Jamal Batiste comes from the storied Batiste musical family — father David, a music teacher and member of the Gladiators; older brother Russell, a top-notch drummer; and cousin Jon, yes, that Jon Batiste. Jamal loved the drums from the age of three and came up through the family band, playing all styles in all kinds of settings. He graduated from the University of New Orleans in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in music and jazz studies.
His band, the Jamal Batiste Band (Jam-All!), blends New Orleans funk, hip-hop, soul, gospel, and R&B, and has toured the world with a string of hits — including the chart-topping 2017 single "It's A Beautiful World," which climbed to No. 1 on Billboard Jazz and the Heatseekers charts. His releases include The Unorthodox Drummer: The First Assemblage (2008), T.U.D. Just Jamal (2010), the EP All Rock'd Up (2017), and Beatz N' Vibez Vol. 1 (2023), all on his own JamAll Pro Music Group label.
Batiste's drumming has shown up on screens big and small — he played in the 2014 James Brown film Get On Up starring Chadwick Boseman, played snare on Ne-Yo's "Never Knew I Needed," and his drums can be heard in Disney's The Princess and the Frog — and on stages with Trombone Shorty, Leo Nocentelli, Art Neville, George Porter Jr., Regina Belle, and Bill Summers. He has collected awards from the New Orleans City Council, the mayor, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama, and he teaches young players as an instructor for NOSACONN at the Batiste Cultural Arts Academy.
