Jon Batiste (2021)

One Liner: Jazzy pianist who makes purely fun music and plays with Stephen Colbert's Late Show

Wikipedia Genre: Jazz, R&B
Home: Metairie, Louisiana

Poster Position: 7
Weekend Two Only.

Sunday at 7:30 on the T-Mobile Stage

Thoughts:  I've heard a few of these tunes before, but I wouldn't have been able to ID this guy beforehand.  I think I thought that the songs I had heard before were actually by John Legend.  He is the bandleader and musical director for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and looks like the dude from the Pixar movie Soul (for which he co-composed the music and won an Academy Award).  He was born in Louisiana to a musical family and became a piano mastermind while attending Julliard.  His usual band is called Stay Human, but for some reason they aren't listed on the poster here for this performance.

Lots of albums, and honestly I'm really enjoying the later ones.  The early stuff is more piano-focused and straight jazz.  Like, the ten minute opening song from his first album is all jazzy piano scatting with flute and trumpet be-bopping along over the top.  For ten minutes.  For the people who dig that, I bet it's great, but that isn't going to be my bag.  This is "Misunderstood."

Lotta gentle cymbals going on in there.  It's great!  I can tell he is very talented!  But it still doesn't mean I want to hear a whole show of that while standing in a dusty field.  Luckily, his more recent albums are not that jazziness.  He's now pushed the piano-forward stuff out of the way in favor of a more funky pop sound.  Which is legit!

One of the tunes from Soul is his top streamer - this is "It's All Right," with just over ten million streams.

The other thing that this reminds me of right now is Leon Bridges.  That same style of soulful and lovely voice.  "CRY" makes me think of Gary Clark Jr.  "WE ARE," with its awesome choir/marching band breakdown reminds me where this dude is from.  His next top streamer, which I've heard on the radio some, is fun as hell.  "I NEED YOU," with 4.6 million streams.

I mean, if that bouncy little bass line and hand-clap action at the start doesn't affect you at least a little bit?  You're dead inside.  Sorry to tell you.  It's overly earnest, but I'm loving it anyway.  Gimme someone putting themselves out there and having a good time all day over the mopey shit that half of this poster has ended up being.  I'mma give you one more, just because.  "Freedom," with 2.6 million streams and another fun video.

Brings to mind that diddy diddy bop rap song from US3 that came out in the mid-90s.  Such a purely joyful song.  Inject it into my veins.  And yeah, I know that mostly I like rock and rap that is not so pure and innocent, but this stuff just jams. 

As of now, the kids are scheduled to come with me on Sunday of second weekend, and unless something major is up against this guy, I'm 100% going to make them go enjoy this joy with me.

Oh wait!  Tiny Desk!

That organ on "Cry" is devastating.  Just so full of feeling and soul.  That whole show is funky and fun.

I'd go see his show.