Music Review | Jon Batiste Bursts with Joy

The feel-good, high-energy, big-band spirit of joyful noise was in the house last weekend as Jon Batiste paid us an oh-so-welcome visit to the Santa Barbara Bowl. And what an uplifting evening it was. From the first notes of “Tell the Truth” and the beautiful chorus about looking for love, it was clear from the get-go that we had come to the right place for a jolt of positivity.

Until recently Batiste was best known, at least to me, as the bandleader on Stephen Colbert’s show, and his incredibly tight band — with notably fabulous, full-bodied vocals by Desiree “Desz” Washington in a fantastically colorful butterfly of a dress to go with the tour theme — definitely showed off his skill in that regard.

But that was just the beginning.

While there’s always an uncurrent of optimism on a hot summer night at the Bowl, it became a full-on explosion with Batiste and his crew in the house. His high energy, borderline preacher-style-but-more-likable banter quickly got the sold-out crowd singing along on songs like “Freedom” — with the lyrics, “When I move my body just like this / I don’t know why / but I feel like freedom” — and charmed the audience up on our feet when he quipped:  “I’m from New Orleans, where people are not quite as still as you are.”

Santa Barbara loves a challenge — and we didn’t stay still for long as the multi-talented band — featuring Nick Clark on upright bass and vocals, among other things, Max Townsley on electric guitar and keyboards, and Alvin Ford Jr. on drums — played through an eclectic setlist. Highlights included “Be Who You Are,” the sentimental “Butterfly” (whose namesake adorned the backdrop of the stage and the merch), and beautiful covers of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” There was also a fun riff on Suzanne Vega’s “Luka,” leading into  “If You’re Happy and You Know It (Clap Your Hands).” And it was hard not to be happy with a showman like this putting his whole heart into your enjoyment.

The guy really is every bit as charismatic and likable as he is talented — which is saying a LOT on both regards. Even taking notes, I lost track of how many instruments he played, but there was definitely piano, guitar, melodica, saxophone, and percussion, as well as a ginormous keyboard/ground control station that looked more like an art piece from the steampunk genre than any instrument I’ve encountered.

Batiste said he never works from a set playlist, which might partially explain how nimble and dynamic the whole evening felt. “This is a spiritual practice, I just move. I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he shared during a beautiful solo piano set toward the end of the show.

But as beautifully as he played the keys, Batiste didn’t stay still for long. The encore was a winding stroll of the entire band (save the standup bassist), giving out hugs and smiles all way up through the Bowl crowd and well into the cheap(er) seats in a parade of joyful vibrations that those of us west of New Orleans don’t see very often — if ever. All the while playing Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” on his melodica, as we chimed in on the lyrics “every little thing is gonna be alright.”

Under his spell, at least for the duration of that memorable night, things were not just alright but an absolute delight.