Dave Tofani

Dave Tofani is a saxophone player who worked on multiple Sesame Street albums. An in-demand session player for film scores, he was also heard on the soundtrack to The Muppets Take Manhattan.

Tofani, who also doubles on clarinet and flute, graduated from Juilliard and began his session career on TV's The Bell Telephone Hour in the 1960s. On records, he did sessions with Buddy Rich, James Brown, George Benson, Bette Midler (various reeds on Thighs and Whispers), Grace Slick (Dreams), James Galway (The Wind Beneath My Wings), Barbra Streisand, and John Lennon (on his final album, Double Fantasy). More recent albums, in addition to four solo albums, include work with Aaron Neville, Far Cry, Steely Dan, and Bernadette Peters.

Tofani has played on the film scores to Pumping Iron (with Arnold Schwarzenegger), The Warriors (with Lynne Thigpen), Foul Play, Fame, A Chorus Line, The Mambo Kings, Life with Mikey (composed by Alan Menken), Beauty and the Beast, Crooklyn, and the Frank Oz films HouseSitter and In & Out.

Discography

 * Happy Birthday from Sesame Street (1977)
 * What Time Is It on Sesame Street? (1977)
 * Sesame Street Fever (1978) - baritone sax
 * In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record (1980) - Reeds ("In Harmony")
 * The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)