SARATOGA SPRINGS – Skidmore College announces that Jon Batiste, celebrated musician, television personality, and bandleader of Stephen Colbert’s Late Show will perform with his band, Stay Human, at Skidmore this summer as part of the Stewart’s Signature Series.
The July 6 performance at the Arthur Zankel Music Center will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets, available for $30 each, are available online HERE. All proceeds from the July 6 concert will benefit the McCormack Skidmore Jazz Institute Scholarship Fund.
As bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jon Batiste is known for soulful performances which often include his signature melodica (a hybrid harmonica and keyboard instrument) as well as engaging “social music” experiences, involving audience participation and occasional impromptu street parades.
Batiste will be joined at Skidmore by his band, Stay Human, featuring Eddie Barbash (alto sax, and vocals), Louis Cato (acoustic & bass guitar, tuba, percussion, vocals), Ibanda Ruhumbika (tuba), Jonathan Lampley (trumpet, tuba), Grace Kelly (alto and baritone saxophone), Russell Hall (bass) and Joseph Saylor (drums).
Jon is familiar with Skidmore College, and the community is eagerly anticipating his return this summer.
“Jon was a student at the Skidmore Jazz Institute in 2004, and Joseph Saylor, (Stay Human bandmate) was also a former Skidmore Jazz Institute student. Having Jon and Joe here as guest artists on the 30thAnniversary of the Jazz Institute program is especially meaningful,” said Todd Coolman, Director of the Skidmore Jazz Institute.
“This will also be Jon’s second time performing in our Skidmore Summer concert series, his first performance was in 2009,” Coolman added.
The Juilliard-trained pianist also serves as Artistic Director At Large of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and recently received the American Jazz Museum Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree.
Jon has released several self-produced independent albums, including “MY N.Y.” which was recorded entirely on the street corners and subways of New York City, and “Jazz is Now” featuring his unique take jazz standards in the classic piano format. His 2013 release “Social Music” spent over a month atop the both Billboard jazz charts and iTunes jazz charts as the #1 jazz album in the world.
Born into a long line of Louisiana musicians, Batiste is now based in New York City, where The Late Show is taped daily.
The Stewart’s Signature Series will feature five world-class performances to be held on the Skidmore campus in Saratoga Springs this summer. The performances are made possible through a generous grant from Stewart’s Shops and the Dake family.
For additional information, visit Zankel’s website or call 518-580-5321.
