Terence Blanchard and Jon Batiste on Grammys, Disregarding Genres and the Healing Power of Music

variety.com:

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorWhen the Grammy nominations were announced in November, the man who surprised everyone with the biggest stack — 11 — was Jon Batiste, known to TV audiences as Stephen Colbert’s musical director, and nominated this year for his wide-ranging album, “We Are,” and the soundtrack from Disney-Pixar’s “Soul.” His work in multiple genres makes him a kindred spirit as well as friend to composer-musician Terence Blanchard.

Although Blanchard’s Grammy nominations come in jazz categories this year, his expansive vision made history when he became the first Black composer at the Metropolitan Opera, with his astounding work, “Fire Shut Up in My Bones.”The two join Variety for a conversation about awards, the folly of categorizing creativity and the healing power of music. What does it mean to be recognized for the work you’ve done?Batiste: I put my head down and work on the craft, and to have your peers recognize you, who understand what it’s like to do the same thing, is humbling.

It takes a lot for us to do what we do, and the last two years, it’s been even more difficult. There have been so many things that we’ve lost that we can’t replace.

And you realize the one thing that you do that can help people and to bring light into the world is still there. You can still create.Blanchard: One of the things I think people don’t understand is that we’re not here to win Grammys.