Kevin Tyrone Eubanks (born November 15, 1957) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and fusion guitarist and composer. He was the leader of

The Tonight Show Band The Tonight Show Band is the house band that plays on the American television variety show ''The Tonight Show''. From 1962 until 1992, when the show was known as ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', the band was a 17-piece big band, and w ...

with host

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...

from 1995 to 2010. He also led the Primetime Band on the short lived ''

The Jay Leno Show ''The Jay Leno Show'' is a talk show created and hosted by Jay Leno. Premiering on NBC on September 14, 2009, the program aired on weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ET/ PT through February 9, 2010. The program was modeled upon the format of a late ...

''.

Background

Eubanks was born into a musical family. His older brother,

Robin Eubanks Robin Eubanks (born October 25, 1955) is an American jazz and jazz fusion slide trombonist, the brother of guitarist Kevin Eubanks and trumpeter Duane Eubanks. His uncles are jazz pianist Ray Bryant and bassist Tommy Bryant. His mother, Vera Eub ...

, is a

trombonist The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

, and his younger brother

Duane Eubanks Duane Eubanks (born January 24, 1969 in Philadelphia) is an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist, As an elementary school student, Eubanks was trained in violin, trumpet, and piano at the

Settlement Music School Settlement Music School is a community music school with branches in and around Philadelphia. Founded in 1908 by two young women, Jeannette Selig Frank and Blanche Wolf Kohn, it is the largest community school of the arts in the United States. It ...

(in Philadelphia). He later attended

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

(in Boston, Massachusetts). Eubanks is a

pescetarian Pescetarianism (; sometimes spelled pescatarianism) is the practice of incorporating seafood into an otherwise vegetarian diet. Pescetarians may or may not consume other animal products such as eggs and dairy products. Approximately 3% of adult ...

and maintains a diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, egg whites, and fish.

Career

After Eubanks moved to New York, he began performing with noted jazzmen such as

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

(1980–81),

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer. He is among the most recorded drummers in jazz. In a career lasting over 80 years, he has played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jazz ...

Slide Hampton Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugelho ...

and Sam Rivers. Like his brother

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...

, he has played on record with double bassist

Dave Holland David “Dave” Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years. His extensive discography r ...

. In 1983, while continuing to perform with others, he formed his own quartet, playing gigs in Jordan, Pakistan, and India on a tour sponsored by the

U.S. State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

. In 2020, Eubanks appeared as a guest on the ''

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'' is an American comedy-drama television series created and primarily written by Aaron Sorkin. The series was about the production of a live comedy series, similar to ''Saturday Night Live''. Produced by Warner B ...

'' marathon fundraiser episode of ''

The George Lucas Talk Show ''The George Lucas Talk Show'' is an improvised talk show in New York City hosted by comedian Connor Ratliff, who appears as George Lucas, the creator of '' Star Wars'', and he interviews real guests as themselves in a panel format. He is join ...

''. In the fall of 2021, Eubanks returned to working with Leno, as a sidekick on a revival of the TV game show ''

You Bet Your Life ''You Bet Your Life'' is an American comedy quiz series that has aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show deb ...

''.

Recording

His first recording as a leader, ''Guitarist'', was released on the Elektra label when Eubanks was 25 years old. It led to a seven-album contract with the GRP label and four albums for

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

. In total, Eubanks has appeared on over 100 albums. In 2001, he founded the label Insoul Music on which he has released six albums.

Teaching

Eubanks has taught at the

Banff School of Fine Arts Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...

in Canada, at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

, and at the Charlie Parker School in

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

, Italy. In 2005, Eubanks received an honorary doctorate degree from his alma mater, Berklee College of Music. He has served as an active member of the Artistic Advisory Panel of the

BMI Foundation The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 1985 by executives of Broadcast Music Incorporated for the purpose of "encouraging the creation, performance and study of music through awards, scholarships, internships, grants, and c ...

since 1999.

''The Tonight Show''

In 1992, Eubanks moved to the West Coast to play guitar in

. He composed "Kevin's Country," the closing theme music for ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

''. In 1995, he replaced

Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed inst ...

as leader of the band. When NBC moved Leno's show from late night to prime time, Eubanks moved with the band to continue conducting music for the short-lived ''

''. Eubanks appeared on the new show as The Primetime Band. On April 12, 2010, Eubanks announced on the show that he would be leaving ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'' following its 18th season. His last show was on Friday, May 28, 2010. He indicated in an interview with ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'' that he wanted to concentrate on music, adding that his leaving was not provoked by any problems with Leno or NBC. Following his departure from ''The Tonight Show'', he began touring with bandmate

Marvin "Smitty" Smith Marvin "Smitty" Smith (born June 24, 1961) is an American jazz drummer and composer. Marvin Smith was born in Waukegan, Illinois, where his father, Marvin Sr., was a drummer. "Smitty" was exposed to music at a young age, receiving formal musica ...

on drums, Bill Pierce on saxophone, and Rene Camacho on bass.

