Sabertooth

Date

Jan 09 2025

Cost

$15.00

Showtimes:   6:00pm-7:15pm & 8:15pm-9:30pm

Founded around 1990, Sabertooth is led by two saxophonists:  Cameron Pfiffner & Pat Mallinger. The band started out with the unique pairing of its two lead reedmen at an old musicians hang called Jazz Bulls in Lincoln Park West neighborhood of Chicago. From that night’s collaboration the idea of Sabertooth began to take shape with a driving force behind the widely varied stylings best summed up as, “just groove it”.

Sabertooth has often ventured beyond soul-jazz and hard bop and moved into post-bop and modal territory with John Coltrane’s modal recordings of the early to mid-’60s influencing the groups sound. Sabertooth is both a post-bop group and a soul-jazz/hard bop group with a highly diverse repertoire that includes many original compositions and jazz classics by Duke Ellington, Horace Silver, Wayne Shorter, Lester Young, John Coltrane, as well as covers by the Beatles, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Bob Marley.

Special invited guests who have performed with Sabertooth have included Harry Conick Jr., Kurt Elling, Joe Lovano, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis Band, Jack McDuff, Joey DeFrancesco, Umphrey’s Mcgee Band, and many others. Sabertooth has also performed for numerous jazz festivals, concerts and private engagements.

Sabertooth – Dr. Midnight: Live At The Green Mill
Delmark DE 579 (2007)
Compact Disc

Saxophonists Cameron Pfiffner and Pat Mallinger are exciting jazz players who evoke the spirit of historic saxophone tandems like Johnny Griffin & Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis or Sonny Stitt & Gene Ammons. They formed Sabertooth in 1990 and have been doing the Green Mill Saturday night After Hours Jazz Party for fifteen years. Pete Benson’s been Sabertooth’s organist for five years and the group is anchored by drummer Ted Sirota. Blues to bop, Caribbean to cool, strange (“Dr. Midnight”) to odd (“couple”) – put this CD on and join the party!