Meet Jon Batiste, new Grammy winner with plenty going on

Apr 4, 2022, 11:04 AM | Updated: 12:12 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — Jon Batiste wears so many hats he may need a closet for them all — recording artist, bandleader, musical director, film composer, museum creative director and scion of New Orleans musical royalty. The multi-instrumentalist won five Grammys on Sunday and despite being on TV all week, not many people may know fully.

HE’S GOT ‘SOUL’

Batiste composed music, consulted on and arranged songs for Pixar’s animated film “Soul,” a mid-life crisis movie mixed with a New York jazz fantasia and a body-swap comedy. He won a Golden Globe for the music alongside Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails; and the trio also earned the Academy Award for best original score. For their work on “Soul,” Batiste, Reznor and Ross won the Grammy on Sunday for best score soundtrack f or visual media.

AT THE PIANO NIGHTLY

Batiste has toured globally with his band Stay Human and made a memorable stop at Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” in 2014. When producers of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” were considering having a house band the following year, Batiste and Stay Human were a natural fit. The mutual respect Colbert and Batiste share is obvious. The bandleader often cheers the comedian’s nightly monologue from the piano, appears in segments and accompanies the musical guests. Batiste stuck with the gig even during the pandemic, coming up with tunes, both original and covers, on the spot.

MAKING SWEET MUSIC

Recording since he was a teenager, Batiste’s albums include “Hollywood Africans,” produced by T Bone Burnett, “Anatomy of Angels: Live at the Village Vanguard,” and “Meditations,” a collaboration with guitarist Cory Wong. His album “Social Music” spent over a month atop the Billboard and iTunes jazz charts, and he also put together the pandemic benefit album, “Relief: A Benefit for the Jazz Foundation of America’s Musicians Relief Fund.” His eighth album and the Grammy breakthrough was 2021’s “We Are,” a sonic blow-out blending R&B, jazz, hip-hop, marching bands and rock, sometimes in the same song. He earned nods in such various categories as R&B, jazz, American roots, classical, music video and album of the year. Batiste’s “American Symphony” is set to premiere at Carnegie Hall in May.

THE BIG EASY

Batiste was born into a long lineage of New Orleans musicians, which includes the Batiste Brothers Band and brass band legends Milton and “Uncle” Lionel Batiste. He played drums as a child before switching to piano at age 11. He is a graduate of New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and the prestigious The Juilliard School. The music and culture of New Orleans are highlighted in Batiste’s “Freedom” video, which features the band from St. Augustine High School, which Batiste attended, marching through the city’s streets. “Jon Batiste has been a tremendous ambassador for Louisiana, as an entertainer and as someone who truly cares about the people of our great state,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday.

SIDE HUSTLES

Batiste became the first musical director for The Atlantic magazine in 2017 and is co-creative director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. He has been featured in ad campaigns for Chase, Apple, Lincoln and numerous fashion brands including Ralph Lauren, Barney’s, Nordstrom and H&M. His song “Freedom” has been showcased across the NCAA Tournament and served as the face of New Orleans ahead of Saturday night’s Final Four at the Caesars Superdome. He also had a role in Spike Lee’s 2012 film “Red Hook Summer” and appeared as himself on the HBO television series “Treme.” Batiste is literally the poster boy for the upcoming New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

FILE - Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer speaks inside the Recorders Office, Nov. 9, 2022, in...
Associated Press

Dominion conspiracies highlighted by Fox lawsuit have election officials concerned for safety

Maricopa County officials are bracing for what could happen when it comes time to replace its contract for voting equipment.
2 days ago
A building is damaged and trees are down after severe storm swept through Little Rock, Ark., Friday...
Associated Press

Tornado causes widespread damage to buildings, vehicles in Little Rock

A tornado raced through Little Rock and surrounding areas Friday, splintering homes, overturning vehicles and tossing trees.
2 days ago
FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on his plane after a cam...
Associated Press

Worries grow that Trump indictment could undermine public confidence in other investigations

Trump’s attempts to overturn those results amid false claims of widespread fraud are at the heart of two other ongoing investigations.
2 days ago
(Facebook Photo/Superior Court of Arizona in Yavapai County)...
Associated Press

Arizona judge has cases reassigned following DUI arrest

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that all cases currently assigned to a Yavapai County Superior Court judge recently arrested on suspicion of extreme DUI will be reassigned to other judges.
6 days ago
Haitian migrant Gerson Solay, 28, carries his daughter, Bianca, as he and his family cross into Can...
Associated Press

US, Canada to end loophole that allows asylum-seekers to move between countries

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement.
9 days ago
Expert skateboarder Di'Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and...
Associated Press

Indigenous skateboard art featured on new stamps unveiled at Phoenix skate park

The Postal Service unveiled the “Art of the Skateboard" stamps at a Phoenix skate park, featuring designs from Indigenous artists.
9 days ago

Sponsored Articles

(Photo by Michael Matthey/picture alliance via Getty Images)...
Cox Communications

Valley Boys & Girls Club uses esports to help kids make healthy choices

KTAR’s Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives.
...
Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.
...
Fiesta Bowl Foundation

Celebrate 50 years of Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade magic!

Since its first production in the early 1970s, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe has been a staple of Valley traditions, bringing family fun and excitement to downtown Phoenix.
Meet Jon Batiste, new Grammy winner with plenty going on