Jon Batiste | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Jonathan Michael Batiste [1] |
Born | Metairie, Louisiana, U.S. [1] | November 11, 1986
Education | Juilliard School (BM, MMus) |
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano, keyboards, melodica, guitar |
Years active | 1998–present |
Labels |
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Member of | Stay Human |
Spouse | |
Website | Jon Batiste |
Jonathan Michael Batiste (born November 11, 1986) [2] is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer, and television personality. [3] He has recorded and performed with artists including Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, Lenny Kravitz, ASAP Rocky, Ed Sheeran, Lana Del Rey, Roy Hargrove, Juvenile, and Mavis Staples. Batiste appeared nightly with his band, Stay Human, [4] as bandleader and musical director on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2015 to 2022. [5] [6]
Batiste also serves as the music director of The Atlantic and the Creative Director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. In 2020, he co-composed the score for the Pixar animated film Soul , for which he received an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award and a BAFTA Film Award (all shared with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross). [7] Batiste has garnered five Grammy Awards from 20 nominations, including an Album of the Year win for We Are (2021). [8]
In 2023, Batiste was featured in the documentary film, American Symphony, which records the process of Batiste composing his first symphony. [9] In 2024, Batiste featured in the ensemble comedy-drama film Saturday Night , directed by Jason Reitman, playing the role of musician Billy Preston, as well as composing the film's score. [10]
Jon Batiste was born in Metairie, Louisiana, to a Catholic family. [1] [11] He grew up in Kenner, Louisiana. [2] Batiste is a member of a New Orleans musical dynasty, the Batiste family, that includes Lionel Batiste of the Treme Brass Band, Milton Batiste of the Olympia Brass Band, and Russell Batiste Jr. [12] [13] At the age of eight, he played percussion and drums with his family's band, the Batiste Brothers Band. [14] At the age of 11, at his mother's suggestion, he switched to piano and took classical piano lessons from local teacher Shirley Herstein every Saturday for seven years. [15] Batiste further developed his piano skills, by transcribing songs from video games such as Street Fighter Alpha , Final Fantasy VII and Sonic the Hedgehog . [16]
At 17, Batiste released his debut album, Times in New Orleans. He attended St. Augustine High School and New Orleans Center for Creative Arts with Trombone Shorty in New Orleans and graduated in 2004. He then went on to attend the Juilliard School, receiving a Bachelor of Music in 2008 and a Master of Music in 2011, both in jazz studies. [17] He studied with William Daghlian there. [18] While at Juilliard, he released his second album, Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art. By the end of 2006, Batiste had been a featured performer in South Africa, London, Lisbon, Spain, Paris, and the United States. [19]
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In 2007, at the age of 20, Batiste made his debut at the Concertgebouw, in Amsterdam, producing and performing his own show. He conducted music clinics, classes, and workshops throughout the Netherlands in inner-city schools and underprivileged neighborhoods. He was invited to Carnegie Hall to produce and perform in his own show, with six young musicians from the Netherlands. [20] The performance concluded with a finale he composed for choir, jazz combo and orchestral instruments. In the following years, Batiste released a number of music projects, including Social Music (2013), which spent over a month at the top of the Billboard and iTunes jazz charts; The Late Show EP (2016) with Stay Human; and a holiday album, Christmas with Jon Batiste (2016). In 2017, he released the singles "Ohio" with Leon Bridges and Gary Clark Jr., as well as "Battle Hymn of the Republic" for The Atlantic . Batiste's cover of "St. James Infirmary Blues" was nominated for a Grammy in 2019, in the category of Best American Roots Performance. Batiste's debut solo album, Hollywood Africans, was released by Verve Records in September 2018. "Don't Stop" served as the lead single. Leading up to the album release, he completed a Summer Festival tour across the U.S. with the Dap-Kings.
