Jon Batiste, Holiday Edition / Questlove Christmas

Summary

Fresh Air Holiday Edition: Jon Batiste and Questlove Share Their Favorite Christmas Songs

Podcast Information:

• Title: Fresh Air
• Host: Terry Gross, NPR
• Episode: Jon Batiste, Holiday Edition / Questlove Christmas
• Release Date: December 23, 2024

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Introduction

In this special holiday edition of Fresh Air, host Terry Gross engages in intimate conversations with two of music’s most influential figures: Jon Batiste and Questlove. The episode celebrates Christmas through the lens of these artists, exploring their favorite holiday songs, personal anecdotes, and the intricate relationship between music and tradition.

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Jon Batiste’s Segment: Embracing the Spirit of Christmas Through Music

Discussion on Christmas Music: Jon Batiste opens the conversation by sharing his mixed feelings about Christmas music, acknowledging the spectrum from “really fun” and “transcendent” to “irritating” earworms. He emphasizes the profound impact certain Christmas songs have on him, particularly those that transcend mere festivity to evoke deeper emotions.

• Jon Batiste: “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.” (00:00)

Influence of Vince Guaraldi: Batiste expresses his admiration for Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, noting its significant influence on his musical style.

• Jon Batiste: “I associate a lot of that series and Vince Guaraldi in general with Christmas. That soundtrack, that album really changed me a lot.” (02:46)

Favorite Hymns and Personal Connections: The conversation delves into Batiste’s favorite Christmas hymns, such as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” He discusses the emotional depth these songs bring, especially when performed in a minor key, which adds a sense of majesty and contemplation to the holiday season.

• Jon Batiste: “There's something about that space in time that certain Christmas music is able to manifest that feeling in that environment into sound.” (05:02)

Experiences with Church Music: Batiste reflects on his upbringing in a Catholic family in New Orleans, highlighting the cultural and spiritual significance of Christmas church services. He draws parallels between his early experiences with hymns and the disciplined creativity of composers like Bach.

• Jon Batiste: “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.” (08:53)

Performance of Favorite Songs: Batiste performs renditions of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and “O Holy Night.” Each performance is interwoven with his reflections on the songs’ meanings and their relevance to contemporary times.

• Jon Batiste: “That lyric has a relevance to our time.” (10:19)

Closing Thoughts: Jon Batiste concludes his segment by playing “Don’t Stop,” an original piece from his album Hollywood Africans, seamlessly blending holiday spirit with personal artistry.

• Jon Batiste: “Hallelujah.” (18:54)

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Questlove’s Segment: Curating a Unique Christmas Playlist

Introduction to Questlove’s Playlist: Questlove, renowned as the drummer for The Roots and co-founder of the band, curates a distinctive Christmas playlist that diverges from traditional selections. His choices aim to highlight obscure and genre-blending tracks that bring a fresh perspective to holiday music.

Featured Artists and Stories: The segment features Amir Thompson, Questlove’s collaborator, who discusses his selections ranging from Dram and his mother’s rendition of “Silver Bells” to James Brown’s unconventional “Santa Claus.” Each song choice is accompanied by personal anecdotes and the cultural significance behind the recordings.

• Amir Thompson: “This is a really raw version of the song, so it kind of hits home to me.” (26:44)
• Questlove: “Hallelujah.” (18:54)

Exploration of Unique Christmas Tracks: Questlove introduces listeners to rare Christmas recordings, such as “Disco Claus” by Bionic and “Santa Claus Is a Black Man” by Akeem and Teddy Van. These selections showcase a blend of funk, soul, and cultural commentary, offering a nuanced take on holiday music.

• Amir Thompson: “It's hard to escape it... I was supposed to play Little Drummer Boy.” (32:11)
• Questlove: “Santa Claus, Santa Claus, please, please, please don't make me sad.” (36:35)

Stevie Wonder’s Promotional Jingles: Amir Thompson shares insights into Stevie Wonder’s Christmas promotional jingles, highlighting their brevity and creative impact.

