Fresh Air - Jon Batiste, Holiday Edition / Questlove Christmas

Episode Date: December 23, 2024

Jon Batiste joins us from the piano and plays some of his favorite Christmas songs. It's part two of our recent session with him. Batiste is the former band leader and music director for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He's won multiple Grammys and an Oscar. Inviting musicians to perform or play recordings of their favorite Christmas songs is a new Fresh Air tradition. It started two years ago, with DJ and co-founder of the Roots, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, who put together a playlist of Christmas songs and talked us through his picks.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Hi, I'm Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, where we're guided by a bold mission to create a more informed public. Join us today by giving at donate.npr.org. This is Fresh Air. I'm Terri Gross. Christmas has inspired some great songs in every genre and some really bad ones. Today we'll hear some great ones. We'll start with John Battiste at the piano, playing, singing and talking about some of his favorites. It's part two of the session we recently recorded with him.

Battiste was the bandleader and music director of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from its premiere in 2015 until 2022. That same year, his album, We Are, received 11 Grammy nominations in seven different categories and won five Grammys including album of the year. His new album, Beethoven Blues, features his re-imaginings of Beethoven compositions.

He also wrote the score for this year's film, Saturday Night, about the first SNL broadcast. And he appears on the film as musician Billy Night, about the first SNL broadcast, and he appears in the film as musician Billy Preston, the first musical guest. A documentary about Batiste called American Symphony is now nominated for a Grammy for best music film, and Batiste is nominated for best song written for visual media. Here's the interview. So as we speak, Christmas is coming up up soon and I don't know how you feel about Christmas music in my opinion like some of it is just like really fun

some of it is kind of transcendent and some of it is so irritating causing like the worst earworms and like just like please don't play that again I never want to hear that again. So what's your take on Christmas songs? Well you know I mean... Charlie Brown. I love this when Vince goes... That's a deeply existential decision. deeply existential decision. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la,

la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la's see, the other one. Christmas time.

Yeah, aren't those both from Vince Guraldi's Yeah, Vince Guraldi. Charlie Brown Christmas? Yeah, I associate a lot of that series and Vince Guraldi in general with Christmas. I know he's done a lot more than Christmas music, but that soundtrack, that album really changed me a lot. A lot of that influence comes into my music. Is there a hymn that you especially love that's kind of Christmas oriented

and could you play and sing it? Let's see if I got. ["Merry Gentlemen"] Ooh, you know that one. God rest ye merry gentlemen. Yeah, I love that. Ooh. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ooh, that's got a sound. God rescue Mary gentlemen. Let nothing you dismay. Oh that's got a sound. Save us from all Satan's power When we had gone astray Oh good tidings of comfort and joy Comfort and joy Oh good tidings of comfort and joy I love that melody. Look. God rest ye merry gentlemen. It's got a blues thing to it.

Let nothing you dismay. Ooh. What about... You know that one? That's Greensleeves, isn't it? Yeah. Oh, man. Yeah? Yeah, oh man! Yeah, yeah, yeah! Oh, over the barata. The little child is this who lay to rest, and shepherds watch her sleeping.

Similar type of melodies, you know, that sound is so, it reminds me of bells ringing in the dead of night on Christmas Eve and just snowfall and there's a majesty to that. There's a majesty to that time and that moment for many reasons obviously but there's something about that space in time that you know certain Christmas music is able to to manifest that feeling in that that that environment into sound, it's able to make it sound. You know, it's funny, like, what child is this that you just played?

And when you played God Rescue Mary Gentlemen, I never heard it as kind of minor key and dark as you played it. Oh yeah, yeah, I like it like that, I don't know. Yeah, me too. What uh't know that. What is that? That's a, oh come, oh come Emmanuel. I grew up with those too. That's amazing that those songs just have that same sound. What was church like for you when you were growing up? In a Catholic family, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I grew up in the Catholic. My mother, she grew up Baptist and then we went to Catholic church, but also sometimes go to the Baptist church and then eventually the AME church. So I had this experience where mostly Catholic, but then also in New Orleans, there's a lot of different manifestations of the Roman Catholic tradition. It's very tied to the culture and to Mardi Gras in ways that are very interesting. But it was beautiful, in particular on Christmas, where we'd go to midnight mass and we would

experience these hymns and people would sing and just have this majesty and this real allure for me. I actually connected to it most during that time. And I also learned a lot from Bach's music. We've talked about Bach in the past and just how Bach is somebody who in history, you know, him and Duke Ellington, they composed so much music. But one function of why Bach was able to compose that much music besides the fact that maybe he was an alien is that he wrote for the church every Sunday. And that ritual and I imagine, at some point,