Batiste's notable career performances include a tribute to Chuck Berry and Fats Domino during the 60th annual Grammy Awards (performing alongside Gary Clark Jr.); the Kennedy Center Honors' tribute to Carmen De Lavallade; the Concert for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama; the National Anthem at the 2017 NBA All Star Game; and Opening Night of the 2017 US Open. He has curated the Global Citizen Advocacy Concert with Tom Morello and the Louis Armstrong Wonderful World Festival in Queens, N.Y.
Batiste was cast in the HBO television series Treme , appearing as himself in seasons 2, 3, and 4. He was also cast as T.K. Hazelton in director Spike Lee's film, Red Hook Summer , [20] and he composed and performed the Hammond B-3 organ music that was a part of the film score. Other film scores composed by Batiste include the television documentary Duke 91 & 92: Back to Back and the short film Melody of Choice. He also appears in the films Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014) by Spike Lee and Thrive (2015) by Paul Szynol.
In 2005, Batiste began performing regularly in New York with his Juilliard peers, bassist Phil Kuehn and drummer Joe Saylor. He later added Eddie Barbash on alto saxophone and Ibanda Ruhumbika on tuba. [21] Batiste named the band Stay Human, which draws its moniker from the belief that human interaction during a live musical performance can uplift humanity in the midst of the "plug in, tune out" nature of modern society. The band leads impromptu street performances, which Batiste calls "love riots". [22] Notable artists were often seen accompanying Batiste, including Wynton Marsalis. [23]
In 2011, Stay Human released the album MY N.Y., which was recorded in its entirety on New York City Subway trains, an idea that came to Batiste after questioning how to connect with people. [24]
On April 22, 2017, the band played for the March for Science rally at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. [25] [26]
In 2014, Batiste and Stay Human appeared on The Colbert Report to perform the group's single, "Express Yourself", written and produced with Austin Bis.
On June 4, 2015, it was announced that Jon Batiste and Stay Human would serve as the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . The show premiered on CBS on September 8, 2015. [6] On the show, Batiste and Stay Human have performed alongside Billy Joel, Will Smith, Wynton Marsalis, John Legend, Grace VanderWaal, and Nas.
On the August 11, 2022, episode, Colbert announced that Batiste had decided he would not be returning to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, in order to "pursue personal and professional interests". [27]
In June 2020, Batiste took part in the Juneteenth celebration in Brooklyn, New York with a day of protests, marches, rallies, and vigils to "celebrate, show solidarity, and fight for equal rights and treatment of Black people.” [28] Performing on the steps of the Brooklyn Public Library, Batiste was joined by Matt Whitaker in a performance presented in partnership with Sing For Hope. [28]
The 2020 Juneteenth took place during the protests, following the murder of George Floyd, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, seen by some as connected to an increase in an awareness of racial injustice. [29] When questioned as to the differences he sees in the present movement for change and its connection to music, Batiste responded by saying: "...music has always been something that has had all of the different purposes of our life and our community and our healing and our unspoken pain –and the transmission of messages and the raising awareness of a condition of a people. [...] What's different, now, is that it's much more widespread in the support of changing the systemic oppression that's been going on for 400 years." He believes, "Now, it's more important than ever for us to be reintroduced to what our ancestors used music for, because it's been forgotten. [...] The world, at large, sees music as entertainment. It's never been that, at its root. It is that in one element of it, but the entire spectrum of music is far, far deeper and wide-ranging." [30]
Batiste composed music for the 2020 film Soul , collaborating with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. [31] [32] The trio went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Score [33] and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, [34] among many other wins and nominations.
On March 19, 2021, Batiste released We Are , his fifth solo studio album. Speaking to Atwood Magazine, he described it as "a culmination of my life, to this point" and "the most representative of where I am, as a creative, and as an artist". [5]
In July 2021, Batiste released a live EP, Live at Electric Lady, performed in one day at Electric Lady Studios. The album was released, exclusively, to Spotify. [35]
In October 2021, he made a surprise performance at night singing "Like a Prayer" in the streets of Harlem, along with Madonna, promoting the release of her concert film , Madame X .
