>> JAMES: LET'S MEET OUR NEXT GUEST.
HE'S THE UNBELIEVABLY TALENTED MUSICAL DIRECTOR & BAND LEADER
FOR THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT.
HIS LATEST ALBUM IS CALLED, "WE ARE."
PLEASE WELCOME THE MAGNIFICENT, JON BATISTE.
IS HERE TONIGHT.
JON, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
I KNOW THAT WE ARE CATCHING YOU RIGHT BEFORE YOU ARE ABOUT TO
TAPE STEPHEN'S SHOW, HOW ARE YOU DOING?
ARE YOU KEEPING WITH WILL?
>> I'M WELL, MAN.
I'M BEYOND BLESSED.
I'M JUST DOING MY THING, JUST LIKE YOU.
I SEE YOU GOT REGGIE IN THERE KILLING IT TOO, MY MAN.
>> James: THERE HE IS, REGGIE AND THE WHOLE BAND IS HERE.
I'M PLEETIONED THAT YOU ARE HERE, REGGIE, BECAUSE IT IS VERY
NICE TO HAVE YOU BOTH ON THE SAME SHOW AT THE SAME TIME.
I HAVE QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
I WAS WONDERING, AT WHAT POINT WHEN ARE YOU IN THE STUDIO WITH
STEPHEN AND DOING THE SHOW, THE WHOLE BAND THERE, WHEN DO YOU
NORMALLY EAT YOUR SALAD?
DO YOU EAT YOUR SALAD BEFORE THE SHOW OR AFTER OR DO YOU YOU EAT
IT DURING THE SHOW.
WHEN IS THAT.
>> YOU KNOW, I'M STARTING TO GET LIKE REGGIE BUT IN THE MEANTIME
I JUST SLIP IN BITES DURING THE COMMERCIAL BREAK.
>> James: YOU WAIT ON THE BREAK, OH, INTERESTING.
AND DO YOU EVER, I DON'T KNOW, DO YOU HAVE A CAN OF WATER LYING
AROUND AND STEPHEN IS DOING SOME BIT ABOUT SOME INCREDIBLE SOCIAL
INJUSTICE, DO YOU EVER JUST CRACK THAT WATER WHILE HE IS
TALKING OR-- YEAH, THERE YOU GO, OR DOING AN INTERVIEW, IS THAT
SOMETHING THAT EVER HAPPENED?
>> I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THAT'S PRETTY AVANT-GARDE, IT'S
INNOVATIVE.
I LIKE USING SOUND.
THAT COULD BE A GOOD LITTLE ADJUSTMENT.
>> James, THAT WAS GOOD.
LOOK AT THAT.
YOU RECENTLY PERFORMED FOR PEESM ADMINISTERING VACCINES IN NEW
YORK, ACTUALLY THE FIRST LIVE IN PERSON PUBLIC EVENT IN NEW YORK
SINCE THE PND BEGAN.
WHAT WAS THIS LIKE?
>> OH MY GOODNESS.
IT WAS LIKE BEING IN THE FUTURE, FELT LIKE SOMETHING YOU WOULD
SEE IN AN EPISODE OF STAR TREK WHERE YOU HAVE THESE PEOPLE,
EVERYBODY IN MASKS, SEPARATED, DOCTORS, NURSES, ALL OF THE
ESSENTIAL WORKERS.
AN WE'RE PLAYING MUSIC.
IF FELT SURREAL AND I WAS REALLY EMOTIONAL, THE FIRST TIME I
PLAYED A LIVE PERFORMANCE IN A YEAR.
SO FOR THAT TO BE THE FIRST TIME THAT WE PLAYED, IT WAS VERY
MEANINGFUL TO ME ON A NUMBER OF LEVELS.
>> James: I LOVE THAT, LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR ALBUM "WE ARE"
IT IS SUCH A GOOD RECORD T FEELS LIKE A THROWBACK TO A POP SOUL
KIND OF VIBE THAT RUNS THROUGH.
I DIDN'T KNOW THIS, YOU STARTED RECORDING THIS ALBUM IN YOUR
DRESSING ROOM AT THE ED SULLIVAN THEATER AROUND COLBERT'S
TAICHING, HOW DID THATWORK, WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO DO IT THERE?
>> I HAD THIS MUSIC ON MY HEART, THERE WAS TIME TOO DO IT.
