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Can we just go ahead and give ALL the awards to Jon Batiste?

A Black man with his arms up in celebration on stage. He is smiling. His red shirt is unbuttoned and open.
Scott Newton
/
Austin City Limits
Jon Batiste performs on "Austin City Limits."

Last week, multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and bandleader Jon Batiste got an astounding 11 Grammy nominations across several musical genres.

You may have seen Jon Batiste as bandleader and musical director on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

His heritage is New Orleans; the Batiste family is musical royalty in that culture.

Batiste is also the co-artistic director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and he has collaborated with pop stars as well as the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. He's a graduate of both the New Orleans Center of the Creative Arts and the Juilliard School, and an alumni of both Wynton Marsalis' and Roy Hargrove's bands.

Batiste's magic is his ability to blend styles and influences. He calls it "social music," and its appeal is evident in the sheer number of Grammy nominations he's received in multiple categories.

His latest album, "We Are," is nominated for Best R&B Album and for Album of the Year.

From that album, the song "Cry" is nominated for Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song; and the song "Movement 11'" is nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

The song "Freedom" is nominated for Best Music Video and Record of the Year, and the song "I Need You" is nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

But wait, there's more!

Batiste's work on the Disney/Pixar animated film "Soul" and the associated recordings landed him nominations for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, Best Jazz Instrumental Album, and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.

We can't wait to see where Jon Batiste will turn up next.

Originally from Detroit, Robin Lloyd has been presenting jazz, blues and Latin jazz on public radio for nearly 40 years. She's a member of the Jazz Education Network and the Jazz Journalists Association.