A lot of credit must be given to Jimmy Fallon. While I haven’t watched a full episode of his Late Night show, I have been regularly thrilled by the musical performances that occur on his show. The fact that his house band is The Roots is significant enough as an indication of the good taste at work here, but he also regularly features top current artists (Grinderman and Sufjan Stevens were both on this week–actually, Sufjan is Friday, so set your DVR now) and amazing reunion performances (Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbox, Goodie Mob–with Cee-Lo!). Plus, sometimes he presents something so extraordinary that it floors everybody. That cover of NWA’s “Straight Outta Compton” by The Roots, with Ice Cube reprising his verse while Black Thought and Kirk Douglas filled in for MC Ren and Eazy-E, was one of those moments. And this video is another. Who ever thought they’d see Jeff Goldblum and Biz Markie duetting on Biz’s classic 1989 hit “Just A Friend”? But here it is, with Goldblum playing piano and taking the first verse, before being joined by Biz–and The Roots, playing their perennial role as extremely capable backing band. If watching this video doesn’t make you smile, I question whether there’s still a heart beating in your chest. Fallon is clearly having a blast as the whole thing goes down, but damn, who wouldn’t? His job provides him the opportunity to bring outstanding music to an audience that rarely gets to hear such awesomeness. I don’t know how good the rest of his show is–I’ve never really been a late-night TV watcher–but based purely on the excellence of his guest performances, I hope he’s on the air for the next 20 years.
A lot of credit must be given to Jimmy Fallon. While I haven’t watched a full episode of his Late Night show, I have been regularly thrilled by the musical performances that occur on his show. The fact that his house band is The Roots is significant enough as an indication of the good taste at work here, but he also regularly features top current artists (Grinderman and Sufjan Stevens were both on this week–actually, Sufjan is Friday, so set your DVR now) and amazing reunion performances (Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbox, Goodie Mob–with Cee-Lo!). Plus, sometimes he presents something so extraordinary that it floors everybody. That cover of NWA’s “Straight Outta Compton” by The Roots, with Ice Cube reprising his verse while Black Thought and Kirk Douglas filled in for MC Ren and Eazy-E, was one of those moments. And this video is another. Who ever thought they’d see Jeff Goldblum and Biz Markie duetting on Biz’s classic 1989 hit “Just A Friend”? But here it is, with Goldblum playing piano and taking the first verse, before being joined by Biz–and The Roots, playing their perennial role as extremely capable backing band. If watching this video doesn’t make you smile, I question whether there’s still a heart beating in your chest. Fallon is clearly having a blast as the whole thing goes down, but damn, who wouldn’t? His job provides him the opportunity to bring outstanding music to an audience that rarely gets to hear such awesomeness. I don’t know how good the rest of his show is–I’ve never really been a late-night TV watcher–but based purely on the excellence of his guest performances, I hope he’s on the air for the next 20 years.