I don't know when in my life or when I would have the set up to do that, but I want to participate in some sort of ritual in service to the creator where I'm composing and sharing that music just like I experienced when I was growing up. My two favorite Christmas songs, one of them is secular, and one of them is more about Christmas and about Jesus. So the secular one is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas from the film Meet Me in St. Louis. And you were talking about sounding like church bells before. The opening chords of this are so church bells and the more religious song is Oh Holy Night, which I think is such a beautiful song Could you play either or even both? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah

Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light All our troubles will be out of sight. That one, right? Yeah, and it's a part, the by next year part is a part that sounds like church bells, the chords there. By next year, yes. Wow, Terry, you got an ear. You hear that? Terry, that's it. Mm, yeah, troubles will be out of sight.

I love that. That lyric has, wow, wow. That lyric is one of my favorites, actually, now that you mentioned it. It has a relevance to our time. And the great line in it too is, until then we'll have to muddle through somehow. That's the one I was thinking, okay.

Someday soon, we all will be together, if the fates allow Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow So have yourself a merry little Christmas now. Nicely done. That's a great one. I'm just remembering these, this beautiful stuff. Do you like Oh Holy Night? Oh yeah, yeah that's uh... Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining. It is the night, our dear, of our dear

Savior's birth. But long lay the world in sin and error pining till he appeared and the soul felt all its worth. That's how it goes, right? Yes. Yeah, I'm trying to remember. Oh, that sounds, it reminds me of this. Yeah, that's more Beethoven. Yeah. I'm sorry. That's one of the Beethoven things that you re-imagine on your new Beethoven Blues album. But that's of a different mind. The, uh, the stars are brightly shining.

Like, this is what I'll do. I'm hearing, like, the symmetry of both of those melodies. Da-da-da-da-da and the, the stars are brightly shining. It is the night our dear Holy night, you're the stars are brightly shining.

It is the night our dear Savior's birth. Wow, there's something there. You've given me an idea. Oh, good. It is the night part, that descending line. I think that has so much drama in it. Oh, yeah. Just like the musical line. I think that has so much drama in it. Just like the musical line.

Yes, yes. What's the part on the bridge? That's the other drama part, the fall on your knees. Yeah. Oh night divine. Oh night, oh night divine. Oh yeah, yeah, wait, wait, woo! That's what I'm saying. Oh night divine. Oh, yeah. Yeah On your knee anytime you go to that chord it's a minor three chord That's one of my favorite progressions you got the one chord and then you go to the three one two three That transition Ooh, that transition. Oh, you need

Hmm. That gives me chills. The angel voices On I Divine Divine, divine, yeah. That's blues, see that? Yeah. Since I made so many suggestions on what to play,

I'd like you to choose the last piece. Whether you want it to be a Christmas song or a Beethoven composition or anything else, whatever mood you feel like playing. Is that too wide open for you? I'm going to figure it out as I play. Okay. So I'm sorry. Don't stop dreaming, don't stop believing, cause you know that our time is coming up. So let's soak up the day And dance the night away So with all you've got, don't stop I heard there was a secret chord That David played and it pleased the Lord But you don't really care for music do you? It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, and the major lift, the baffled Hallelujah, hallelujah. Wow, that's wonderful. And so it started with Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, went to what I think is probably an original song that I'm not familiar with, and then into Leonard

Cohen's Hallelujah. Beautifully done, beautiful connections in there. What was the middle piece that I didn't recognize? Yes, that's a piece entitled Don't Stop. It was the final track from my first album, Hollywood Africans. That was beautiful. Thank you for being so generous and so interesting and illustrating so much music for us. I so appreciate it and I also wish you a Merry Christmas.

