Carl Saunders (August 2, 1942 – February 25, 2023) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and educator who performed with such luminaries as Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Bill Holman, Clare Fischer, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, and Paul Anka.
When Saunders was five, he and his mother settled in Los Angeles, living with his aunt Caroline and her husband, saxophonist Dave Pell.
Saunders heard records by the Dave Pell Octet and was influenced by the style and phrasing of trumpeter Don Fagerquist.
He traveled as a lead player with Paul Anka and Robert Goulet and worked with Si Zentner, Harry James, Maynard Ferguson, Benny Goodman, and Charlie Barnet.
He has also worked with Supersax, the big bands of Bob Florence and Gerald Wilson, and the Phil Norman Tentet.