Transcription
Stephen: IT'S LIKE A SQUASH COURT IN HERE. HEY, EVERYBODY! WELCOME BACK. OH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. I'M SO HAPPY TO SAY THAT MY NEXT GUEST TONIGHT IS A OSCAR AND GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING ARTIST AND AN OLD FRIEND OF OURS. HE HAS JUST RELEASED A NEW ALBUM, "BEETHOVEN BLUES," AND STARS IN THE MOVIE "SATURDAY NIGHT," WHICH HE ALSO WROTE THE SCORE FOR. PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," JON BATISTE.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
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[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
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THERE IT IS.
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THERE IT IS. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
Jon: BACK IN THE SADDLE. WHERE IS MY HORSE? [LAUGHS] RIDING MY HORSE. YEAH!
Stephen: YOU HAD AN EXPERIENCE THIS YEAR THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE GET TO HAVE. THIS YEAR, YOU GOT TO -- YOU COLLABORATED WITH BEYONCE ON HER ALBUM "COWBOY CARTER." WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH HER? HAD YOU MET HER BEFORE?
Jon: YEAH, I HAD MET HER BEFORE. I HAD A GLORIOUSLY AWKWARD EXTREMES MEETING HER BEFORE WE WERE TOGETHER ABOUT FIVE YEARS BEFORE WE WORKED TOGETHER. YOU KNOW, I WAS PRACTICING THE PIANO AND SOMETIMES I GO INTO THIS TRANCE. LET'S JUST SAY I WAS WEARING SOME SWEATS THAT I MAY BE HAD ON FOR THREE DAYS. LET'S NOT JUDGE. YOU KNOW, YOU GET INTO A TRANCE. YOU PLAY AND YOU GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF THERE BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MANY HOURS HAVE PASSED. I HAD TO GET SOME FRESH AIR. I WENT UP THE STREET. I WAS LIVING, CONCERT UP THE STREET AND LINCOLN CENTER. I KNOW THE DOOR CATS AND I SAID CAN I COME AND CHECK SOMETHING OUT FOR SOME INSPIRATION? I WENT TO THE CONCERT WAS SIDE STAGE. I GOT THERE LATE AND IT WAS THE LAST SONG ON THE ENCORE AND BEFORE THE ENCORE, WHO COMES LOOKING LIKE A BILLION DOLLARS? INTO THE NOOK. MS. CARTER. I SEE HER AND SHE'S, SHE LOOKS LIKE SHE COULD BE GOING TO THE MET GALA AND I'M IN THE SWEATS. THE THREE DAY SWEATS. I REALIZE YOU KNOW I AM JUST NOW CLOCKING THE FACT THAT I HAD THE MOSQUE ON MY BODY, IT'S LIKE THE CHARLIE BROWN CLOUD. PIGPEN. I AM PIG PEN ALL THE WAY. WE MET EACH OTHER A FEW TIMES BEFORE THAT AND SHE COMES AND COMES WRITING FOR THE HUG AND I CAN'T WARN HER. I'M NOT GREAT TO BE LIKE NO, NO. BUT AT THE SAME TIME I'M LIKE NO, NO. SO THEN SHE COMES IN. I KNOW IT. I NEVER HAVE MENTIONED IT TO HER. I DIDN'T ASK HER BUT I KNOW, YOU CAN FEEL WHEN YOUR MUSK GOES FORWARD AND YOU KNOW IT CAPTURES SOMEONE. SHE GOT IT ALL. AND THEN I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, I HUGGED HER, I SAID MAN, I DONE FUMIGATED THE QUEEN.
Stephen: A LASTING IMPRESSION. NOT GOING TO FORGET. IN NOVEMBER, THIS PAST NOVEMBER, YOU RELEASED A NEW CLASSICAL ALBUM. "BEETHOVEN BLUES." IN WHICH YOU PUT YOUR OWN SPIN ON BEETHOVEN. EVERYBODY KNOWS BEETHOVEN. WERE YOU ALWAYS A BEETHOVEN FAN?
Jon: YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T REALLY LIKE BEETHOVEN AT FIRST.
Stephen: WHAT DID YOU HAVE AGAINST LUDWIG VAN?
Jon: UNIMPEACHABLE HE GREAT, A VESSEL FOR THE DIVINE BUT WHEN I WAS A KID HE WAS THE PERSON THAT I HAD TO PRACTICE THEIR MUSIC AND LEARN HOW TO GET THROUGH THESE PIANO LESSONS. I WOULD LOOK AT THE MUSIC AND FOR A LONG TIME I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO READ MUSIC. I WOULD PLAY. WHAT MISS SHIRLEY WOULD PLAY, I WOULD PLAY IT BACK AND I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS NOT NORMAL TO JUST BE ABLE TO PLAY A FACTOR B PLAYING A BACK LOOKING AT THE MUSIC ACTING LIKE I WAS READING IT. I WHAT I ENDED UP DOING IS I WOULD TAKE THE MUSIC THAT HE HAD WRITTEN AND I WOULD BE IN CONVERSATION, I WOULD CHANGE THINGS, ADD THINGS TO IT. I REALIZE THAT'S VERY FROWNED UPON.
