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    Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad share journey of 'two extremes' in American Symphony

    The same day musician Jon Batiste got 11 Grammy nominations, his partner, writer Suleika Jaouad, began chemotherapy. The new documentary American Symphony recounts their journey.
    by Olivia Hampton Nov 28, 2023 5 minutes
    Suleika Jaouad, left, and Jon Batiste, right, first met as teenagers at band camp. In this undated photograph, she plays the double bass while he plays at the piano.

    When the Grammy nominations were announced on November 23, 2021, musician Jon Batiste received a staggering 11 nods. But the date was also memorable because his partner, writer Suleika Jaouad, also began her first day of chemotherapy to treat her leukemia that had returned after nearly 10 years in remission. Theirs was a life of contrast.

    The new documentary American Symphony chronicles the incredible highs and devastating lows of the year that followed, from a marriage, to a bone marrow transplant for Jaouad, five Grammy wins for Batiste and the premiere of his eponymous first symphonic composition at New York's Carnegie Hall.

    The film, directed by Matthew Heineman, counts Barack and Michelle Obama among its executive producers. It's in select theaters now and on Netflix starting Nov. 29.

    Earlier this month,, and he's getting ready to go on tour. Jaouad, who penned a in 2021, is receiving long-term maintenance chemotherapy in order to keep her cancer in check.

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