Saturday, August 19, 2023

Jon Batiste: Opening portals to new musical worlds #jazz

               


In April 2022, Lenny Kravitz was reading out the nominees for album of the year at the Grammy Awards.

When he came to Jon Batiste's We Are, Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas turned to the musician and whispered: "We hope it's you."

Their wish came true.

Batiste took home the night's biggest prize, beating high-profile releases by Taylor Swift, Lil Nas X and Eilish herself - with a record that had virtually no commercial impact.

Voters at the Recording Academy were seduced by its hopeful message and its spiritual blend of soul, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop.

But critics called the decision "a huge misfire" that proved the Grammys were "out of touch with the real world".

And although Batiste was the first black artist to win best album in 14 years, one publication complained his music was not "at the forefront of this century's defining hip-hop and R&B sounds".

Surprisingly, the 36-year-old welcomed the debate.


Read the entire article by Mark Savage at bbc.com


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