Kevin Eubanks: The Messenger

[RSS Feed Guy]

It's a shame that so few people only know guitarist Kevin Eubanks as the always-smiling, lick-delivering bandleader and guitar sidekick on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He was sharing the stage with drummer m: Art Blakey and recording with drummer m: Billy Hart long before he ever did the daily grind in television studios, but time has an unfortunate way of rewriting history. Eubanks added volumes to Leno's program during his tenure with the comedian-turned host, both in terms of music and personality, but his creativity was shackled in such a restrictive setting; now, his mind is free to roam wherever he pleases. Eubanks left the land of late night television in 2010 and immediately announced his return to jazz with the worth-the-wait Zen Food (Mack Avenue Records, 2010). Now, he's back with a follow-up that's both slick and mellow at the same time...

More...