Instruct: Given a question, retrieve passages that answer the question.
Query: How many members were in the band led by Max Weinberg on Late Night with Conan O'Brien?
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien premiered on June 1, 2009, with The Max Weinberg 7 now expanded to eight and referred to as Max Weinberg and the Tonight Show Band. Andy Richter was back as an announcer,[82] making Weinberg's role as a foil a little uncertain. Gradually Weinberg and the band's roles in the comic aspects of the show began to assert themselves.[87] On June 25, Weinberg departed The Tonight Show temporarily for four weeks to join Springsteen and band part-way through their European leg; this was conveyed on the show via a comedy bit that had his drum riser turn into a float that took him outside the studio and purportedly to the airport. Weinberg returned to the show on August 3, after flying back from a Springsteen show that had ended early into the same morning in Spain. Of being Tonight Show bandleader, he said, "I think one of the biggest thrills in my life was seeing my name in the same sentence as Doc Severinsen, who, in my view, is the gold standard for 'Tonight Show' bandleaders. There's never been anyone who did it quite near the class and the brilliance of Doc Severinsen in the original Tonight Show Band. I used to think when I was a kid what a great job that must be – you know, same place, every time, everyday. Lo and behold, here I am 40 years later, doing it. That sounds deep, deep, deep, deep, deeply satisfying to me."[12] On September 25, Weinberg left The Tonight Show again for two months, to join Springsteen and band for the final, American portion of the Working on a Dream Tour. The same drum-riser-to-float comedy bit was used, except this time the float was "hit" and demolished by a truck just outside the studio (and airing of the segment was delayed a few days due to O'Brien legitimately injuring himself during the same show). The tour wrapped on November 22, 2009, in Buffalo, New York; Weinberg was back on The Tonight Show the next day. With no E Street Band projects in sight for at least the next year or two,[88] Weinberg was left to concentrate on his bandleader role.
The band played a wide variety of songs as bumpers—usually popular music from a variety of eras. Weinberg sometimes took extended leaves of absence to tour with Bruce Springsteen as the drummer for his E Street Band. During his absence, temporary replacement drummers were hired (most commonly James Wormworth), and the band was led by Jimmy Vivino ("Jimmy Vivino and the Max Weinberg 7").
When not working with Springsteen, members of the band have recorded solo material and have pursued successful careers as session musicians, record producers, songwriters, actors and other roles in entertainment. The most highly visible in their separate careers are drummer Max Weinberg, who has led his own band, first on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and then on "the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien", from 1993 to 2010, and guitarist Steven Van Zandt, who starred as Silvio Dante in the HBO television series, "The Sopranos", from 1999 to 2007, and as Frank "The Fixer" Tagliano in the 2012-2014 Netflix series, "Lilyhammer".
Usually the band leader is a major part of the show, and the band leader and host often exchange playful banter during the monologue and comedy segments; the band leader has thus taken over the part of being the host's sidekick, which in the past was played by an announcer or designated co-host (such as Ed McMahon and Andy Richter). Of the current late night talk show band leaders who play this role, Paul Shaffer is well known for being a straight man to David Letterman. However, on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien", Max Weinberg rarely spoke during the show, and his interactions with O'Brien were often short and awkward – a recurring gag on the show (Richter, now the announcer, was O'Brien's primary sidekick on "The Tonight Show" and has carried on in that role on "Conan", whereas new band leader Jimmy Vivino has barely any interaction with O'Brien), and Kevin Eubanks was often the butt of Leno's jokes, particularly regarding drug-related stories. Most notably "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" did not have a house band, and Ferguson often used that fact as a running gag in his show; Ferguson used a robot named Geoff Peterson as his sidekick ("The Late Late Show" had never had a house band with hosts Tom Snyder, Craig Kilborn, and Craig Ferguson, but with James Corden's assumption of hosting duties, the program features a house band led by Reggie Watts).
In June 2009, Conan O'Brien became the host, and Max Weinberg replaced Kevin Eubanks as band leader, with the erstwhile house band from "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" forming Max Weinberg and The Tonight Show Band. Eubanks and his band migrated to "The Jay Leno Show" in September 2009 as the Primetime Band. When Conan O'Brien left "The Tonight Show" in February 2010, Leno returned as host, bringing back Kevin Eubanks, who took a more limited role. Eubanks announced his departure from the show in February 2010; his last show was May 28, 2010.
