>>> SO NOW FROM THE WORLD OF TRADE AND OTHER SUMP ISSUES TO THE UPLIFTING POWER OF MUSIC.

AND LAST NIGHT'S GRAMMYS.

ALICIA KEYS DREW RAVES FOR HER TONE AS HOST AND THERE WERE SOME VERY SPECIAL GUESTS, FORMER FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA WAS BROTHER ON THE STAGE IN WHAT TURNED INTO A CELEBRATION OF LOVE, UNITY AND DIVERSITY.

IT'S A VERY WELCOME NOTE FOR THESE TIMES, JAZZ MUSICIAN JOHN BATTISTE WAS THERE NOMINATE FOOD TR VERY FIRST TIME HIMSELF AND YOU WILL KNOW HIM BEST AS BAND LEADER ON THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT.

AND HE HAS MANY STRINGS IN HIS BOW, INCLUDING AN UPCOMING BROADWAY MUSIC AM, WITH I HE TALKED ABOUT WITH OUR WALTER ISSAMSON.

>> JOHN BATTISTE WAS IN THE SHOW.

>> YES, INDEED, SO YOUR NEW ALBUM IS CALLED HOLLYWOOD AFRICA.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

>> WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

>> WELL, IT'S A STATEMENT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE MUSIC AND WHERE IT CAME FROM THE HISTORY IN THIS COUNTRY PARTICULARLY BLUES, JAZZ, ROCK N ROM, SOUL MUSIC, GOSPEL, ALL THE STUFF I'M PLAYING ON THE RECORDING.

[ MUSIC PLAYING ] AFRICAN-AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS AND PERFORMERS, THESE ARTISTS CREATED THIS SOUND THAT INFLUENCED THE WORLD AND NO MATTER THE AMOUNT OF OPPRESSION, MARGINALIZATION THAT THEY FACED, IT WAS DIVINE.

IT HAD SOMETHING IN IT THAT WAS MEANT TO REACH THE WORLD AND HEAL PEOPLE AND BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.

IT'S KIND OF FRAMING E MUSIC THAT WAS CREATED HERE AND ALSO PAYING HOMAGE TO THEM WHILE ME BEING THE LIVING IN THAT CHAIN TAKES IT FORWARD AND REINVENTS IT AND EXPOSES IT TO NEW PEOPLE.

>> THERE SEEMS TO BE AN UNDER CURRENT IN THE ALBUM THAT TO BE, HAVING THE MAIN STREAM APPEAL YOU GOT TO MAKE EXCISES FOR THE AUDIENCE.

WELL, IN THAT TIME, IN PARTICULAR IN THE PAST IN OUR COUNTRY IS FRAUGHT WITH A LOT OF RACIAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES THAT ARE PEOPLE FROM HAVING THE FREEDOM TO BE THEMSELVES ON STAGE.

WE KNOW A LOST GREAT PERFORMERS HAD TO WEAR A MASK AND NOT BE WHO THEY WERE IN THE PUBLIC AND THEY WERE THESE GENIUSES WHO WANTED TO STAY REALLY DEEP PROFOUND COMPLEX THINGS AND THEY WANTED TO BE TREATED OR TAUGHT, THEY WERE TAUGHT TO BELIEVE THAT THEY WERE LESSER.

AND A LOT OF THOSE PEOPLE FOUGHT TO REALLY PUSH BEYOND WHAT WAS PLACED ON THEM BY SOCIETY.

SO FOR ME, I DON'T HAVE TO WEAR A MASK NOW AS MUCH AS A LOT OF THE GREATS WHO I LOOK UP TO, YOU KNOW, LOUIS ARMSTRONG, ALL OF THE GREATS THAT I HAVE STUDIED AND REALLY HAVE BEEN MOVED BIT.

♪ BRIGHT, BLESSED DAY ♪ >> ALTHOUGH I STILL AM IN THE SPOTLIGHT AND THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS I DO HAVE TO EXCISE ON, I DON'T TO DO IT NEARLY AS MUCH AS THEM.

I REALLY WANT -- TO, IT'S OUR SUPER POWER.

I FEEL A LOT OF TIMES IN OUR COUNTRY, WE FORGET THAT THESE ARE TRULY AMERICAN IDEALS IN THE MUSIC THAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT TOGETHERNESS AND LEARN ABOUT INTEGRATION AND LEARN ABOUT HOW EVERYTHING THAT WE ASPOO IRTO BE, THAT'S WRITTEN IN OUR CONSTITUTION CAN ACTUALLY BE ACHIEVED AND HAS BEEN ACHIEVED A LOT OF TIMES FIRST IN OUR MUSIC.