Oh, thank you so much. It's a pleasure every time. Thank you very much for your gift to the world and for who you are. Much love. Oh, gosh, thank you. John Battiste joined us at the piano from the studios of WNYC in New York. We thank them. This was the second part of my session with John Battiste. You can find the first part on our podcast or website. His latest album, Beethoven Blues, features his re-imaginings of Beethoven music. After we take a short break, Questlove will play recordings from the Christmas playlist he put together for us. I'm Terry Gross and this is Fresh Air.

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Invest in coverage that moves us forward together by giving today at donate.npr.org. Hi, I'm Ramtin Adabluy from Throughline. Electricity, internet, cell service, all the things we rely on every day can be unreliable or inaccessible in an emergency. But through any storm or crisis, radio is a lifeline. Support the resource that's here for you no matter what. Give today at donate.npr.org. In 1987, a young black man named Ben Spencer was convicted of a brutal murder in Texas,

but there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime and he had an alibi, but that didn't matter. It's hard to overcome a dead white guy who was killed by two black men. Follow Ben's 30 yearyear fight for justice. Listen now to the Sunday story on the Up First podcast. This is Fresh Air. I'm Terry Gross. It's become a new Fresh Air holiday tradition

to invite musicians we love to play some of their favorite Christmas songs. It started two years ago when Amir Kwestlov Thompson put together a Christmas playlist for us and talked about why he chose those songs. Last year, David Byrne played his favorite Christmas songs. We'll listen back to that tomorrow. We continued that tradition earlier in the show with John Battiste at the piano. Now we're going to listen back to Kwestlove and his Christmas playlist. In addition to his many credits, K Questlove is perhaps the most famous, popular, and in-demand DJ.

Questlove co-founded the band The Roots, which among other things is the house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. He's also written several books related to music, including one published earlier this year called Hip Hop is History. He won an Oscar for his documentary Summer of Soul about the 1969 Harlem Cultural

Festival. His new documentary Sly Lives, aka The Burden of Black Genius, about Sly Stone, will premiere next month at the Sundance Film Festival. On January 27th, NBC will broadcast Questlove's new documentary called Ladies and Gentlemen, 50 Years of SNL Music. It will also stream on Peacock. Questlove, welcome back to Fresh Air. Thanks so much for doing this and choosing music for us. Why don't we start with a song that you selected? And this is a song by Dram and his mother

and it's Silver Bells. And I have to tell you, there's so much really schlocky Christmas music. That's why we're so excited to have you on the show doing this, because you're choosing really interesting stuff. So the song Silver Bells is kind of high in my list of just, you know, schlocky and just annoying.

It's one of the reasons I don't like a lot of Christmas songs. This is a great recording. So tell us about the reasons I don't like a lot of Christmas songs. This is a great recording. So tell us about the recording and why you chose it. Yeah, it's a very unique recording. Drum is kind of the post neo soul set, like one of the artists that I really dig his work. He has a really soulful voice. When I listen to music, I like rawness.

I like mistakes. I don't think there's good notes and bad notes or flat notes or sharp or pitchy notes, but this is just, it's almost like they're allowing us, him and his mom are allowing us to sort of eavesdrop at the family gathering where they're just singing to each other. This is a really raw version of the song, so it hits home to me. Let's hear it. Here we go. This is Silver Bells, a good version of it. Dressed in half, the day style In the air, there's a feeling of Christmas Children laughing, people passing

Meeting smile after smile Hand on every street corner You're here Smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, It's Christmas time in the city Oh, ring-a-ling, ring-a-ling Hear them ring, hear them ring Soon it will be Christmas day Christmas Day When you were growing up and you were touring with your father's band, did you spend a lot of Christmases performing? Yeah, like we would often have Christmases in very unusual places,

probably one of the best places ever. There was a resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico called the DuPont Plaza. And my father would do a residency down there. And I believe like back in the 82, one of my favorite Christmases ever, like it was real tropical, and that was the first tropical Christmas I had.

Like I spent two weeks with my family, although they were going for like four months, I would fly down there occasionally. And this is the year that Michael Jackson's thriller came out. So, you know, it was a simpler time where buying a mirror one record was like the entire world to him.

