906 Jon Batiste at Jazz Fest 2018 [Photo by Leon Morris]
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Jon Batiste entered the Grammy Awards with a record-breaking 11 nominations, the most for a New Orleans artist ever. And he won big-- Batiste is coming home with five Grammys, including the prestigious 'Album of the Year,' for We Are. During his acceptance speech, Batiste said, "I love music. I've been playing since I was a little boy. It's more than entertainment for me. It's a spiritual practice."
We Are features contributions from many other New Orleanians, including Trombone Shorty, Hot 8 Brass Band, PJ Morton, The Gospel Soul Children, Craig Adams, and St. Augustine's Marching 100 (Batiste's alma mater, along with NOCCA).
Batiste also won 'Best Music Video' for 'Freedom,' which was mostly shot in the Marigny, 'Best American Roots Performance' and 'Best American Roots Song' for 'Cry,' and 'Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media' for his collaboration with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on the animated film Soul (tied with the score for The Queen's Gambit).
Louisianans PJ Morton, Terence Blanchard, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Cha Wa, Sean Ardoin, Corey Ledet, Harry Connick, Jr., and Ledisi were also nominated this year, but did not win in their respective categories.