JON BATISTE - We Are

There are albums that mark the passage of time, or rather an entire era. They're like diaries packed with notes on the social, political and cultural reality of their moment, narratives gifted with both synthesis and communicative power. Jon Batiste's new album "We Are" is all of this, and more. A small step back is needed to briefly recount the journey of the New Orleans pianist and singer: a talented son of musicians who grew up listening to r&b, jazz and video game soundtracks (yes, video games), a sessionman in the court of Harry Connick Jr and Stevie Wonder, nominated several times for the Grammy Awards and author of soundtracks for Spike Lee and Pixar (“Soul” and the multi-award-winning “Anima”).

"We Are" is the latest project in a recording career launched in 2005, the first to open the door to a more musically inclusive vision, following a few projects with a decidedly more jazz or experimental slant (including a soundtrack made in tandem with Bill Laswell, "The Process").

It's a genuine statement of intent, as well as a compendium of the artistic and social experiences that have seen the musician consistently on the front line in the fight for Black rights (it's no coincidence that Jon's band is called Stay Human). What makes it all even more exciting is the contagious joie de vivre and the high musical quality of the material on offer (even Quincy Jones and Mavis Staples were enlisted).

Batiste's aim is to rework the jazz, soul and r&b tradition through a pop lens, a synthesis that isn't detached from the deep social motivations underlying it. It's no coincidence that the first piece of the puzzle, the title track, was conceived as support for the Black Lives Matter protests, with the artistic contribution of Louisiana's St. Augustine High School Marching 100 band and the prestigious Gospel Soul Children ensemble.

"We Are", much like the video accompanying "I Need You", reawakens and renews all the liberating power of music; it's a manifesto of generational redemption that draws on a glorious past (the classic New Orleans-style swing of the aforementioned "I Need You", or the Curtis Mayfield-style funk-soul of "Adulthood"), renewing and cross-pollinating tradition with the splendid, heretical flashes of inspiration on "Boy Hood" (featuring PJ Morton and Trombone Shorty), where funk, jazz, soul, hip-hop and the sound of New Orleans all coexist.

It's hard to imagine an album more musically complete, varied and mature than "We Are". Batiste captures both nostalgia and the urge for change through vibrant blends of funk and psychedelia ("Tell The Truth") and carefree rap lightness ("Whatchutalkinbout"); the songs alternate between introspective, intense folk-blues ("Cry") and surprising dance tracks with an irresistible, lasting charm ("Freedom").

Batiste's contagious energy elevates even the rare, more ordinary moments ("Show Me The Way"), adding to the backbone of the album an excellent piano performance that recalls the "Soul" soundtrack ("Movement 11'"), a sensual Marvin Gaye-style funk-soul ("Sing"), and a field recording capturing a performance by New Orleans Indians singing "Shoo Fly" with nothing but improvised percussion for support, yet another testament to a cultural reality that has paid the price of white supremacy.

“We Are” is the story of a community that still uses music as a language of interaction and civil solidarity: on June 6, 2020, as protests against police brutality and racial injustice were growing, Jon Batiste led 5,000 demonstrators through the streets of New York with a group of 200 musicians performing songs like “We Shall Overcome” and other classics, asserting the civil rights of communities still living through the ordeal of oppression.

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08/08/2021