JALC presents JazzStories—Jonathan Batiste

A scion of one of New Orleans’ legendary musical families, pianist Jonathan Batiste is now making waves on the New York jazz scene. Batiste came to the city at age 17 to study at the Julliard School of Music and began performing with artists including Wynton Marsalis, Cassandra Wilson, and Roy Hargrove. In addition to performing with his band, Stay Human, Batiste is also the Associate Artistic Director of The National Jazz Museum in Harlem. In this August 2012 interview with JALC’s David Goren, he discusses his and his family’s musical heritage, breaking the stereotype of New Orleans players as “party musicians,” and how getting the audience involved takes the music to another level.