|
”I Knew This Was the Right Project”
Jay-Z will oversee the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming film, Gatsby. Luhrmann explained why he wanted to work with the hip-hop superstar, who he was introduced to by Leonardo DiCaprio, who stars in the movie. “[Collaborating with Jay-Z was] a credible and natural fit,” he said. “Fitzgerald was a pioneer, famed and controversial for using the then-new and explosive sound called jazz in his novels and short stories-not just as decoration, but to actively tell story using the immediacy of pop culture. He coined the phrase ‘the Jazz Age.’ So, the question for me in approaching Gatsby was how to elicit from our audience the same level of excitement and pop-cultural immediacy toward the world that Fitzgerald did for his audience? And in our age, the energy of jazz is caught in the energy of hip-hop. Not only is Jay-Z a great artist, full stop, but I had heard that he was a great collaborator. Leonardo and I were lucky enough to be present in a recording session over two years ago as Jay-Z was recording ‘No Church in the Wild,’ and the collaboration grew from there.” “As soon as I spoke with Baz and Leonardo, I knew this was the right project,” Jay-Z said. “The Great Gatsby is that classic American story of one’s introduction to extravagance, decadence and illusion. It`s ripe for experimentation and ready to be interpreted with a modern twist. The imagination Baz brought to Moulin Rouge made it a masterpiece, and Romeo + Juliet’s score wasn’t just in the background; the music became a character. This film`s vision and direction has all the makings of an epic experience.” |
Discover more from OnTheSceneNY
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
