Berklee Today: Late Night—Live!

The Saturday Night Live band's keyboardist Tuffus Zimbabwe '05 and Mark Kelley '03, bassist for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon's house band, the Roots, give a behind-the-scenes look at their work.

Mark Small

February 6, 2013

Members of the Roots, from left to right: Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson, Mark Kelley, and Kirk "Captain Kirk" Douglas

Photo courtesy of Lloyd Bishop/NBC

Keyboardist Tuffus Zimbabwe of the SNL band.

Photo courtesy of Dana Edleson/NBC

For late-night TV shows, a great band is essential. All the major network and cable shows in the genre have iconic bands that feature top-echelon musicians. High visibility and a nice paycheck are part and parcel of this work, making a place in such bands a coveted position. In late December, before the network shows went on holiday hiatus, Tuffus Zimbabwe '05 and Mark Kelley '03—who play with the Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon bands, respectively—pulled back the curtain to offer a glimpse of what goes on the scenes in their work.