The music of the Bahamas reminded him of the rhythms he heard growing up in New Orleans.
There’s such a kinship between both, Batiste toldTravel + Leisure.
New Orleansis the northernmost tip of the Caribbean, in many ways.
Jon Batiste preforming at the grand opening of Jon Batiste’s Jazz Club at Baha Mar.Credit:Courtesy of Baha Mar
It didnt take much convincing after that.
He sees his sleek jazz club as a way of introducing Bahamian music culture to new audiences.
After all, he credits much of his own musical journey to such clubs.
View of the clubs VIP area.Courtesy of Baha Mar
For more than half of my life, I was always in jazz clubs, he said.
My first gig in New York was at one of the oldest jazz clubs in the country.
And that was when I was 17, and a student at Juilliard.
The bar area of the jazz club.Courtesy of Baha Mar
The earliest experiences I had were in venues like this.
Place is always tied to the song anyway, he added.
Indeed, Batiste approaches travel in a similar way that he does music.
The jazz club’s main stage.Courtesy of Baha Mar
We dont travel to check something off a list, he said.
We attempt to catch a vibe.
One thing he never does, however, is check a bag when flying.
Its great to be able to travel light, he said.
And as Denzel Washington likes to say, Im leaving here with something.
If you dont know that meme, look it up.
Does he and his wife want to spend more time in the Bahamas?
My wife wants to, and she’s the boss, he said.
She paints as well, and weve gone to a lot of galleries, he added.
We made lots of friends already.