Discography

As leader

* ''Guitarist'' (

Elektra Musician Elektra/Musician was a jazz record label founded as a subsidiary of Elektra Records in 1982. The label was headed by Bruce Lundvall and released its first batch of albums on February 12, 1982. The label ceased when Lundvall left Elektra to star ...

, 1983) * ''Sundance'' ( GRP, 1984) * ''Opening Night'' (GRP, 1985) * ''Face to Face'' (GRP, 1986) * ''The Heat of Heat'' (GRP, 1987) * ''Shadow Prophets'' (GRP, 1988) * ''The Searcher'' (GRP, 1989) * ''Promise of Tomorrow'' (GRP, 1990) * ''Turning Point'' (

, 1992) * ''Spirit Talk'' (Blue Note, 1993) * ''Live at Bradley's'' (Blue Note, 1994) * ''Spirit Talk 2 – Revelations'' (Blue Note, 1995) * ''Zen Food'' (

Mack Avenue Mack Avenue Records is an independent record label in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Background Mack Avenue was founded in 1999 by Gretchen Carhartt Valade, a jazz fan and chair of the American apparel company Carhartt. The company is a sponsor ...

, 2010) * ''The Messenger'' (Mack Avenue, 2012) * ''Duets'' with

Stanley Jordan Stanley Jordan (born July 31, 1959) is an American jazz guitarist noted for his playing technique, which involves tapping his fingers on the fretboard of the guitar with both hands. Music career Jordan was born in Chicago, Illinois, United St ...

(Mack Avenue, 2015) * ''East West Time Line'' (Mack Avenue, 2017)

As sideman

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers The Jazz Messengers were a jazz combo that existed for over thirty-five years beginning in the early 1950s as a collective, and ending when long-time leader and founding drummer Art Blakey died in 1990. Blakey led or co-led the group from the o ...

− '' Live at Montreux and Northsea'' ( Timeless, 1980) *

Steve Arrington Steven Ralph Arrington (born March 5, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, drummer, record producer, engineer and minister, who grew up in Dayton, Ohio. Biography Arrington played in various local bands before joining and touring with The M ...

's Hall of Fame − '' Steve Arrington's Hall Of Fame, Vol.1'' (Atlantic, 1983) * ''The Young Lions'' (Elektra Musician, 1983) *

Urszula Dudziak Urszula Bogumiła Dudziak-Urbaniak (born 22 October 1943) is a Polish jazz vocalist. She has worked with Krzysztof Komeda, Michał Urbaniak (her ex-husband), Gil Evans, Archie Shepp, and Lester Bowie. In 2007, her 1970s song "Papaya" gained wides ...

− ''Sorrow Is Not Forever... But Love Is'' ( Keytone, 1983) * James Williams − ''Alter Ego'' ( Sunnyside, 1984) *

Oliver Lake Oliver Lake (born September 14, 1942) is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, poet, and visual artist. He is known mainly for alto saxophone, but he also performs on soprano and flute. During the 1960s, Lake worked with the Black Art ...

Quintet − ''

Expandable Language ''Expandable Language'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Oliver Lake recorded in 1984 for the Italian Black Saint label.

'' (

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1985) *

Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest, among others. Bi ...

− ''

Oshumare Oshunmare (known as Ochumaré or Oxumaré in Latin America) is an Orisha. Osumare is the spirit of the rainbow, and Osumare also means rainbow in the Yoruba language. See also * Aido Wedo Ayida-Weddo is a loa of fertility, rainbows, wind, ...

'' (

Gramavision Gramavision Records is an American record label founded in 1979. Since 1994 it has been a subsidiary of Rykodisc. The label's music is largely jazz, blues and folk oriented but has touched on many other styles and genres. In 1979, Jonathan F.P. ...

, 1985) * Meredith D'Ambrosio − ''It's Your Dance'' (Sunnyside, 1985) * James Williams Sextet − ''Progress Report'' (Sunnyside, 1985) * The Mike Gibbs Orchestra − ''Big Music'' (Venture, 1988) * Billy Hart − '' Rah'' (Gramavision, 1988) *

− ''

Different Perspectives ''Different Perspectives'' is the debut album by trombonist Robin Eubanks which was recorded in 1988 and released on the JMT label.Shimada, T.JMT label discography accessed November 14, 2014 Reception The AllMusic review by Michael G. Nastos sa ...

'' ( JMT, 1989) *

Quartet − ''

Extensions Extension, extend or extended may refer to: Mathematics Logic or set theory * Axiom of extensionality * Extensible cardinal * Extension (model theory) * Extension (predicate logic), the set of tuples of values that satisfy the predicate * Ex ...

'' ( ECM, 1989) *

Greg Osby Greg Osby (born August 3, 1960) is an American saxophonist and composer. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Osby studied at Howard University, then at the Berklee College of Music. He moved to New York City in 1982, where he played with Jaki ...

− ''

Season of Renewal ''Season of Renewal'' is the third album by saxophonist Greg Osby recorded in 1989 and released on the JMT label.Greg Osby disco ...

