Career:
Jon Batiste was born in Kenner, Louisiana, into a long line of musicians, including Lionel Batiste and Harold Battiste. At the age of 8, he played percussion and drums with his family's band, the Batiste Brothers Band. At his mother's suggestion, he switched to piano at the age of 11. Jon developed his piano skills by taking classical music lessons and transcribing songs from video games such as Street Fighter Alpha, Final Fantasy VII and Sonic the Hedgehog.
At 17, Batiste released Times in New Orleans. He attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts with Trombone Shorty and graduated in 2004 before going on to receive a bachelor's and master's degree from the Juilliard School. While at Juilliard, he released his second album Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art, and by the end of 2006, had been a featured performer in South Africa, London, Lisbon, Spain, Paris and the United States.
In 2007, Batiste made his debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam at the age of 20, both producing and performing his own show. He conducted music clinics, classes and workshops throughout Netherlands in inner city schools and underprivileged neighborhoods. He was invited back to Carnegie Hall to produce and perform in his own show including six young musicians from the Netherlands. The performance concluded with a finale he composed for choir, jazz combo and orchestral instruments. In the year following, Batiste released a number of music projects including Social Music (2013) which spent over a month at the top of the Billboard and iTunes jazz charts, "The Late Show EP" (2016) with Stay Human and a holiday album "Christmas with Jon Batiste" (2016). In 2017, he released the singles "Ohio" with Leon Bridges and Gary Clark Jr. as well as "Battle Hymn of the Republic" for The Atlantic. Batise's debut solo album Hollywood Africans was released under Verve Records in September 2018. "Don't Stop" served as the lead single. Leading up to the album release, Batiste completed a Summer Festival tour across the U.S. with The Dap-Kings.
Batiste's notable career performances include a tribute to Chuck Berry and Fats Domino during the 60th annual Grammy Awards (performing alongside Gary Clark Jr.), the Kennedy Center Honors in tribute to Carmen De Lavallade, the Concert for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama as well as the National Anthem at the 2017 NBA All Star Game and Opening Night of the 2017 US Open. He has curated the Global Citizen Advocacy Concert with Tom Morello and the Louis Armstrong Wonderful World Festival in Queens, N.Y. Batiste is currently signed with Mick Management.
Stay Human.
In 2005, Batiste began performing regularly around the New York music scene with his Juilliard peers, bassist Phil Kuehn and drummer Joe Saylor. He later added Eddie Barbash on alto saxophone and Ibanda Ruhumbika on tuba. Batiste named the band Stay Human, which draws its moniker from the belief that human interaction during a live musical performance can uplift humanity in the midst of the "plug in/tune out" nature of modern society. The band leads impromptu street performances, which Batiste calls "love riots."
In 2011, Stay Human released the album MY N.Y., which was recorded in its entirety on New York City Subway trains, an idea that came to Batiste after questioning how to connect with people.
On April 22, 2017, the band played for the March for Science rally at the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.
Television and film:
In 2014, Batiste and Stay Human appeared on The Colbert Report to perform the group's single, "Express Yourself", written and produced with Austin Bis. On June 4, 2015, it was announced that the group would serve as house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The show premiered on CBS on September 8, 2015. On the show, Batiste and Stay Human have performed alongside Billy Joel, Will Smith, Wynton Marsalis, John Legend, Grace Vanderwaal, and Nas.
Batiste was cast in the HBO television series Treme, appearing in seasons 2, 3 and 4. He was also cast as T.K. Hazelton in director Spike Lee's film Red Hook Summer and composed and performed the Hammond B-3 organ music that was a part of the film score. Other film scores composed by Batiste include the television documentary Duke 91 & 92: Back to Back and the short film Melody of Choice. He also appears in the film Thrive by Paul Szynol.
Miscellaneous.
Batiste was included in the 2016 Forbes 30 Under 30 music list and was named Grand Marshal of Endymion Parade in New Orleans in 2018. He has been awarded the American Jazz Museum Lifetime Achievement Award, the Harry Chapin ASCAP Humanitarian Award and the Movado Future Legend Award. In May 2017, Batiste received an honorary degree from Salve Regina University for his musical achievements and contributions to Newport's 2014 International Jazz Day.
Batiste has been featured in campaigns for Chase Bank, Apple Watch, Lincoln Continental, and numerous fashion brands including Ralph Lauren, Barneys, Nordstrom, Frye Boots and Bonobos.
In April 2022, his album 'We Are' won Album of the Year at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, making Batiste the first Black artist to win the award since Herbie Hancock in 2008.
