all about jazz

Alvin Batiste

by Elliott Simon

Under-recorded when measured against his contribution to jazz performance, Batiste is one of the few clarinetists who made a place for his instrument in the avant garde.

A preeminent music educator and influential clarinetist, Alvin Batiste 's impact will be with us as long as jazz is performed. From his founding and leadership of the Jazz Institute program at Southern University in Baton Rouge to his current work with the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, clarinetist Alvin Batiste has influenced three generations of musicians. His students are among today's most recognizable working jazz artists and with pianist Ellis Marsalis  he keeps New Orleans' jazz birthright from becoming an historical artifact. Saxophonists Branford Marsalis and Donald Harrison, drummer Herlin Riley  and bassist/American Idol judge Randy Jackson are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Batiste apprentices. read more

Wiki Jazz

Alvin Batiste

by Oscar Evans

Alvin Batiste was a jazz clarinetist from New Orleans. He was known for his great contributions to jazz education as well as his non-traditional use of the clarinet, utilizing modern and avant garde harmony on an instrument that is generally restricted to traditional jazz and dixieland settings. Though often under-recognized, Batiste has played with some of jazz’s biggest names in addition to having taught generations of outstanding musicians. read more

Billy Taylor's

Jazz at The Kennedy Center

Alvin Batiste

On this edition of Billy Taylor’s Jazz at the Kennedy Center, clarinetist and educator Alvin Batiste joins Dr. Billy Taylor, as these two masters of jazz take their captive audience to school. The show’s interactive format capitalizes on the intimate confines of the Kennedy Center Theater Lab, as the exquisite musicianship and wisdom of Alvin Batiste enthralls the audience. Accompanied by Dr. Taylor’s trio, Batiste opens the show by soaring through a version of "Sweet Georgia Brown" that would thrill even the Harlem Globetrotters’ Meadowlark Lemon. read more