Jon Batiste is preparing for quite an ambitious run of releases. Today, the multi-Grammy and Oscar-winning musician announced three new studio albums, beginning with Black Mozart (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 2), arriving June 19. He revealed the news across social media alongside clips teasing the upcoming project, which continues the solo piano series he launched with last year’s Beethoven Blues.
Timed to arrive on Juneteenth, Black Mozart places Batiste’s attention on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart while filtering the composer’s music through improvisation, jazz language, and his own New Orleans upbringing. Ahead of his rise to stardom, Batiste trained as a classical pianist before studying jazz piano at Juilliard. His relationship with classical music stretches back to his teenage years, where he often blended Chopin and Bach while performing around the city.
For Batiste, the upcoming release continues a larger conversation between musical traditions often treated as separate worlds. Jazz, classical, gospel, and Black American music regularly overlap throughout his catalog, whether through albums like We Are, his Academy Award-winning work on Soul, or his live performances.
Alongside Black Mozart, Batiste also announced two additional piano albums focused on jazz legend Thelonious Monk. Monk Meditations and Monk Movements are both scheduled for release on August 14 through Verve Records. According to Batiste, one Monk-inspired album simply was not enough to explore the pianist’s influence. While both projects draw inspiration from Monk’s catalog, each takes a different approach. One leans toward meditative piano interpretations, while the other expands Monk’s compositions into larger-scale solo arrangements. The releases also continue Batiste’s growing interest in redefining how solo piano music can function for modern audiences.
Momentum around the series has continued building since Beethoven Blues debuted last year. The album topped Billboard’s Classical Albums chart for multiple weeks and marked one of Batiste’s strongest commercial debuts to date. Critics and audiences responded to the project’s mixture of technical precision and improvisational freedom, helping introduce his piano-focused work to listeners beyond traditional jazz and classical audiences.
Outside the studio, Batiste remains on the road with his Jon Batiste Live: A Fantastical Musical Journey tour. Upcoming performances include orchestral collaborations with the Boston Pops and Colorado Symphony Orchestra, festival appearances overseas, and stadium dates supporting Tyler Childers later this year.
Black Mozart preorders are here, Monk Meditations here, and Monk Movementshere. Links to the full series, including Beethoven Blues, are available here.
