REVIEW: JON BATISTE at Southern Theatre
By Paul Batterson / For BroadwayWorld
“Usually when a performer can go from song style to song style, you call him or her a chameleon, an animal which survives by blending into its surroundings. To call Jon Batiste a chameleon, however, would be a disservice to the five-time Grammy winner.
After watching Batiste perform at the Southern Theatre in downtown Columbus, you realize the man is a transformer.
As a writer, he can work with Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor (collaborating on the Oscar-winning soundtrack for Pixar’s SOUL) in one breath and then work with Beyonce (co-writing “Ameriican Requiem” on her “Cowboy Carter” album) in another.
As a performer, he is as comfortable on the piano, the melodica, and the guitar as he is as a singer. He then takes a song, reimagines it, and turns it into something that is unique, meaningful, and powerful. His two sold-out performances at the Southern Theatre May 2 and 3 as a collaboration with ProMusica became a firework display of Batiste’s versatility.”
Read more: https://www.broadwayworld.com/columbus/article/Review-JON-BATISTE-at-Southern-Theatre-20240505