In 2000, Conan sidekick Andy Richter left the show, and Weinberg became the "second banana".[29][62] Weinberg continued to present an obvious visual foil: as O'Brien said, "If you looked at this guy you would never know he was the drummer in a huge rock 'n' roll band. You would say he was the guy who did the band's accounting. But Max is the authoritative, buttoned-down adult in the midst of all this madness."[21] The drummer reveled in O'Brien's youthful audience: "To be 49 and appreciated by 14-year-olds again? What a thrill!"[8] Weinberg engaged in stare-downs with O'Brien and gave scripted screeds about newsmakers.[13] Additionally, Weinberg was comically presented as a twisted character with sexual fetishes and homicidal tendencies in comedy bits. When Conan O'Brien was host of Saturday Night Live on March 10, 2001, his monologue featured a visit from the SNL studio to the Late Night studio (only a few floors apart in the same building, 30 Rockefeller Plaza), where Conan discovers Weinberg engaged in sexual intercourse with a woman on his desk (played by Max's real-life wife, Becky). Weinberg says of his comic persona: "[I]t's playing against type. I've been happily married for nearly 30 years, with two wonderful children. It's not what I portray on the show, and that's funny."[13] Weinberg continued his one-man college shows, now titled "E Street to Late Night: Dreams Found, Lost, and Found Again".[47]
Many members of the "Late Night" cast and crew made the transition to "The Tonight Show". The Max Weinberg 7, the house band from O'Brien's "Late Night", served as the house band under the new name, Max Weinberg and The Tonight Show Band. Andy Richter returned to the show as announcer, and also began resuming his role as sidekick, shortly before the show's conclusion. The opening and closing theme song from "Late Night" was also carried over to "Tonight", in a slightly altered form.
On February 9, 2007, the band appeared on the "Late Show with David Letterman", marking a late night televised cross-over of sorts, as band member Jimmy Vivino was a featured player in the Max Weinberg 7, which is the house band for "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". It was also the first time a tribute band was shown on "The Late Show" and the second act for which members of the CBS Orchestra, Will Lee and Tom Malone, performed as members of a guest band (Paul Shaffer had performed as part of Earl Scruggs and Steve Martin's bluegrass supergroup during that group's 2001 and 2005 appearances on the show).
In 1993, Weinberg got the role as bandleader of The Max Weinberg 7 for Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Weinberg's drums-driven jump blues sound and his role as a comic foil prospered along with the show, giving him a second career. In 1999, Springsteen re-formed the E Street Band for a series of tours and albums; Weinberg worked out an arrangement that allowed him to play with both O'Brien and Springsteen. In 2009, Weinberg moved to the short-lived Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien as leader of Max Weinberg and The Tonight Show Band. After that ended, he began touring with his own ensembles, and in 2010 chose not to follow O'Brien to the new Conan show. Weinberg continued playing with Springsteen, and in 2014 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band.
The show's house band was The Max Weinberg 7, led by E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg. The other six members were Mark Pender on trumpet, Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg on trombone, Mike Merritt on bass, Jerry Vivino on saxophone and brother Jimmy Vivino on guitar, and Scott Healy on keyboard. James Wormworth served as backup drummer when Weinberg went on tour with Bruce Springsteen. With the departure of Andy Richter, Max Weinberg assumed a bigger role as an interlocutor for O'Brien's jokes. One common running gag was Max's awkwardness on camera and his apparent lack of chemistry with Conan. Weinberg was often used in sketches as well, which usually revolved around his purported sexual deviance (mostly a penchant for bedding barely legal groupies), although long running sketches also spoofed Max's lack of knowledge of current affairs.
Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.
Max Weinberg was the drummer for Bruce Springsteen as a member of the E Street Band until its dissolution in 1989. Weinberg returned to school, but soon desired to resume drumming. He auditioned to be the principal drummer for the Broadway show "Tommy", but was selected as the second alternate substitute percussionist. That night, Weinberg had a chance sidewalk meeting outside the Carnegie Deli with newly selected "Late Night" host Conan O'Brien, where Weinberg spoke about his ideas for music on the show. O'Brien agreed to give Weinberg an audition as bandleader for his forthcoming show. Weinberg quickly put together The Max Weinberg 7, recruiting musicians he had worked with during his career, and got the job.
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. "Late Night" aired weeknights at 12:37 am Eastern/11:37 pm Central and 12:37 am Mountain in the United States. From 1993 until 2000, Andy Richter served as O'Brien's sidekick; following his departure, O'Brien was the show's sole featured performer. The show's house musical act was The Max Weinberg 7, led by E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg.
Conan O'Brien announced on the February 18, 2009 episode of "Late Night" that The Max Weinberg 7 (rechristened as The Tonight Show Band, and adding a second percussionist), the house band on that program, would be accompanying him to "The Tonight Show" as his version's house band. It was announced February 23, 2009 that former "Late Night" sidekick Andy Richter would be O'Brien's announcer. Richter replaced O'Brien's former long-time announcer Joel Godard (who stayed behind in New York) when his rendition of "The Tonight Show" began.
