Jazz musician John Baptiste releases single "Lonely Avenue" featuring Randy Newman

Jazz musician John Baptiste presented his new single "Lonely Avenue" and the corresponding short clip on August 1, 2025. The track was recorded by legendary singer, composer and pianist Randy Newman, who played an old piano in an abandoned house, where he joined Batiste.

In a post on social media, Batiste shared the joy of the collaboration: "This is my new song and short film featuring the iconic Randy Newman, a master of poetry, a piano wizard and an astute observer of the irony and absurdity of everything human."

The musician noted that Newman was one of his main inspirations in his youth, along with such names as Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers and Mr. Rogers. The two met more than a decade ago while lobbying for songwriters’ rights in Washington, and then crossed paths several more times, including working on music for Pixar films. After years of separation, Baptiste decided to contact Newman, and over the past year, their friendship led to the creation of "Lonely Avenue," a blues storytelling style.

The new single will be included on Batista's upcoming album Big Money, which is scheduled for release on August 22.