it's sad that he has to be so multi-faceted to appeal to as big an audience as possible.

Exactly, yes. Not many can pull it off, and in most cases it's just not worth the life investment. But, happy you know the guy! I'd recommend Snarky Puppy next probably, in the same kind of circles.

Latching onto old classics is again sad but still great to hear. Even my students here in China, teenagers, are listening to the music of the 90's over modern stuff. Radiohead, Nirvana, etc.