Jon Batiste: I believe God called me to India at this time

Jon Batiste came to India on a two-city tour in November. Photo Courtesy: @jonbatiste on Instagram

American singer-songwriter and composer Jon Batiste came to India for the first time in the last week of November to perform in New Delhi and Mumbai, but the visit has left a lasting impact on him, according to a social media post that he has shared earlier today.

In the post on Instagram earlier today, Batiste shared, "Sometimes you arrive in a place and immediately feel an overwhelming sense of magnetism. Spending time in India was a revelation. It fueled me and fostered a newfound insight into the human condition. The truest expression of my artistry comes alive in these portals - where history meets ingenuity meets tradition meets unfiltered heritage meets generational duress under the spark of divine will. These coordinates are rare in the world and bring forth culture that sparks and sizzles. I believe God called me to India at this time as part of the continued fulfillment of artistry. I'm psyched and thankful to all my new friends for your hospitality, joyful spirit and humble grace."

It couldn't be truer for the Grammy Award-winning pianist, who had shared this very same thought in an interview with mid-day before his tour. If there is one thing we know, it is that Batiste will be definitely coming to India again, hopefully soon.

The post further reads, "On my next trip I'll be eager to meet all the good people we'd been in touch with but didn't get a chance to see in person. THANK YOU to everyone who came out to these Maestro performances! Beginning each one with an extended stream of consciousness piano movement was collective prayer. Weaving in some of the Indian songbook with the compositions of Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton and Thelonious Monk, playing songs from World Music Radio, We Are and Big Money, the Harmonium movements or the virtuosic Sitar performance by @megharawoot on our Beethoven Blues duet - all life highlights for me of which I am grateful we shared. The possibilities of how we can use the gift of music to raise our collective consciousness inspire me endlessly."

Batiste was in India as a part of ‘The Maestro Series' tour, Jon Batiste Live in Concert, which was produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live in India. The visit saw him perform at the Plenary Hall at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital on November 24, followed by his second performance at the Grand Theatre in the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai on November 26. Playing some of his biggest hits in both cities, he also paid tribute to Mumbai by playing a version of ‘Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan' on the melodica but not without ‘When the Saints Go Marchin' In', before ending it with ‘Butterfly'.