I'll confess to not knowing Jon Batiste before seeing him on Late Night with Steven Colbert. I'm not super keen on his melodica playing, but think he's a stellar piano player. After some hesitation I purchased Hollywood Africans and don't regret it for a second. First of all there's not a melodica in sight. Second, it's a super lightly orchestrated record, with Batiste's piano playing and singing really at the front. It's technically not a solo album, but it feels like one. And while there's a lot of classic jazz repertoire covers on the album, Batiste's take on them (or, in some cases, reharmonizing) actually makes them unique and fascinating. I'm starting to think we may have here the direct heir to the Bayou Maharajah James Booker. Batiste even does one of these Chopin improvisations that Booker used to do. Really good stuff.
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