[1] He was born in New York City and raised a Conservative Jew,[2] and studied at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music.

[1] Saft moved from Brooklyn to the Hudson Valley around 2007, and lived near Roswell Rudd.

[3] The two often played together, and Rudd passed on knowledge of some of his own music and that of Herbie Nichols.

[3] He has performed and recorded with an eclectic variety of artists including John Zorn, Wadada Leo Smith, Iggy Pop, Steve Swallow, Bobby Previte, and Marc Ribot.

[1] He has also written several original film scores including Murderball and God Grew Tired of Us; selections from these were released by Tzadik Records as A Bag of Shells.