Jon Batiste & Cory Wong - Meditations (2020) FLAC

Keyboardist and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste and Vulfpeck/The Fearless Flyers guitarist Cory Wong released a collaborative album, Meditations. The surprise release also features contributions from drummer Nate Smith and keyboardist Sam Yahel.

Wong and Batiste met during an appearance on the Live From Here radio program and Batiste subsequently invited Wong to perform on The Late Show. The pair recorded what became Meditations over the course of three nights during sessions that were held after they taped The Late Show in New York City.

Wong shared the below statement regarding the collaboration with Batiste:

It’s really rare to find someone that you connect on the deep musical and personal level. There’s something unexplainable in art and spirituality that has a way of bringing its history to the surface when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. When Jon and I play, there’s no ego or competition … we just play … we end up seeing much more of each other as humans … it’s really hard to explain, but it’s something that I’ve had with only a handful of people.

We recorded the album straight through without stopping. We wanted to take the whole journey of the album each time.

The album is called Meditations because of the origin and intent of the music. Jon and I both have a pretty hectic schedule on a regular basis. Music is both our job, and our escape. The intention of making this album was to find ourselves in a healing place with the music. We’re not chasing radio play or a Billboard hit with this particular collection of music … we’re chasing that feeling of freedom and healing that comes from that place that gives us that deep connection on a human and spiritual level. Hopefully the listener will connect with the music in a way that allows them to connect to themselves in a new way.