fame, Ace, Gene, Peter and Paul by Kiss, Help Is On the Way, Singin’ and Don’t Cry Out Loud by Melissa Manchester, Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose by Meat Loaf, The 2nd Law by Muse, Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma by Michael Nesmith, Take Heart by Juice Newton, I Got Rhythm by Tony Orlando, 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs by Dolly Parton, Love in Stereo by Rahsaan Patterson, Significant Gains by Greg Phillinganes, Rock On by Raydio, Brenda Russell by Brenda Russell, Leo Sayer by Leo Sayer, Living Without Your Love by Dusty Springfield, Bad Boy by Ringo Starr, 3-Way Mirror by Livingston Taylor, B.J. Thomas by B.J. Thomas and Rhapsody & Blues by Phil Upchurch along with many others.

Glen Campbell recordings
I Don’t Want to Know Your Name (Micheal Smotherman)
Capitol Records- P-4959 (US Promo)

Sources:

Saviano, Tom

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