In 2017, saxophonist Grace Kelly performed songs from her record Trying to Figure it Out at the KNKX Studios. After her performance, Kelly discussed balancing her own tour with a new gig she'd just landed: playing in the studio band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, directed by musician-composer John Batiste.
Kelly landed the TV gig through Batiste, who also appeared as a guest pianist on Trying to Figure it Out. Batiste had just started his job as The Late Show's band leader in 2015.
"I got a text from him out of the blue being like, 'Hey, do you play clarinet and baritone sax? I know you play all the other axes and what are you doing in three days?'" she said. "I was like, 'Uh, yes and why?' And he's like, 'Can you come join the Late Show for a week?'"
The weeklong gig turned into six months, and Kelly explained that the job came with some tricky requirements.
"So I was playing baritone sax, flute, clarinet. And you know, trying to get it together really fast. And those are demanding instruments," she said.
The work was demanding, but it also came with notable benefits. Kelly wasn't slogging through long tours on the road anymore, she could sleep each night in her own bed, and she had a regular crew of coworkers that she saw daily. It was also exciting.
"The whole crew would be scrambling ready to start the show at a minute's notice. Production people running around everywhere," she said. "And then the amazing thing is, it always comes together, come time. And it just blows my mind, because you think, 'We we're not even close. We're not even ready.' And then magically it's like, 'Well, we did it.'"
As fun as it was working with Batiste and the Late Night band, she found it couldn't compare to her life in jazz and her own perspective as an artist.
"I mean, there's a live audience on the TV, but you know, getting to play my own music and working with just these incredible musicians really makes me like super, super happy," Kelly said.
Kelly said she's lucky to have have such a variety of musical opportunities available to her. At the time of this session, Kelly was still in her mid 20s, but she had already released 10 albums and figured out what she wanted from her career.
"Ever since I was young, it was just something that I wanted to share with as many people as possible, and it was never about this virtuosic thing," Kelly said. "I always wanted people just to connect to the songs."
Kelly continues to connect with people though her music today. Her most recent record, Grace Kelly with Strings: At The Movies, spotlights inspired covers of beloved movie classics.
Songs heard in this episode:
- "Lemons Make Lemonade"
- "Trying to Figure It Out"
- "Amazing Grace"
