From: milliken@scofield.Corp.Sun.COM (Gary Milliken)
Newsgroups: rec.music.bluenote
Subject: Night Music w/ David Sanborn (was: Re: possible Miles Davis tribute)
Date: 27 Aug 1992 20:48:38 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
NNTP-Posting-Host: scofield.corp.sun.com

>>Yeah, it would be nice if network TV would put on an hour of jazz some Friday
>>night...
>
>Anyone remember "Night music with David Sanborn"?

I very fondly remember the Sanborn show, but it wasn't really the best opportunity
for jazz to be aired on TV.  It was syndicated for two seasons, and (in at least
the second of those years) Hal Willner was the producer -- the guy who puts
together those all-star tribute albums (Monk, Kurt Weill, Nino Rota, and Walt
Disney movies...I think there's a Mingus tribute in the making, too).  I used to
think that I had pretty broad tastes in music, but Hal Willner makes me feel
downright narrow-minded.  He routinely scrapes together the most bewildering and
challenging combinations of artists imaginable, both in the same program and
often on the same tune.  The "Night Music" show was constantly treading thin ice
with its viewers and sponsors, because they didn't seem to be making the slightest
effort at accomodating public taste.  It would be thrilling to see some of my
favorite jazz artists finally appearing on TV, and with a great house band, but
they would be sharing the bill with the most outrageous avant-garde acts, and I
could practically hear TVs switching off all across the country.

The house band shifted around a bit, but was primarily Marcus Miller on bass (and
Musical Director the first year), Hiram Bullock on guitar, Omar Hakim on drums,
and a French keyboard player whose name escapes me now... Man, they could play
*anything* and it would cook!

I remember seeing on that show:  Phil Woods, Sonny Rollins, Benny Carter, Toots
Thielemans, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, and lots of others.  Willner would find
still-living '60s R&B/pop singers like Chuck Jackson and Fontella Bass, and have
them sing their old hits.  There was a stunning show that featured James Taylor
and Milton Nascimento singing separately and together (with Nana Vasconcelos on
percussion).  Slim Gaillard was still alive then, and he sang "Cement Mixer" on
the show, with Marcus Miller filling in the jive-talking Slam Stewart part on
bass.  Sting appeared as the bass player in Fareed Haque's band (!) and sang
"Ain't No Sunshine", with Bill Frisell sitting in.

Then there were the less successful combinations... Apparently Todd Rundgren is a
big Gilbert & Sullivan fan, and Willner had him sing some of it with Taj Mahal!
I never thought I'd see Taj Mahal singing operetta, and I imagine that Taj Mahal
would rather I never had.  Then there were the New York loft artists (my name for
them) like John Zorn, Tim Berne, etc., who would be given a chance to come on and
squeal mercilessly for 6 or 8 minutes and deplete what precious little audience
was left [go ahead, flame me].  Then there were rap groups, reggae groups, heavy
metal groups, Balkan groups (including one great Greek band), country/bluegrass
groups, a cappella groups, and so on and on and on.  It seems amazing that with
that kind of eclecticism, they even lasted two seasons.

Then there was the scheduling... In the Bay Area, the damn show was almost never
on at the same time in two consecutive weeks.  When it would appear, it would
be in some really prime time spot like 2:00 AM on Sunday nights (i.e., Monday
morning).  OK if you know how to program a VCR, which I do, but I understand
that most people don't.

What would _really_ be nice were if jazz -- just jazz, and maybe its closest
neighbors -- were given a chance to appear regularly on mainstream TV.  Give it
a chance to establish a real audience.  It seems that now ought to be the best
time to try it, but some producer and some sponsor have got to gamble a little.
Newsgroups: rec.music.bluenote