SNL Band

Lenny Pickett and the Saturday Night Live Band

From Left to Right: Lew Del Gatto - baritone sax/arranger, James Genus - bass guitar, Shawn Pelton - drums, Katrese Barnes - keyboards, Lenny Pickett - Musical Director, Leon Pendarvis - keyboards, musical director, Lukasz Gottwald - guitar, Steve Turre - trombone, Valerie Naranjo - percussion, Earl Gardner - trumpet, Alex Foster - alto sax

The SNL Band has been has been one of the top notch features of the show ever since they debuted in 1975.  Lorne Michaels first had the idea for the band.  He called his friend Howard Shore to assemble the late – night band.  Shore then got Paul Shaffer, for the piano, and Cheryl Hardwick, who was the organist for the SNL Band for twenty years.  Composed of these plus a strong horn section, the SNL Band let out on October 11, 1975 playing the theme song for the show.  The closing theme for the show, was composed by Howard Shore as well, and is still played at the end of the 90 minute broadcast today.  After the majority of the band left in 1980, Tom Malone took over reigns from there in 1981.  His band was strong, but certainly not as strong as Shore’s original band, and played through the April 13, 1985 broadcast. 

When Lorne returned that fall, he hired Howard Shore to restructure the SNL Band.  Shore hired an almost totally new group of musicians for the 1985-1986 season, and restored the five-horn orchestration. Keeping only keyboardist Leon Pendarvis, the new players included sax player Lenny Pickett, trombonist Steve Turre, guitarist G.E. Smith, arranger/saxophonist Lew Del Gatto (actually a returnee, having played with the band in the late 70's) and bassist Tom Wolk. By mid-season, keyboardist Cheryl Hardwick (a mainstay of the show's first five seasons, and who during her SNL hiatus was musical director of Lorne's short-lived 'The New Show") returned to the band.  This would be the core group for the next 10 years.  Shore handed over the reigns of Musical Director to G.E. Smith and Cheryl Hardwick in 1987.  For the next several years, the SNL Band would be used in a way it never had been used before; opening and closing of a sketch, even in sketches.

G.E. and other company left the show in 1995, and that following fall Lenny Pickett was replaced as musical director, and brought a new taste to the show.  After more than 2 decades on the show, in 2000, Cheryl Hardwick left the band, leaving a spot for fill in keyboardist Katrese Barnes.  James Genus would also join the band as bassist at the beginning of the 26^th season.  And they continue to rock, 28 years later.

Lenny shown here talking about his productions with the band.  In a special, Lenny spoke about his band’s efforts about making sketch music for the show on Saturdays.  “A lot of music that gets completely produced gets thrown out after dress rehearsal." He further explains that, "Sid Caesar's show did it exactly the same way."

Thanks to Nick Mayhew, Dave Mackey, and Jess!