At the 64th Grammy Awards, Batiste earned 11 nominations: eight for We Are, and three for Soul . [36] Of the 11 nominations, Batiste won five awards, including Album of the Year, [8] becoming the second Black artist to win that award since 2008, when Herbie Hancock won for his album River: The Joni Letters . [37]
In June 2023, Batiste announced a new album World Music Radio . A concept album, it was released on August 18, 2023. Some of the album's featured artists include Lana Del Rey, Lil Wayne, NewJeans, and JID. The album was also supported by a single, "Calling Your Name". [38]
On September 22, 2022, Batiste conducted the premiere of his composition American Symphony at Carnegie Hall, New York. A review in Variety concluded: "It wasn't just the story of America, and its collage-like charms and vices. This was also Batiste's story, and he made a handsome orchestral debut of that story at Carnegie Hall, in a truly shining hour." [39]
In 2023, Batiste was featured in the documentary film American Symphony , directed by Matthew Heineman, executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, which records the process of Batiste composing his first symphony, while his wife, Suleika Jaouad, suffers the return of her leukemia. [9]
During 2024, Batiste staged his Uneasy Tour, his first concert tour as a headlining act. [40]
Batiste followed these with a number of solo shows, billed as "STREAMS: Jon Batiste At The Piano,” in which Batiste improvised performances at the piano and on melodica in a stream-of-consciousness manner. [41] A review in The Post-Standard characterized it as a "Modern maestro ... display[ing] his magic". [40]
Batiste cites, among the artists who have most influenced his artistic and musical choices, Mahalia Jackson, James Brown, Louis Armstrong, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, John Coltrane, Nina Simone, Miles Davis and Django Reinhardt. [42] [43] Interviewed by Forbes, Batiste explained the significance of jazz music: [43]
Music is a real form of connection to a higher power at its greatest; music was a form of community that brought people together and gave them a common purpose. Jazz is really a term that doesn't encompass what it's pointing at, [...] the intellectual breadth of black geniuses who were basically denied the credential of being a genius in society because of their skin tone. [...] We always talk about improvisation, and it really is one of the only forms of music that exemplifies the American experiment putting all these different cultures into one country and coexisting and trying to create beautiful music together.
— Jon Batiste, in Jon Batiste: So Much More Than Stephen Colbert's Music Director (Forbes)
About his 2024 album Beethoven Blues, Batiste told The New York Times that Beethoven's music "is so very African, filled with polyrhythms" and the "feeling" of the blues. Batiste's original compositions on the album include "Dusklight Movement", inspired both by the "Moonlight" Sonata, and a bit by B.B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone". [18]
Batiste was born into a family active in the struggle against racial segregation in the United States; [42] his grandfather, David Gauthier, was president of the Louisiana Postal Workers Union, involved in the 1968 labor strike sponsored by the Memphis, Tennessee, Department of Public Works for higher wages and safer working conditions. [44]
Batiste is a supporter of civil rights, the fight against racism, participating, publicly, in numerous demonstrations, including the marches promoted by the Black Lives Matter movement. [45] Following the murder of George Floyd in June 2020, Batiste organized peaceful protests in New York City, against police brutality in the United States. [46]
Through the single "We Are", he supports the Equal Justice Initiative of attorney and activist Bryan Stevenson. Batiste is also among the sponsors of several initiatives, including Innocence Project, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and The Legacy Museum. [47] [42]
Batiste is married to journalist, musician, and best-selling author Suleika Jaouad. The two met as teenagers at band camp. [48] On April 3, 2022, the couple revealed, in an interview on CBS News Sunday Morning, that they had been married in a private ceremony at home, in February 2022. [49]
Raised in the Catholic Church, Batiste continues to identify as a Christian, and he has been outspoken about his faith. [50] [51] [52]
Jon Batiste discography | |
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Studio albums | 6 |
EPs | 9 |
Soundtrack albums | 2 |
Live albums | 5 |
Singles | 11 |
Collaborative albums | 3 |
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [53] | US Jazz [54] | US Indie [55] | US R&B/ HH [56] | AUS Hit. [57] | CAN [58] | FRA [59] | GER [60] | SWI [61] | UK DL [62] | ||||||||||