>> LOUIS ARMSTRONG, THROUGHOUT NEW ORLEANS LIKE YOU DID.

>> NEW ORLEANS IS A CITY OF WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP IN NEW ORLEANS AND YOU'VE WATCHED LOUIS ARMSTRONG WEARING HIS MASK, WAVING THE HANDKERCHIEF, WHAT DID YOU THINK?

>> HONESTLY, I THOUGHT HE WAS ON -- THE THING IS, YOU LOOK BEHIND THAT UNDERSTANDING HISTORY.

I'M A KID AT THE TIME.

MAYBE EVEN EARLIER THAN A TEENAGER, AND IN FACT THE CAMP THAT WE ALL WENT TO AT THE TIME WAS CALLED THE LOUIS ARMSTRONG SUMMER JAZZ CHAMP AND YOU WOULD GO THERE AND YOU WOULD BE EXPOSED TO THE WIDE HISTORY THAT COMES FROM NEW ORLEANS AND LOUIS ARMSTRONG BEING THE PROGENITOR OF MANY OF THE THINGS WE DO TODAY.

BUT I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY HE HAD TO DO THAT.

IN THE YEAR 2000, PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT ON STAGE.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO SMILE AND DO ALL THIS STUFF.

BUT IF YOU STARTED THE TIME AND THE CONTEXT HE'S A GENIUS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER.

[ MUSIC PLAYING ] HE HAS TO DO ALL OF THESE THINGS.

YOU STILL HAVE THE FABRIC OF THAT IN OUR CULTURE TODAY.

BLACK PERFORMERS STILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH CERTAIN THINGS THAT ARE A PART OF OUR LINEAGE, WHETHER THEY KNOW IT OR NOT.

IT'S NOT JUST BLACK, A RACE ISSUE.

IT'S A CULTURAL ISSUE.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE STILL ARE FACING AND WE LOOK AT THE POLITICAL CLIMATE OF TODAY AND WE LOOK AT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH SOCIALLY AND PEOPLE TRYING TO BECOME -- THEIR CONSCIOUSNESS IS ELEVATED AND THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN A PART OF THE PAB BRICK OF OUR COUNTRY AND IN OUR ENTERTAINMENT FEEDS US, SO IF WE WANT TO DEAL WITH THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS IT.

>> ONE OF HIS GREAT SONGS, LOUIS ARMSTRONG'S SONGS THAT HE MADE POPULAR ST. JAMES INFIRMARY.

YOU HAVE REINTRERPTD FOR THIS NEW ALBUM.

IT'S BEING NOMINATED FOR A GRAMMY.

BUT WHAT DID YOU DO WITH ST. JAMES INFIRMARY AND MAYBE YOU CAN SHOW US.

>> YES, SO THE ALBUM IS VERY INTIMATE TO ME AT THE PIANO FOR THE MOST PART.

T BONE BURNETT AND I REALLY WENT TO A PLACE THAT WAS THE MOST RAW, STRIPPED DOWN PLACE THAT YOU COULD GO TO MAKE AN ALBUM.

CUTS ALL OF THE LIGHTS OFF.

WE WENT TO A CHURCH IN NEW ORLEANS, FOR THREE DAYS IT WAS ME AND THE PIANO.

T BONE WASN'T IN THE.

>> Reporter: I COULDN'T SEE, IT WAS DARK.

I CHANNELLED ALL OF THE SPIRITS OF I CALL THEM ANCESTORS THEY WANTED TO CHANNEL THROUGH THE MUSIC WE READ THE LITERATURE, I TIDE DID ONE TAKE OF MOST OF THE STUFF, BUT ST. JAMES INFIRMARY WAS A STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS, I DID THE TEMPO SLOW LIKE A DIRGE TO CREATE A SENSE, MY LEFT HAND IS DOING THAT AND OVER THE TOP I'M THINKING, ♪ I WENT DOWN TO ST. JAMES ♪ ♪ INFIRMARY ♪ ♪ AND I SAW ♪ ♪ I SAW MY BABY LYING THERE ♪ [ MUSIC PLAYING ] ♪ SHE WAS STRESSED OUT ON A LONG WIDE TABLE ♪ ♪ SO SWEET ♪ SO CALM ♪ ♪ SO FAIR ♪ >> AND YOU ARE DOING THAT AND IT SEEMS TO BE SHOWING THE PAIN BEHIND THE JOY OF SOME OF THAT MUSIC OF LOUIS ARMSTRONG.

