The former band leader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert returns to talk with Terry Gross about his new album, Beethoven Blues. We also talk about his early years, like how he had a reputation at Juilliard for playing his melodica everywhere and breaking into song in class. It nearly resulted in him getting kicked out. Now he serves on the board.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
What is John Batiste's new album about?
Well, there's a couple of things there. I think that I'm associated with joy because... i do it to a level that is is hard to come by it's i do it well and it's not something that you see often in particular when you think of performers who are in the mainstream there's there's this sense of um joy that i bring that is very very singular
And I enjoy that, and I think it's very important to have joy in your expression, in the expression of black American artists and artists across all cultures. But I also think that there's always been this... this underpin in my music that's coming from struggle and coming from many things that, you know, maybe transmute into joy later, but don't start that way.
And I think there's a lot of reasons why the choice to latch on to the joyous aspects of what I presented, me to continue to deliver that to the people as an antidote to the times that we're in
My guest is John Batiste. He's joining us at the piano. His new solo album is called Beethoven Blues. We'll talk more after a break. This is Fresh Air.
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So at the same time that your wife was getting the bone marrow transplant, you were also writing, composing your American Symphony. And the theme of that is featured on your album Beethoven Blues.
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