YOU KNOW, A TIME THAT I FEMENT WAS RIGHT FOR THE WORLD, A PLACE
THAT I WAS IN IN MY LIFE AND I JUST BUILT, THE YOU KNOW, THE
DRESSING ROOM IS NOT THAT BIG.
AND FUN FACT, THE DRESSING ROOM USED TO BE CAROLL BURN ET'S OLD
DRESSING ROOM.
>> James: OH WOW.
>> WHEN I GOT TO WORK WITH HER SHE TOLD ME THAT.
AND THAT JUST ADDED TO THE INSPIRATION THAT I COULD DO
ANYTHING IN THIS SPACE.
I CAN JUST-- YOU KNOW, WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN.
FROM SOUND CHECK WE GO UPSTAIRS, RECORD SOMETHING, GO TAPE THE
SHOW, HAVE I OTHER STUFF GOING ON, GO DOWN TO THE STUDIO, COME
BACK, LATE AT NIGHT WORKING, WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, COME
BACK IN, SIX DAYS WE HAD THIS BLUE PRINT FOR THE ALBUM IT WAS
THERE.
AND THEN I JUST TOOK THE NEXT EIGHT MONTHS OR SO AND JUST
DIALED IN.
REALLY MADE IT EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED IT TO BE.
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT.
>> James: IT IS SO GOOD.
THE SONG YOU ARE PERFORMING TONIGHT, FREEDOM, YOU HAVE THIS
INCREDIBLE FALSETTO.
I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT REGGIE HAD THE HIGHEST VOICE IN LATE SNIET
BUT NOW I'M NOT SURE, I'M WONDERING DO WE WANT A
FALSETTO-OFF.
>> Reggie: I MEAN, I JUST GOT UP BUT I WILL TRY.
>> James: HANG ON.
HOW LONG AGO DID YOU WAKE UP, REG.
>> LIKE AN HOUR AGO.
>> James: RIGHT, OKAY.
SO THAT'S NOT THE IDEAL TIME TO TACKLE THIS.
>> Reggie: BLUE I WILL TRY.
>> James: WHO WANTS TO START, JON, DO YOU WANT TO START WITH A
NOTE, GO FOR IT.
>> YEAH, LET'S DO.
SNROAT.
♪ YOU'RE SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE.
♪ RRS SOLID.
OH GOD, HALF STEP UP.
>> Reggie: >> James: OH, WE'RE GOING LOW.
>> Reggie: HOLD IT.
♪ OKAY, GOT IT.
(LAUGHTER) HERE WE GO.
♪ YEAH YEAH SNOALT.
>> James: OH, WE WILL CALL IT A DRAW, LOOK AT THAT.
TWO MOST TALENTED PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, INCREDIBLE.
>> MY BROTHER REGGIE, MAN.
>> James: NOW JON, WE HAVE TO CONGRATULATE YOU.
THIS HAS BEEN SUCH AN INCREDIBLE THING THIS YEAR.
YOU HAVE WON THE GOLD ON GLOARKS THE CRITICS CHOICE AND THE BAFTA
AWARD FOR THE SCORE FOR THE MOVIE "SOUL."
THE ACADEMIES AWARDS ARE COMING UP.
DO YOU HAVE YOUR ACCEPT ANS SPEECH READY FOR THE OSCARS.
>> OH MY GOODNESS, I AM GRATEFUL TO BE NOMINATED AND I WROTE A
LITTLE SOMETHING, I AM EXCITED TO BE THERE, TO SEE EVERYBODY.
ST THE FIRST AWARD SHOW OUT OF ALL OF THEM THAT IS IN PERSON.
SO WE ARE GOING TO GO.
AND I'M JUST GOING TO SOAK IT ALL IN.
IT IS A TRUE BLESSING TO HAVE A MAJOR FILM, LET ALONE HAVING
THIS NOMINATION.
HAVE I SOMETHING PREPARED, I WILL SAY THAT.
>> James: WE'RE INCREDIBLY PROUD AND HOFN ORED TO HAVE YOU
ON THE SHOW, JON BATISTE, EVERYBODY.
WHEN WE COME BACK, JON BATISTE WILL PERFORM RIGHT HERE ON THE
SHOW, COME ON BACK, EVERYBODY.