>> WELL, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.

PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE WORLD ARE IN PAIN THESE DAYS.

PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE WORLD NEED HEALING AND I WANTED TO CREATE AN ALBUM AND A BEACON IN THE CULTURE THAT NOT ONLY TEACHES US ABOUT OUR HISTORY AND ALL OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT WE HAVE CREATED, BUT SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY ACROSS THE WORLD TO LISTEN TO AND MEDITATE TO AND REFLECT TO AND LEAD THEM TO A PLACE OF HOPE NOT DESPAIR.

>> ONE OF THE SOVENGS WAS SUPPOSED TO MOVE US FORWARD TO THAT OPTIMISM CALLED DON'T STOP?

>> YES.

YES.

♪ DON'T STOP DREAMING ♪ ♪ DON'T STOP BELIEVING ♪ ♪ BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT OUR TIME IS COMING ON ♪ ♪ SO ALL YOU'VE GOT DON'T STOP ♪ >> WE ARE HERE FOR A SHORT WHILE AND THEN WHEN THE CREATOR SAYS IT'S TIME, WE'RE GONE.

IN THIS MOMENT, WHAT DO WE WANT TO DO INTEREST HOW DO WE WANT TO BE REMEMBERED?

WHAT ARE OUR LEGACY?

WHAT DO WE WANT TO SET UP FOR THE NEXT GENERATION SO THAT THEY KNOW BETTER?

YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, YOU DO BETTER.

THAT'S REALLY WHAT THE SONG IS IF YOU ARE IN A PLACE WHERE YOUR HUMANITY IS CHALLENGED AND TODAY WITH ALL OF THE STUFF ONLINE, TWITTER, ALL THE NEWS, ALL THE THINGS BOMBARDING YOU WITH LIFE STYLES TO ADOPT AND OPINIONS TO TAKE ON, ALL THIS STUFF, IT CAN BE EASY TO FEEL, YOU CAN LOSE YOUR HUMANITY IN ALL OF THAT.

AND I'M JUST SAYING, DON'T STOP DREAMING.N'T STOP BELIEVING.

BELIEVING IN THE HIGH IDEALS OF HUMANITY, LOVE, HOPE, JOY, PEACE.

BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT OUR TIME IS COMING UP.

WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO WASTE.

SO WHAT ALL YOU'VE GOT.

WHATEVER YOU HAVE LEFT, DON'T STOP.

>> YOU GREW UP IN NEW ORLEANS AT AGE 8.

YOU WERE PLAYING WITH YOUR FAMILY, THE PEACE BROTHERS BANDS, A LONG MUSICAL TRADITION WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM NEW ORLEANS THAT HELPS INFORM WHAT YOU TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF RACE AND THE NEED TO GET TOGETHER?

>> WELL, NEW ORLEANS HAD A VERY UNIQUE HISTORY WITH CONGO SQUARE AND THE ENSLAVED PEOPLE, OUR PEOPLE HAD THE CHANCE TO REALLY SPREAD THE CULTURE AND INFUSE THE CULTURE THAT THEY'VE BROUGHT OVER INTO THE CULTURE OF WHAT HAS BECOME NEW ORLEANS.

AND YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THAT AND OTHER CULTURES ALIGNED A AND THE CONFLUENCE OF ALL OF THESE THINGS HAS CREATED A SPECIAL PLACE FOR A GUY LIKE ME BORN IN YOU KNOW LATE ''80s TO COME UP AND STILL HAVE RED BEANS AND RICE EVERY MONDAY AND HAVE MUSIC FOR EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW, MUSIC TO DANCE TO MUSIC TO SLEEP TO MUSIC TO EAT TO.

YOU KNOW YOU GOT SECOND LINE SOMEBODY DICE.

ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT TO ME I THOUGHT WERE NORMAL.

I THOUGHT IT WAS HOW EVERY PART OF THE WORLD WAS.

THEN AS I STARTED TOURING AND GOING AROUND AND SEEING DIFFERENT CULTURES AND EXPERIENCE AND THAT STUFF, THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT AS AN ARTIST TO SEE THE WORLD BEYOND YOUR BLOCK, AND UNDERSTAND HUMAN BEINGS, I REALLY WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE COME UP IN NEW ORLEANS, BECAUSE NEW ORLEANS IS A PLACE THAT CELEBRATES THE SPIRIT, THE HUMAN SPIRIT.

