JEFF BABKO

keyboardist/ pianist/ studio manager/ producer/ composer/ arranger/ apologetic trombonist

Jeff Babko is:

Keyboardist/composer/arranger JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE for 21+ years

Session keyboardist on records (Frank Ocean, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Smokey Robinson, Larry Carlton etc)

Session keyboardist on movies (Encanto- “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, Superbad, 40 Year Old Virgin, Toy Story 4, Frozen 2, Killers of the Flower Moon, Tenet, etc)

Touring keyboardist (Sheryl Crow, James Taylor, Toto, Steely Dan, Steve Gadd Band, etc)

Music director/touring pianist STEVE MARTIN & MARTIN SHORT (& Netflix special)

Guy with a studio full of synths and organs TUDORTONES STUDIO in LA, CA

2019

hi!

a few exciting things going on…

new 17th (!!!) season of Jimmy Kimmel Live just started! we’ll be traveling to Las Vegas, Jimmy’s (and Cleto’s) hometown, for a week of shows in April. how lucky am I to have been on such a long lasting “job” with such a kind and funny host.

wrapped my second episode of the incredible https://www.livefromhere.org/ radio program for MPR (NPR), with mind blowingly gifted and exuberant, lovely (not enough superlatives to describe this human!) Chris Thile. I’ll be doing a handful more episodes this season, including Detroit in a couple weeks. I can’t share enough how proud I am to be a part of this show and house band.

I’ll be in the orchestra with my lovely wife, master badass violinist Songa Lee for the Grammy Premiere show this upcoming weekend. I did it for years in the past with the great Larry Batiste at the helm, and this year my old pal Cheche Alara will be the musical director.

very exciting news: producing trumpeter/composer Dan Rosenboom’s cutting edge new album. we’ve finished tracking the basics, with some “heavy hitters” for sure (Vinnie Colaiuta, Zach Danziger, Gary Novak, Tim Lefebvre, Jimmy Johnson, Jerry Watts Jr., more!) and Dan wrote some super bonkers music that will hit you like a freight train. working on production elements and overdubs now— look for it soon.

my album “El Musico” is in the can and vinyl being pressed as we speak! features Artyom Manukyan on cello, Abe Rounds on drums, TIm Young on guitar and Kaveh Rastegar on bass.

check for dates with Steve Martin & Martin Short as well…

thanks! bye for now.

jb