Every once in a while, a musician appears on the American scene who embodies the deep-rooted spirit of the African American tradition, but whose artistic identity resists being boxed into a single genre. Their music is steeped in the blues and gospel, can slip into R&B and eventually into jazz. But their storytelling is engrossing and reaches a huge audience. They all have one quality in common, which is that they take great delight in their music and have the talent to convey this musical joy to their listeners and followers.
Jon Batiste is the latest in this string of geniuses.
His music is not easy to categorize. He immediately brings to mind some multi-dimensional musicians who have had a similar impact on the musical trends of their times — such as Fats Waller, Ray Charles, Jon Hendricks, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder, and perhaps Sammy Davis Jr and James Brown.
The winner of an Emmy award, multiple Grammy Awards, as well as an Oscar for his music in the animated film Soul, Batiste is arguably the most exciting musician on the contemporary jazz circuit. A singer, songwriter, composer, educator, and entertainer par excellence, he was also the house band director of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Ahead of his upcoming India debut with BookMyShow Live in November, Rolling Stone India spoke to Batiste about breaking free from genres, reshaping jazz traditions, and reminding the world that music speaks to everyone. Excerpts below:
Rolling Stone India: You come from New Orleans, but you went to the Juilliard School in New York to study music. Weren’t those two opposites — starting out as a jazz musician, free to play as you wanted, and then moving into an institution rooted in strict European classical music, with little room for improvisation? How did that work out for you?
Jon Batiste: I had many great mentors in New Orleans. You know, I had studied music with Alvin Batiste, Ellis Marsalis, and K. Jordan. They were jazz musicians, but also avant-garde classical musicians. They prepared me to play any kind of music and make it my own. When I went to Juilliard, I brought my approach to music with me. A lot of times, that was met with criticism because it was unorthodox. But those who understood my artistry and understood me as a person supported me and even mentored me to become part of the development of the community. That helped me personally develop and evolve.
Maybe you went and changed Juilliard forever?
You know it’s true, you’re right! I don’t like to think of it that way, but one day I walked into the building — this was years after I had graduated. Once I was almost kicked out of the school, but now I saw myself on a mural at Juilliard. My picture is in the lobby! So it all flipped.
So you made a dent and a difference! You know Miles Davis was the other jazz musician who went to Juilliard, and he had some very interesting things to say about it after he left. He also said he was happy to leave Juilliard.
Oh yes! I know, I know! But now, it’s not the kind of place it was even when I first got there. It has changed. It has expanded in approach and is more inclusive. It wants to maintain excellence in all forms.
That’s good, and that is a tribute to you. You put a wedge in the way they thought and broadened their methods. That’s a great thing you’ve done.
Now, I’m going to ask you something, perhaps a little controversial: Is African American music really appreciated in the U.S. as a national culture as it should be?
That’s a very good question. I think a lot of our art has been politicized, and a lot of our culture has become divided because of politicization. And that happens with music. People think only “this” music is for them, that this music is authentic, and some music is not for them — which is more of a problem. We have politicised music with images and mythology, and that is harmful for us. We have, for instance, made music from the Black experience and separated that from the actual Black experience (which are two separate things). It’s the same with country music — people have a sense of nationalism, which is toxic. They say this is “our” music, dividing the culture of music. But essentially, all music is for everybody!
So, it is not a lack of appreciation. If you present the music across the divide, it is deeply appreciated. But because of the way the music has been presented, there is a lack of awareness of the music and its history, and only a few of us who know it can help fix that. So I always make it a point to present the music to my community and make sure that the young, next generation is aware of it.
That’s the only way to do it. I think that twentieth-century music was defined by the African American sound. It has defined the way we listen to music today. As a culture, it is so rich because it is so giving. I think the greatest cultural export has come from the sound your community has produced.
Yes, true. In many places in the world today, there is a sense of political attitude and nationalism. But culture is beautiful and culture is wisdom, and we should get back to the wisdom that people have left us. If we do that, then we will be all right.
Speaking of the politicization of music, do you know that the U.S. Government used jazz during the Cold War to fight communism by broadcasting jazz music by radio to the Soviet countries?
Yes, I know!
As a young person growing up in New Orleans and listening to the traditional sounds of jazz – going all the way back to King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, and others, did you ever get exposed to the jazz sounds of Bebop and Hardbop?
Yes. My mentors whom I was mentioning, and others, including my father, exposed me to all forms of music that they felt could help me. For example, Alvin Batiste was a fine clarinetist and composer. Since the time I was eleven, I would play his compositions, which included the music of BeBop of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Dizzy and Parker counted Alvin Batiste and Kate Jordan as their friends and spent time with them when they visited New Orleans. They were then in their prime. When John Coltrane came to New Orleans, they would get a chance to speak with him. These two gentlemen decided in their 30s not to leave New Orleans but to stay there and teach. They were great in their own right. Alvin Batiste played with Ray Charles. So instead of becoming artists of renown, they stayed back to teach and mentor. They are our elders. They decided that instead of making good careers for themselves, they would remain in New Orleans and build a community of their own. Roger Dickerson was another one. He studied music in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, but after touring the world, he decided to stay in New Orleans because he felt that was where he could be most authentic as an artist.
Quincy Jones also studied with Nadia Boulanger, and so did Vanraj Bhatia, a famous Indian musician and composer who was a contemporary and friend of Quincy. Ultimately, all music is one and is for everyone! Keep doing what you are doing, Jon. You’re great at it!
Hey! Thank you man.
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