• Amir Thompson: “There's a Philadelphia version of this particular jingle that I grew up with. This is when synthesizers get in the right hands of its creator.” (44:05)

Final Musical Selection – The Temptations’ “Silent Night”: The segment concludes with a soulful rendition of “Silent Night” by The Temptations, praised for its deep emotional resonance and spiritual depth.

• Amir Thompson: “The Temptations version, their slow version of Silent Night, is damn near a religion in black households.” (48:56)

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Notable Quotes

• Jon Batiste: “There’s something about that space in time that certain Christmas music is able to manifest that feeling in that environment into sound.” (05:02)

• Amir Thompson: “It's hard to escape it. All throughout, like first and second grade, like every Christmas pageant...” (31:58)

• Questlove: “We should be able to disagree with each other without bullying each other into submission.” (37:32)

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Conclusion

Terry Gross wraps up the holiday edition by highlighting Questlove’s upcoming projects, including his documentaries Sly Lives and Ladies and Gentlemen, 50 Years of SNL Music. She also previews the next day's episode featuring David Byrne’s favorite Christmas songs, continuing the tradition of celebrating the season through exceptional musical choices.

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Additional Information:

• Accessing the Playlist: Questlove’s complete Christmas playlist is available on the Fresh Air website at freshair.NPR.org or in the show notes of the podcast.
• Support NPR: The episode includes a brief call to support NPR through donations, emphasizing the importance of public media.

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This Fresh Air episode masterfully blends personal narratives with musical exploration, offering listeners a rich and engaging journey through the holiday season as seen through the eyes of Jon Batiste and Questlove. Whether rediscovering beloved classics or uncovering hidden gems, the episode underscores the profound connection between music and the spirit of Christmas.

Transcript

[Terry Gross]

This message comes from Lagavulin Single malt Scotch whiskey. Wherever your curiosity takes you, there will always be more to uncover and savor. Discover new flavor notes beyond the smoke. Lagavulin. Please drink responsibly. Diageo New York, New York. This is FRESH air. I'm Terry 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 Jon Batiste at the piano, playing, singing and talking about some of his favorites. It's part two of the session we recently recorded with him. Batiste was the band leader 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 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 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?

[Jon Batiste]

Well, you know, I mean.

[Terry Gross]

Charlie Brown.

[Jon Batiste]

I love this. When Vince goes woo, that's a deeply existential decision. And then blues, oh, let's see the weather when I Christmas.

[Terry Gross]

Those are both. Yeah. Aren't those both from Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas?

[Jon Batiste]

Yeah. I associate a lot of that series and Vince Guaraldi 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.

[Terry Gross]

Is there a hymn that you especially love that's kind of Christmas oriented? And could you play and sing it?

[Jon Batiste]

Let's see if I got, you know.

[Terry Gross]

That one, God rest you married gentlemen.

[Jon Batiste]

Yeah, I love that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Ooh, that's got a song. God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ the savior was born on Christmas day to save Us from all Satan's power When we had gone astray O good tidings of comfort and joy Comfort and joy oh, good tidings of comfort and joy I love that melody.

[Terry Gross]

Look.

[Jon Batiste]

God rest ye merry gentlemen it's got a blues thing to it. Let nothing you dismay Our hymns. What about. You know that one?

[Terry Gross]

That's green sleeves, isn't it?

[Jon Batiste]

Yeah. Oh, man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Child is this who Lay to Rest and Shepherd's Watch Are Sleeping. Similar type of melodies. You know, that sound is so. It reminds me of bells ringing in. 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 in 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.

[Terry Gross]

You know, it's funny. Like, what, child, is this that you just played and when you played God Rescue Married Gentleman? I never heard it as kind of minor key and dark as you played it.

[Jon Batiste]

Oh, yeah, yeah. I like it like that. I don't know.

