Jon Batiste Stephen Colbert The Late Show
Yeah! Jazz-soul troubadour Jon Batiste has been confirmed as the bandleader of CBS's brand new Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Batiste appeared in a short clip alongside Colbert, where he and his Stay Human ensemble stomped through a bit of New Orleans-bred jazz, apparently shocking Colbert so much that he made a powdered sugar mess of himself (you'll get it once you watch the clip).
Batiste (and many of his bandmates, we have to assume) will join Stephen Colbert when the program debuts on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 11:35 p.m. on CBS and in doing so he'll step into a place that was once held for over 30 years by David Letterman's musical confidant, Paul Shaffer. But it's not hard to imagine that Colbert and his 28 year-old bandleader will be able to strike up a vibrant rapport--Colbert has expressed his appreciation for Jon Batiste and Stay Human in the past and positively quivered with excitement when the group played his Colbert Report program.
Batiste's live approach is known for oft-times leaving the stage and spilling out into the crowd, bringing the New Orleans style funeral dance of his upbringing to listeners all around the world. Will we be seeing many a many a melodica-toting march down the aisle this fall? We can't wait to find out.
For a closer look at Batiste, watch our Okay Acoustic short film of him performing "San Spirito" and "Killing Me Softly." Watch Colbert's announcement below.
