| Sunday Night | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Michelob Presents Night Music |
| Genre | Music |
| Showrunner | John Head |
| Presented by | David Sanborn Jools Holland [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] |
| Production locations | Chelsea Studios, New York, New York [3] |
| Camera setup | Videotape; Multi-camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | Broadway Video PRA, Inc. |
| Original release | |
| Network | syndication |
| Release | October 3, 1988 – March 1990 |
| Related | |
| Saturday Night Live | |
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 David Sanborn. Jools Holland served as Sanborn's co-host for the first season; Sanborn hosted solo for the second. 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.
The 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] 12 episodes of the show were ordered from Michaels and his company Broadway Video, who pitched it as a musical counterpart to Saturday Night Live , [6] 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). [7] 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 syndicator to order 25 more episodes if the ratings were good, but they only wound up ordering an additional 10 episodes and two specials. The show aired Sunday nights (technically Monday mornings) beginning October 3, 1988. [1] The show was not considered a hit in the ratings, attracting 1.3 million viewers, but was critically-acclaimed. [7]
In 1989, the show was retitled Night Music (sometimes Michelob Presents Night Music) to allow syndicators to play it whenever they want. [8] SNL music producer Hal Willner was brought in as the new music producer for the show. [1] The show ended following its second season.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 22 + 2 specials | October 3, 1988 [1] | March 30, 1989 [7] | |
| 2 | 18 + 2 specials | October 2, 1989 [2] | March 1990 | |