Celebrated jazz musician Jon Batiste showed off his piano skills in his New York apartment on Instagram Live as part of the "Together At Home" virtual series on Thursday.
Batiste performed tour de force renditions of Louis Armstrong’s “When the Saints Come Marching In,” “St. James Infirmary,” and “What a Beautiful World,” sprinkling nimble piano improvisations in between. He moved on to Chopin, Ray Charles, Thelonius Monk, and numerous other legendary musicians. He finished the set with his own song, “Don’t Stop.”
The Grammy Award-winning musician encouraged his fans to support the World Health Organization (WHO) and to wash their hands and practice social distancing to slow the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
"I’m at home, and we’re doing a lot of great things to help fund the World Health Organization," he said. "I’m going to play some music and I encourage you to donate and continue to socially distance yourself, because this is a very, very big deal — and it’s a big time for us in the world to come together and we have to meet [this crisis] with integrity and love and responsibility."
To drive home the importance of handwashing, Batiste opened his set by rubbing some hand sanitizer on his hands.
Batiste had the camera positioned above him, pointed at his fingers playing the piano. He took requests from those tuning in and played samples of various songs.
Batiste has performed at numerous Global Citizen events over the years and is an advocate of educational initiatives. The WHO is just the latest cause he’s championed.
The "Together At Home" campaign was launched on March 16 by Global Citizen and the World Health Organization (WHO). Dozens of artists, actors, and health experts have joined the campaign to support the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Through the campaign, Global Citizens can take actions on a number of topics, including calling on world leaders to fund relief efforts.
Globally, more than 416,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus and 18,589 people have died from it, according to the WHO. The WHO is working to end this pandemic by providing countries with essential supplies and personnel, as well as researching treatments and vaccines.
However, scientists insist that the most effective way to slow and ultimately end the pandemic is to enact strict social distancing rules that essentially put the brakes on non-essential activity.
By visiting Global Citizen’s "Together At Home" campaign page, you can learn more about coronavirus and find ways to get involved in your community.
The "Together At Home" series has featured dozens of artists and influencers, including Chris Martin, John Legend, Charlie Puth, Camila Cabello alongside Shawn Mendes, Lindsey Sterling, Kerry Washington, Chloe X Halle, H.E.R., and more.
There are many more virtual events to come this week, including these sets on Friday:
- Carla Morrison at 12:30 p.m. PT / 3:30 p.m. ET
- Barenaked Ladies at 3:00 p.m PT / 6:00 p.m. ET
- Ha*Ash at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET
You can see all of Global Citizen's COVID-19 coverage here.
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