Kevin Eubanks

All Music Guide:

An adept guitarist with a bent toward contemporary jazz, Kevin Eubanks is best known for leading the Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno. Born in 1957 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Eubanks grew up in a musical family along with his older brother, trombonist Robin, and younger brother, trumpeter Duane -- his uncle is pianist Ray Bryant. A talented musician by his teens, Eubanks eventually studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduating, he played with a bevy of name musicians including drummer Roy Haynes and saxophonist Sam Rivers; he was also a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from 1980 to 1981. Eubanks made his solo recording debut with Guitarist on Elektra in 1982. He then signed with GRP and released seven albums, beginning with 1984's Sundance and ending with 1989's Promise of Tomorrow. Moving to Blue Note, Eubanks released several albums including 1992's Turning Point, 1993's Spiritalk, 1994's Spiritalk 2, and 1994's Live at Bradley's. In 1992, he joined bandleader Branford Marsalis on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and in 1995, Eubanks took over the band when Marsalis left. His friendly chemistry and humorous repartee with Leno quickly established the guitarist as a household name. While the Tonight Show band was his focus during this time, Eubanks did release several albums on his own Insoul label. In 2009, Eubanks moved with Leno to lead the Primetime Band on NBC's short-lived The Jay Leno Show. In 2010, Eubanks left The Tonight Show shortly after Leno returned to host it. That same year, Eubanks delivered the album Zen Food on Mack Avenue Records, and in 2012, he returned with his second Mack Avenue release, the stylistically eclectic The Messenger.

Wikipedia:

Kevin Tyrone Eubanks (born November 15, 1957 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American jazz and fusion guitarist and composer who was the leader of The Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno from 1995 to 2010. He also led The Primetime Band on the short-lived The Jay Leno Show.

Personal background [edit]

Eubanks was born into a musical family. His mother, Vera Eubanks, is a gospel and classical pianist and organist. His uncle, Ray Bryant, was a jazz pianist. His older brother, Robin Eubanks, is a trombonist, and his younger brother Duane Eubanks is a trumpeter. Two cousins are also musicians, the late bassist David Eubanks and the pianist Charles Eubanks. Kevin studied violin and trumpet, before settling on the guitar.

As an elementary school student, Eubanks was trained in violin, trumpet, and piano at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. He later attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and then moved to New York to begin his professional career.

Eubanks is a pescetarian and maintains a diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, egg whites, and fish. He is also an avid fan of Philadelphia sports teams. He once lost a bet on the Philadelphia 76ers, and he was forced to eat a corn dog when he lost. In 2007, he was voted PETA's "World's Sexiest Vegetarian Man".

Professional background [edit]

After Eubanks moved to New York, he began performing with noted jazzmen such as Art Blakey (1980–81), Roy Haynes, Slide Hampton and Sam Rivers. Like his brother Robin, he has played on record with double bassist Bill Dryden and Dave Holland. 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.

Recording [edit]

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

Teaching [edit]

Eubanks has taught at the Banff School of Fine Arts in Canada, at Rutgers University, and at the Charlie Parker School in Perugia, Italy. In 2005, Eubanks received an honorary doctorate degree from the Berklee College of Music, of which he is an alumnus, but not a graduate. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and has served as an active member of the Artistic Advisory Panel of the BMI Foundation since 1999.

The Tonight Show [edit]

In 1992, Eubanks moved to the West Coast to assume the guitar spot in The Tonight Show Band. At this time, he composed The Tonight Show with Jay Leno's closing theme music, "Kevin's Country". In 1995, Eubanks replaced Branford Marsalis to become the leader of The Tonight Show Band. He served in this capacity from 1995 to 2010.

When NBC moved Leno's show from late night to primetime (10PM in the Eastern time zone), Eubanks moved with the band to continue conducting the music for the short-lived The Jay Leno Show. Eubanks appeared on the new show as The Primetime Band. It was announced on February 16, 2010 that Eubanks would only be returning for a short time as band leader when Jay Leno began his second tenure on The Tonight Show.

On April 12, 2010, Eubanks announced on the show that he would be leaving The Tonight Show following its 18th season. His last show was on Friday, May 28, 2010. Eubanks indicated in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer that he wanted to refocus on music, adding that his leaving was not provoked by any problems with Jay Leno or NBC. Following his departure from The Tonight Show, Eubanks began touring with band mate Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums and Bill Pierce on sax.

On February 21, 2013, Eubanks had a performance slot on "The Tonight Show" as well as a reminiscent comedic moment at the opening of the show displaying clips of Leno and Eubanks back when Eubanks was on the show, later he went on to set in the interview chair with Leno. As the two talked it became evident that Leno and Eubanks have kept in touch, at least remotely, since his departure, which dispelled the claims that he left the show because of his anger towards Leno for the Conan O'Brien Controversy. The two's chemistry was just as evident as it was when Eubanks was a series regular.

Television appearances [edit]

Eubanks has appeared on various TV shows such as Hollywood Squares, V.I.P., Muppets Tonight, Girlfriends, Longshot and Days of our Lives. He has written four feature film scores.

Equipment [edit]

On his website Eubanks states his preference for Abe Rivera guitars, Mesa/Boogie amplifiers and D'Addario guitar strings.