Kevin Eubanks, the former bandleader for the Tonight Show, arrived at the shoot almost an hour late but that was OK, we were running late too. He came from Philadelphia, after attending a funeral there.
Although, considering what he was doing in Philly, he was in a pretty good mood, he just didn't want to play his guitar for the interview. So while he was in makeup I tried to change his mind. What I did, was to play the interviews and performances Stanley Jordan and Johnny Bassett did for the project several weeks ago. Although interested, he turned to me and said, “I’m not going to play.”
Now on set, Kevin unexpectedly pulls out his guitar and starts strumming. Getting my hopes up, he turns to the audio guy and says, “What does this sound like, does it sound acoustic or just thin?” Right, now the audio guy says, “It sounds acoustic.” I’m thinking - great! - then Kevin says, “Let me hear.” So, he puts on the headphones and starts playing some more, while listening to himself. I’m thinking that we’re home free, when he turns to the audio guy and says, “That ain’t happening.” So much for what I want.
Kevin was great, the interview was good, and he invited us to come back to L.A. in August and he would perform with his full band. Great, now all we need is some more money and time.