>> AND THEN YOU GOT MENTORED, TOO, BY WINTOP MARCELLES.

>> YEAH.

>> UP HERE IN NEW YORK AT JULIARD?

>> I WENT TO JULIARD FOR, I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL EARLY, I STILL HAVE MY CLASS RING.

>> ST. AUGUSTINE IN HIGH SCHOOL?

>> PURPLE KNIGHT.

>> YEAH.

>> SO I WENT FROM ST. AUG AND AT 17 I MOVED HERE AND WENT TO SCHOOL OVER HERE AT JULIARD.

I STUDIED TWO YEARS.

DURING THE TIME THEY WAS THERE WYNTON WAS STILL COMING THAT THE PROGRAM AND WHEN I WAS 17, MY FIRST YEAR, HE CAME IN.

AND I HAD KNOWN HIM SINCE I WAS A KID.

HE WAS LIKE YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO, YOU WANT TO JOIN US ON THE ROAD WITH THE SEPTET?

ENED AJOINED HIM ON THE ROAD.

WE WENT TO MARCY ACKERMAN AND PERFORMED AND FROM THERE WE KIND OF HAD A RELATIONSHIP.

[ MUSIC PLAYING ] I STILL CALM HIM AND TALK TO THINGS ABOUT THINGS OOM WORKING ON.

ACTUALLY, I'M WORKING ON MY FIRST -- BY LARGE ENSEMBLE I MEAN ORCHESTRA, BIG BAND, RHYTHM SECTION, CHOIR.

AND SOLOIST.

MY FIRST LARGE ENSEMBLE SYMPHONY.

SO HE'S NOW RUNNING THE JAZZ PROGRAM AND MARSALIS IS OVER THERE, RUNNING THE SCHOOL.

A GOOD FRIEND OF OURS.

SO THAT'S GOING TO BE EXCITING.

>> HOW DOES BEING ON THE "LATE SHOW" AFFECT YOU, YOUR MUSIC, YOUR LIFE?

>>.

>> REQUESTED THE LATE SHOW" IT'S A PRODUCTION IN THE SENSE THAT THERE IS A DEPARTMENT FOR EVERYTHING.

YOU KNOW, GRAPHICS, RESEARCH, THE LIGHTING TEAM AND THE THEATER CREW AND EVERYBODY WHO'S IN THE BAND AND IT'S, WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER, EVERY SINGLE DAY, KOREA IT THIS SHOW LED BY STEVEN AND GIVE VOICE TO A PERSPECTIVES AND THE CULTURE.

AND EVERY DAY, WE LOOK AT THE NEWS AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SPEAKING TO.

SO I FIND IT TO BE, IT'S FASCINATING FOR ME TO BE A PART OF THAT MACHINE AND TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT BETTER AND BETTER EVERY DAY.

IT'S LIKE A CRAFT.

IT'S DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING I'VE EVER DONE.

BECAUSE YOU NEVER REALLY ARE GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE, IT'S LIVE ALMOST.

SOMETIMES WE HAVE DONE LIVE BUT YOU DO IT AND HOWEVER IT WAS, THE NEXT DAY IS ANOTHER ONE, LIKE A TISSUE BOX.

IT'S ENDLESS, AND I FIND THAT TO BE INSPIRING, THERE'S NOTHING LIKE PLAYING FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT ONLY IN THE THEATER BUT EVERYWHERE AT HOME.

>> DO YOU SPEND YOUR AFTERNOONS WORKING WITH STEPHEN COLBERT, LOOKING AT THE NEWS, PREPARING FOR THE SHOWS AND THINKING OF COMMENTARY YOU ALL WANT TO DO ON THIS SHOW?

>> I DON'T DO THAT.

I TYPICALLY UNPLUG FROM THE NEWS WHEN I'M NOT WORKING OON THE BECAUSE I FIND THAT I NEED BALANCE.

AND IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE I NEVER HAD BEEN POLITICALLY ENGAGED TO THE DEGREE I AM NOW.

>> IS STEPHEN MAKING YOU MORE >> WELL, I THINK THE TIMES ARE.

YOU HAVE SO MUCH GOING ON YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING.

