Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, is a late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists.[4] It was hosted by Jools Holland and David Sanborn, and featured Marcus Miller as musical director. The show also featured a house band of Omar Hakim (drums), Marcus Miller (bass), Philippe Saisse (keyboards), David Sanborn (saxophone), Hiram Bullock (guitar), and Jools Holland (piano). Hal Willner was the music coordinator.
| Sunday Night | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Michelob Presents Night Music |
| Starring | Jools Holland and David Sanborn[1] |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 40 + 4 specials |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Lorne Michaels |
| Producers | John Head[2], Broadway Video; PRA, Inc. |
| Production locations | Chelsea Studios, New York, New York[3] |
| Camera setup | Videotape; Multi-camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | October 3, 1988 – March 30, 1989 |
| Network | syndication |
| Release | October 2, 1989 – January 1990 |
Production history
editThe show's host, David Sanborn, originally conceived of the initial concept for Sunday Night: to bring together an eclectic mix of musicians from different genres, have them perform deep cut songs individually instead of their hits, then have a group jam at the end where they perform in unexpected combinations. Having been a member of the Saturday Night Live band, he pitched the show to the show's boss Lorne Michaels, who approved and attached Michelob as a sponsor to bankroll the show.[5] NBC ordered 12 episodes of the show from Michaels and his company Broadway Video, who pitched it as a musical counterpart to Saturday Night Live,[6] Michaels installed his longtime friend, British filmmaker and ex-SNL crew member John Head, as producer. At the time, Head told the press he expected the network to pick up 25 more episodes if the ratings were good, but NBC only wound up ordering an additional 10 episodes and two specials. The show aired Sunday nights (technically Monday mornings) at midnight beginning October 3, 1988.[7] The show was not considered a hit in the ratings, attracting 1.3 million viewers, but was critically-acclaimed.[8]
In 1989, the show switched from NBC to syndication and was retitled Night Music (sometimes Michelob Presents Night Music) to allow syndicators to play it whenever they want.[9] The show was syndicated nationally, on 55 stations across the country (including NBC's New York affiliate WNBC 4) who mostly aired it at 12:30am on Sunday nights (technically Monday mornings).[10] SNL music producer Hal Willner was brought in as the new music producer for the show.[11] The show ended following its second season.
Cast and crew
edit| plays | 1988 1st lineup | 1989 2nd lineup | 1989 3rd lineup | 1989 4th lineup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| keys | Philippe Saisse | Philippe Saisse | Philippe Saisse | Philippe Saisse |
| guitar | Hiram Bullock | Hiram Bullock | Hiram Bullock | Robben Ford |
| drums | Omar Hakim | Omar Hakim | J.T. Lewis | J.T. Lewis |
| bass | Marcus Miller | Tom Barney | Tom Barney | Marcus Miller |
| Music Associate (keys): | Brenda V. Browne | Brenda V. Browne | ||
| plays | 1989 5th lineup |
|---|---|
| keys | Philippe Saisse |
| guitar | Hiram Bullock |
| drums | Omar Hakim |
| bass | Tom Barney |
| hand drum | Don Alias |
| Hosts: | Jools Holland | (occasional piano or organ accompaniment) |
| David Sanborn | (frequent saxophone accompaniment) |
| Title | Name |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Michelob |
| Production companies | Broadway Video, Inc. PRA, Inc. |
| Videotaped at | Chelsea Television Studios, New York City |
| Director | Dave Wilson (1988–89) John Fortenberry (season 2: 1989–90) |
| Musical Directors | Marcus Miller (1988, 1989) George Duke (1989) |
| Producer | John Head[4] |
| Co-Producer | Patrick Rains |
Episodes
editSeries overview
edit| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 22 + 2 specials | October 3, 1988[14] | March 30, 1989[15] | |
| 2 | 18 + 2 specials | October 2, 1989[16] | January 1990 | |
Season 1
editSeason 2
editReferences
edit- ^ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-10-02-ca-4700-story.html
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20241215104710/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/01/arts/television-jamming-on-the-other-side-of-midnight.html
- ^ https://books.google.com/books?id=GJ2P1hu6nToC&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q&f=false
- ^ a b Woodward, Richard B. (1989-10-01). "TELEVISION; Jamming on the Other Side of Midnight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/twenty-five-years-later-host-saxophonist-david-sanborn-looks-back-on-nbcs-i-sunday-night/article_4b10b1d5-b8ca-5e70-848f-aba636ea8509.html
- ^ https://tedium.co/2020/04/14/hal-willner-david-sanborn-night-music-history
- ^ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-10-02-ca-4700-story.html
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20230326015427/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/26/style/stylemakers-john-head-television-producer.html
- ^ https://tedium.co/2020/04/14/hal-willner-david-sanborn-night-music-history/
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20230326015427/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/26/style/stylemakers-john-head-television-producer.html
- ^ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-10-02-ca-4700-story.html
- ^ "Night Music", closing credits, episode 201 (1989)
- ^ "Sunday Night" episodes 104 (1988), 113 (1989), 114 (1989), 121 (1989)
- ^ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-10-02-ca-4700-story.html
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20230326015427/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/26/style/stylemakers-john-head-television-producer.html
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20241215104710/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/01/arts/television-jamming-on-the-other-side-of-midnight.html
- ^ Broadway Video, Distribution, Night Music, Internet Archive Wayback Machine, July 6, 2004
External links
edit- All About Jazz discussion forum, with detailed episode listings, as copied from Broadway Video defunct web site listing
- It was the greatest show on television, Thus Spake Drake blog, July 23, 2005, with production details, episode listings, and partial song performance listings
- Petition to reissue Night Music (Sunday Night) TV series on DVD or iTunes
- Sunday Night / Michelob Presents Night Music at IMDb