Jon Batiste Scores First No. 1 on Billboard’s Classical Albums Chart With ‘Beethoven Blues’

Jon Batiste scores his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Classical Albums chart, as his new project, Beethoven Blues, debuts atop the list dated Nov. 30. It’s the first in a planned series of solo piano albums, and on this release, Batiste interprets familiar works by composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven Blues also bows at No. 1 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover Albums chart, another first for Batiste.

The Grammy- and Academy Award-winning entertainer also sees Beethoven Blues bow at No. 9 on the Top Album Sales chart, with 13,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 21, according to Luminate. That marks his biggest sales week ever. (Keep reading for a full recap of the week’s top 10-selling albums.)

Batiste has previously notched seven top 10-charting sets on both the Traditional Jazz Albums and overall Jazz Albums charts, including one No. 1, Social Music, in 2014. Beethoven Blues is his first title to chart on any of Billboard’s classical albums charts.

On the all-genre Billboard 200, Beethoven Blues enters at No. 64, landing Batiste’s highest-debut ever, and fifth charting effort in total.

The album’s first-week sales were aided by its availability across four vinyl variants (including two signed editions), two CD variants (one signed) and a digital download album. In support of the project, Batiste appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show (Nov. 11) and The Jennifer Hudson Show (Nov. 18), and had a significant profile in The New York Times on Nov. 19.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units.

The Classical Albums chart ranks the most popular classical albums of the week, ranked by equivalent album units. The Classical Crossover Albums chart ranks the top-selling classical crossover titles of the week. Jazz Albums and Traditional Jazz Albums rank the week’s most popular jazz and traditional jazz albums, respectively, by equivalent album units earned.

As for the rest of the latest Top Album Sales chart’s top 10: ATEEZ’s GOLDEN HOUR: Part.2 debuts at No. 1 (179,000; the act’s best sales week ever), Linkin Park’s From Zero debuts at No. 2 (72,000), Jin’s Happy debuts at No. 3 (66,000), ENHYPEN’s chart-topping Romance: Untold jumps 26-4 (51,000; up 1,473% after a deluxe reissue), MF Doom’s MM..Food re-enters at a new high of No. 5 (27,000; up 2,875% after a deluxe reissue), TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s former leader The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY falls 1-6 (17,000; down 82%), Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet fall 4-7 (15,000; though up 24%), Shawn Mendes’ Shawn debuts at No. 8 (nearly 14,000) and Gwen Stefani’s Bouquet debuts at No. 10 (11,000).