JonBatisteVEVO

@jonbatistevevo

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With HOLLYWOOD AFRICANS, Jon Batiste dives deep into his own personal and cultural heritage, weaving an intimate and emotional tapestry out of original material and American standards that carries the listener from the early jazz of New Orleans to the present day. Guiding the acclaimed singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and leader of the group Stay Human—since 2015 the house band of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert—was legendary producer T Bone Burnett. The classic songs on HOLLYWOOD AFRICANS include the New Orleans standard “Saint James Infirmary,” “Smile,” “The Very Thought of You,” and Louis Armstrong’s iconic “What a Wonderful World,” which is slowed down to a soothing crawl. “On this record, I want us to bop, dance, laugh and cry to the sound of the music while we remember our black heroes and wield the superpowers they left us with.” says Batiste.