 “A piano decays, but an organ sustains,” Paul Shaffer tells me, recounting his earliest exposure to the sound of the mighty
Hammond B-3 organ. “Feeling that for the first time as a small child — the sense that you had the power to sustain a note as long as you
wanted to, was amazing. Then, when you get into the drawbars of a Hammond organ, it’s like a metaphor for the universe in all its cosmic
splendor. The possibilities are endless.”
Shaffer, the legendary keyboardist, bandleader, and impresario, has been a household name in television for over a quarter century.
From his signature stylings as David Letterman’s right-hand man for the past 27 years (as of this issue hitting the stands, he and Dave
passed the 5,000 show mark), to his razor-sharp musical direction for the yearly Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and
countless other productions, Shaffer has proved, night after night, that he’s far more than just a TV sidekick — he’s a master musician
with a keen sense of history. From bebop to hip-hop, he can cover it all, and groove hard while doing it.
On the eve of the release of his new memoir We’ll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives, we reconnect at New York City’s famed Ed Sullivan
theater to delve deep into his remarkable musical career. CLICK HERE for the Paul Shaffer videos shot on the set of Letterman!
I was taken by many of the musical
memories in your book, especially
those detailing your first encounters
with the Hammond organ. It’s an
experience that resonates with so
many keyboard players.
It sure was an early fascination, and of
course, it was tied in to the sounds that
I’d heard as a kid on the radio, and on my
dad’s records. Things like Ray Charles’
organ, and Del Shannon. But it was that
sustained sound — an organ never decays
until you pick your finger up. Just discovering
that was powerful. Of course, now you
can do those things with synthesizers. But
in its day, the Hammond organ was as
amazing as any synthesizer. It has a human
sound as well, because of the tonewheels
inside. I don’t know what the magic of a
tonewheel is, and I don’t want to know. It’s
too much knowledge for a human!
On the Late Show, you constantly
seem to be energized by the music,
whether it’s a young band performing
on the show, or you playing and
leading the band. New and old music
alike seems to inspire you, regardless
of the genre.
That’s absolutely true, and it probably has
to do with the eclectic musical tastes of
my parents and their initial influence on
me. My mother was in many ways, quite a
cosmopolitan and up-to-date woman, but
she had that old-fashioned side that said,
“My kid will be musical. He’ll learn the
piano and have golden hands.” I may not
have come through on the “golden
hands” part, but the other parts, I did,
because that’s what she insisted on. My
mother always had music playing in the
house. Rachmaninoff and Chopin were
her favorites, and Broadway tunes as
well. And on the weekends, my dad
would play different jazz vocalists. He
also played Oscar Peterson and Ray
Charles. It was pretty funky.
So it was learning by osmosis —
soaking up all the different sounds in
your house?
Yes. There were lots of different styles in my
house. My parents liked pop music, so I
learned the standards of the day. Their
songs. I was attracted to that. I liked learning
songs, but I never felt compelled to write
them. Now everyone knows that writing is
where it’s at for so many different reasons –
but for me, just playing was enough. I don’t
know why, but I was fascinated by songs
that were already written. [Shaffer has
struck veritable gold with the two songs he has written: the Late Show theme, and the
disco classic “It’s Raining Men,” which he
co-wrote with Paul Jabara. —Ed.]
 <- Shaffer’s pride and joy: the Hammond B-3 organ
originally owned by James Brown.
The late, great jazz organist Jimmy
Smith is known to be one of your
biggest musical influences. Did jazz
seem like something you might have
considered pursuing at one time?
Well, yes, it did. But rock reached me.
Rock was totally of my generation, and I
could understand it. Jazz was beyond me,
and still is. I’m a fan, but I can’t call myself a
participant, although I’ve been in a position
where I’ve been able to play with so many
of the jazz greats.
I remember seeing you play John
Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” on the show
years ago.
Right. And I’m thinking about Miles Davis’ and
Dizzy Gillespie’s appearances on the show.
And the honor I’ve had to play with McCoy
Tyner a number of times. I attribute my ability
— I mean, I’m not quite able to hang, but
I can certainly be in the lounge — to my
apprenticeship with my mentor, [guitarist]
Tisziji Munoz. I talk about him in my book.
He was a spiritually-oriented jazz guitarist
and a disciple of John Coltrane. For some
reason, when I met him, he sort of took me
under his wing and I became his apprentice.
Anything I know about jazz, I know from him.
He’s the one who showed me how chords
can open up and become more sophisticated
than just the triads in rock music. I got quite
the education in traditional and free jazz from
him. I still enjoy playing with him to this day.
 <- Anchored by Hammond B-3, vintage Kurzweil K250, and Baldwin grand piano,
Paul Shaffer’s keyboard rig is easily the most recongizable and impressive
multi-keyboard setup on TV. Get an exclusive video tour from Paul himself by clicking here.
Do you still go out to hear live music
these days?
Absolutely. I don’t get the chance as much
as I used to, but I certainly enjoy going to
see people like [renowned jazz organist]
Dr. Lonnie Smith. The live music I like to
check out is often more of a jazz nature,
and I like taking advantage of the fact that
I’m in New York City, where jazz can still be
heard. Unfortunately, primarily by listeners
not from this country. [Laughs.] Fans from
other countries are more loyal to American
jazz music than even we Americans are.
What about when hip-hop and rap
artists play the Late Show? Do you
enjoy listening and sitting in?
Of course. I think all of us in the band get a
kick when we get the chance to play with a
hip-hop artist, recreating sounds that, often,
they might have created on a computer —
recreating them with live instruments, and
giving that live energy to those same parts
and sounds. Often times, the artists get off
on it. They’re used to playing or singing over
tracks, and don’t realize their music could
work in a totally different way.
Do you have a standing invitation to
the musical guests on the show that
you and the band will play with them
if they want you to?
Yes. We recently played with Weezer —
they were nice enough to ask us to play
with them on both of the nights they played
the show. That was a
lot of fun.
What percentage
of bands that play
on the show these
days are running
tracks behind
them?
Almost all of them.
Weezer was actually
one of the exceptions
— they went all the
way live. But almost
all of the musical acts
these days play to
some kind of prerecorded
element.
Even the rock acts,
who do it with their
background vocals.
How do you feel about that?
In the case of something like background
vocals, it certainly does make acts sound
better, and it does so more easily. Today’s
audience seems to need to have the sound
of a live performance be the same as the
recording it’s based on. In my day — I sound
like an 80-year-old — but in my day, we used
to have music variety shows like American
Bandstand and Soul Train, where acts
would come on and just totally lip-sync. So
what are we complaining about? At least
these acts today do it half and half.
As you look toward the future, what are
the things you still want to accomplish?
I have two ambitions these days. I want to
learn how to play the pedals on the Hammond
organ, and I’m getting there. I’m
closer than I ever was before.
What kinds of tunes do you play to
woodshed your pedal technique?
I play the blues, and walking bass. Lots of
things. I was playing “Please, Please,
Please” by James Brown, the Godfather of
Soul, today.
And your second ambition?
The other thing I want to do is to learn how
to sight-read. I can arrange, and I can read,
but I can’t sight-read and play on the spot.
I know the feeling!
It’s nothing but putting in the time and
practicing. [The late jazz and blues
organist] Jimmy McGriff once told me
the same thing about playing the organ
pedals. He said, “People ask me how I
did it. I put in the time.” So that’s what
I’m gonna do.
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