Features
Evolution of the Talk Show Band: From its Roots to The Roots
Loading ...
Late Night with Conan O’Brien is a television show that defines my youth. Ever since I was old enough to stay up that late (or ever since I became crafty enough to sneak downstairs while my parents were sleeping) Conan has been an important part of my television-viewing life. His wasn’t the type of show that I felt like I needed to see every episode of, but when I needed some entertainment at midnight, he was always there and he always came through.
When I heard that O’Brien was leaving to take over from Jay Leno on the Tonight Show, I was disappointed but happy for him. Then it was announced that former Saturday Night Live player Jimmy Fallon was going to take over Late Night. There were several reasons to be skeptical about Fallon setting foot in O’Brien’s shoes, but one tidbit about the new format immediately piqued my interest. Fallon’s house band was to be none other than the Philadelphia hip hop group, the Roots.
The idea of a hip hop band like the Roots being on a nightly talk show (and a relatively mainstream one at that) may be kind of surprising to middle America, but if one looks back at the evolution of the talk show house band, they would see that the seeds have been planted for quite some time.
Talk show bands historically featured mostly jazz and big band influenced versions of the Tonight Show Band, led by musical directors like Skitch Henderson and Doc Severinsen–due in great part to the massive popularity of the incarnation that was hosted by Johnny Carson from 1962 until 1992. In its current embodiment, the Tonight Show Band, led by guitarist Kevin Eubanks, is generally jazz-oriented, but features an increasing blues and rock influence.
Still, jazz is the genre that seems to personify the late night house band. The interesting aspect, though, is how a majority of the bands today incorporate other genres of music along with jazz. For example, Conan O’Brien’s house band on Late Night (who will be accompanying him to his new gig in Los Angeles) is the Max Weinberg 7. Weinberg, being the touring drummer for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, clearly has a rock and roll background. While still generally jazz, the Max Weinberg 7 tends to infuse it into covers of popular music by bands like the Rolling Stones or the Clash.
One house band that has truly created its own sound for its late night duty is the one led by Joe Firstman on Last Call with Carson Daly. Firstman comes from an alternative rock background, and while he still dips creatively into jazz (among other genres) his rock pedigree really shines through. The problem, of course, is that he is on Last Call and, honestly, who watches that show? (Author’s note: To be honest, even though Carson Daly is sometimes a bit awkward and his attempts at comedy can fall very flat, I give him credit for producing a show that really emphasizes discovering and distributing new music.)
Truth be told even the Roots style of music isn’t anything particularly new to the talk show house band. On The Arsenio Hall Show, the band, known as the Posse, played a funk-influenced style that brings to mind the venerable Philadelphia group. Still, there are a couple circumstances that make the Roots different from house bands seen in the past.
The Roots cross many genre lines, but, in general, they all come back to hip hop. Nevertheless, the band’s talent goes far beyond Black Thought’s MCing and delves into a musicality not seen in most hip hop groups. Their instrumentation sets them apart, but also provides them with the ability to create a great deal of music that needs to be incorporated into a show like Late Night over the length of a season or many seasons. However, their genre still always comes back to hip hop, where MCing is historically the backbone. To overcome this, they have created music breaks that tend to focus more on a hook instead of a verse.
Another issue that the Roots deals with that most other house bands do not is the simple fact that they are already a massively popular group. They’ve had nine relatively successful albums (and are currently working on a tenth) and have toured extensively worldwide. They didn’t need to take the Late Night gig, but it has offered them some nice advantages. For one, since they are commuting every morning from Philadelphia to New York for tapings, they are able to spend more time with their families. Also, it allows them to get their music out to a wider audience.
And it is not as if the Roots have quit touring all together. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, their drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson explained that NBC is allowing them ten weeks out of the year to tour, and they already have some dates lined up for April. Plus, as mentioned above, they are currently working on a new album that, according to upstroke’s Twitter page, will be titled How I Got Over.
For the time being though, the Roots seem to be relishing their new gig. They are learning and adapting to make their contributions to the show in synch with the comedic style of Fallon. They have even started appearing in some comedy sketches, including a very funny turn on 7th Floor West, Fallon’s parody of dramatically-edited MTV “reality” shows like The Hills.
The Roots are signed with Late Night for five years, so just as Fallon continues to grow as a host, so will they as a house band. Their style and ability brings something unique to a show that has to follow in some pretty big footsteps left by O’Brien. Still, the band and, admittedly, Fallon, too have gotten off to a pretty sensational start and as long as they stay true to their, um, roots, this could be the beginning of a remarkable partnership.
Michael Proper earned his Bachelors of Arts in Communication from DePaul University in June 2008. His concentration was Radio, Television and Film. He has been writing for the web for several years, and has decided to write for Deft Magazine as yet another platform to express his love for popular culture. He also blogs at The Proper Lounge.
You might also like
|
|
|
|
