jon batiste & randy newman

Biography

“Jon Batiste & Randy Newman” is not a fixed band or long‑running joint project but rather a notable intergenerational collaboration between two established American artists: pianist, bandleader and singer Jon Batiste (b. 1986) and songwriter, pianist and film composer Randy Newman (b. 1943).[1][3] Their partnership gained particular visibility around Batiste’s 2025 album Big Money, for which Newman—long semi‑retired from recording and live performance—joined Batiste on a live, one‑take duet version of the Ray Charles–associated blues “Lonely Avenue,” cut in Newman’s living room.[1][2][3] The session, captured on both audio and video, was framed by both musicians as an intimate, spontaneous meeting of two “sons of Ray Charles spiritually,” sitting at the piano and drawing on a shared love of blues, New Orleans traditions and classic American songcraft.[1][2]

Batiste, a New Orleans–born musician from a storied Creole musical family, came to prominence as a genre‑blurring pianist and bandleader with his group Stay Human and as musical director of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2015 to 2022, later winning an Academy Award and multiple Grammys for his work on Pixar’s Soul and his own albums such as We Are and Big Money.[3] Newman, a Los Angeles–based member of an influential Hollywood composing dynasty, is renowned both for his sardonic, character‑driven solo albums and for classic film scores and songs for projects such as Toy Story and other Pixar films, making his return to singing on record with Batiste especially newsworthy.[1][4] Their “Lonely Avenue” recording has been described as a bluesy 12‑bar homage that casts Batiste and Newman as conversational partners across generations, with critics noting how the collaboration re‑centers Newman in the public ear while underlining Batiste’s role as a connector between jazz, R&B, roots music and the broader American song tradition.[1][2][3]

Although there is no standalone group discography under the combined name, the Batiste–Newman collaboration is often highlighted as emblematic of contemporary cross‑generational dialogues in American music, pairing Batiste’s highly improvisational, church‑ and jazz‑inflected piano style with Newman’s wry, storyteller’s sensibility and historic ties to Ray Charles and the classic pop canon.[1][2][4] Commentators have suggested that the session hints at the potential for more extensive work between the two—Batiste himself has mused that their special musical connection “could make for a classic album” someday—but for now their impact is measured in how this single track helped bring Newman back into the spotlight and underscored Batiste’s ongoing project of placing Black American musical lineages at the center of mainstream culture.[1][2][3]

Fun Facts

• Their recording of “Lonely Avenue” was captured in one live take in Randy Newman’s own living room, with a handheld recorder running as they sat together at the piano.[1]
• Batiste has said that simply hanging out and talking with Newman about life, music and family organically led to the idea of playing and documenting “Lonely Avenue,” rather than starting from a formal studio plan.[1][2]
• The duet marked a rare new vocal appearance by Newman after he had largely stepped back from live performances and touring due to health issues, including back surgery and canceled European dates in 2022.[1]
• On Big Money, “Lonely Avenue” is the only cover song; Batiste chose it deliberately as a shared tribute to Ray Charles, contrasting it with the otherwise original material and emphasizing his and Newman’s common roots in Charles’s music.[1][3]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Ray Charles - Spiritual and stylistic influence for both Batiste and Newman; their duet on “Lonely Avenue” is explicitly framed as an ode to Charles and as a meeting of two “sons of Ray Charles spiritually.” (“Lonely Avenue” (Batiste & Newman recording and video); Charles’s 1958 hit version of the song as the historical model.) [Original Ray Charles recording 1950s; cited by Batiste and Newman as a guiding influence during the Big Money sessions in the mid‑2020s.[1][2]]

Key Collaborators

• Randy Newman - Veteran songwriter and film composer who came out of a period of limited public singing to record a live, one‑take duet of “Lonely Avenue” with Jon Batiste, serving as a featured guest on Batiste’s album Big Money. (“Lonely Avenue” (single and video) from Jon Batiste’s album Big Money.) [Recorded and released in connection with Big Money; collaboration publicized in 2024–2025.[1][2][3]]
• Jon Batiste - Grammy‑ and Oscar‑winning pianist, bandleader and singer who invited Newman to collaborate, recording their duet live in Newman’s living room and positioning Newman as a key guest on Big Money. (“Lonely Avenue” (duet single and video) on Big Money.) [Mid‑2020s, during the writing and recording of Big Money.[1][2][3]]

Artists Influenced

• Jon Batiste - Batiste has cited Newman among the important elder figures he admires and chose him as a featured collaborator on Big Money, using the project both to learn from Newman’s songcraft and to help reintroduce Newman’s voice to contemporary audiences. (“Lonely Avenue” on Big Money; public interviews around the album’s release discussing their connection.) [Influence acknowledged and demonstrated during their collaboration in the mid‑2020s.[1][2][3]]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Sunshine In The Room (feat. Jon Batiste)
2. Candy Necklace (feat. Jon Batiste) (Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd)
3. Dusklight Movement (Beethoven Blues)
4. FREEDOM (WE ARE)
5. Be Who You Are (Real Magic) (feat. JID, NewJeans & Camilo)
6. It's All Right
7. I NEED YOU (WE ARE)
8. MODERN TIMES (feat. Jon Batiste) (FATHER FIGURE)
9. Drink Water (feat. Jon Bellion and Fireboy DML) (World Music Radio)
10. Für Elise - Batiste (Beethoven Blues)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia