Great Live Moments - Kevin Eubanks

April 7, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: bassist, blazing trails, branford marsalis, cameron brown, guitarist kevin, jay leno, Jazz Alive, jazz forum, jazz guitar, jazz musician, johnny carson, kevin eubanks, Listening Post, Live Music, music director, robin eubanks, sf jazz, solo career, television career, tonight show with jay leno, trombonist, weeknight, wes montgomery

You may know guitarist Kevin Eubanks from the Tonight Show Band. Each weeknight, he sits in front of the band, acting as a comic foil for host Jay Leno. Kevin has actually been the music director for the show since 1995, when Branford Marsalis departed. Eubanks has been on the show since 1992. He even penned the show's closing theme song, "Kevin's Country."
Kevin Eubanks is a jazz musician by calling. In fact, music is genetically programmed into the Eubanks clan. Just ask trombonist Robin Eubanks, who is currently blazing trails with the SF Jazz Collective touring ensemble.
Check out Kevin on "Blues for Wes," a duet tribute to one of the heroes of jazz guitar, Wes Montgomery. This selection is a duet recording with bassist Cameron Brown. WBGO recorded it in 1983 at the Jazz Forum in New York. Johnny Carson was still the host of the Tonight Show. Kevin Eubanks was starting a solo career. His television career was yet to come.
-Josh

© 2008 WBGO

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Kenya Revisited

April 7, 2008. Posted by Simon Rentner.

Add new comment | Filed under: Jazz Alive

After listening to WBGO for years as a fan, I now find myself selling underwriting spots for the station as a Senior Account Executive. Not only do I have the unique opportunity to do something I enjoy for living, but working with underwriters to get their messages on air has its unexpected benefits. There are some great perks to my job. For instance, I talk to underwriters who "get it" when it comes to WBGO and the "Jazz lifestyle" on a daily basis.

One of these occurrences happened on April Fool's day, when my client from the Manhattan School of Music invited me to the John C. Borden Auditorium for the 50th anniversary concert celebrating Kenya, the landmark recording by Machito and his Afro-Cuban's Jazz Orchestra. Bobby Sanabria led the MSM orchestra in a recreation of the music from that incredible album.

The joint was jumping! It is rare to attend an event where young and old; black and white; Jews and gentile get together and get down! By the the second encore -- when Bobby put on his porkpie hat and danced around -- I felt like I was transported back to the Palladium in its heyday!

But the highlight of the evening occurred when NEA Jazz Master Candido Camero took the stage with the young pros of the MSM Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra. Candido performed on the original Kenya recording and will be celebrating his 87th birthday this month. It's remarkable that this was the first time Kenya was played for the public. The whole experience was incredible, a once in a lifetime event that makes me proud to be part of WBGO and the jazz community! By the way, PBS and the BBC filmed the show for a special broadcast in January and February of 2009. - Randy Moore

© 2008 WBGO

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Great Live Moments - Harold Mabern

April 7, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: ahmad jamal, american museum of natural history, bassist, citicorp center, dizzy gillespie, drummer, gant, george coleman, gil fuller, harold mabern, heyday, history check, jamil nasser, Jazz Alive, Listening Post, Live Music, memphis native, museum of natural history, pianist, quartet, ray brown, veteran, wbgo

It's a Memphis Monday, courtesy of Harold Mabern. WBGO has recorded pianist Harold Mabern as a member of George Coleman's quartet. We've also recorded Mabern's own quartet at American Museum of Natural History.
Check out this version of Harold Mabern's trio, recorded in 1984 at Citicorp Center in New York. Bassist Jamil Nasser (like Mabern, a Memphis native) and drummer Frank Gant, two veteran trio performers (check out those Ahmad Jamal records!) make the trio. They play "Ray's Idea," a song composed by bassist Ray Brown and Walter "Gil" Fuller during the heyday of Dizzy Gillespie's big band.
-Josh

© 2008 WBGO

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