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on his face. He said, ‘I always thought you’d bethere for me,’ and it broke my heart. I had to tellhim, ‘No, B.B.—if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t behere.’ But in those few moments, it kind of encapsulatedthe whole experience for me.”Does he see himself as a collaborative artistrather than an autonomous one? Eubanks affirms,“I’ve been asked to step out more, but Ilike comping behind other soloists. I learn a lotfrom doing that. The first time I realized thatcomping was a great source of energy and alearning tool was the two years I played withSam Rivers [in the early 1980s]. The music weplayed was free, and I realized how much thecomping made the ebb and flow of the music—up, down and moving around. Sam and I wouldtalk about it, and he said, ‘Comping is like thetail of a comet—the comet is all the force, butthe tail gives it the lift. The tail always followsthe comet to where it gives the comet some mobility.’And I was like, ‘Yes!’”“If you play with Sam in his free modes, youstill get all the intellect, all the creativity, allthe theory. All of that’s in it because it still hasto make tremendous sense in order to have thedepth. I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it andgot so much out of that experience was becauseI had just played with Slide Hampton and RoyHaynes a few years before I hit with Sam. I wasactually living in Slide’s house in Brooklyn, playin’with him. We were playing all straightahead,with Slide doin’ the arrangements, and then Samcalled me. Playing Sam’s suites and pieces justtook on extra meaning because I had been exposedto all the form and the shape of Slide andRoy, and then Sam added this free dimension.When I was done with that experience, it just elevatedmy comping to another level.”If an offer for a TV or movie soundtrack fellinto his lap, would Eubanks take it? “I’d lovethat,” he declares. Talk of the great jazz composerswho wrote for Hollywood soundtracks(Benny Carter, Gerald Wilson, J.J. Johnson,Quincy Jones and Benny Golson among them)elicits a fan’s note from Eubanks. “With all duerespect,” he begins, “the baddest TV theme inhistory is the “Mission: Impossible” theme thatLalo Schifrin wrote. What he did with just analto flute and some percussion was amazing. Youcan hear that right now and it’s as hip as anything.I can hear Miles improvising on that thing.When I met Lalo for the first time, I said, ‘I knowyou get this all the time, but I just have to say…’”Eubanks will stay in Los Angeles for thetime being. He was reared in Philadelphia andhe’s proud of his civic, familial and musical roots.“There’s something about the Philly players,” heenthuses, “that you hear immediately. I can’t describeit, other than to say that it’s a vibe or a feel.People seem to recognize it everywhere, even ifthey don’t know it comes out of Philly. But if youwere brought up playing there, you’ll always haveit.” How does he see the City of Brotherly Lovefiguring into his new career plans? Eubanks isuncharacteristically hesitant and he chooses hiswords carefully. “I’ve been thinking about that,”he replies tentatively. “Of course, I have familythere but I haven’t yet decided how it will workinto my musical plans.“After 18 years of doing ‘The TonightShow,’” he volunteers, “I realize I like doing TV.From doing it five days a week, I know a lot aboutwhat goes on around a set. There’s a lot of movingparts, but when I walk into a studio I feel really,really comfortable. So I don’t necessarilywant to escape from this thing that I’ve learnedso much about.”What did he do on “Access Hollywood”? “Imade cookies,” he proudly smiles. “Low-sugar,low-sodium and low-fat cookies.” A vegetariansince age 18, Eubanks is a health and fitness buffwho will extol the virtues of lowering one’s sodiumintake (“I lost weight, I sleep better, I havemore energy, and I haven’t had a cold since”).His personal health inquiry figures into a careergoal. “What I’d love to do,” he says, leaningforward, “is host a cooking show that focuseson healthy cooking and recipes, geared to peopleover 45. There’d be music too, but I think thisis something that’s not being done by anybody.”Holding up a copy of Zen Food, he clarifies, “Justas long as I still get to do this.” DBFEBRUARY 2011 DOWNBEAT 41