Jon Batiste takes jazz music to the next level

Jon Batiste and Stay Human perform at Manship Theatre Friday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $25 here. For more information, click here.

Jon Batiste’s goal is to bring jazz music to younger audiences across the globe. The enthusiasm about music he’s noticed among young people is so powerful that he believes a movement is happening.

“It’s in the air,” he says. “The energy we collectively share in this generation coupled with the parallels between technology and arts is interesting. We have a unique opportunity to change the world through our arts.”

Music arts and education are a huge part of Batiste’s upbringing. Through his experience playing in New Orleans as well as studying at Julliard in New York City, Batiste represents a new brand of jazz musician. He’s branching out into the global arena using social media, impromptu performances and whatever other tools are available.

“The information age has made everything we’re doing that much more integrated,” he says. “People don’t make documentaries on bands anymore. All you have to do is follow that artist on social media. You get movies, live recordings, and you see the performer’s interests and influences.”

Currently, Batiste is touring with his band Stay Human. Together, they focus on the concept of bringing love through music—a point made clear on their latest album, Social Music, and in the band’s live performances.

“The thing that makes [people] supernatural is the shared humanity and love we have,” he says. “When you have that exchange through a live music experience, that has power. That coupled with our philosophy of everything being based on love is the standard for what we do.”

On stage, Batiste and Stay Human can reach into many different bags of tricks. He calls the band’s performances “love riots”—a type of energy that came from spontaneous performances around New York.

“When we performed in New York on the streets and in the subway, it felt like a riot,” he says. “There were 300 people blocking the street, and they kept saying, ‘One more song, one more song.’ It was a scene, but it was positive. … It was people coming together.”

Whether on stage or on the record, Batiste can take those younger audiences on a tour through the history of jazz thanks to his music education and performance background.
In short, he’s reaching that goal he set out for himself.

“The cultures in New Orleans and New York have [made] me a global artist, and the band is reaching for [an] unusual mix and blends,” he says. “We’re taking everything that’s entertaining, everything that we love and playing it in hopes that we reach the standard of all the great musicians who came before us.”

For more information on Batiste, visit jonbatiste.com.

Listen to some of Jon Batiste’s music below.