Epic Records will release a soundtrack album for the documentary Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius). The album features a selection of songs by the funk band (and the film’s subject) Sly & The Family Stone. The soundtrack will be released digitally tomorrow, February 13 and will be available to stream/download on Amazon and any other major digital music services. A CD and vinyl edition will be coming out on May 9 and is now available for pre-order here. Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius) is directed by Questlove and examines the life and legacy of the groundbreaking band led by the charismatic and enigmatic Sly Stone. The movie captures the band’s rise, reign, and subsequent fadeout while shedding light on the unseen burden that comes with success for Black artists in America.
Tag: Questlove
Questlove to Direct and Oversee Music for Disney’s Live-Action ‘The Aristocats’ Movie
Deadline is reporting that Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is set to direct Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of the 1970 animated classic The Aristocats. He will also oversee the music for the movie, which follows a pedigreed cat and her kittens who are catnapped by a greedy butler. Will Gluck (Peter Rabbit, Easy A) is producing the project and is also co-writing the screenplay with Keith Bunin (Onward, Horns).
‘Rise Up, Sing Out’ Soundtrack Album Details
Walt Disney Records will release a soundtrack album for the Disney Junior short-form animated series Rise Up, Sing Out. The album features the original songs from the show written and produced by Ahmir ‘”Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter (of the Grammy Award winning musical group The Roots) who also appear in the series as animated characters. The soundtrack will be released digitally tomorrow, February 4. Check back on this page for the streaming/download link. Rise Up, Sing Out executive produced by Questlove, Black Thought & Latoya Raveneau follows a group of neighborhood friends of multiple ethnicities and tells eight stories that directly reflect the realities of the world kids live in today.
‘Summer of Soul’ Soundtrack Album Announced
Sony Legacy will release a soundtrack album for the documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). The album (curated by Questlove) features a collection of the live recordings of classic songs from the movie by artists including B.B. King, The Staple Singers, The 5th Dimension, Nina Simone & others. The soundtrack will be released digitally and physically on January 28, 2022. Click here to order the digital version and visit Amazon to pre-order the CD edition. A first track (Sing a Simple Song by Sly & the Family Stone) is already available to stream/download now and can be checked out below.
Questlove to Serve as Oscars Musical Director
Oscars show producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh announced today that Questlove has joined the Oscars production team as the show’s musical director. He follows Bill Conti, Marc Shaiman, William Ross, Harold Wheeler, Rickey Minor, among others who have previously been selected as music directors. Questlove who best known as a drummer, DJ, producer, author and founding member of hip hop group The Roots is an Academy member himself and has performed on the Oscars previously.
Weekly Film Music Roundup (June 2, 2017)
Two new movies are opening nationwide this weekend:
Opening in most theaters is the superhero movie Wonder Woman directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner and Saïd Taghmaoui. The film’s original music is composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams (Hacksaw Ridge, The Legend of Tarzan, The Crown). WaterTower Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score, as well as Sia’s original song To Be Human. Click here for the full album details and visit Film Music Magazine for an interview with Gregson-Williams about his work on the project.
Also opening wide is the animated feature Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie directed by David Soren and featuring the voices of Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Nick Kroll, Thomas Middleditch, Jordan Peele and Kristen Schaal. Theodore Shapiro (Ghostbusters, The Devil Wears Prada, Tropic Thunder) has composed the film’s original score and was also involved as co-writer and arranger/producer for several of the songs. Virgin Records has released a soundtrack album featuring three tracks from the composer’s score, as well as songs by Andy Grammar, Adam Lambert, Nathan Willett & more. Check out our previous article for the full album details.
Weekly TV Music Roundup (May 29, 2016)
Premiering tomorrow, May 30, is the History event mini-series Roots directed by Phillip Noyce, Thomas Carter, Mario Van Peebles and Bruce Beresford and starring Forest Whitaker, Anna Paquin, Laurence Fishburne, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anika Noni Rose, Chad L. Coleman, Erica Tazel, Derek Luke, Malachi Kirby and Regé-Jean. The 4-parter’s original music is composed by Alex Heffes (The Last King of Scotland, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, 11.22.63). Philip Miller (Catch a Fire) has co-scored the Noyce-directed first episode. Questlove (Top Five) serves as the executive music producer on the project. Check out our previous news article to learn more about the series and also visit Film Music Magazine and Variety for interviews with Heffes about his work on the show.
Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson Scoring ‘Vincent N Roxxy’
Ahmir Thompson aka Questlove has recently composed the music for the upcoming indie drama Vincent N Roxxy. The film is written and directed by Gary Michael Schultz and stars Emile Hirsch, Zoë Kravitz, Emory Cohen, Zoey Deutch, Jason Mitchell, Beau Knapp and Scott Mescudi. The movie follows a small town loner and a rebellious punk rocker who unexpectedly fall in love as they are forced on the run and soon discover violence follows them everywhere. Keith Kjarval (A Single Shot, Rudderless, Trust Me) is producing the project.
Weekly Film Music Roundup (December 12, 2014)
Two new movies are opening nationwide this weekend:
Expected to top the weekend box office is the biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings directed by Ridley Scott and starring Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, Ben Mendelsohn, John Turturro, Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley. The film’s original music is composed by Alberto Iglesias (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Constant Gardener) Sony Classical has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music, as well as a couple of tracks written by additional composers Harry Gregson-Williams and Federico Jusid. Check out our previous news article for the full album details and to learn more about the film.
Also opening wide is the comedy Top Five written and directed by Chris Rock and starring himself, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Hart, Tracy Morgan, Cedric The Entertainer, JB Smoove, Sherri Shepherd, Anders Holm, Romany Malco and Leslie Jones. Questlove and Ludwig Goransson have composed the film’s original score. Def Jam Recording has released a soundtrack album featuring the songs from and inspired by the film by artists including Jay Z & Kanye West, DMX, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, The Roots, Rakim and Salt-N-Pepa. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details.