Mark "The Loveman" Pender (born August 21, 1957 in Kansas City, Missouri) is a trumpet player and vocalist who has played with Southside Johnny, Little Steven and Bruce Springsteen. Since 1993 he has performed on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" as a member of The Max Weinberg 7 and The Tonight Show Band. He is currently performing on "Conan" as a member of the Basic Cable Band. He is also a member of The Miami Horns, leads his own band, The Mark Pender Band, and plays regularly with La Bamba & The Hubcaps.
Most shows in this genre have an in-house band that plays musical interludes. Popular late night band leaders include Paul Shaffer, leader of The World's Most Dangerous Band/The CBS Orchestra on "Late Night" and the "Late Show with David Letterman"; Max Weinberg, leader of The Max Weinberg 7 on "Late Night" and The Tonight Show Band on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien"; Cleto and the Cletones on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"; Kevin Eubanks, leader of The Tonight Show Band and the Primetime Band and The Roots, famous eclectic hip-hop band turned host-band of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (and later "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon").
In July 1993, Weinberg had a chance sidewalk meeting outside Carnegie Deli with newly selected Late Night host Conan O'Brien, where Weinberg spoke about his ideas for music on the show. O'Brien promised Weinberg an audition.[17] Within a few short days Weinberg put together The Max Weinberg 7, recruiting musicians he had worked with during his career including on the Killer Joe project, starting with guitarist and arranger Jimmy Vivino.[17] Weinberg decided a muscular, drums-driven jump blues vibe, partly derived from the Killer Joe sound, is what he would use as a starting point for the group's sound.[11][17] At the early August audition, the outfit impressed O'Brien with their ability to play not just rock but also rhythm and blues, soul, jazz, pop, and big band swing;[49] Weinberg was so anxious to land the job that he threw up afterward.[17] After a final meeting with executive producer Lorne Michaels they were hired as the house band.[17] The band performed on the show every night since its premiere on September 13, 1993.[57] O'Brien later said of the Weinberg choice, "The energy and enthusiasm of his music coincided with the show I wanted to do. Plus, his tan offset my ghostly complexion."[11] Weinberg held the title of music director on the show,[58] while Vivino did most of the arranging.[11] Of his career rebound, Weinberg said simply: "I grabbed the brass ring twice."[47]
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are a Jersey Shore musical group led by Southside Johnny. They have been recording albums since 1976 and are closely associated with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. They have recorded or performed several Springsteen songs, including "The Fever" and "Fade Away". Springsteen has also performed with the band on numerous occasions and in 1991 guested on their "Better Days" album. During the band's formative years Miami Steve Van Zandt acted as the band's co-leader, guitarist, songwriter, arranger and producer while other E Streeters including Clarence Clemons, Max Weinberg, Garry Tallent, Ernest Carter, Patti Scialfa and Soozie Tyrell have all performed, toured or recorded with the Jukes. The band's horn section – the Miami Horns – has also toured and recorded with Springsteen. More than one hundred musicians can claim to have been members of the Asbury Jukes, including Jon Bon Jovi who toured with the band as a special guest during 1990. Bon Jovi has also cited the band as an influence and Jukes' Bobby Bandiera and Jeff Kazee have also toured with Bon Jovi. Other notable band members include Mark Pender and Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg who have played regularly with the Max Weinberg 7 on both "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien".
In 1993 Max Weinberg became music director for "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and when putting together a band, he recruited Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg, Mark Pender and Jerry Vivino. The three played until 2009 as members of The Max Weinberg 7, which moved that year with Conan O'Brien to become the latest iteration of The Tonight Show Band. When not on TV, this trio has worked regularly as session musicians. In 2010, the trio toured North America as part of the Legally Prohibited Band (essentially The Tonight Show Band under a different name, with Weinberg's place taken by James Wormwood) in support of Conan O'Brien's 32-city "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television" tour. They continue to be part of O'Brien's late night band as part of the Basic Cable Band on O'Brien's current show, "Conan".
James Wormworth is an American drummer and percussionist. Wormworth is a member of Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band on the TBS late night comedy program, "Conan". Wormworth often appeared as house drummer during the band's run as The Max Weinberg 7 on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." Wormworth joined the band as a full-time member when O'Brien became the host of "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien".
The song plays as the intro to, and throughout, the MTV show Human Giant. The duo also performed the song on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, joined by Max Weinberg mid-song. The song appears on the soundtrack for video games "SSX On Tour" and "NBA 2K15", the latter which was curated by music producer Pharrell Williams. The band played "Romantic Rights" on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien", with Grainger drumming for the first half of the performance and Late Night's Max Weinberg on the same drum set for the second.
While touring in Europe with Southside Johnny in 1993, Rosenberg got a phone call from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg, who had been tapped as the bandleader for Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Rosenberg joined fellow Miami Horns trumpeter Mark Pender on the show's band, The Max Weinberg 7. The band moved over with O'Brien to The Tonight Show in 2009 and became Max Weinberg and The Tonight Show Band. When Conan left as a result of the 2010 Tonight Show conflict, the band followed him again, this time to TBS, for O'Brien's new television show Conan where they were known as Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band.