[Terry Gross]

Yeah, me too.

[Jon Batiste]

You know that. Wow.

[Terry Gross]

I don't know that. What is that?

[Jon Batiste]

That's O Come, O Come Emmanuel. I grew up with those, too. That's amazing that those songs just have that same sound.

[Terry Gross]

What was church like for you when you were growing up in a Catholic family? Right?

[Jon Batiste]

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. 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, you know, 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. 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. You know, we 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 setup 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.

[Terry Gross]

My two favorite Christmas songs, one of them is secular and one of them is more, you know, 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 know, you were talking about sounding like church bells before. The opening chords of this are so church bells.

[Questlove]

And.

[Terry Gross]

And the more religious song is oh, Holy Night, which I think is just such a beautiful song. Could you play either or even both?

[Jon Batiste]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart beat light Next year. Oh, trouble will be out of sight. That one, right?

[Terry Gross]

Yeah. And it's a part. The by next year part is a part that sounds like church bells. The chords there.

[Jon Batiste]

By next year. Yes. Wow. Oh, Terry, you got an ear. You hear that, Terry? That's it. Yeah. Troubles will be out of sight. I love that, that. That lyric has. Wow. Wow. That lyric is one of my favorites, actually, now that you. You mentioned it. It's. It has. It has a relevance to our time.

[Terry Gross]

And a great line in it too, is, until then we'll have to muddle through some.

[Jon Batiste]

That's the one I was thinking, okay.

[Terry Gross]

Yeah.

[Jon Batiste]

Someday soon we all will be together if the fates allow until then we have to muddle through somehow so have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

[Terry Gross]

Nicely done.

[Jon Batiste]

That's a great one. I'm just remembering these. This beautiful stuff.

[Terry Gross]

Do you like O Holy Night?

[Jon Batiste]

Oh, yeah, yeah. That's. O Holy Night. The stars are brightly shining it is the night our dear. Of our dear Savior's birth Long lay the world in sin and ere pining Till he appeared and the soul felt all its worth Wowza. That's how. That's how it goes, right?

[Terry Gross]

Yes.

[Jon Batiste]

Yeah. Yeah. I'm trying to remember. Oh, the. That sound remind me of this.

[Terry Gross]

Yeah, that's more Beethoven. That's one of the Beethoven things that you reimagine on your new Beethoven Blues.

[Jon Batiste]

Album, But that's of a different reminder that the holy night the stars are brightly shining. Like, this is what I'll do. I'm hearing, like, the symmetry of both of those melodies, and I. No. Holy night, the stars are really shining. It is the night our dear Savior's birth. Wow. There's something there. You've given me an idea.

[Terry Gross]

Oh, good. It is the night part that Descending line, I think that has so much drama in it.

[Jon Batiste]

Oh, yeah.

[Terry Gross]

Just like the musical line.

[Jon Batiste]

Yes, yes. What's the part on the bridge? They fall on your knees.

[Terry Gross]

And that's the other drama part. The fall on your knees. Yeah.

[Jon Batiste]

The angel voices.

[Questlove]

Oh, night.

[Jon Batiste]

Divine. O night, O night divine. Oh, yeah, yeah. Wait, listen. With the. On your knee. Anytime you go to that chord, it's a minor 3 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.

[Terry Gross]

It gives me chills.

[Jon Batiste]

The angel voices. Oh, nigh divine. Yeah. That's Blues City. Yay.

[Terry Gross]

Since I made so many suggestions of what to play, I'd like you to choose the last piece. And 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?

[Jon Batiste]

I'm going to figure it out as I play.

[Terry Gross]

Okay. Sa.

[Questlove]

Sa.

[Jon Batiste]

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 cord 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 fault and the major lift the baffled king composed.

[Questlove]

Hallelujah.

[Jon Batiste]

Hallelujah.

[Questlove]

Hallelujah.

[Terry Gross]

Wow, that was 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?