Discography
Times in New Orleans (2005)
Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art (2006)
In the Night (2008)
The Amazing Jon Batiste! (2009)
MY N.Y. EP (2011) with Stay Human
Social Music (2013) with Stay Human
The Process (2014) with Chad Smith and Bill Laswell
The Late Show EP (2016) with Stay Human
Christmas with Jon Batiste (2016)
Music of Johny Lewis (2017) with Wynton Marsalis
Hollywood Africans (2018)
It's All Right
Jon Batiste Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Say it's alright
It's alright, have a good time
'Cause it's alright, whoa, it's alright
Now listen to the beat
And kinda pat your feet
You've got soul and everybody knows
When you wake up early in the mornin'
Feelin' sad like so many of us do
Just hum a little soul, make life your goal
And surely something's gotta come to you
Say it's alright
Say it's alright
It's alright, have a good time
'Cause it's alright, whoa, it's alright
Now everybody clap your hands
Give yourself a chance
You've got soul and everybody knows
That it's alright, whoa, it's alright
Whoa, it's alright
Now everybody clap your hands
Give yourself a chance
'Cause you've got soul, sing it again
'Cause you've got soul
'Cause you've got soul and everybody knows
That it's alright
The lyrics of Jon Batiste's "It's All Right" are a message of positivity and reassurance. The repetition of the phrase "it's alright" is meant to remind listeners that no matter what they're going through, things will be okay. In the first verse, Batiste encourages listeners to let loose and have a good time, because ultimately everything will be alright. He then urges them to listen to the beat and tap their feet, as a way of acknowledging their own inherent sense of rhythm and groove. This is followed by a reminder that everyone has soul, and that it's something that should be celebrated.
The second verse builds on this theme of personal empowerment, with Batiste giving advice on how to deal with feelings of sadness or despair. He encourages listeners to hum a little soul, to find something to focus on and to strive towards. The chorus then returns, reinforcing the message of positivity and celebration. The song concludes with a repetition of the phrase "you've got soul", reminding the listener of the strength and resilience they possess.
Overall, "It's All Right" is a song about finding hope and joy in even the darkest of times. It's a message of empowerment and self-belief, urging listeners to tap into their own innate sense of rhythm and soul as a way of transcending negativity and finding a path forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Say it's alright
Don't worry, everything is going to be fine
Say it's alright
Repeat after me that things will be alright
It's alright, have a good time
It's okay, enjoy yourself and have fun
'Cause it's alright, whoa, it's alright
Because everything is going to be fine
Now listen to the beat
Pay attention to the rhythm and music
And kinda pat your feet
Start moving to the music
You've got soul and everybody knows
You have inner passion that is evident to others
That it's alright, whoa, it's alright
And you will make it through anything
When you wake up early in the mornin'
When you start your day feeling down
Feelin' sad like so many of us do
Feeling blue, like many other people do
Just hum a little soul, make life your goal
Sing a little tune, make happiness your aim
And surely something's gotta come to you
Good things will come your way soon enough
Now everybody clap your hands
Celebrate, show some enthusiasm
Give yourself a chance
Believe in yourself and your abilities
'Cause you've got soul, sing it again
Because your spirit is strong, sing it one more time
'Cause you've got soul
Because you possess a strong inner passion
And everybody knows
And it's clear to everyone around you
That it's alright
That everything is going to be okay
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Curtis L. Mayfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cesarjohnmacaspac4270
Say it's all right (it's all right)
Say it's all right (it's all right)
It's all right, have a good time
'Cause it's all right, whoa, it's all right
We're gonna move it slow
When lights are low
When you move it slow, it sounds like more
And it's all right, whoa, it's all right
Now listen to the beat
Kinda pat your feet
You got soul, and everybody knows
That it's all right, whoa, it's all right
When you wake up early in the morning
Feelin' sad like so many of us do
Hum a little soul
Make life your goal
And surely something's got to come to you
And say it's all right (it's all right)
Say it's all right (it's all right)
It's all right, have a good time
'Cause it's all right, whoa, it's all right
Now everybody clap your hands
Give yourself a chance
You got soul, and everybody knows
That it's all right, whoa, it's all right
Someday I'll find me a woman
Who will love and treat me real nice
Then my woe's got to go
And my love, she will know
From morning, noon, and night
And she's got to ...
Say it's all right (it's all right)
Say it's all right (it's all right)
It's all right, have a good time
'Cause it's all right, whoa, it's all right
Now everybody clap your hands
Now give yourselves a chance
You got soul...
@Kylianforever7
This movie teaches you that life is not just about the big things such as dreams, money, fame... but the little things around you. The blue sky, the wind, the laughs...and especially pizza.
@paolianytubens1603
Thanks for taking the time to wright this 🤗
@VisualDisplay07
… yes ‘cause I was hella confused. Only movie I’ve seen where I had to Google the plot. They had me at my spark ain’t my purpose OR my passion. 🥴
@annagoda5866
@Vincent Chu q2😊☺😉😆😉🥲🤐🙃😇😃😍🙃😛😀²p
@JohRauh66695
Pizza was always the meaning of life 🍕
@joyceh027
사랑해❤
@DarthInsomnis
I don’t know if I can speak for everyone here, but I think this may be one of the most important and beautiful movies ever made.
@SunIsLost
Yes TRUE
@yamimorris825
agree, a necessary story to be told.
@jasmin4153
Agree, it's so meaningful