In the late ‘80s/early ‘90s right around the time MTV’s Unplugged was born our other favorite music-related TV show—other than 120 Minutes, of course—was NBC’s Night Music. Hosted by jazz saxophonist David Sanborn, the show was doomed to low ratings hell due to its timeslot—Saturday nights at 2 AM after Showtime at the Apollo!—but proved to be a godsend for those of us looking for a tasty late-night musical snack.
Among the performances from the show we remember vividly were jazz guitarist Bill Frisell with his astonishing quartet; Sonic Youth playing a blistering version of “Silver Rocket”; avant-garde guitarist Marc Ribot playing with a tango ensemble; and one by Canadian chanteuse Mary Margaret O’Hara. (Some of you have mentioned Bongwater, Screamin Jay Hawkins, NRBQ, Steve Ray Vaughan, Pat Metheny, Sun Ra, and The Posies, as well.)
Best known for her often-cited eccentricity and for being the sister of actress/comedienne Catherine O’Hara, the Toronto-native is a cult heroine whose 1988 debut album Miss America (Virgin) made endless critics’ lists and is considered one of the best albums of the decade. (Sadly, it is currently out of print.) We were mesmerized by her when she sang “When You Know Why You’re Happy” on Night Music and—despite later having lost the VHS copy of that night’s show to a taping of a soap opera by our then significant other—that performance has stayed with us for 20 years now.
Who knows if Night Music will ever make it to DVD, but in the meantime here's Mary Margaret’s appearance on the show. And now you can know why we're happy.
A short time after coming across O'Hara's performance on Night Music, we found this clip of the aforementioned Bill Frisell and his marvelous quartet, which was among the performances from the show we still cherish.
Ladies and gentlemen, The Bill Frisell Band performing "Little Brother Bobby", from the album Lookout For Hope (ECM) on Night Music:
