Good evening, kibitzers!
Welcome to Atlantic Hurricane Season! No tropical cyclone activity is expected for the next 7 days. There are a lot of dire predictions about the number of storms, named storms, major storms, etc., but as with all things we can't control, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Unlike tornadoes and the recent wildfires, hurricanes are big and relatively slow, so we now have radar and can't just report them from ships, so I don't think we'll be hit by one. (On the other hand, I'm the same person who lived in my car for a week in 2020, so…)
Stephen Colbert's Night Screeningand sometimes guest musicians sit in with the Late Show Band (you may remember it was called Stay Human when Jon Batiste was the bandleader). Sometimes the guests are celebrities, sometimes they're lesser known, but they're always very talented people. When the band and guest start playing, it's often an original song by the guest, which signals a commercial break, so you only get about four bars before someone starts rambling on about something for sale.
But here's some good news! When we got tired of hearing it, the show started posting full songs performed by the band and guests on YouTube pretty frequently. They're calling this series “Commercial Breakdowns.” While the show doesn't have a playlist just for commercial breakdowns, it does have a “Musical Performances” playlist that includes all kinds of live performances from the show. You can't go wrong there.
After noticing the collection and looking at a few, I wanted to journal now before there's too much to include here, so here's what I have so far (as of Sunday night): I kept thinking that if there were things I didn't like I could leave them out, but that wasn't the case.
Legendary Eagles and James Gang guitarist Joe Walsh: Funk 49. [4:55]
Neo-soul bass virtuoso Meshell Ndegeocello: Andromeda and the Milky Way(She has changed her name; her new surname is said to mean “free as a bird” in Swahili.) [6:36]
Jazz Trumpeter Terence Blanchard: shortness of breath. [5:33]
Australian-American jazz/blues singer Rachel Price: i love you baby. [4:12]
Guitarist Cory Wong: lunch time (From the 2019 album Motivational Music for the Syncopated Soul). [6:15]
Grammy-nominated saxophonist Lakesia Benjamin: Phoenix Reimagined. [6:44]
Banjo genius Bela Fleck: Big Country. [4:18]
Gracie and Clyde Lawrence of the band “Lawrence”: You don't want to do anything with me? [5:53]
Jazz guitarist John Scofield: No Doctor Needed. [5:06]
Brazilian percussionist Negar Santos is a regular member of the band and her songs are featured here. Trago Koko e Um Hassad. [5:29]
Brass-forward band, The Huntertones: PontiacHuntertones trumpeter John Lampley is the resident trumpeter in the Late Show Band. [4:44]
Singer Lalah Hathaway sings her father Donny Hathaway's famous song This Christmas. [3:45]
James Taylor: How sweet. [4:02]
This last one Commercial Breakdown I thought the band should have a chance to shine on their own in the series, so Not broadcasting In the segment (a series of side performances that did not air), bandleader Lewis Cate and the band moved to the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater to perform Bill Withers' a nice day.
This performance is clearly from the period after Jon Batiste left the band and the band was still called Stay Human. Band members: Endair Owens (bass), Joe Saylor (drums), John Lampley (trumpet, sousaphone), Louis Cate (pretty much everything), Louis Fouché (saxophone), Negar Santos (percussion). (Absent: Corey Bernhardt on keyboards.) [3:55]
For those who missed it, last night Night Screening Provided updates Disney Hall of Presidents charm. [1:10]
Mangy Fetlocks performs a lovely sentimental ballad (with a kazoo break!). Trailer house tramp released on parole. [2:49]