SO MANY PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING THAT I FEEL LIKE IT'S A PART OF AS A HUMAN BEING YOU GOT TO CARE, RIGHT?

YOU HAVE TO CARE BUT ALSO JUST DOING THE SHOW I WANT TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S HAPPENING, BECAUSE THAT AFFECTS MY CRAFT.

I WANT TO BE GRIT AND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON EVERY DAY.

AND I WANT TO CONNECT TO THAT IN A WAY THAT'S MEANINGFUL.

>> HOLLYWOOD AFRICANS, BESIDES THE NAME OF YOUR NEW ALBUM IS A PAINTING BY A GREAT ARTIST.

TELL ME ABOUT THE SHOW THAT YOU ARE PLANNING TO DO?

>> YES, IT'S A BROADWAY SHOW, SO BROADWAY MUSICAL.

AND HIS FAMILY AND EVERYONE WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF HIS WORK TODAY HAS SIGNED OFFER TO GREEN LIGHT THIS PROJECT.

JOHN DOYLE WHO WAS THE DIRECTOR OF "THE COLOR PURPLE" WHICH RECENTLY WON A TONY, WORKED WITH SONNHEIM PARTNERS, IN FACT, HE WOULD CALL HIMSELF IS WORKING AS A DIRECTOR.

I'M WRITING THE MUSIC, LYRICS, AND THE STORY ARC.

AND IT'S GOING TO BE -- IN FACT, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE, BUT I WOULD DEFINITELY SAY THAT IT'S GOING TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO WANT TO CREATE AND WANT TO FIND THAT, THAT CREATIVE RESONANCE THAT'S WITHIN THEM.

BECAUSE EVERYBODY HAS IT.

AND JEAN MICHEL BOSSIER WAS A SUPERSTAR IN TERMS OF EXLORING WHO HE WAS THROUGH HIS ART AND BEING VULNERABLE AT THE SAME TIME THAT HE'S ENIGMATIC.

HE WAS SO MANY THINGS AT ONCE.

SO HE'S THE SUBJECT.

AND HOW WE EXPLORE THAT SUBJECT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE CRAFTING RIGHT NOW.

FOR BROADWAY.

WHICH IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT I'M HAVING A REALLY GOOD TIME DOING THIS.

THE MUSIC THAT I COME UP WITH ALREADY IS BEYOND.

>> YOU TALK ABOUT LOUIS ARMSTRONG BEING SOMEBODY OF GREAT JOY.

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOY AND HAPPINESS?

>> JOY IS SOMETHING THAT COMES FROM GOING THROUGH PAIN AND COMING OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE.

HAPPINESS IS FLEETING.

HAPPINESS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU FEEL, IT'S A RUSH.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE ADRENALINE.

BUT THEN IT GOES, JOY DOESN'T GO.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG HAD A SENSE OF JOY THAT YOU CAN ONLY HAVE WHEN YOU KNOW SOMETHING.

YOU KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR SELF WORTH.

AND YOU UNDERSTAND SOMETHING ABOUT THE VALUE OF PEOPLE AND THE HUMAN SOUL AND THAT'S REALLY ESPECIALLY NOW THERE'S SO MUCH THAT WE DEVALUE WITH THE MUDSLINGING WITH ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING, PUBLICLY TO EACH OTHER.

I REALLY FIND THAT JOY FOR ME COMES IN KNOWING THAT THERE'S SOMETHING BETTER, SOMETHING GREAT ON THE OTHER SIDE.

>> ALL RIGHT.

>> AND ARE YOU DOING IT PARTLY BY TAKING THE SONG IN WHICH LOUIS ARMSTRONG EXPLORES JOY, WHICH IS WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD AND YOU RE-INTERPRET IT FOR YOUR NEW ALBUM.

CAN WE HEAR THAT?

>> DEFINITELY.

[ MUSIC PLAYING ]♪ I SEE TREES ♪ [ MUSIC PLAYING ] ♪ AND RED ROSES TOO ♪ [ MUSIC PLAYING ] ♪ AND I SEE THEM BLOOM ♪ ♪ FOR ME AND YOU ♪ ♪ AND I THINK TO MYSELF ♪ [ MUSIC PLAYING ] ♪ WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD ♪ [ MUSIC PLAYING ] ♪♪♪ >> JON BATISTE, I LOVE YOU, THANK YOU FOR BEING ON.

>> THANK YOU WALTER, LOVE YOU, BROTHER.