Times in New Orleans |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
Jazz Is Now |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
Social Music (with Stay Human) |
| 134 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | __ | ||||||||
Christmas with Jon Batiste |
| 198 [63] | 3 [64] | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
Hollywood Africans |
| — [A] | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
We Are |
| 25 | — | — | 14 | 5 | 81 | 61 | 66 | 39 | 25 | ||||||||
World Music Radio |
| 104 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 82 | — | ||||||||
Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1) [66] |
| 64 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 50 | — | ||||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Details |
---|---|
The Process (with Chad Smith and Bill Laswell) |
|
Meditations (with Cory Wong) |
|
Swing States: Harmony in the Battleground (with Regina Carter, John Daversa, and Harvey Mason) |
|
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Current [67] | US OST [68] | UK Comp. [69] | UK OST [70] | ||
Soul: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) |
| 69 | 24 | 58 | 12 |
Jazz Selections: Music From and Inspired by Soul |
| — | — | — | — |
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
US Jazz [54] | US Heat [71] | ||
Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art |
| — | — |
The Music of John Lewis (with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis) |
| 3 | — |
Anatomy of Angels: Live at the Village Vanguard |
| 3 | 20 |
Chronology of a Dream: Live at the Village Vanguard |
| 7 | — |
Live at Electric Lady |
| — | — |
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
US Jazz [54] | US Heat [71] | ||
In the Night |
| — | — |
The Amazing Jon Batiste! |
| — | — |
MY N.Y. (with Stay Human) |
| — | — |
The Late Show EP (with Stay Human) |
| 3 | 18 |
We Are: Roots & Traditions |
| — [B] | — |
Spotify Singles |
| — | — |
A Little Bit of Soul |
| — | — |
We Are the Golden Ones |
| — | — |
Jon Batiste: The Nominated Collection |
| — | — |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Dig. [74] | US AAA [75] | US R&B/ HH | US R&B [76] | US Rock Air. [77] | CAN Dig. [78] | JPN O/S [79] | MEX Air. [80] | |||||
"Rise Up" (with Fonseca) | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
"Endless Love" (featuring Aloe Blacc) | 2016 | — | — | — [C] | — | — | — | — | — | Christmas with Jon Batiste | ||
"Ohio" (with Leon Bridges and Gary Clark Jr.) | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
"Battle Hymn of the Republic" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
"Sweet Lorraine" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Relief: A Benefit for the Jazz Foundation of America's Musicians Relief Fund | ||
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Recorded at Spotify Studios NYC) (featuring Danielle Brooks) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||
"Creative" (live) | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Anatomy Of Angels: Live at the Village Vanguard | ||
"It's All Right" (from Soul) (Duet version) (with Celeste) | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
"I Need You" | — | 2 | — [D] | — [E] | — | — | — | — | We Are | |||
"Freedom" | 2021 | 4 | 13 | — [F] | 19 | 39 | 13 | 18 | 21 | |||
"Cry" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
"Sweet" (with Pentatonix and Diane Warren) [84] | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Diane Warren: The Cave Sessions Vol. 1 | ||
"The Light Shines Brightest in the Dark" (from Marlowe ) | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
"Be Who You Are (Real Magic)" (featuring JID, NewJeans, and Camilo) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | World Music Radio | |||
"Calling Your Name" [85] | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
"Drink Water" (featuring Jon Bellion and Fireboy DML) [86] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"When I Get There" (Peter CottonTale featuring Jon Batiste, Jeremih, Jamila Woods, and Jack Red) | 2020 | Catch |
"Skylark" (Nora Germain featuring Jon Batiste) | Non-album single | |
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" (Deon Jones featuring Jon Batiste) | ||
"L.O.V.E." (Yung Bae featuring EarthGang, Jon Batiste, and Sherwyn) | 2022 | Groove Continental: Side A |
"Jon Batiste Interlude" (Lana Del Rey featuring Jon Batiste) | 2023 | Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd |
"Candy Necklace" (Lana Del Rey featuring Jon Batiste) | ||
"Saint Ferdinand" (Lauren Daigle featuring Jon Batiste and Natalie Hemby) | Lauren Daigle | |
Batiste has received several accolades, including being placed in the 2016 Forbes 30 Under 30 music list, [87] and being named Grand Marshal of Endymion Parade in New Orleans in 2018.
