Tonight and every night, he’s a star

By Rita Charleston
For the Times

Kevin Eubanks was born in 1957, the second of four boys, all destined to become musicians.
Undoubtedly, said Eubanks, who hails from Philadelphia and now serves as musical director for NBC’s The Tonight Show, they were all influenced by their mother, who carries a masters degree in musical education, as well as famous jazz pianist/uncle Ray Bryant and bassist/uncle Tommy Bryant.
Kevin Eubanks, admittedly shy by nature, grew into a self-professed loner. He began playing the violin at age 7 and continued to play until age 12, when he decided to play the guitar.
"I remember going to a James Brown show, and when I came out, I just knew I was going to be a guitar player," said Eubanks, who will appear at the 13th annual Sunset Jazz Series at Wiggins Waterfront Park in Camden on Tuesday, Aug. 24. "My parents weren’t that thrilled with the idea, so I got a guitar and began teaching myself."
Later, Eubanks continued his musical education at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, and after a couple of years in the Boston area, established himself and the bands he put together as "must-hear bands" for the aspiring students at the college.
Eventually, he won a spot with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, which to this day is one of the most legendary icons in the history of jazz. Eubanks toured Europe, establishing a name for himself, and soon moved to New York City.
But by the early 1990s, Eubanks began exploring new frontiers, symbolized by a move to the Pennsylvania countryside.
"Moving out of New York has helped me to feel a lot better about the acoustic guitar," he once said. "Out here, I’m around hills and trees. It’s allowed me to let more space in and more music out."
But in 1992, old friend Branford Marsalis offered Eubanks a job that would change his career. With Jay Leno now heading up the late-night show, Marsalis offered Eubanks a permanent slot as the guitarist for the new house band. Eubanks accepted.
"I had been on the road pretty much since I was nineteen, and I was thirty-four," he said. "The curiosity, along with other things, got the better of me."
In January 1995, Marsalis left The Tonight Show, and Eubanks was asked to become the new music director, with the additional requirement of serving as Leno’s comic foil.
"And we work very well together," the guitarist insisted. "We get along really well. Jay likes to work hard, and so do I. He’s used to being on the road a lot, and so am I.
"There’s a very easy flow between us. I know what we need to do, and we respect each other’s contributions and don’t have many conflicted interests in what we’re doing, so it all seems to work out well."
It also seems amazing to Eubanks that he’s so easily recognizable these days.
"People of all ages know me from watching The Tonight Show and come to see me play now," he said. "That’s cool because it exposes my music to a whole other audience."
Eubanks admits he’s quite content — for now.
"But some day I’d like to have a successful record company," he said. "And I’d like to keep performing for life. And most of all, I’d like to see more music on television, so maybe some of the experiences I’ve had being on The Tonight Show will help facilitate some of that." oo
The Aug. 24 concert with Kevin Eubanks is free. For additional information, call the concert/event hot line at 1-856-216-2170.