JON BATISTE CROWNS STELLAR AWARDS SEASON WITH AN OSCAR FOR SOUL

 ACCLAIMED JAZZ MUSICIAN WINS OVER 35 AWARDS FOR HIS WORK ON THE SCORE FOR DISNEY AND PIXAR’S HIT FILM INCLUDING A BAFTA AND GOLDEN GLOBE

 SCORE RECORDED IN BETWEEN SESSIONS FOR HIS LATEST ALBUM WE ARE

-R: Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

26 APRIL 2021 (TORONTO, ON) - 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.

L-R: Trent Reznor, Jon Batiste, Atticus Ross

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."

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