"[2] Jon Batiste met fellow musicians Joe Saylor and Phil Kuehn in 2004 while attending The Juilliard School.

They were joined by two more musicians: Eddie Barbash on alto saxophone and Ibanda Ruhumbika on tuba.

In 2013, they released their first full-length album, Social Music, through Razor & Tie along with the single "Express Yourself," co-written and produced with Austin Bis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2021, the band was introduced as "Jon Batiste and Stay Home-in", as they recorded their musical segments from home.

On August 12, 2022, Stephen Colbert announced that Jon Batiste was leaving The Late Show to focus on his solo career.