Whenever Doc Severinsen took over for Ed McMahon as announcer or took a break of his own, first chair saxophonist Tommy Newsom led the Tonight Show Band. Like many veterans of touring Big Bands, Newsom found himself working for one of the last bastions of those sizable orchestras when he joined the Tonight Show band in 1962 just before Carson took over. He arranged for the band and garnered a reputation for his dry wit when ad-libbing with Johnny. He released his debut album Live from Beautiful Downtown Burbank in 1978 for Direct-Disk Labs, a label that cut live performances straight to lacquer.
The album showcases Tommy Newsom, the arranger. Performed by a (sort of) Big Band orchestra, the music is not jazz and not orchestral but somehow both. The highlight of the album is the opener "Chimes Festival," a piece written by Newsom and inspired by the NBC jingle. The composition starts with a brassy blast of the familiar chimes and gradually weaves its way through a string of primetime genres, from adventure to game show, all composed and delivered with pomp and bombast. The final touch comes from Doc Severinsen's featured trumpet, and he elevates the piece for his good friend delivering the album's best solos. The rest of the songs on the album are arranged in the same style: brass heavy and winding and pleasant; a familiar jumble of musical influences and genres that only seems to have a place in the repertoire of a 70s television orchestra.
Here is the discography surrounding Tommy Newsom's debut album:
"Happy Go Lucky Local" by The Tonight Show Band
Johnny Carson Digs at Tommy Newsom
Johnny Carson and Tommy Newsom Banter
Pass the Headphones!!
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