He has been awarded the American Jazz Museum Lifetime Achievement Award, the Harry Chapin ASCAP Humanitarian Award and the Movado Future Legend Award. In May 2017, Batiste received an honorary degree from Salve Regina University for his musical achievements and contributions to Newport's 2014 International Jazz Day. [88] In 2018, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance for "Saint James Infirmary Blues". [8] In 2020, he received two Grammy nominations: his album Chronology of a Dream: Live at the Village Vanguard was nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, and Meditations (with Cory Wong) was nominated for Best New Age Album. [8]
In 2020, Batiste, along with Nine Inch Nails band members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, composed the score for the Disney and Pixar animated film, Soul. The three went on to win the Golden Globe, the Critics' Choice Award, the BAFTA Award, and the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Batiste's Oscar win made him only the second black composer to win an award in the category (after Herbie Hancock in 1987). [34] In 2021, Batiste received 11 nominations and became the most nominated artist at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. [89]
In 2022, Batiste won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. [90] He was named in Time magazine's 2022 "Top 100 Most Influential People", in the Icons category. [91] Batiste was featured on the 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival's commemorative poster. [91]
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and former television host. As of 2019, he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 16 million in certified sales. He has had seven top 20 U.S. albums, and ten number-one U.S. jazz albums, earning more number-one albums than any other artist in U.S. jazz chart history as of 2009.
The Meters are an American funk band formed in 1965 in New Orleans by Zigaboo Modeliste (drums), George Porter Jr. (bass), Leo Nocentelli (guitar) and Art Neville (keyboards). The band performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977 and played an influential role as backing musicians for other artists, including Lee Dorsey, Robert Palmer, Dr. John, and Allen Toussaint. Their original songs "Cissy Strut" and "Look-Ka Py Py" are considered funk classics.
Aaron Joseph Neville is an American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. "Tell It Like It Is", from 1966, also reached the top position on the Soul chart for five weeks.
Jason Marsalis is an American jazz drummer, vibraphone player, composer, producer, band leader, and member of the Marsalis family of musicians. He is the youngest son of Dolores Ferdinand Marsalis and the late Ellis Marsalis, Jr.
Terence Oliver Blanchard is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He has also written two operas and more than 80 film and television scores. Blanchard has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Original Score for BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Da 5 Bloods, both directed by Spike Lee, a frequent collaborator.
Troy Andrews, also known by the stage name Trombone Shorty, is a musician, most notably a trombone player, from New Orleans, Louisiana. His music fuses rock, pop, jazz, funk, and hip hop.
Gary Lee Clark Jr. is an American guitarist and singer who fuses blues, rock and soul music with elements of hip hop. In 2011, Clark signed with Warner Bros Records and released The Bright Lights EP. It was followed by the albums Blak and Blu (2012) and The Story of Sonny Boy Slim (2015). Throughout his career, Clark has been a prolific live performer, documented by Gary Clark Jr. Live (2014) and Gary Clark Jr Live/North America (2017).
Brittany Amber Howard is an American musician from Athens, Alabama. She rose to prominence in the early 2010s for being the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and the primary songwriter of Alabama Shakes. Her work with Alabama Shakes garnered her four Grammy Awards from nine nominations. Later in the decade, Howard played bass in the side project Thunderbitch as well as both acoustic guitar and double bass for the trio Bermuda Triangle.
