Stephen Colbert traveled down the Mississippi River to court New Orleans jazz musician Jon Batiste as his band leader for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Time reported. The 28-year-old artist will take over the coveted "Late Show" gig, succeeding former band leader Paul Shaffer who held the title for more than 30 years under David Letterman's reign. Here's five things you need to know before Batiste steps into his new gig.
1. Batiste comes from a long line of jazz musicians.
The Batiste lineage runs deep in the New Orleans music scene, a culture that's rich with jazz. Free-jazz saxophone player Alvin Batiste is Jon's grandfather's cousin, Rolling Stone reported. Jon's uncle Russell Batiste played drums for funk band The Meters and Jon joined the Batiste Brothers Band at age eight. The family was featured in the HBO series "Treme."
"Earliest musical memory," Batiste told Rolling Stone, "is probably being scared stiff with my family's band as a youngster on stage playing the conga drums. Yep. . . . Trial by fire. That was it. You didn't have any real instruction other than, 'Go. Play.' One word instructions. 'Play. Go.'"
2. Batiste's instrument of choice is piano.
He switched instruments in his teenage years, from percussion to the piano. He practiced with a mix of classical compositions and songs from video games like "Street Fighter Alpha" and "Final Fantasy 7," according to Rolling Stone.
3. Batiste is Julliard-trained.
He moved to New York at 17 years old to study at the esteemed performing arts school Julliard, according to Rolling Stone. Batiste managed to release multiple albums while enrolled in the school and graduated in 2011 with his master's degree.
4. Batiste is the leader of his own band.
Shortly after he graduated from Julliard, Batiste enlisted the help of a saxophonist, percussionist and tubist to form his band, Time reported. Known as "Jon Batiste and Stay Human," the band performs shows, and recently took the stage at the Newport Folk Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival.
5. Batiste is thoughtful about his approach to late-night TV.
Batiste noted that the late-night TV show band leader role has gone through a transformation over the years and he's excited to contribute to the reinvention of the gig, according to the New York Times.
"What that means is, there's an opportunity for innovation," Batiste told the Times. "So if there's anything that I would draw from the situation, it's that your imagination is your best friend right now. Be imaginative."
Check out Batiste's musical prowess in the video below.