[Jon Batiste]

Yes, that's a piece entitled Don't Stop. It was the final track from my first album, the Hollywood Africans.

[Terry Gross]

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.

[Jon Batiste]

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.

[Terry Gross]

Oh, gosh. Thank you. Jon Batiste 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 Jon Batiste. You can find the first part on our podcast or website. His latest album, Beethoven Blues, features his reimaginings 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.

[Tonya Mosley]

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[Terry Gross]

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[Terry Gross]

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 Kweslove 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 Jon Batiste at the piano. Now we're going to listen back to Questlove and his Christmas playlist. In addition to his many credits, Questlove is perhaps the most famous, poor, popular and in demand. DJ Questlev 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 The Burden of Black Genius, about Sly Stone, will premiere next month at the Sundance film festival. On January 27, 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. Cause 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 recording and why you chose it.

[Amir Thompson]

Yeah, it's a very unique recording. Dram 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 in at the family gathering, where they're just singing to each other. This is a really raw version of the song, so it kind of hits home to me.

[Terry Gross]

Let's hear it. Here we go. So this is Silver Bells, a good version of it.

[Questlove]

Sitter. Sidewalks busy sidewalks Dressed in hot style in the air there's a feeling of Christmas Children laughing People passing meeting Smile after smile Hand on every street corner oh, those silver bells Silver bells, silver bells, silver bells It's Christmas time in the city oh, ring a ling ringling Hear them ring, hear them rain soon it will be Christmas day.

[Terry Gross]

When you were growing up and you were touring with your father's band, did you spend a lot of Christmases performing?

[Amir Thompson]

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 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, like, some university. But back in 82, you could just give me a Thriller record. And that was, like, everything to me.

[Terry Gross]

Well, let's get to another song on your playlist. And this is Disco Clause, which is by Bionic. And it sounds more like Funk Santa than Disco Claus.

[Amir Thompson]

It is. You know, 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, like, they're the DJs that, like, your favorite DJs DJs listen to. And they're always, like, playing, like, really obscure music that's really under the radar. And I believe DJ Amir is the one that put me onto 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.

[Terry Gross]

Okay, let's hear it.

[Questlove]

This was the Night Before Christmas with All through the Pad Not a wreck of spinning Things really look bad Disco claws came into town Broken all the toys around Susan Q. & G.I. joe broken under the mistletoe hey, ain't nothing silent about this night Right? Let's go through the town tonight I said get on Rudolph we got to get through this town yeah I say it's about that time it's about that time I say I'm gone now that's.

[Terry Gross]

Disco Clause by Bionic. One of the songs chosen for us by Questlove. You said that as a creator, you're 98% groove and 2% melody. And the track you just played is very much groove.

[Amir Thompson]

Very much so, yes. I mean, drums are. That's my calling card, you know, 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.

[Terry Gross]

Little Drummer Boy is one of the Christmas songs, the original recording of it that just really, really drove me crazy.

[Amir Thompson]

Really?

[Terry Gross]

Oh, yeah. They played it so much on the radio when I was growing up and. Yeah. Tell me you like it.

[Amir Thompson]

It's hard to escape it. Yeah. All throughout, like first and second grade, like every Christmas pageant. I think it was expected that I was supposed to play Little Drummer Boy.

[Terry Gross]

Oh, because you were the drummer.

[Amir Thompson]

Because I was a drummer, right.

[Terry Gross]

Oh, no, exactly.

[Amir Thompson]

But, you know, oftentimes in school, at the Christmas pageant, even if it were like something totally the opposite, like our production of the Nutcracker or something like that, like they would find some sort of excuse to, you know, give eight year old Amir a drumming spotlight in the program.

[Terry Gross]

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 Claus. Santa Claus from 1960.

[Amir Thompson]

This is so hilarious to me.

[Terry Gross]

Yeah. Why?

[Amir Thompson]

Sorry?

[Terry Gross]

Why is it hilarious to you?