Austin Bisnow, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and lead singer of the alt band Magic Giant and co-lead singer of the indie folk duo Somewhere In Between. He has written and produced songs for artists such as David Guetta feat. John Legend ("Listen"), Big Time Rush, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Steve Aoki & Moxie Raia, and Paul Oakenfold, where he was also the featured artist. In addition, Bisnow has collaborated with Akon, Aloe Blacc, Diplo, will.i.am, American Authors, Cody Simpson, Adam Levine, Gym Class Heroes, Benny Blanco, Mike Posner, Claude Kelly, Beast, Sammy Adams, and Cisco Adler.
The Late Show Band is a band originally founded and led by American musician Jon Batiste as Stay Human. They became the house band for Stephen Colbert's late-night talk show The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on September 8, 2015. When Batiste departed the show on August 12, 2022, Louis Cato became the new bandleader and Stay Human was renamed The Late Show Band, a change that took effect on September 6, 2022.
Jamison Ross is an American jazz drummer and vocalist. He is the winner of the 2012 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Drums Competition. Ross released his debut album Jamison on Concord Jazz on June 23, 2015. His sophomore album, All For One, was released on January 26, 2018.
Jacob Collier is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and educator. His music incorporates a combination of jazz and elements from other musical genres, and often features extensive use of reharmonisations and close harmony. He is known for his energetic live performances, in which he often conducts the audience to sing harmony or play percussion parts. Collier demonstrates his harmonic expertise in lectures and master classes, particularly with his detailed analyses of songs like Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" and his own music.
Big Thief is an American indie folk band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 2015. The band consists of Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek and James Krivchenia (drums). Between 2015 and 2024, the band also included longtime bass guitarist, Max Oleartchik.
Cha Wa is a Grammy-nominated Mardi Gras Indian funk band based out of New Orleans, Louisiana. The name Cha Wa is a slang phrase used by Mardi Gras Indian tribes, meaning "we're comin' for ya" or "here we come." Frontman Honey Bannister is known for dressing in traditional Mardi Gras Indian clothing during performances, including intricately designed headdresses.
Cory J. Wong is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer based in Minneapolis. He has released many works as a solo artist and in partnership with others. His background spans several genres including jazz, rock, and funk. He has performed with Vulfpeck, Dave Koz, Stay Human, The Fearless Flyers, Ben Rector, Dr. Mambo's Combo, Chris Thile, Dave Matthews Band, and Dirty Loops. He released several albums in 2020, including Live in Amsterdam, a collaboration with the Metropole Orkest, and Meditations, a new-age album with Jon Batiste. His recent works include two albums released in conjunction with his variety show.
Jeffery Oliver Miller is an American trombonist, vocalist, composer, arranger and bandleader primarily known for his work in jazz and pop music. He was worked with Delfeayo Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and John Legend, among others.
Soul: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2020 Disney-Pixar film Soul. The soundtrack is a compilation of all 23 score pieces by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from the Soul: Original Motion Picture Score vinyl album as well as 16 original songs by Jon Batiste from the Music from and Inspired by Soul vinyl album. All three albums were released through Walt Disney Records on December 18, 2020.
We Are is the sixth studio album by Jon Batiste. It was released on Verve Records on March 19, 2021. In April 2022, We Are won Album of the Year at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards; it earned Batiste nine nominations in total, with five wins.
"This Land" is a song by American blues rock artist Gary Clark Jr., from his fourth studio album of the same name. The song was released on January 10, 2019, as the album's lead single, through Warner Bros. Records. An official music video was released the same day. "This Land" received positive reviews from music critics, and won both Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Louis Cato is the bandleader of the Late Show Band, the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Cato is a singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who plays bass, guitar, percussion, low brass, and others. He is also a solo recording artist with three albums to his credit.