Jon Batiste

Your Mama’s Kitchen

Higher Ground

Relationships, Society & Culture

4.8 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 20 December 2023

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Singer, songwriter, composer, and genuine music lover Jon Batiste serenades us with his harmonica-keyboard while reminiscing on the sounds of his childhood kitchen in New Orleans. He describes what it was like to grow up in a big, musical family of jazz legends, and shares some of their favorite Christmas traditions—including competing to see who could make the

best and truest gumbo.

Jon Batiste is a multiple Oscar and Grammy award-winning musician and TV personality. He was the bandleader and musical director for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2015 to 2022. He also received multiple awards for his work on Pixar’s Soul. He is the subject of a new documentary, American Symphony.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	For those who don't understand, a lot of people think they've had gumbo and they've
0:08.4	had gumbo.
0:09.4	A lot of people call stuff gumbo, that's not gumbo. But for those who know when you have
0:16.2	gumbo and you're making gumboe happen, it's very meticulous.
0:22.4	Welcome to your us. up in as kids. I'm Michelle Norris. Today's guest is a musical wonder, multiple
0:35.5	Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, and composer John Batiste. And it's no
0:40.8	surprise that our conversation quickly turned to Gumbo, that hot steaming bowl of deliciousness that New Orleans is known for.
0:48.0	John is one of the city's favorite sons, and Gumbo is an apt metaphor for his songwriting and his attitude toward life.
0:55.0	Everything he does from his music to his fashion to the way he moves through the world
1:00.0	embodies a medley of influences, special flavors, and notes from his world travels.
1:06.5	You might know John from his days leading the band on the late show with Stephen Colbert,
1:10.7	or you may remember his over-the-top silver-spangled performance of his hit song Freedom at the
1:16.1	2022 Grammy Award ceremony where he was nominated for 11 awards and went home with a whopping five statues. He's also known for
1:25.2	collaboration and there's that gumbo thing again, recording with artists such as
1:29.0	Stevie Wonder, Lana Del Rey and Willie Nelson. I've known John for years and I love that he's held on to the playful eccentricities
1:37.0	you used to see in his street performances even as he became a music
1:44.9	This is a man who loves music. He comes from a musical dynasty in New Orleans. The Batiste family members are key players in epic ensembles including the Tremay Brass Band and the Olympia Brass Band.
1:58.0	We caught up with John toward the end of a stretch filled with highlights and heartbreak. In the same year that he racked up
2:04.4	all those grammies his wife was battling leukemia and came close to death.
2:08.2	Their story is featured in the new film American Symphony.
2:12.6	In this episode, you're here about a remarkable life
2:16.0	that has been guided by food, family, and faith.
	...

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