[Amir Thompson]

This song, this particular song is my. One, this is my introduction to Christmas music. Two, it's my introduction to James Brown.

[Terry Gross]

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?

[Amir Thompson]

Yeah, my first James Brown was this. No, it was just that, you know what it is? You know, I was a kid of the Muppets era and there Was a tortured 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 banged his head on the piano 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 anime. She's a very animated woman. So, you know, as a baby I thought that was Grandmom singing all the songs because like 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.

[Jon Batiste]

This is.

[Amir Thompson]

The Murphy's Law of Christmas songs. I don't know, I think my 3 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. Like, I think this is one of the most hilarious songs ever because James Brown is overselling the. He's really overselling the Woe is me character of the song.

[Terry Gross]

So, yeah, he's asking Santa and the Lord why does he have to suffer? So.

[Amir Thompson]

So, right, exactly.

[Terry Gross]

All right, let's hear it. This is James Brown from 1968.

[Questlove]

I've wanted so many things I wanted to sow but you 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 wow. Do I have this episode. Santa Claus, Santa Claus Please, please, please don't make me don't make me sad A soul Christmas come but once a year I want somebody Please, please, please Bring me some Christmas Christmas year I need a Christmas chair Santa Claus Please, please don't make this episode can't take it no more.

[Terry Gross]

That was James Brown from 1968. I'm still processing that. This is like your introduction to James Brown.

[Amir Thompson]

Yes, but see, after that, then I wanted to hear all the songs where he's like screaming and crying.

[Terry Gross]

Well, let's take a short break here and then we'll talk some more. If you're just joining us, my guest is Questlove and he'll play more Christmas recordings after we take a short break. This is FRESH air.

[Amir Thompson]

Hi, I'm Ramtin Arablouei from Throughline.

[Jon Batiste]

Electricity, Internet, cell service, all the things.

[Amir Thompson]

We rely on every day can be.

[Jon Batiste]

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 [e-mail] hi, I'm Kathryn Marr, CEO.

[Terry Gross]

Of NPR, where we're guided by a bold mission to create a more informed public. Join us today by [e-mail] all this year, NPR traveled the country hearing from voters not just about the issues, but about their hopes for the country's future.

[Jon Batiste]

We should be able to disagree with.

[Amir Thompson]

Each other without bullying each other into.

[Terry Gross]

Submission and what it means to be a part of a democracy. Invest in coverage that moves us forward together by giving today at Donate. 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 1972.

[Amir Thompson]

Teddy Van her father.

[Terry Gross]

Yeah, yeah. Teddy Van her father. And she was what, five when she recorded this?

[Amir Thompson]

She was five when she did this. So, you know, Akeem Van is, you know, most would know her. She's a staple in the Prospect Heights area because she's like she has 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 Questlove 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 the one act I had to leave off of Summer of Soul, he's also singing background on the song.

[Terry Gross]

Oh. Oh. Well, apparently Teddy Van Kim's father wrote one of Luther Vandross's hits.

[Amir Thompson]

Yeah. Power of Love.

[Terry Gross]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I could see why. Okay. I can see why he was singing back up on this. Okay. All right. So you loved about the song. What?

[Amir Thompson]

Well, I just love the absolute innocence of it. Like, similar to I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. This is Christmas through the eyes of a child who, you know, the whole point is that kids don't know that their parents are really Santa Claus. So, you know, this is besides I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, this is sort of another song in that vein.

[Terry Gross]

Where, you know, he looked just like you, Daddy.

[Amir Thompson]

Yeah. She doesn't realize that her dad is actually Santa Claus.

[Terry Gross]

Yeah. That he's dressed as Santa Claus. Okay.

[Amir Thompson]

Yeah.

[Terry Gross]

So let's hear it.

