Universal Music has released a soundtrack album for the HBO documentary The Apollo. The album features the original song Don’t Turn Back Now by Robert Glasper (Miles Ahead) with vocals by Ledisi, as well as selections from Glasper’s original score from the movie. Also included are classic recordings by artists (such as Count Basie, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Billie Holiday) who have graced the Apollo’s stage. The soundtrack is now available to download/stream on Amazon Music. A CD version is set to come out on December 20 and will be available for pre-order here and a vinyl edition is coming out on the same date (click here to order). The Apollo is directed by Roger Ross Williams (Life, Animated) and chronicles the unique history and contemporary legacy of the New York City landmark, the Apollo Theater. The movie covers the history of the performance space over its 85 years and follows a new production of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me as it comes to the theater’s grand stage. The documentary, which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, has just been released in select theaters this past weekend and will debut on HBO on November 6. Visit the official movie website for more information.
Here’s the track list of the album:
1. Kenneth J. Thompson, Apollo Greeter – Kenneth J. Thompson (0:14)
2. Opening, The Apollo Theater – T. Griffin (1:15)
3. Take the “a” Train – Charles Mingus (3:34)
4. Memphis Blues – Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra (2:39)
5. Interview Excerpt 1 – Marion J. Caffey (0:14)
6. How High the Moon (1st Take) – Ella Fitzgerald (3:13)
7. Old Man Blues – Duke Ellington & His Cotton Club Orchestra (3:05)
8. She’s Something Spanish – Pearl Bailey (2:46)
9. Jive At Five – Count Basie and His Orchestra (2:50)
10. Interview Excerpt 2 – Ted Fox (0:10)
11. Strange Fruit – Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra (3:10)
12. Interview Excerpt 3 – Mikki Shepard (0:11)
13. What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye (3:40)
14. Interview Excerpt 4 – Kamilah Forbes (0:17)
15. Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud (Pts.1 & 2) – James Brown (4:49)
16. Interview Excerpt 5 – Ta-Nehisi Coates (0:16)
17. Apollo As Home – Robert Glasper (0:29)
18. Home Is Where the Heart Is – Gladys Knight & The Pips (5:11)
19. Mission Statement – Robert Glasper (1:12)
20. Come Sunday – Johnny Hodges (2:31)
21. Lost Someone (Live At The Apollo Theater, 1962 / Single Mix) – James Brown (2:39)
22. Schiffman Cards – Robert Glasper (0:30)
23. T’aint No Use – Jimmy Smith (6:05)
24. Obama Returns To the Apollo – Robert Glasper (1:16)
25. Rock Steady – Aretha Franklin (3:10)
26. Asphalt Canyon Blues – Kenny Burrell & Grover Washington, Jr. (6:12)
27. Something’s Got a Hold On Me – Etta James (2:47)
28. Harlem Riots – Robert Glasper (2:10)
29. Duke’s Last Soliloquy – Dizzy Gillespie (3:06)
30. Excerpt From Stage Reading of “Between the World and Me” (Live At The Apollo Theater, April 2018) – Ta-Nehisi Coates & T. Griffin (1:24)
31. Don’t Turn Back Now – Robert Glasper & Ledisi (4:36)
32. President Barack Obama At the Apollo Theater – President Barack Obama (0:28)