You know, now I have to buy like an entire library's jazz collection from some university. But back in 82, you could just give me a Thriller record and that was like everything to me. Well, let's get to another song on your playlist. This is Disco Claws, which is by Bionic. It sounds more like Funk Santa than Disco Claws, which is by Bionic, and it sounds more like Funk Santa than Disco Claws. It is. There's these two really influential DJs that have really inspired my DJ career.

They're from the Boston area. They're called Amir and Akon, and those guys, they're the DJs that your favorite DJs, DJs listen to. And they're always playing really obscure music that's really under the radar. And I believe DJ Amir is the one that put me on to this particular piece, which, you know, it has a good drum break to it. And I think it came out in 1977 by a group called the bionic

Yeah, okay Disco Claus came into town, walkin' all the toys around, Suzy, Q, and G I do, walkin' under the mistletoe. Hey, ain't nothin' silent about this night. Rudolph with your nose so bright to get through this town. Yeah I said it's about that time. It's about that time. I say I'm going now. Disco Claws That's Disco Claws by Bionic, one of the songs chosen for us by Questlove.

You've said that as a creator, you're 98% groove and 2% melody. The track you just played is very much groove. Very much so, yes. and two percent melody. The track you just played is very much groove. Very much so, yes. I mean drums are, that's my calling card. And for me, there's a lot of really obscure Christmas records that might, like they'll do their version of like Little Drummer Boy

or something like that. Little Drummer Boy is one of the Christmas songs, the original recording of it, that just really, really drove me crazy. Really? Yeah, they played it so much on the radio when I was growing up. And, yeah, tell me you like it. It's hard to escape it. Yeah, all throughout first and second second grade like every Christmas pageant

I think it was expected that I was supposed to play a Little drummer boy. Oh because you were the drummer Because I was a drummer Exactly, but you know oftentimes in school at the Christmas pageant Even even if it were like something totally the opposite, like our production of the Nutcracker or something like that, like they will find some sort of excuse to give eight-year-old Amir a drumming spotlight in the program. Oh, boy.

Well, let's hear a song that's lyrically the opposite of it's the most happiest time of the year. So this is James Brown's Santa most happiest time of the year. So this is James Brown's Santa Claus, Santa Claus from 1968. This is so hilarious to me. I'm sorry. Why is it hilarious to you? This song, this particular song is my one, this is my introduction to Christmas music. Two, it's my introduction to James Brown.

Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. So the first time you heard a Christmas song and the first time you heard James Brown was this. Yeah, my first James Brown was this. No, it was just that, you know what it is? I was a kid of the Muppets era and there was a tortured genius genius musician on Sesame Street, and his name was Don Music.

And he was always full of self-doubt and insecurity, and whenever he couldn't find the right words or the right chord, he just like, you know, he'd bang his head on the piano with like a tortured soul, you know. It was exaggerated, so I used to think it was funny. And James Brown has a voice similar to my grandmother's. So, and she's a very anim...

She's a very animated woman. So, as a baby, I thought that was grandmom singing all those songs because James Brown really belts like a female gospel singer, you know what I mean? Like with his high notes and his yelling. James Brown really belts like a female gospel singer, you know what I mean? Like with his high notes and his yelling. So when I hear this very, very depressing song about misfortune, like this is the Murphy's Law

of Christmas songs. I don't know, I think my three-year-old self just thought that grandma was performing like a comedy skit or something like that. So I added that song for the ironic reasons. I think this is one of the most hilarious songs ever because James Brown is overselling the, he's really overselling the, the woe was me character of the song.

He's asking Santa and the Lord, why does he have to suffer so? Exactly. All right, let's hear it. This is James Brown from 1968. I've wanted so many things and wanted so much experience the wants when you live in the ghetto but now I understand what it means to be a man there's one thing I'd like to know I've been good Lord have mercy so good you know Why, oh why, do I have to suffer so?

