Jon Batiste is quite possibly one of my favorite contemporary jazz pianists. While widely known for his work as the bandleader for Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show,” Batiste has released many albums under his own name as well as with the band Stay Human. Most recently, he released two live albums both recorded at the Village Vanguard in 2018 and released in 2019: “Chronology of a Dream” and “Anatomy of Angels.”
This transcription of BLACCK comes off of “Chronology of a Dream” and highlights one of my favorite aspects of Batiste’s style: his phrasing and ability to do so much with so little. Almost all of Jon’s note selection comes from an Eb minor pentatonic scale. Despite limiting himself to a selection of only 5 notes for the majority of his 32 bar solo, Batiste manages to make his ideas feel fresh by his phrasing, rhythm, and development of ideas.
You can listen to a recording of BLAACK on YouTube here, and view my transcription below.
If you are having trouble viewing the PDF above, view it here.
