Which saxophonist has led the Saturday Night Live Band since the 1990s?

Lenny Pickett has led the Saturday Night Live Band since 1995. The New Mexico-born saxophonist joined the band in 1985 and later became its musical director after guitarist G. E. Smith left that position during the 1995 cast and production changes.

Pickett had already built a distinguished career before SNL. He led the horn section of the funk group Tower of Power from 1973 to 1981 and worked as a session musician for performers in pop, rock, soul, and R&B. His playing is especially associated with powerful tenor-saxophone lines and high-register technique.

The SNL Band is more than background accompaniment: it plays the opening and closing themes, music between sketches, and arrangements for musical guests. Pickett shares musical-director responsibilities with keyboardist Leon Pendarvis and, in later years, other members, but he remains the band's best-known saxophonist and longtime leader.