AMERICAN EXPRESS SERIES

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Promotional Partner

6:30PM Gates Open / 7:30PM Emily Bear / 8:15PM Emilio & Kojo / 9PM Jon Batiste 

“A gifted musician with boundless artistic ambition,” (Mix) Louisiana native JON BATISTE is equally at home in the role of Stephen Colbert’s “crowd-thrilling rebel bandleader” (Rolling Stone) as leading one of his signature impromptu “love riot” street parades, as fluent in hip-hop and funk as he is in the great NOLA piano tradition he comes from. He curates this evening start to finish; expect an unexpected collection of special guests rotating in and out, with Batiste’s stellar band STAY HUMAN at the center.

The New Orleans-bred, New York-based musician, educator and humanitarian is somewhat of an enigma thanks to his diverse mix of influences. Born into a long lineage of Louisiana musicians, Batiste grew up playing percussion in his family’s band before switching to piano when he was 11 years old. He went on to study at the Juilliard School, and formed Stay Human soon after. Now he balances a demanding international performance schedule with his role as Artistic Director at Large of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, as music director and bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and occasional acting gigs, like playing himself on the HBO series Treme or his recent role in director Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer.

EMILY BEAR, a piano prodigy at age 14, will show off her jazz skills and will open the show.

Friends Member Seating & Tent Access

Friends Seating: Front seats open to Seat-Pass and Tent-Pass members 
Friends Tent: Open to Tent-Pass members
Sponsor Tent: Open to Tent-Pass members

Venue Information:

The BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival is one of New York City's longest running, free, outdoor performing arts festivals and is held every summer at the Prospect Park Bandshell. View seating arrangements here.

All Performances Rain or Shine. In the event of dangerous weather we will be communicating updates on our website, Facebook, and Twitter.

To learn more about our COVID-Safety precautions, visit our FAQ page.