Stephen: ADDING THINGS TO BEETHOVEN.
Jon: YES.
Stephen: MIXED UP MOZART.
Jon: MIXED UP MOZART. CHOPPING CHOPIN. IT'S BEEN 256 YEARS. IT'S DUE FOR AN UPDATE.
Stephen: I HAVE HEARD SOME OF IT.
Jon: TRULY, EVERYTHING IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN ESPECIALLY DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS, YOU'RE IN CONVERSATION WITH IT. YOU MOLDED AND YOU ADD TO IT. IT WON'T REVOKE ANYTHING THAT EXISTS. IT'S ONLY ADDING TO THE CONTINUUM OF HUMAN CREATIVITY, BABY.
Stephen: OTHER VOICES. OTHER HANDS. YOU WERE A BANDLEADER HERE FOR SEVEN YEARS. NOW YOU'RE IN THE FILM "SATURDAY NIGHT." JUST CAME OUT THIS FALL. YOU PLAYED BILLY PRESTON. HERE YOU ARE. BILLY PRESTON.
Jon: WILLIAM EVERETT PRESTON.
Stephen: X ORDINARY MAN IN HIS OWN RIGHT. DID YOU EVER SEE THE BEATLES DOCUMENTARY? THAT PETER JACKSON PUT TOGETHER? THAT MOMENT WHEN BILLY PRESTON, THEY ARE ALL BUMPING UP AGAINST EACH OTHER. NOT HOSTILITY BUT THERE'S FEELINGS NOT BEING EXPRESSED AND THEY ARE AREN'T NECESSARILY ABOUT THE MUSIC. THE MANAGEMENT, NOT NECESSARILY THE MUSIC. BILLY PRESTON WATSON AND YOU SEE OXYGEN COME INTO THE ROOM. YOU SEE THEY ARE ALL IN THEIR BEST BEHAVIOR AND THEIR THINK ABOUT THE MUSIC AND THEY WANT TO BE GOOD FOR HIM. CAN ONE PERSON MAKE THAT MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE IN THE ROOM? FOR YOU, WHO WOULD THAT BE? WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO BE IN THE ROOM MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE TO PUT YOU IN THE BEST HEAD YOU CAN TO CREATE.
Jon: ONE PERSON CAN MAKE THAT MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE. ANY TEAM, EVEN IF NOT THE BEST PLAYER ON THE BASKETBALL COURT OR SOMEONE NOT CONSIDERED TO BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD THAT THEY HAVE THE BEST ENERGY AND IT LIFTS EVERYTHING. BILLY WAS ALSO ONE OF THE BEST CURE YOU DON'T PLAY FOR RAY CHARLES AND SLY STONE, ALL THE PEOPLE HE PLAYED FOR AND PLAY HIS OWN MUSIC AND NOT BE GREAT. BUT FOR ME, THAT PERSON, YOU KNOW I'VE BEEN BLESSED IN THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS TO BE REGULARLY WORKING WITH STEVIE WONDER. AND STEVIE, YOU KNOW HIM VERY WELL.
Stephen: I DO NOT KNOW HIM VERY WELL. I WOULD LIKE TO. WE HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY AND I'VE INTERVIEWED HIM AND LET'S LEAVE IT AT THAT.
Jon: I THOUGHT I KNEW. YOU LISTEN TO THE MUSIC. YOU KNOW THE MUSIC. THE MUSIC IS WITH YOU. BUT MAN, WHEN YOU SEE A VESSEL LIKE THAT UP CLOSE AT THIS POINT IN THE JOURNEY AND YOU SEE HOW THE PROCESS, THEIR SHORTCUTS TO JUST GET RIGHT TO IT. THE ENERGY OF REALLY BEING A HUMAN BEING AND AN ARTIST, ITS ONE. IT'S NOT LIKE IT SEPARATE. YOUR LIFE AND YOUR VALUES ALIGN WITH YOUR ART. SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU FEEL THAT BEFORE THEY EVEN TOUCH THE INSTRUMENT. THEY JUST COME INTO THE ROOM. THIS IS SACRED. THIS IS SERIOUS. LET'S GO.
Stephen: THAT SOUNDS BEAUTIFUL.
Jon: IT IS.
Stephen: "SATURDAY NIGHT" IS AVAILABLE TO BUY OR RENT AT HOME. "BEETHOVEN BLUES" RIGHT HERE IS ON SALE NOW. JON BATISTE, EVERYBODY. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.