Jazz and Blues Musician. A patriarch of a long lineage of musicians from the Batiste family of Louisiana. Lovingly known as "Uncle Lionel", Mr. Batiste was a long standing active member of the New Orleans Jazz community. He grew up in Tremé, one of 16 children. He started performing with brass bands as a young boy. In his teens, he joined the 6th Ward Dirty Dozen Kazoo Band, playing banjo, kazoo, and washtub. He went on to parade on bass drum with the Square Deal Social Aid & Pleasure Club, and worked in the French Quarter as a shoeshine boy. He was an icon and great influence for many local musicians. His signatures while performing were sunglasses, a wristwatch worn on his hand as opposed to his wrist, and a kazoo, as he grooved to the beat of his drum. As his notoriety grew over the decades, he appeared in several commercials and television shows, including Tremé on HBO, and was also a focal figure in Spike Lee's Hurricane Katrina documentary, and was featured numerous times as the face of New Orleans for the city's Jazz and Heritage Festival. On July 23, 2011, at age 79, Lionel Batiste led a jazz funeral second line in Molde, Norway, for victims of the horrific terrorist attacks perpetrated one day earlier. His calm demeanor reflected an aura of peace and serenity as he shared his gift of healing jazz with a country in desperate need of solace. His likeness graces a poster celebrating Treme's bicentennial this year. Mr. Batiste died at the age of 81, after a brief bout with cancer. He will be sadly missed by the New Orleans music community and his fans all over the world.∼Musician. Bass drummer, vocalist and assistant leader for the Treme Brass Band in New Orleans, LA. An iconic leading figure in the the brass band community, Mr Batiste was often seen with his omnipresent sunglasses, a kazoo, and wristwatch that he wore across his left hand. He appeared in many commercials and television shows and was featured on the souvenir Congo Square poster for Jazz Fest in 2010 as well as the Treme Bicentennial poster in 2012. He also made an appearance on the HBO series "Treme".
His performance career first began at age 11 when he tap danced with the Square Deal Social Aid and Pleasure Club. He shared a stage at The Famous Door with bandleader Sharkey Bonano as well as Pork Chop and Kidney Stew.
He began the Dirty Dozen Kazoo Band in the 1930's with several friends and they paraded the streets of New Orleans playing music whenever boxer Joe Louis won a fight.
He recorded two albums with the Treme Brass Band and is known for his signature slide and hope which he learned from watching the drummer Papa Knox. He not only entertained with his drum playing but also with his onstage antics which included frequent and enthusiastic dancing.
He will be remembered by many musicians as an inspiration and role model, including the trumpeter Kermit Ruffins who stated, "(Mr. Batiste) was my total influence on how to act, how to dress, and how to feel about life."
His performance career first began at age 11 when he tap danced with the Square Deal Social Aid and Pleasure Club. He shared a stage at The Famous Door with bandleader Sharkey Bonano as well as Pork Chop and Kidney Stew.
He began the Dirty Dozen Kazoo Band in the 1930's with several friends and they paraded the streets of New Orleans playing music whenever boxer Joe Louis won a fight.
He recorded two albums with the Treme Brass Band and is known for his signature slide and hope which he learned from watching the drummer Papa Knox. He not only entertained with his drum playing but also with his onstage antics which included frequent and enthusiastic dancing.
He will be remembered by many musicians as an inspiration and role model, including the trumpeter Kermit Ruffins who stated, "(Mr. Batiste) was my total influence on how to act, how to dress, and how to feel about life."
Jazz and Blues Musician. A patriarch of a long lineage of musicians from the Batiste family of Louisiana. Lovingly known as "Uncle Lionel", Mr. Batiste was a long standing active member of the New Orleans Jazz community. He grew up in Tremé, one of 16 children. He started performing with brass bands as a young boy. In his teens, he joined the 6th Ward Dirty Dozen Kazoo Band, playing banjo, kazoo, and washtub. He went on to parade on bass drum with the Square Deal Social Aid & Pleasure Club, and worked in the French Quarter as a shoeshine boy. He was an icon and great influence for many local musicians. His signatures while performing were sunglasses, a wristwatch worn on his hand as opposed to his wrist, and a kazoo, as he grooved to the beat of his drum. As his notoriety grew over the decades, he appeared in several commercials and television shows, including Tremé on HBO, and was also a focal figure in Spike Lee's Hurricane Katrina documentary, and was featured numerous times as the face of New Orleans for the city's Jazz and Heritage Festival. On July 23, 2011, at age 79, Lionel Batiste led a jazz funeral second line in Molde, Norway, for victims of the horrific terrorist attacks perpetrated one day earlier. His calm demeanor reflected an aura of peace and serenity as he shared his gift of healing jazz with a country in desperate need of solace. His likeness graces a poster celebrating Treme's bicentennial this year. Mr. Batiste died at the age of 81, after a brief bout with cancer. He will be sadly missed by the New Orleans music community and his fans all over the world.∼Musician. Bass drummer, vocalist and assistant leader for the Treme Brass Band in New Orleans, LA. An iconic leading figure in the the brass band community, Mr Batiste was often seen with his omnipresent sunglasses, a kazoo, and wristwatch that he wore across his left hand. He appeared in many commercials and television shows and was featured on the souvenir Congo Square poster for Jazz Fest in 2010 as well as the Treme Bicentennial poster in 2012. He also made an appearance on the HBO series "Treme".
His performance career first began at age 11 when he tap danced with the Square Deal Social Aid and Pleasure Club. He shared a stage at The Famous Door with bandleader Sharkey Bonano as well as Pork Chop and Kidney Stew.
He began the Dirty Dozen Kazoo Band in the 1930's with several friends and they paraded the streets of New Orleans playing music whenever boxer Joe Louis won a fight.
He recorded two albums with the Treme Brass Band and is known for his signature slide and hope which he learned from watching the drummer Papa Knox. He not only entertained with his drum playing but also with his onstage antics which included frequent and enthusiastic dancing.
He will be remembered by many musicians as an inspiration and role model, including the trumpeter Kermit Ruffins who stated, "(Mr. Batiste) was my total influence on how to act, how to dress, and how to feel about life."
His performance career first began at age 11 when he tap danced with the Square Deal Social Aid and Pleasure Club. He shared a stage at The Famous Door with bandleader Sharkey Bonano as well as Pork Chop and Kidney Stew.
He began the Dirty Dozen Kazoo Band in the 1930's with several friends and they paraded the streets of New Orleans playing music whenever boxer Joe Louis won a fight.
He recorded two albums with the Treme Brass Band and is known for his signature slide and hope which he learned from watching the drummer Papa Knox. He not only entertained with his drum playing but also with his onstage antics which included frequent and enthusiastic dancing.
He will be remembered by many musicians as an inspiration and role model, including the trumpeter Kermit Ruffins who stated, "(Mr. Batiste) was my total influence on how to act, how to dress, and how to feel about life."
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