A Different Dynamic For Music In Late Night Television

For decades, the sound of late night talk shows on television was primarily that of big bands. The 17-piece Tonight Show Band was around from the mid-1950s all the way to the '90s -- and, after Jay Leno took over the show in 1992, continued as a smaller band led by Branford Marsalis and Kevin Eubanks. There's the Paul Shaffer-led house band for The Late Show With David Letterman. And, for most of his runs on Late Night and his very brief stint The Tonight Show, Conan O'Brien's music was provided by E-Street Band drummer Max Weinberg and his Max Weinberg 7. 

But come Fall 2014, the Tonight Show Band could take a whole different direction. According to news that leaked last week, Jimmy Fallon -- host, comedian, actor and musician -- is likely to become the new host of The Tonight Show. And The Roots, the current house band for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, would mostly likely be headed there with him. 

Phil Gallo, senior correspondent for Billboard, says that Fallon has a pioneering musical savvy that is changing the role and format of music on late night talk shows.

"He’s done a lot of shows that have showcased superstars, as well as up-and-comers," Gallo explains. "He’s handed over entire weeks to different artists. It’s a very, very musical show. It’s very different than anything we’ve seen in late night before."

On bringing in The Roots as the Jimmy Fallon house band:

"This is a band that has really thrived at a street level, had a certain audience. Why would they be interested in attracting an audience from a variety show, basically? Instead, it has brought in a lot of fascinating artists to perform with the Roots, it’s helped shape the character of the Fallon show, and it’s done so in a way that Paul Shaffer did with Letterman, and, as you referenced earlier, Doc Severinsen did with Johnny Carson. It’s just a very different dynamic, and I think it adds to sort of the hip factor that you see in Fallon that you don’t see in other shows."

On how Jimmy Kimmel Live will benefit from The Tonight Show’s move to New York:

"If you want to be on network television, Jimmy Kimmel is going to be your only option on the West Coast. And Kimmel is already set up to really give superstar treatment to the superstars of music. They have an outdoor concert stage int heir backyard, they can close down Hollywood Boulevard and put concerts out, they just signed a new deal with Sony Electronics to sponsor their outdoor concerts. It’s a very music-driven show as much as it is about the skits and sketches."