[Questlove]

Hey, you wanna hear some bandana sight? You know what? I found you last night just when mama turned out the light. I went in the living room to see what the noise that woke up made. And I saw him by the Christmas tree. Santa plus the black man. Santa plus the black man and his handsome like my daddy too. Santa Claus, the black man Santa Claus, the black man. And I found out, that's what I'm telling you. Mama must have met Santa Claus before. Cause he started dancing all over the floor and I fell asleep at the door.

[Terry Gross]

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.

[Jon Batiste]

Ho, ho, ho. Santa here coming to you from the North Pole, where the elves in our podcast division have just completed work on this season's best gift for public radio lovers. NPR give the gift of sponsored free listening and even bonus episodes from your favorite NPR podcasts, all while supporting public media. Learn more at plus.NPR.org.

[Terry Gross]

On the TED Radio Hour. Don't you hate it when leftover cilantro rots in your fridge?

[Tonya Mosley]

I have to tell you, cilantro is like my nemesis.

[Terry Gross]

Food waste expert Dana Gunder says that's just a hint of a massive global problem.

[Tonya Mosley]

Food waste has about five times the.

[Terry Gross]

Greenhouse gas footprint of the entire aviation industry. Ideas about wasting less food. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from npr.

[Tonya Mosley]

Evergreen trees are Pacific Northwest icons in journalism. An Evergreen story isn't tied to one news cycle. It goes de and helps you understand.

[Terry Gross]

The world The Evergreen is also a podcast from OPB about the Northwest. I'm Jen Chavez. Listen to the Evergreen podcast from OPD every Monday, part of the NPR Network. 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.

[Amir Thompson]

You know, why I chose this. Stevie Wonder is world famous for his unique jingles for radio stations. You know, 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 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, you know, the territories that were playing his music the most. And 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 him 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.

[Terry Gross]

Okay, here's Stevie Wonder.

[Questlove]

Hi, this is Stevie Wonder. In behalf of the Motown family, I'd like to say happy holiday from all of us to you.

[Terry Gross]

I wish I could hear more of that, but I guess there isn't more of that.

[Amir Thompson]

Very brief. Sometimes you, you know, you could make a point in 26 seconds. I mean, look at the Ramones. They, they made a life changing record and not one song is over two minutes. So, you know, I think more artists need to follow suit and, and figure and challenge themselves to make impactful art in less than the normal time.

[Terry Gross]

Do you think he did his promotional recordings because he wanted to or because the record company urged him to or because it would get him more Airplane?

[Jon Batiste]

Yeah.

[Amir Thompson]

I mean, Stevie Wonder came from. Stevie Wonder not only 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 his bread and butter.

[Terry Gross]

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 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?

[Amir Thompson]

You know, there's so many to choose from. I will say, though, there's a rendition 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. 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, like, I'm gonna get real deep for you here when, you know, before I start sermonizing, like, that's a warning that you're about to get something special. The Temptations version, their slow version of Silent Night, is damn near a religion in black households.

[Terry Gross]

Oh, thank you for choosing that, Koslov. It's always such a great treat when you're on our show. Thank you so much for choosing music for us.

[Amir Thompson]

Thank you, Terry.

[Terry Gross]

Yeah, it's just always such a pleasure to have you on our show. Thank you.

[Jon Batiste]

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse in my.

[Questlove]

Mind I want you to be free for all of our friends Would you listen to me now Hear what I.

[Terry Gross]

Say.

[Questlove]

We wish you all Merry Christmas to me to all of you One of you Silent night Holy night.

[Terry Gross]

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 26th on NBC, and then we'll stream on Peacock. You can find Questlove's complete Christmas playlist on our website, fresh air.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 frontman 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 Stanischewski. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Phyllis Myers, Annmarie Bodonado, Sam Brigger, Lauren Krenzel, Teresa Madden, Monique Nazareth, Thea Chaloner, Susan Yakundi and Anna Bauman. Our digital media producer is Molly CV Nesper. Roberta Shorrock directs the show. Our co host is Tanya Mosley. I'm Terry Gross.

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