LIGHTS, CAMERA, REACTION! KEVIN EUBANKS

International Musician, Jul 2007

Just after talking to International Musician, Kevin Eubanks headed to a taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. That day's taping happened to be Leno's 15th anniversary at the helm of the venerable late night variety show, and after announcing that fact to the audience, Leno turned to acknowledge his bandleader.

"After 15 years, Kevin has become my longtime male companion," joked Leno. A phrase like that-especially in front of the vast Tonight Show audience, both in the theater and at home-might make some musicians uncomfortable, but Eubanks laughed out loud and played the guitarist's equivalent of a rim shot.

GIVE IT A GO

Eubanks' gig, you see, requires him to be the front man for The Tonight Show Band, but also a sideman for Leno. Eubanks is good-natured about the ribbing he receives from the comedian, seeing the role of comic foil as a part of his career that, like his guitar playing, must be constantly honed and developed.

"It comes from being on the road, playing basketball, and just hanging out," says the Local 47 member, reflecting on his onstage reaction to Leno's jokes. "A lot of ribbing goes on there, and everything's cool till it isn't cool." Having a sense of humor is crucial for a road musician, explains Eubanks. "And Jay knows what it's like to be on the road and in front of an audience. He knows what I go through, so we have something in common. There's really an unspoken communication between us, a bond that most people won't understand. I think a comic and a musician know what half of each other's life already is."

In January 1995, Eubanks joined The Tonight Show with Jay Leno full-time, having been brought on board in 1992 (when he penned the show's closing theme "Kevin's Country") and having filled in for the show's first bandleader, Branford Marsalis of Local 802 (New York City).

"When The Tonight Show hired me, they hoped I would have stage presence," says Eubanks, looking back. "It's not something you can audition for, and the producers feel lucky if they can get it in a bandleader. But Jay and I got along, and we seemed to have an easy time just hanging out, so when they said, 'Do you want to be bandleader?' I said, 'Let's give it a go!'"

OLD THING NEW

There are plenty of The Tonight Show alumni and friends around to give Eubanks advice on his stage persona. Eubanks not only mentions he's talked shop with Regis Philbin, Arsenio Hall, and Don Rickles, to name a few, he can also clearly remember the tidbits about stage craft and acting they have taught him.

"Rickles said I have to have good rhythm with Jay and not get ahead of his delivery," Eubanks recalls. "He said I have to get my comments in and out without interrupting Jay's rhythm. Regis said I must give it up to the camera and not hide. I have to be intimate with the TV audience, which is just a few feet behind the camera, and also have strong facial expressions. Arsenio reminded me that I have to bring energy every day and perform like it's the first time."

Arsenio Hall's advice, notes Eubanks, is just as good for a musician as it is for an actor or comedian. "If I play a song or Jay tells a joke one night and it gets cut from the tape, we might do it again the next night, so I have to react or play like it's the first time, even if I know the song or punch line by heart," he explains. "If it's an old joke, I mustn't ruin it; if it's a song I know, I must be excited about the solo. I have to play with mystery and energy and make an old thing new again."

Eubank's dedication to his craft has family roots: his uncle, older brother, and mother are all accomplished musicians. In fact, Kevin's mother Vera, a pianist and organist with a master's in music education, still plays at churches around Philadelphia at the age of 74. Her long-lived musical career is an inspiration to her son, well-known (thanks in part to Leno's jokes) as a fitness fanatic and vegetarian.

"I want to keep making music for as long as I can and be vibrant and healthy in order to keep working, so I'm eating right, and training well. I'm in a good place," says Eubanks, who before his IM interview had just finished a tennis lesson.

MAKE THE BELLY SMILE!

Eubanks started his musical studies on violin and trumpet, and he admits his mom had to remind him to practice. Then, at age 12, Eubanks went to a James Brown concert and fell in love with guitar. "When I started playing guitar, you didn't have to tell me to practice. In fact, my punishment became that I couldn't practice!"

While at the Berklee College of Music, Eubanks learned from many jazz greats and, just as with the entertainers who advise him about The Tonight Show, he can still recall the career lessons individuals gave him.

Interestingly, the teachers that come to Eubank's mind immediately are not guitarists. "I learned under some great drummers," he remembers, "such as Billy Higgins and Art Blakey. They made me understand that if the drums aren't happy, you'll have a rough time. The drums are a band's belly. If the belly is smiling, the limbs can do their thing! If you have a good connection with the drummer, you'll be halfway home."