- 2024-11-20
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MUSIC
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Jon Batiste Releases New Solo Piano Album “Beethoven Blues”
American singer-songwriter and Jazz pianist Jon Batiste released his first solo piano album “Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1)” on November 15, 2024 via Verve Records / Interscope / Universal Music Canada.
The album comprises a 11-track, which he performed classical works of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven into blues or gospel songs.
All songs were written by Ludwig van Beethoven and produced by Jon Batiste.
Jon Batiste said of the album, “For each work on the album, the starting point was one of Beethoven's original compositions. From there, I created something new at the piano, in real time. Spontaneous composition is a practice that's all but lost in classical music, which can sometimes feel overly canonized. Recording this album was a deeply spiritual experience. It allowed me to honor Beethoven's transcendent artistry while bringing his work into dialogue with my own creative journey.”
He added, “Since childhood I've made a practice of interpolating classical piano music as if it were my own. I was often drawn to be in conversation with Beethoven's music. Many have asked if I'd ever record MY version of a classical piano album, and especially since my recent interview with Chris Wallace...so here it is!”- Jon Batiste told Apple Music about Beethoven, “I hear the blues in Beethoven's music, even though the blues wasn't codified as a form yet. I hear rhythmic influences in his music that through the diaspora led to the blues, that led to gospel music. Was he conscious of it in the way that we are today, and thinking, 'Oh, this is a blues inflection'? No, he wasn't, because it wasn't invented yet. But he was drawing from such a wide palette of musical influence, that there are connections to be made now that couldn't have been made then.
He continued, “That's the beauty of being an artist in the 21st century. You have such a rich tradition, and such a cultural inheritance to play with. If you have the imagination to hear it, and the technical facility to pull it off, then you can make things a reality that never existed before.”
He added, “I want to extend on Beethoven's music. I know some people will clutch their pearls to hear that, but I think it's a beautiful thing.” -
Jon Batiste explained about some tracks for the album.
“Für Elise - Batiste”
“I love this part in 'Für Elise-Batiste' as you can see by my huge grin. Beethoven himself was a master improviser-or as I like to call it, spontaneous composition. Improvisation is often looked at as less significant and less thoroughly rigorous than composition. The implication is that it's unstudied, unrehearsed, out of nowhere-when, really, some of the greatest compositions in history may have been made upon the spot, having come out of decades of practice and study.
The legendary Thelonious Monk once said, 'A genius is the one who is most like himself.' I love that quote because it speaks to authenticity. It speaks to the need to be exactly who you are, and to do the thing that is most innate to you. Nobody else has your specific talents, your interests, your experience, your skills, or your perspective. If you channel that kind of authentic expression, you bring things into the world that nobody else ever has or will. All you need is some imagination-because it's up to you to create the blueprint for the thing you want to see in the world.
I love imagination. I love that something in your mind that's not real can become real. You can bend and shape and mold and push back against the world around you. If no one has done it yet, you can think about doing something. It doesn't have to be make-believe; it can be real.”
“5th Symphony In Congo Square”
“This music could heal the world!!!!!. If we could all come together the way this music comes together, notes and tones in harmony, no bias, celebrating our differences and co-creating in service of the greater good. What if Beethoven was from the Congo? What would that sound and feel like? Would we still respect his music as much? What about including the African 6/8 rhythm and the proto blues inflections of New Orleans Congo square lineage?
I love this track and video so much, thank you Alan Ferguson for blessing us by capturing this performance through your magical lens. Go experience this music and watch was we extend the of culture lineage of humanity and create music that is an allegory for the ideal state of the world.”
“Waldstein Wobble”
“In the 'Waldstein Wobble,' you have the boogie-woogie, then you have the stride, then you have the up-tempo gospel stomp and shout music, and then it goes into this sort of plagal, choral-like church rendering of the theme. And later it goes into a more contemporary blues space, like what you might hear from Chick Corea, that sort of a Return to Forever sort of space.”
Photo by Kandice Chavous - source : Apple Music