Of the album's tracks, "Long Walk Home" had been previously heard once, late on the 2006 Sessions Band Tour; the rest were new. Most of those were written by the end of 2006; Springsteen allowed producer Brendan O'Brien (returning for a role he had for "The Rising" and 2005's "Devils & Dust") to pick the ones that worked the best. Recording began at Southern Tracks Recording Studio in Atlanta over a period of two months beginning March 2007. It was complicated by the band members' schedules, and especially drummer Max Weinberg's weekday commitments to taping "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". The band did not record as a unit: rather, during the week Springsteen worked on vocal tracks and production; on weekends the core band of Weinberg, bassist Garry Tallent, and pianist Roy Bittan flew down to record the basic tracks with Springsteen. Then periodically the other band members were called in as needed to overdub their parts under producer O'Brien's watch. Only saxophonist and longtime foil Clarence Clemons was given different treatment, with O'Brien handing the studio over to Springsteen for recording of sax parts due to "a whole dynamic [between the two of them] that spans decades."
One continuing subplot with the tour's scheduling was E Street drummer Max Weinberg's availability vis à vis his job as The Max Weinberg 7 bandleader for Conan O'Brien, given that during the first half of 2009 "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in New York City was ending and "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" in Los Angeles was beginning. The mid-January announcement that "Late Night" would continue until February 20 precluded any notion of starting the tour immediately following Springsteen's appearance at Super Bowl XLIII, in addition to the band feeling that they had just gotten off the Magic Tour and "Wait, let's stop a minute." Meanwhile, the June 1 start date of "The Tonight Show" posed problems for Weinberg's continued presence on the tour. O'Brien told a "Variety" reporter at the time of the announcement that he hoped that Weinberg would follow him to Los Angeles and that he also hoped an arrangement could be worked out to let Weinberg go on the road with Springsteen as had been done for past tours. At NBC, the coexistence between the drummer's two bosses was known as the Weinberg-Springsteen Rule, and was not typically extended to other talent at the network. In a high-profile "Rolling Stone" cover story interview, Springsteen was vague about the matter: "All I know is this – it's all gonna work out, one way or another. If people wanna come out and see the E Street Band, they'll be able to come out and see the E Street Band." And whether Weinberg would stay with O'Brien and move or not was a subject of conflicting news reports until O'Brien confirmed on February 18 that Weinberg and the band were indeed coming with him. A few days later, E Streeter Steven Van Zandt said of Weinberg's availability for the post-June 1, European leg: "We’re still figuring that out. We’ll see. I think Max will be there for most of it. ... I know he was very much trying to figure it out." Weinberg had not missed an E Street Band show since joining the outfit in 1974, and Van Zandt said that no amount of rehearsal by another drummer could replace Weinberg's intuitive understanding of Springsteen's performance gambits.
As had been the practice since the Reunion Tour in 1999, Springsteen and the band began rehearsals at Asbury Park Convention Hall. Beginning on March 11, some of the Springsteen faithful listened outside closed doors for what songs and arrangements the tour might bring. The presence of Max Weinberg's 18-year-old son Jay, a freshman at Stevens Institute of Technology and also a drummer, at rehearsals indicated that he might be the one to replace his father for European leg shows where "Tonight Show" duties came into play. On one occasion on the Magic Tour, Jay Weinberg had sat in on drums for "Born to Run". This was confirmed by Springsteen on March 20, who said that Jay Weinberg would be drumming at a small number of shows during the tour. Springsteen added, "Once again, I want to express my appreciation to Conan O'Brien, and everyone on his team, for making it possible for Max to continue to do double duty for both us and for him. We promise to return him in one piece." Van Zandt said, "I’ve been avoiding this question for weeks! Thank God they finally announced it. We already did three days of rehearsals. Jay's a fantastic drummer. It's in the Weinberg DNA."
In 1989, Springsteen informed the E Street Band members that he would not be using their services for the foreseeable future. He had already recorded one completely solo album, "Nebraska". The last full band activity had been autumn 1988's Human Rights Now! Tour. Band members started to go their separate ways and onto separate projects – Tallent to Nashville to work on record production, Federici to California, Clemons to Florida, Lofgren to Maryland to resume his long-time solo activities. Weinberg, besides an abortive try at law school, was putting together the band Killer Joe and recording an album. "Scene of the Crime" included a guest appearance from Little Steven, playing guitar on the Springsteen written instrumental "Summer On Signal Hill". In 1993, Weinberg became the band leader on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and remained such for its entire run. When O'Brien moved to "The Tonight Show" in 2009, Weinberg reprised his role as bandleader, and the show's house band – formerly called the Max Weinberg 7 – was redubbed Max Weinberg and the Tonight Show Band.