Cleto escobedo biography channel

This is part one of a two-part series.

There are about five minutes before the taping of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” begins.

Jimmy kimmel band members

As comedian Dan Barris warms up the audience with a couple of bawdy routines the show’s band, better known as “Cleto and the Cletones,” quietly walks onto the stage and starts to get ready.

Smartly dressed in black and grey suits, the group — keyboardist Jeff Babko, guitarist Toshi Yanagi, bassist Jimmy Earl and drummer Jonathan Dresel — are led by a pair of Cletos.

There’s Cleto Escobedo, Jr., a tenor sax player whose constant, joyous energy belies his 71 years. The other is Cleto Escobedo III, the son, 48. He plays the alto sax and is also the show’s musical director.

The Escobedos have been on the ABC show together since it began in 2003. They currently work four nights a week (the Friday shows are repeats).

The program reveals snippets of their and the band’s talents since, normally, they are only heard playing into and out of commercial breaks, or if they b