Santa Claus, Santa Claus Please, please, please don't make me, don't make me suffer so Christmas comes But once a year I want somebody please, please, please bring me some Christmas cheer. I need a Christmas cheer, Santa Claus, please, please don't make this episode. Can't take it no more That was James Brown from 1968 I'm still processing that this is like your introduction to James Brown Yes, but see after that then I wanted to hear all the songs where he's like screaming and crying

Well, let's take a short break here and then we'll talk some more if you're just joining us My guest is quest love and he'll play more Christmas recordings after we take a short break. This is Fresh Air. In college, Mustafa Suleiman started a helpline for young British Muslims. People were just looking to find support in a language that made sense to them. Today, he's CEO of Microsoft AI,

where he's building digital helpers. Think of me as your superpower in your pocket. Building the future of AI. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. The Indicator is a podcast where daily economic news is about what matters to you. Workers have been feeling the sting of inflation. So as a new administration promises action on the cost of living, taxes, and home prices. The S&P 500 biggest post-election day spike ever.

Follow all the big changes and what they mean for you. Make America affordable again. Listen to The Indicator, the Daily Economics podcast from NPR. This is fresh air. Let's get back to my 2022 interview with Questlove, who played recordings from the Christmas playlist he put together for us. He's co-founder of the hip-hop band The Roots, the house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy

Fallon. He won an Oscar for his documentary Summer of Soul. He's written several books about music, including his latest, Hip Hop is History. And he was a producer of the original cast recording of Hamilton and much more, some of which we'll talk about a little bit later. But right now, let's get back to some Christmas music. This is another very unusual recording with a story behind it.

It's called Santa Claus is a Black Man, and it's by Akeem and Teddy Van from 1970s. Teddy Van, her father, yeah. Yeah, Teddy Van, her father. And she was what, five when she recorded this? She was five when she did this. So, you know, I came then is You know most would know her she's a staple in the the Prospect Heights area because she's like she has um She she's the owner of a really awesome bakery

It's called the bakery on virgin and it's in Prospect Heights. And so, but the weirdest thing was back when Wendy Williams, the personality Wendy Williams was a DJ on Hot 97. This is like in the 90s. She had a Christmas themed show once and I remember they played this song called Santa Claus is a Black Man. And I called the station and just left a note. Like, I don't know if you guys know who I am and whatever this Quest Love of the Roots.

And I gotta know the name of that song. And shockingly, I think like two days later, they emailed me back and sent me a cassette copy of the song, because that's the times we were living in. And what's also notable about this song is that I believe that singer Luther Vandross, who at the time was a local singer, and ironically ironically the one act I had to leave off of Summer of Soul He's also singing background on the song. Oh Well, apparently Teddy van Kim's father

Yeah wrote One of Luther Vandross's hits. Yeah power of love. Yeah. Yeah I could see why, okay, I could see why he was singing back up on this. Okay. All right. So you loved about this song what? Well, I just love the absolute innocence of it. Similar to I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, this is Christmas through the eyes of a child who the whole point is that kids don't know that their parents are really Santa Claus.

So besides I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, this is sort of another song in that vein where... He looked just like you daddy Yeah, she doesn't realize that her dad is actually Santa Claus. Yeah, then he's dressed as Santa Claus. Okay. Yeah, so let's hear it You know why I found you last night Just when momma turned out the light I went in the living room to see What the noise that woke up made And I was drawn by the Christmas tree Santa Claus is a black man Santa Claus is a black man

and he can't stand like my daddy too Santa Claus is a black man Santa Claus is a black man and I found out that's what's killing you. Mama must have met Santa Claus before. Cause he started dancing all over the floor. And I fell asleep at the door. We're listening to my 2022 interview with Questlove.

We'll hear more music from his Christmas playlist after a break. This is Fresh Air. This is Fresh Air. Let's get back to the interview I recorded in 2022 with Amir Questlove Thompson playing songs from the Christmas playlist he put together for us in 2022. So let's get to Stevie Wonder. I know you love Stevie Wonder and he's in your film performing in Summer of Soul. And this is a promotional disc from Britain.

