In Saturday’s (12/13) San Francisco Chronicle, Andrew Gilbert writes, “In an era of debased and divisive politics, Jon Batiste is putting the pop back into populism. The New Orleans pianist, vocalist and melodica maestro met the San Francisco Symphony … at Davies Symphony Hall on Friday, Dec. 12, and while he didn’t utter a single statement about the state of the union, his far-ranging program offered a road map for national reconciliation. Encompassing blues and Beethoven, soul and Christmas carols, jazz, gospel and standards, the sold-out show was a joyous encounter that embodied Batiste’s vision of music as a unifying force. ‘We play all the different types of music for an allegory of how we can all be together,’ he told the crowd … The seven-time Grammy winner didn’t have to make an explicit political statement. He opened with a section from his ‘American Symphony’ … He crooned Hoagy Carmichael’s ‘Georgia on My Mind’ and ‘What a Wonderful World’ … His original songs, like ‘Freedom,’ are often sing-along anthems, and he coaxed the audience to join in the choruses … While effectively deployed when integrated into an arrangement, the orchestra, conducted by Jonathan Taylor Rush, was under-utilized…. His rapport with the Symphony worked best on Bill Withers’ ‘Ain’t No Sunshine.’ ”
