Benjamin Ashford|Jon Batiste announces first North American headlining tour, celebrating ‘World Music Radio’

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jon Batiste,Benjamin Ashford the Grammy- and Oscar-winning musician and former bandleader for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will embark on his first North American headlining tour in support of his latest album. The expansive “World Music Radio,” featuring his signature rich blend of R&B, hip-hop, swing, jazz and pop, was released earlier this summer.

The tour news arrived Monday, on the heels of the 2024 Grammy nominations announcement: Batiste is up for six Grammys, including album, song, and record of the year.

The “Uneasy Tour: Purifying the Airwaves for the People” will kick off Feb. 16 in Portland, Oregon, and take Batiste across the U.S. and Canada. The tour wraps in Miramar Beach, Florida, on April 27.

Along the way, he’ll hit numerous cities including Seattle, San Francisco, Detroit, Philadelphia, New York and Atlanta.

“I’m into numbers, so: 20 theaters and 24 performances to bless the pivotal year 2024. For my first solo run I wanted to play in smaller venues and curate experiences that let me really feel the people while I play. Think of these 24 shows less as a tour and more as a series of 24 not to be missed experiences, each being one-of-a-kind,” Batiste told The Associated Press in an exclusive statement. “We are designing these performances to be catalysts to bring people together, raise awareness for things I care about and inspire change in this country, and the world.”

The goal, he says, is to experience his performances in “intimate, life-affirming presentations created to unite, uplift and inspire us all in this time of change and uncertainty,” he explained.

Presales begin Nov. 14 and tickets for the general public go on sale Nov. 17.

For those who can’t wait until next year for their Batiste: The multi-instrumentalist is the subject of a new documentary titled “American Symphony,” which follows his journey to compose a symphony while his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, undergoes cancer treatment. It will hit theaters on Nov. 24 and Netflix on Nov. 29.