Jon Batiste’s ‘Beethoven Blues’ transforms classical works into unique blues and gospel renditions

AP Music Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — When Grammy-award winner Jon Batiste was a kid, say, 9 or 10 years old, he moved between musical worlds. He’d participate in local classical piano competitions by day, then was “gigging in night haunts in the heart of New Orleans.” On Nov. 15, Batiste will release his first ever album of solo piano work, a collection of 11 songs that transform canonized classical music into the blues and gospel. Titled “Beethoven Blues,” Batiste collaborates, in a way, with Beethoven, reimagining these instantly recognizable works into something fluid. They were written through a process he calls “spontaneous composition,” and live — no two performances will be the same.