New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Celebrated international musician and composer
Jon Batiste has topped a hugely successful awards season with an Academy Award for Soul, winning Best Score for Disney and Pixar's hit animated film. His jazz-infused score, created alongside the work of fellow musicians Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, has already picked up over 35 international accolades, including a BAFTA, Golden
Globe and Critics' Choice award.
Collecting his trophy at the Los Angeles ceremony,
Jon Batiste said: "What's deep is that God gave us 12 notes. It's the same twelve 12 notes that Duke Ellington had, Bach had,
Nina Simone (had)…This moment is a culmination of a series of miracles. It's so incredibly powerful to stand here and the lineage that we come from, the lineage in this film… I'm just thankful to God for those 12 notes."
Not only did Batiste contribute music to Soul, which is about a teacher who dreams of being a jazz pianist, but his hands were also filmed at the keyboard as a reference to help Pixar's animators create authentic musical performances for the lead character in the movie. Click BELOW to watch a short video to find more about how the soundtrack was created.
In between sessions for Soul,
Jon Batiste also recorded a brand-new studio album, WE ARE, which was released last month on
Verve Records to critical acclaim. Vanity Fair described the album as "a vivid turn from straight jazz to joyful, danceable pop and neo-soul", while Billboard called it "a delightful marriage of contemporary jazz melodies and slick pop".
WE ARE represents a completely new sonic chapter for Jon Batiste. He wrote and planned much of the project in about a week from his dressing room at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he's the musical director and bandleader. The album was recorded in New York, Los Angeles and in his native New Orleans, melding inspiration from his new home and new collaborators with that of the Batiste musical dynasty.
On WE ARE, Batiste presents a captivating musical experience to the world rooted in catharsis, joy, freedom, contemplation and sensuality. It's a love letter to his southern roots and the heritage of
Black Music with guest appearances by Mavis Staples,
Quincy Jones, Zadie Smith, PJ Morton, Trombone Shorty, St Augustine Marching 100, his father Michael Batiste, grandfather
David Gauthier and many more. It is a meditation steeped in the sounds of the times with collaborators including POMO (Anderson.Paak), Ricky Reed (Lizzo), Jahaan Sweet (Drake, Eminem) as well as songwriter Autumn Rowe and producer Kizzo.
Batiste says, "WE ARE is a message of love for humanity, of humble reverence for our past, and of a hopeful future, in which we are the ones who can save us. The art reveals its motive to you. You just have to wait for the
Spirit to tell you what it wants." Watch the music video for "I NEED YOU" here.
Full list of awards won for Soul music:
Academy Awards - Best Achievement in
Music Written for Motion
Pictures (Original Score)
Annie Awards - Outstanding Achievement for
Music in an Animated Feature
Austin Film Critics Association - Best Score
BAFTA - Original Score
Black Reel Awards - Outstanding Score
Boston Online Film Critics Association - Best Original Score
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards - Best Original Score
Chicago Indie Critics - Best Original Score
Columbus Film Critics Association - Best Original Score
Critics' Choice Movie Awards - Best Score
Denver Film Critics Society - Best Original Score
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards - Best Score
Georgia Film Critics Association - Best Original Score
Golden Globes - Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Greater Western New York Film Critics Association - Best Original Score
Hollywood Critics Association - Best Score
Hollywood
Music in Media Association - Best Original Score
Houston Film Critics Society - Best Original Score
International Online Cinema Awards - Best Original Score
Las
Vegas Film Critics Society Awards - Best Score
Latino Entertainment Journalists Association Film Awards - Best Musical Score
Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Original Score
NAACP Image Awards - Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album and Outstanding Jazz Album - Instrumental
North Carolina Film Critics Association - Best Original Score
Online Film & Television Association - Best Original Score
Online Film Critics Society - Best Original Score
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle - Best Original Score
Phoenix Critics Circle - Best Score
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards - Best Original Score
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle - Best Original Score
Seattle Film Critics Society - Best Original Score
Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards - Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film
Louis Film Critics Association - Best Score
Utah Film Critics Association - Best Original Score
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards - Best Original Score.
