The Late Show Band

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The Late Show Band
Stay Human 2014.jpg
The Late Show Band performing in 2014 as Stay Human
Background information
Also known asStay Human
OriginNew York City
Genres
Years active
2004–present
Members
Past members

The Late Show Band is a band originally founded and led by American musician Jon Batiste as Stay Human. They became the house band for Stephen Colbert's late-night talk show The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on September 8, 2015. When Batiste departed the show on August 12, 2022, Louis Cato became the new bandleader and Stay Human was renamed The Late Show Band, a change that took effect on September 6, 2022. [1]

Contents

History

Former logo Jon Batiste Logo.jpg
Former logo

Previous Late Show band

From 1993 to 2015, the band formerly known as Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band served as the Late Show's house band under host David Letterman. During Letterman's tenure as host, the band used the name "CBS Orchestra." [2]

Stay Human

Jon Batiste met fellow musicians Joe Saylor and Phil Kuehn in 2004 while attending The Juilliard School. Batiste began performing in New York City in 2005 with Saylor and Kuehn as a trio with Kuehn on bass and Saylor on drums. They were joined by two more musicians: Eddie Barbash on alto saxophone and Ibanda Ruhumbika on tuba. They then became known as Stay Human. In 2013, they released their first full-length album, Social Music, through Razor & Tie along with the single "Express Yourself," co-written and produced with Austin Bis. [3] [4]

On June 4, 2015, Stephen Colbert announced on his YouTube channel that Stay Human and its bandleader would be the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Batiste and Stay Human's "stirring" 2014 [5] performance of "Express Yourself" on Colbert's previous TV show, The Colbert Report , was the basis for Colbert's decision to name Batiste as bandleader on The Late Show. [6] [7] At this time Batiste also invited multi-instrumentalist Louis Cato to join the band. [8]

In February 2016, the band released an album entitled The Late Show EP. [9]

On April 22, 2017, Batiste and Stay Human played for the March for Science rally at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. In the mission statement for the March for Science it states, "The March for Science champions robustly funded and publicly communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity."

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2021, the band was introduced as "Jon Batiste and Stay Home-in", as they recorded their musical segments from home.

On August 12, 2022, Stephen Colbert announced that Jon Batiste was leaving The Late Show to focus on his solo career. The band was renamed The Late Show Band, with Cato promoted to band leader. [1] The change took effect on September 6. [1]

Current members

Nêgah Santos

Nêgah Santos is a New York-based hand percussionist, songwriter, Brazilian jazz musician and member of the The Late Show Band.

Santos was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. Her early musical influences came from the popular music of Northeastern Brazil, with African rhythms and Portuguese melodies, maracatu, and forró. [10] She attended Tom Jobim ULM in Itapecerica da Serra. After three years at Tom Jobim, Nêgah Santos received a full scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she graduated in 2015. [11]

Santos was the first female percussionist for the Riverdance show, as part of the 21st anniversary Euro Tour in 2016. [10] Since December 2017, [12] Santos has played hand percussion, congas, surdo, repinique, tamborim, agogo bells, timbau, and various other percussion with The Late Show Band, the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She has performed or recorded with Jon Batiste, Cory Wong, Esperanza Spalding, James Taylor, Bill Whelan, Terri Lyne Carrington, Dianne Reeves, Alejandro Sanz, Alcione, Joyce Moreno, and Marcos Valle. In 2023, Santos released a forró album, produced by Louis Cato. [13] Santos is a two-time Emmy-winner, and a Peabody-awarded percussionist, as part of The Late Show Band. [14]

Santos endorses and is endorsed by the cymbal company, Paiste. [15]

Her discography includes:

Former members

References

  1. 1 2 3 Schneider, Michael. "Jon Batiste Exits 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,' Louis Cato Named New Bandleader". Variety. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Paul Shaffer is ready to disband 'Late Night's' CBS Orchestra". Chattanooga Times-Free Press. Associated Press. May 19, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Jon Batiste and Stay Human Create Social Music on October 15th". Razor & Tie Direct L.L.C. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  4. ↑ Jurek, Thom. "Social Music — Jon Batiste & Stay Human — Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Jon Batiste and Stay Human – "Express Yourself" (link removed)". Comedy Central. July 30, 2014. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  6. ↑ Locker, Melissa (June 6, 2015). "Meet Stephen Colbert's New Late Show Bandleader, Jon Batiste". Vanity Fair . Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  7. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (August 26, 2015). "Jon Batiste: How 'Colbert' Visit Became 'Late Show' Job Interview". Rolling Stone . Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  8. ↑ Small, Mark. "On TV and on the Move: Louis Cato '04". berklee.com. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  9. ↑ ""The Late Show EP," By Jon Batiste And Stay Human, Is Now Available - CBS.com". CBS. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  10. 1 2 "#80 Nêgah Santos- Percussionist for Jon Batiste & Stay Human and More!". Discussions in Percussion. July 12, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Negah Santos | Berklee College of Music". college.berklee.edu.
  12. ↑ "A brasileira que aprendeu percussão em ONG de SP e hoje toca em programa de sucesso na TV americana". BBC News Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  13. ↑ "A brasileira que aprendeu percussão em ONG de SP e hoje toca em programa de sucesso na TV americana". BBC News Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  14. ↑ "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert".
  15. ↑ "Nêgah Santos - Paiste". www.paiste.com.
  16. ↑ Miller, Chris (September 9, 2015). "Utah guitarist lands spot on Colbert's 'Late Show'". kutv.com. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
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