Jazz takes center stage in Soul, the new Disney-Pixar film about an elementary band teacher with jazz aspirations at her middle school band class. Starring Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey and Questlove. Set to premiere on Disney+ December 25.
Kemp Powers, co-director of this film, discusses how authenticity was added to Joe, Pixar’s first Black lead character.
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and composer Atticus Ross have quickly emerged as two sought-after film score composers after years of excess in their previous careers. Most recently they scored Netflix release Mank, as well as being nominated for two Oscars due to work done for new Pixar movie Soul that examines death and living your life to its fullest. It marks an unexpected departure from their lighter fare such as Toy Story 3.
Director Pete Docter assembled an intricate and diverse soundtrack for The Great Before. Jon Batsite provided his jazz music as background score in New York, while Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross provided their celestial score primarily used during scenes set there.
This brilliant soundtrack delivers an extraordinary and expansive listening experience, full of interesting ideas but with an overall sense of restraint that prevents it from becoming overwhelming or loud. “Falling” stands out with its beautiful scale work while “U Seminar/Terry Time” utilizes subtle vocal elements for added impact.
Though not intended as a children’s movie, this film features an impressive cast of big name actors led by Jamie Foxx as a teacher who falls down an open manhole and dies. Other key cast members include Phylicia Rashad, Ahmir Questlove Thompson, Tina Fey and Daveed Diggs – though no preschool-friendly singalongs exist within its soundtrack but there are plenty of original jazz compositions written and performed by Jon Batiste who led The Late Show house band.
Soul is an intricate film with equally complex and compelling music. Reznor and Ross’ celestial-infused score is perfectly suited for scenes set both before death and afterwards in The Great Before and the afterlife. Jon Batiste’s jazz compositions and songs add an appealing layer to the New York scenes, providing a welcome dose of humanity that make this an amazing soundtrack worthy of Oscar consideration. Walt Disney Records released their album on December 18, 2020. Digital download and vinyl versions of the soundtrack can be purchased through Amazon, iTunes and Walt Disney websites. The vinyl edition features 23 score pieces composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross while digital releases come complete with a bonus track by Jon Batiste; furthermore Spotify and Apple Music streaming options make this essential listening for fans of either movie or music alike. It hits theaters June 19th.
Jon Batiste
From Toy Story to Coco, music has always been at the core of Pixar films. Their latest animated release Soul puts music at the center of their story as well. Following an ambitious middle school band teacher with jazz aspirations who finds his spirit separated from his body due to a tragedy, Soul stars Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Daveed Diggs, Phylicia Rashad and Questlove among many other talented actors who all explore themes related to life, death, meaning and identity in its narrative.
But one of the film’s key aspects is its portrayal of music as a means to escape our own troubles. Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) struggles with teaching his students instruments as well as dealing with personal matters that threaten his dreams of becoming a jazz musician.
director Kemp Powers wanted to capture this feeling, so she called upon Grammy-nominated musician Jon Batiste from New Orleans – who has been playing music since he was a child and began performing with his family band in Treme neighborhood – he released his debut album at 17 called Times in New Orleans before studying Juilliard School in New York. Additionally, Jon currently serves as house band leader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Soul required finding music that could create that otherworldly atmosphere, and sought musicians with deep roots in jazz who could accurately represent its style. He consulted with such musicians as Herbie Hancock, Terri Lyne Carrington and Quincy Jones in order to understand their lives better as well as visiting jazz clubs to gain an idea of the experience of performing there.
As a result, they were able to craft a soundtrack that perfectly represented both worlds of their film–real and fantasy ones. In real world scenarios, traditional jazz mixed with electronic sounds is featured, while fantasy world scenarios utilize hip hop and other contemporary sounds for contrast.
Soul’s soundtrack is now available both digitally and physically, featuring Cody ChesnuTT’s Parting Ways from its trailer.
For an insider’s insight into the music behind this fascinating film, check out Soul Stories on Spotify where co-director Kemp Powers invites cast members, creators, and consultants from his project to discuss their experiences working on it. Now available!
Disney Records
Pixar movies feature music as an essential component, from Toy Story to Coco. Their latest release, Soul, centers around a middle school band teacher who dreams of becoming a jazz musician but instead finds himself trapped in The Great Before: an imagined realm which equips souls with their individual personalities before returning them to Earth. Starring Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner and receiving rave reviews for its animation, voice acting and music content.
This movie explores themes of existentialism and meaning, and has proven popular with audiences. Additionally, its directors consulted experts in human behavior and spiritualists to ensure believable characters; furthermore they collaborated with jazz musicians to ensure accurate musical sequences were created for the film.
Disney Records, in addition to producing feature films and television shows, is also an influential record label. Their roster consists of established and emerging artists spanning pop, rock, country and R&B music genres. Disney Records’ success stems from its commitment to producing high-quality releases with solid distribution channels; marketing these products through sister television channels such as Disney Channel and Disney XD is central to their strategy for success.
Walt Disney Records, established in 1955, is one of the largest entertainment companies worldwide. Operating three record labels – including Disney Music Group, Hollywood Records and Buena Vista Records – from Burbank in California is among its services; furthermore it oversees Walt Disney Studios in Los Angeles for film and TV projects as well as producing classic albums, soundtracks and audiobooks to add to its portfolio.
Disney Records is led by CEO Ken Bunt, who oversees its diversified business activities such as music publishing and concert promotions. Their catalog currently stands at over 4,000 titles with an estimated value of $4 billion and include artists such as Demi Lovato, Sofia Carson, Breaking Benjamin and ZZ Ward.
Disney Records once produced vinyl records in various formats. Each album was identified by either a number or symbol in their logo that could sometimes be found printed directly onto the sleeve indicating its format – such as cover size or disc type.
Disney Records boasts an expansive catalog featuring animated songs from their Studios such as The Song of the South and Old Folks at Home, in addition to children’s books, compilations of traditional folk songs, contemporary hits and family-oriented programs such as Radio Disney Jams series. Their marketing strategy closely links with sister television channels; clips of music videos produced by them often appear during ad breaks on Disney Channel or Disney XD.