Jon Batiste recently spoke to ‘The Wall Street Journal’ and ‘Esquire’ about his week-long residency at Manhattan’s NoMad Hotel beginning June 23, and how his role on ‘The Late Show’ will bring about new opportunities to share the power of music with people.
Jon Batiste Brings Music to ‘Late Show’ and Streets of NYC
Won’t “The Late Show” force you to give up on residencies and “love riots”?
We’ll see what I can get away with. But music is like a newspaper. Every single day something is happening. Every day you’re changing. So having this structure five nights a week will give us a chance to develop repertoire in completely new ways. Starting September, “The Late Show” is the residency.
Why are you and Colbert a good team, and what is your role?
From my first interview on “The Colbert Report,” Stephen and I had an instant rapport. We are aligned on a lot of things, especially the idea that it’s not just about entertainment. There’s a more profound level to what he’s doing that may even go over some people’s heads.
Stephen is whip-smart and he’s one of the best improvisers I’ve ever worked with. He reminded me that he started at Second City, which is to improv and comedy what New Orleans is to music.
I think I’ll be cast next to him as sort of a cool, young, hip and well-dressed counterpart. Because he’s so smart and sarcastic, I’ll come across as super laid-back, almost baffled or bedazzled in certain moments.
Who’s your first call to a musician for “The Late Show”?
Oh, that’s a long list. Maybe Kendrick Lamar.
Full Interview: The Wall Street Journal.
Colbert’s New Bandleader Jon Batiste on Their ‘Match Made in Heaven’
You made a memorable appearance on ‘The Colbert Report’ last year. What were your first impressions of Stephen Colbert then, and what about each of you makes you think you’ll be able to work together and play off each another for years to come?
He knows a lot about many different things. He can talk about a range of things and he’s very, very quick to not only challenge you, but to make you think about what it is that you do in a different way. For me, I’m all about looking at the music space and thinking about different ways of approaching it and creating a dialogue between people who do other things. Not just the music; anything, really. I think that’s where the most effective form of innovation is going to happen in his generation. He’s got that same mindset, and that’s why he does know about a lot of different things, and is interested in people. We’re all about people, and bringing people into the spotlight. Not just the ones who are talented or wealthy, but the everyday person. Music is to be played with them, not just for them. That’s how he runs his show and that’s what he thinks about and that’s who he is. It’s a match made in heaven. There are a lot of great things we can come up with because we think along the same lines. We noticed that immediately when we first met. That was kind of one of the things that has snowballed now into us going into this long-term relationship with the show after not really knowing each other for more than six months. It kind of started at that show, and after that, after a few long conversations about it, he kind of approached me about being on [the Late Show]. It felt like it was just a natural progression.
You’re known for not being constricted by a stage. How is that going to unfold on a late-night show like Late Show? How are you and Stay Human going to break the mold of what we expect?
I think that the combination of Stephen’s team and my band is going to produce things that I couldn’t even think about. I’m not sure what we’re going to do to break the mold specifically, but I know we have the right people in the room to do something like that. I’m really just trying to look forward to it with an open perspective, because I know things I’ve thought of doing and the platform of the television show that ties into mainstream America five nights a week is a great platform to be able to do it. I want it to happen organically come August when we’re doing the test shows and come September when we’re going on the air. I’m trying not to think too much about specific things that we’re going to do. It’s just about how we’re going to work together. We have a bunch of great minds in the room. You bring a concept to the table and you can kind of just see what happens when you put it on the table.
Your presence on the show is probably going to pique a lot of curiosity about the jazz world that you came from. What advice would you have for those who are interested in jazz but may be overwhelmed by all that’s out there?
It’s an acquired taste. I would say that jazz, as far as American music goes, is probably one of the most varied forms around. There are so many different styles of jazz. It’s been in existence for 100 years or more. You have so many different innovations. You can have any kind of jazz: Afro-Cuban jazz, acid jazz, smooth jazz, free jazz, New Orleans jazz. I would say that first, it’s an acquired taste. And second, when you hear a jazz performer and you’re turned off by it, that’s okay, because within the whole canon of jazz music, if everybody gave it a shot and spent the time to get that taste in their mouth and understand what they’re listening to, there’s going to be some style of jazz that you can find enjoyable. In fact, you might find something that you love.
Full Interview: Esquire.
Jon Batiste Talks to 'The Wall Street Journal' and 'Esquire'
Jon Batiste recently spoke to ‘The Wall Street Journal’ and ‘Esquire’ about his week-long residency at Manhattan’s NoMad Hotel beginning June 23, and how his role on ‘The Late Show’ will bring about new opportunities to share the power of music with people.