4/5
Roll Over Beethoven
"He's in the room with us", Jamie Foxx's Juilliard cello player Nathaniel Ayers tells Robert Downey Jr's Los Angeles Times journalist Steve Lopez in the great movie 'The Soloist'. "Who?" Downey replies, forgiven for wondering what Ayers is talking about as he booked out the legendary steel sculptures of LA's Walt Disney Concert Hall for "just us". "Beethoven!" It's barely been a year since Grammy and Oscar winning musician Jon Batiste graced us with the planetary sounds of 'World Music Radio'. Also breaking our hearts with the 'American Symphony' documentary on Netflix with his wife Suleika Jaouad's brave battle with leukaemia. But now the 'Soul' singer moves and soothes us without a word. Healing us all with the 'Beethoven Blue', volume one in the 'Batiste Piano Series', which is what the world really needs, right now, like love, sweet love.
It's all right now. These Beethoven tracks twinkled to eleven in black and white find Jon alone in his home like this was corona all over again. Offering opportunities to play around, not only with Ludwig, but also some lovely music videos of perfect performances, suited and booted up to the nines. Case in point is the 'Blues' opener and lead single, 'Für Elise' and the reverie of its curtain closing reprise. The Grammy multiplied by five man, like an Adele or Norah Jones, is all about the pure piano, like the late, great Ryuichi Sakamoto's magnum 'Opus', in his deepest and most decadently curated cut yet. We can't wait for volume two with moving sonnets like the 'Moonlight Sonata Blues', or his own reprisal of the 'American Symphony Theme', that will once again move you to the same tears those watching 'Angels In America' on Broadway had, after reading the play's prose. Transcendent, as Ludwig Van Beethoven's own work plays with Batiste's original compositions about growing up in New Orleans. Stepping out into a 'Symphony No. 5 Stomp' until the 'Dusklight Movement' calls day in a '7th Symphony Elegy' for your sympathy.
Christmas is coming, you can tell that, not only by the festive decorations that line your city streets, but also by last New Music Friday. It's Monday, and we still aren't through all the big new releases. The heavy hitters are all wrapping up albums that will make the perfect presents this Christmas. Gifts from the greats like Dolly Parton, Mary J. Blige, Gwen Stefani, St. Vincent, Jin of BTS and the new Linkin Park. But with this tribute to the 'Life Of Ludwig', nothing makes more memories last a lifetime with even more feeling and meaning than this 'Ode To Joyful'. A much more, straight-forward and laced step in this 'Waldstein Wobble', after the wonderful 'World Music Radio' was literally all over the place at times. Focussing forward, the '5th Symphony In Congo Square' tells tales of the times a young Batiste would gig across NOLA and compete in competitions on the ivories. One of the best to do it, washing those blues away, is unbeatable now, like the swamp his style originated from. Under a Crescent City moon, we can see the shadows of all those who inspired and influenced dear Jon. Like the silhouette of a wig, almost as iconic as his hair. He's still in the room with us. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Playlist Picks: 'Für Elise', 'Moonlight Sonata Blues', 'American Symphony Theme'
Spin This: Ryuichi Sakamoto - 'Opus'
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