Comment For Jon Batiste, the thought of playing in the White House was a dream. But even after getting the invitation from the first lady, he wasn’t sure he could accept. The primary concern for the 36-year-old musician was whether his wife Suleika Jawad could be by his side. He is undergoing chemotherapy to treat leukemia; Her health was a major reason Baptiste made the decision earlier this year to step down as bandleader on “Late Night with Stephen Colbert,” a position he held for nearly seven years. He wanted her by his side for this big moment. In the end, the virtuoso bandleader managed to bring in nine other members of his extended family. The event capped off a momentous year for Batiste, which also saw him take home five Grammys, including album of the year, in April. On Thursday at the White House, French President Emmanuel Macron broke into a big smile when Baptiste incorporated the French national anthem into a jazz piano rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.” And long after the C-SPAN cameras rolled in, Batiste led world leaders to a second line, or New Orleans-style street party, through the glass pavilion on the South Lawn. Over the weekend, he spoke with The Post about his set list and what it meant to perform at the White House. At the state dinner, Biden and Macron stand “shoulder to shoulder” So tell me how this started. What was your reaction when you were invited to deliver the State Dinner? Oh, I was so excited because I have so many ties to public service in my family. My mother [Katherine Batiste] worked for the United States government as an environmental scientist for nearly four decades. And my grandfather [David Gautier] he was an incredible activist. He led the Louisiana Postal Workers Union and was the first wave to integrate the Navy during the Korean War during the Truman era. So I called them right away. My wife was with me in the living room when Dr. Biden called. She was getting on a plane and was so excited she wanted to call me herself. I said, “Oh, wow, hello, Dr. Biden, Madam First Lady.” I said on that first phone call that I wanted to bring my whole family and I had to call my mom to see if she could scramble the crew because there were 10 of us. So then I called Dr. Biden back. and I said, “You know what? We can all do it. Can you host us all for dinner?” The first lady said why did they pick you? I can see the Franco-American nature of New Orleans, and you come from a jazz family, which is an American art form. Well, she mentioned that she was a fan first and that was cool. He was saying, “I’m a big fan of your music. I love what you stand for beyond your music. And I think you represent the country well.” It was special to hear. How did you decide what to play? The White House only let the press stay for the first song and a half. Oh man! Well, I thought of all these connections when I made the list, and then I talked to my grandfather about who built the White House. By who built it, do you mean the enslaved Americans? Yes, we talked about the story of being a proud American and being someone who believes in the freedoms that democracy provides. All of that was super, super clearly put into context when we were standing in the White House talking about it. I thought it would be great to start with an impressionistic piano version of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’, ‘Star Spangled Banner’ and the French National Anthem, all rearranged and in counterpoint to each other. I thought that would set the tone for this incredible possibility, but also speak to the history of America and the gathering that we represent at our highest level. We did “Sunny Side of the Street,” which Louis Armstrong sang. It’s from the Great American Songbook and it’s also something that’s played a lot in New Orleans and Pops [Jon’s father, Michael Batiste] he would boast. And we did ‘Cry’, which is something I wrote and it was on ‘We Are’. It’s the blues and it has that weight of the times and the feeling of heaviness that we had this time. You know, shouting in the blues tradition is a form of catharsis that I think is important for us. I did an arrangement for the president’s own Marine Band. They had that chamber orchestra on stage playing all night, and they were killing it, man. After that we went to finish the set with “Freedom”. It’s another song of mine. I said to the audience, “Surely we can’t sit down for the rest of this show.” I jumped into the crowd. And I went to Stefanos [Colbert] and Stefanos and I, we just did our job. And then Julia Louis-Dreyfus was there and already dancing. Then this turned into a dance party. And then I snuck into another one. I was looking at President Joe Biden. I was like, “Excuse me, Mr. President, I have to play ‘Saints Go Marching In.’ Because we just have so many people from Louisiana at home. And the handkerchiefs and second line burst. The “Saints” were somewhat unheard of. My father sang with us. I had made it with the president’s own Marine Band. They had the setup, but I didn’t know if I could get it there. Did you just take a look at President Biden to get the green light for a second line? When we finished with ‘Freedom’ I looked at him and shrugged, because he was about to come in to finish and wrap up the night. People had already hit the handkerchief, which is traditional for the New Orleans second line to put your handkerchief in the air. And he saw it on his table and said, “Well, go ahead.” Well done. Did he get on the second line? Yes! I jumped back into the crowd. I went over there and gave him a high-five and he did his thing. He didn’t have a handkerchief, but he was definitely part of the second line. And Emmanuel Macron and Dr. Biden and Brigitte Macron? Oh! Yes. Emmanuel Macron is so, so cool. He grabbed my nephew, Brennan, who is 7, and took him to the second row. And then after the second line was over, he brought him up on stage, because he’s 7 years old, so he couldn’t see over everyone. It was a great moment. Suleika said this was her first public outing in a year since her bone marrow transplant. Is she still going through chemo? Yes, I’m still going through chemo. I mean, if you would have seen where we were in February, and to see her in that dress… It was incredible for me to see. I learn so much from her — she’s a superhero. I mentioned [to Dr. Biden] that we had to have Kristen, who is Suleika’s nurse, and Julian from my team there. They took care every step of the way – in the car, testing my drivers and putting on the mask. And we wear masks everywhere except when we are at dinner and in the hotel. Even the people at the Four Seasons were connected to what we needed in terms of room service and precautions there. What was going through your mind as you left the White House? I was so excited about what we had accomplished. Musically, I feel like we showcased American music culture, and also showed a lot of respect and homage to the French influence and New Orleans culture, which is just embedded in everything I do. Then just from the point of view of our country, and what it means to be an artist and to be a person who represents culture and what we mean when we say “culture” and how to constantly improve the things that our ancestors left us — and that with it weighed a lot. And I also felt it was a huge accomplishment for our family on many levels. You know, my grandfather and my mother, even seeing my nephews Brayden and Brennan, and just thinking about what this moment will mean to them 10, 20 years from now. That was a lot. I am so exhausted. This interview has been edited and condensed for space and clarity.