It's a kind of Christmas greetings song, Christmas greetings message. It's not even a whole song. So tell us about the origin of this. You know why I chose this Stevie Wonder is world famous for his unique Jingles for radio stations, you know

If you if you search the internet high and low you can find some that he's done over the years and over the decades so these jingles there's there's actually a Philadelphia version of this particular jingle that I grew up with. And that's the thing that's always close to my heart. So there was a point in time in which Stevie Wonder might take time out to craft maybe somewhere between 30 to 50 individualized, customized radio station jingles for the territories that were playing his music the most.

This is sort of a companion piece to the Marvin Gaye Christmas in the City bit, of which this is Stevie Wonder playing synthesizer. This time he's playing polyphonic synthesizer, which gives them the ability to hit all the notes together. So this is kind of the opposite. This is when synthesizers get in the right hands of its creator. Okay. Here's Stevie Wonder.

Hi, this is Stevie Wonder. I wish I could hear more of that, but I guess there isn't more of that. Very brief. Sometimes you can make a point in 26 seconds. Look at the Ramones. They made a life-changing record and not one song is over two minutes. I think more artists need to follow suit and figure and challenge themselves to make impactful art In less than uh, you know the normal time Do you think he did his promotional?

recordings because he wanted to because the record company urged him to because it would like Yeah, I mean stevie wonder came from stevie wonder not only came from like the first generation of motown but he also came from the first generation of Motown, but he also came from the first generation of a professional black record company that had to cross every T and dot every I. So, you know, not only did you have to release your single, you had to make a mono version of it, a stereo version of it. And then some of these songs, you took time out to sing the Spanish versions of them. You took time out to sing the Italian version. Like I have a collection of Stevie Wonder

singles in other languages. Just maximizing on your appeal. And Stevie Wonder had the means and the technology to just knock this all out. So, you know, I can imagine that this level of creativity was as bread and butter. So I'd like to close with another song. And I'm thinking like, do you have a favorite? And I guess I'll get a little churchy here. Do you have a favorite, like, real Christmas song that is say, like a gospel song? Because I know you love Mahalia Jackson, she's in Summer of Soul, and Mavis Staples. So is there a song like from that tradition

that you'd like to end with? You know, there's so many to choose from. I will say though, there's a tradition of Silent Night that's done by the Temptations. It's their 73 version with Dennis Edwards singing lead vocals. And it's almost unspoken. Like it's every black household in the 70s. That's the only version of Silent Night that exists.

A good friend of mine says that if the first three words of any ad lib from a soul singer are the words in my mind, then you know the abyss levels of deep that that version of the song's gonna be. And that's exactly what Dennis Edwards does. The fact that his first three words have nothing to do with Silent Night, which is in my mind, which is kind of like a go-to.

I'm gonna get real deep for you here before I start sermonizing. That's a warning that you're about to get something special the temptations version their slow version of silent night is is damn near a religion in in black households oh thank you for choosing that quest of it's always such a great treat when you're on our show thank you so much for choosing music for us. Thank you, Terry. Yeah, it's just always such a pleasure to have you on our show. Thank you. Little mouse in my mind I want you to be free

For all of our friends Would you listen to me? Now hear what I say We wish you a Merry Christmas To give to all of you. Silent night, holy night. Questlove is a founding member of the band The Roots and the band's drummer. They're the house band for the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Next month his documentary about Sly Stone called Sly Lives aka the burden of black genius

will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and his documentary about music from Saturday Night Live called Ladies and Gentlemen 50 Years of SNL Music will be broadcast January 27th on NBC and then will stream on Peacock. You can find Questlove's complete Christmas playlist on our website freshair.npr.org or in the show notes on the podcast. Tomorrow on Fresh Air we'll listen back to the interview I recorded one year ago in which David Byrne, co-founder and front man of the band Talking Heads, played us some of his favorite Christmas songs.

Fresh Air's executive producer is Danny Miller. Our technical director is Audrey Bentham. Our engineer today is Adam Stanaszewski. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Phyllis Myers, Annemarie Bodonato, Sam Brigger, Lauren Krenzel, Theresa Madden, Monique Nazareth, Thea Challener, Susan Yakundy, and Anna Bauman. Our digital media producer is Molly C.V. Nesper. Roberta Shorrock directs the show. Our co-host is Tanya Mosley. I'm Terry Gross. The glorious reigns come from heaven above Heavenly hosts sing hallelujah