'' (JMT, 1990) * Gary Thomas − ''

While the Gate Is Open ''While the Gate Is Open'' is the fourth album by saxophonist Gary Thomas which was recorded in 1990 and released on the JMT label.Shimada, T.JMT label discography accessed November 14, 2014 It features Thomas' interpretations of eight jazz stan ...

'' (JMT, 1990) * Gary Thomas − ''

The Kold Kage ''The Kold Kage'' is the fifth album by saxophonist Gary Thomas recorded in 1991 and released on the JMT label.Shimada, T.JMT label discography accessed September 26, 2014 Reception The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek states, "Far from academic, ...

'' (JMT, 1991) * Robin Eubanks − ''

Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

'' (JMT, 1991) * Kirk Lightsey Trio − '' From Kirk to Nat'' (Criss Cross Jazz, 1991) *

Steve Coleman Steve Coleman (born September 20, 1956) is an American saxophonist, composer, bandleader and music theorist. In 2014, he was named a MacArthur Fellow. Early life Steve Coleman was born and grew up in South Side, Chicago. He started playing al ...

− ''

Rhythm in Mind ''Rhythm in Mind'' is an album by saxophonist Steve Coleman, recorded in 1991 and released by Novus Records. Reception The ''Toronto Star'' wrote that "the fluid emotional work of altoist Coleman headlines an octet gathering of post-bop conservat ...

'' (

Novus Novus ("new" in Latin) may refer to: Companies * Novus Biologicals, a biotech company based in Littleton, Colorado, US * Novus Entertainment, a Canadian telecommunications company * Novus International, an animal health and nutrition company * Nov ...

, 1992) *

Harold Mabern Harold Mabern Jr. (March 20, 1936 – September 17, 2019) was an American jazz pianist and composer, principally in the hard bop, post-bop, and soul jazz fields.Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (2007) ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. p. 42 ...

– ''

The Leading Man ''The Leading Man'' is a 1996 British romantic drama film directed by John Duigan. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1996 but was not released in the United States until March 1998. The film is set in London in the win ...

'' (DIW, 1993) *

Ralph Moore Ralph Moore (born 24 December 1956) is an English jazz saxophonist. Early life Moore was born in Brixton, London, England. His mother was the dancer Josie Woods, and his father was in the US military. He spent his childhood in Brixton, and afte ...

– '' Round Trip'' (Reservoir, 1985 987 *

Jean-Luc Ponty Jean-Luc Ponty (born 29 September 1942) is a French jazz violinist and composer. Early life Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano. At sixteen, he was admitt ...

− ''No Absolute Time'' (Atlantic, 1993) *

Adam Rudolph Adam Rudolph (born September 12, 1955) is a jazz composer and percussionist performing in the post-bop and world fusion media. In 1988, Rudolph met jazz musician Yusef Lateef, and the two would go on to collaborate and perform together for th ...

's Moving Pictures − ''Skyway'' (

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1994) *

Dianne Reeves Dianne Elizabeth Reeves (born October 23, 1956) is an American jazz singer. Biography Dianne Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan, into a musical family. Her father sang, her mother played trumpet, her uncle is bassist Charles Burrell, and h ...

− ''That Day'' (Blue Note, 1997) *

Terri Lyne Carrington Terri Lyne Carrington (born August 4, 1965) is an American jazz drummer, composer, producer, and educator. She has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau, Yellowjackets, and ma ...

− ''

Jazz Is a Spirit ''Jazz Is a Spirit'' is an album by drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. It was recorded before an audience at Master Control Studio in Burbank, California during February 2001, and was released in 2002 by the German label ACT Music. On the album, Carri ...

'' ( ACT, 2002) *

Carmen Lundy Carmen Latretta Lundy (born November 1, 1954) is an American jazz singer. She has been performing for three decades, with a focus on original material. She has been positively compared with Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. Lu ...

− ''Moment to Moment'' (Afrasia, 2007) * Dave Holland − ''

Prism Prism usually refers to: * Prism (optics), a transparent optical component with flat surfaces that refract light * Prism (geometry), a kind of polyhedron Prism may also refer to: Science and mathematics * Prism (geology), a type of sedimentary ...

'' (Okeh/Dare2, 2013) *

Orrin Evans Orrin Evans (born 28 March 1975) is an American jazz pianist. Evans was born in Trenton, New Jersey and raised in Philadelphia.Lutz, Phillip. "Orrin Evans The Instigator." ''Downbeat'' 81.11 (2014): 42-45. Print. He attended Rutgers University ...

– ''#knowingishalfthebattle'' ( Smoke Sessions, 2017) *

– '' Another Land'' (Edition Records Ltd, 2021)

References

External links

Official Website
*
Kevin Eubanks Acoustic
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Kevin Eubanks' Vegetarianism
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eubanks, Kevin 1957 births 20th-century American guitarists African-American jazz guitarists African-American television personalities American bandleaders American expatriates in Canada American expatriates in Italy American male guitarists American television personalities Male television personalities Berklee College of Music alumni Guitarists from Philadelphia Lead guitarists Living people Smooth jazz guitarists Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Mack Avenue Records artists 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people