Multi-Grammy & Oscar winner Jon Batiste honors his classical roots with new solo piano album, Beethoven Blues, out November 15 on Verve Records / Interscope

(October 9, 2024) — Multi-Grammy and Oscar Award winner Jon Batiste today announced his eighth studio album, Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1), out November 15 on Verve Records / Interscope. Marking the first installment in Batiste’s new solo piano series, the project showcases his improvisatory transformations of some of Beethoven’s most iconic works, which he has reimagined through an expansive lens. These reconceived classics embody the indomitable spirit of the blues, and – true to Batiste’s “message of open-armed inclusivity” (New York Times) – embrace a broad genre spectrum. Watch the video for the first single, “Für Elise-Batiste,” here.

Beethoven Blues is available for pre-order on CD, standard black LP, and a webstore-exclusive translucent black ice LP, with limited signed editions available exclusively from Batiste’s webstore. Pre-save Beethoven Blues here, and stream/download the first single from the album, “Für Elise-Batiste,” here.

For years, Batiste has incorporated transformations of classical music into his albums, TV performances, and live shows, but Beethoven Blues marks the first time he has dedicated an entire album to the practice. The project gained momentum after a 2023 interview with CNN’s Chris Wallace, in which Batiste demonstrated music’s ability to transcend genre borders by transforming Beethoven’s Bagatelle No. 25 (“Für Elise”) at the piano (watch here). The profound response from audiences on social media confirmed Batiste’s belief that the time was right to make his long-held album idea a reality.

He explains:

“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.”

At Juilliard & Carnegie Hall

Batiste has been variously described as “a certified musical genius” (The Guardian), “a protean pianist and megawatt personality” (Variety), and “a once-in-a-generation talent, with a passion for … connecting people through a shared love of music-making” (Classic FM). Born into a long line of Louisiana musicians, he trained as a classical pianist and received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano from New York’s Juilliard School. He now works with students and faculty as an inaugural Juilliard Creative Associate, while also serving on the Juilliard board.

Batiste returned to his classical roots in the 2021-22 season, when he curated a multi-concert “Perspectives” series at New York’s Carnegie Hall, where he is now an Artist Trustee on the Board of Trustees. The series was crowned by the world premiere of his American Symphony (2022), a Carnegie Hall commission, on the venue’s main stage. Classical Source welcomed this large-scale orchestral work as “a joyous and beefy blend of orchestral sounds, funk, Dixieland, Latin, gospel, country, cool jazz, swing, hip-hop, R&B, as well as other styles and genres,” while Variety reported:

“When he wasn’t singing, scatting and screaming wordlessly and winding his vocals through his symphony’s winnowing passages and rising rhythms, Batiste was doing what he does best: playing piano with incendiary ire and godly grace. … It wasn’t just the story of America, and its collage-like charms and vices. This was also Batiste’s story, and he made a handsome orchestral debut of that story at Carnegie Hall in a truly shining hour.”

Chronicling Batiste’s life during his composition of the work, a critically acclaimed documentary of the same name – American Symphony (2023) – was released by Netflixin partnership with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions. In collaboration with Grammy Award-winning artist Dan Wilson, Batiste wrote and produced the song “It Never Went Away” for the film, earning a 2023 Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

Recent recording successes & upcoming TV show

Beethoven Blues follows the success of Batiste’s two most recent studio albums, both of which showcase the breadth and scope of his musicianship. “A concept album that challenges music’s provincial genre borders” (New York Times), World Music Radio(2023) received four Grammy nominations, including one for “Album of the Year,” while the tracks “Worship” and “Butterfly” were nominated for “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year” respectively. Similarly, We Are (2021) made Grammy history, receiving eleven Grammy nominations in seven different categories and going on to win “Album of the Year” and four more. Other notable successes include the Disney/Pixar film Soul (2020); Batiste’s hands provided the model for the animation of its piano-playing protagonist, while his music for the film won him the 2021 Academy Award for Best Original Score, as well as Golden Globe, BAFTA, NAACP Image, and Critic’s Choice awards.

A master collaborator, Batiste has worked with artists ranging from pop and jazz icons Beyoncé, Prince, and Herbie Hancock to classical legends Andrea Bocelli, Hilary Hahn, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Daniel Bernard Romain, and Chris Thile. In early 2025, he makes his debut on the hit UK TV show The Piano, following Lang Lang as a mentor in the BAFTA-nominated Channel 4 series’ third season, which continues the search to find the UK’s best amateur pianists.

Jon Batiste: Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1)

Label: Verve Records / Interscope
Formats: CD, LP, black ice LP, streaming, & downloads
International release date: Nov 15, 2024

Für Elise-Batiste
Symphony No. 5 Stomp
Moonlight Sonata Blues
Dusklight Movement
Seventh Symphony Elegy
American Symphony Theme
Ode to Joyful
Fifth Symphony in Congo Square
Waldstein Wobble
Life of Ludwig
Für Elise-Reverie

Advance single: Für Elise-Batiste
International release date: Oct 9, 2024