Pianist, bandleader, vocalist and New Orleans musical royalty Jon Batiste is set to release Hollywood Africans, his first solo album and first studio album on a major record label via Verve Records on September 28, 2018. “Don’t Stop” is the first track from the forthcoming album and it’s out now. Listen below:
Recorded in a church-turned-studio in New Orleans and produced by T Bone Burnett, Jon Batiste’s major label debut, Hollywood Africans, is an homage to his musical heroes and an intimate portrait of the artist – many songs are just Jon and his piano.
“The idea was to strip everything down, go back to basics,” he says. “When you strip something down to rawest form, the essence of it shines through.” He believes that this is why, though the album was recorded over such a long time, it still feels unified and not dated; “You’re getting who I am at the core.”
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Credit: The Chamber Group