OZOMATLI LAUNCHES MUSIC VIDEO FOR NEW TRACK FEATURED IN “A BETTER LIFE”
Watch The Ozomatli Music Video For New Track “Jardinero”; The Video Was Filmed Overlooking Downtown Los Angeles
“Jardinero” Was Written For The Acclaimed Upcoming Film “A Better Life” (Summit Entertainment); It Was Inspired By The Film’s Main Storyline Between Undocumented Immigrant Carlos (Mexican Actor Demián Bichir) And His Teenage Son, Luis (José Julián)
The New Track “Jardinero” Will Be Featured On The Film Score Out June 21st; The Score Was Composed By Four-Time Oscar Nominee Alexandre Desplat (“Twilight: New Moon”, “The King’s Speech”, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”)
“A Better Life” Was Directed By Oscar-Nominated Director Chris Weitz (“The Twilight Saga”, “American Pie”, “About A Boy”); It Opens In Select Markets On June 24th
Watch The Trailer To “A Better Life”
Ozomatli has launched the music video for their new track “Jardinero,” inspired by the upcoming film “A Better Life.” The track is featured in Nacional’s score to the film which is set for release on June 21st. The score was composed by four-time Oscar nominee Alexandre Desplat (“Twilight: New Moon”, “The King’s Speech”, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”). The music supervisor for “A Better Life” was the influential tastemaker Alexandra Patsavas.
“A Better Life” (Summit Entertainment) looks at the relationship between undocumented immigrant Carlos Galindo (Mexican actor Demián Bichir) and his teenage son, Luis (José Julián). The single father struggles to keep his son away from pervasive gang culture. When Carlos’ truck is stolen, the father is powerless to turn to law enforcement, but the crisis brings him closer to his potentially wayward son.
The film “A Better Life” will open in select markets on June 24th. It was directed by acclaimed Oscar-nominated director Chris Weitz (“The Twilight Saga”, “American Pie”, “About A Boy”, etc). Weitz is a longtime Ozomatli fan and was determined to approach the Los Angeles-based band about writing a new song for the film. The three-time GRAMMY winning band are also official cultural ambassadors to the U.S. State Department.
“Ozomatli is the quintessential Angeleno band — multiethnic, polyphonic, polyrhythmic,” Weitz says. ”And that’s why they’re also cultural ambassadors abroad — they find universality in mixing the particulars of all of their backgrounds. And as regards the story of A Better Life, they just got it from the word go. They’re one of the few bands in the world you could talk about “sociologically” — they were born out of a social equality movement — so it’s hard to think of anybody who’d be better for this film.”
After watching the film, Ozomatli knew they had to get involved. “The film starts with a simplistic view of immigrant life and blossoms into a complex demonstration of what it takes to survive in this modern world,” says Ozomatli vocalist Raul Pacheco. “A world where opportunity for work is scarce and must be created by the ever present pressure to provide food, clothing and shelter for one’s self and family. It really resonated for the whole band.”
The members of Ozomatli, many whom are children of immigrants, identified with the struggles of the film’s characters and were able to communicate that through their song “Jardinero.” “When Chris Weitz approached us about the film, he said they were looking for a song that was melancholy in flow and tempo that would really represent the feeling of the movie,” says Ozomatli bassist Wildog Abers. “When writing the song, we approached it as if we were the actual characters in the film.”
When it came to the score, Weitz wanted compositions that hinted at the simplicity of the neo-realist films that served as early inspiration in the film’s design. He turned to a former collaborator and friend, composer and four-time Oscar-nominee Alexandre Desplat. “Alexandre is marvelous at moving from very intimate themes — like the mandolin piece that opens the movie — to more sweeping, romantic colors, like the powerful, big-orchestral theme that brings the film home.”
“When it was time to work on the score, Alexandre was coming off the rigors of scoring Harry Potter. We had about a month to go from concept to recording with the London Symphony Orchestra,” recalls Weitz. “I knew that our communication would be vastly improved if I moved my family to Paris for a month. So I took that bold step. Alexandre and I sat in his studio practically every day and Alexandre heroically produced what I think is one of his most beautiful scores.”
Weitz goes on to say, “We would sit in Alexandre’s study in Montparnasse and talk through the cues, Alexandre drinking green tea and I espresso in great quantities. Gradually, themes took form and were shipped off to the orchestrators. The final cue was hashed out in a late night session two days before we hit Abbey Road.” OZOMATLI LAUNCHES MUSIC VIDEO FOR NEW TRACK FEATURED IN “A BETTER LIFE”
Watch The Ozomatli Music Video For New Track “Jardinero”; The Video Was Filmed Overlooking Downtown Los Angeles
“Jardinero” Was Written For The Acclaimed Upcoming Film “A Better Life” (Summit Entertainment); It Was Inspired By The Film’s Main Storyline Between Undocumented Immigrant Carlos (Mexican Actor Demián Bichir) And His Teenage Son, Luis (José Julián)
The New Track “Jardinero” Will Be Featured On The Film Score Out June 21st; The Score Was Composed By Four-Time Oscar Nominee Alexandre Desplat (“Twilight: New Moon”, “The King’s Speech”, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”)
“A Better Life” Was Directed By Oscar-Nominated Director Chris Weitz (“The Twilight Saga”, “American Pie”, “About A Boy”); It Opens In Select Markets On June 24th
Watch The Trailer To “A Better Life”
Ozomatli has launched the music video for their new track “Jardinero,” inspired by the upcoming film “A Better Life.” The track is featured in Nacional’s score to the film which is set for release on June 21st. The score was composed by four-time Oscar nominee Alexandre Desplat (“Twilight: New Moon”, “The King’s Speech”, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”). The music supervisor for “A Better Life” was the influential tastemaker Alexandra Patsavas.
“A Better Life” (Summit Entertainment) looks at the relationship between undocumented immigrant Carlos Galindo (Mexican actor Demián Bichir) and his teenage son, Luis (José Julián). The single father struggles to keep his son away from pervasive gang culture. When Carlos’ truck is stolen, the father is powerless to turn to law enforcement, but the crisis brings him closer to his potentially wayward son.
The film “A Better Life” will open in select markets on June 24th. It was directed by acclaimed Oscar-nominated director Chris Weitz (“The Twilight Saga”, “American Pie”, “About A Boy”, etc). Weitz is a longtime Ozomatli fan and was determined to approach the Los Angeles-based band about writing a new song for the film. The three-time GRAMMY winning band are also official cultural ambassadors to the U.S. State Department.
“Ozomatli is the quintessential Angeleno band — multiethnic, polyphonic, polyrhythmic,” Weitz says. ”And that’s why they’re also cultural ambassadors abroad — they find universality in mixing the particulars of all of their backgrounds. And as regards the story of A Better Life, they just got it from the word go. They’re one of the few bands in the world you could talk about “sociologically” — they were born out of a social equality movement — so it’s hard to think of anybody who’d be better for this film.”
After watching the film, Ozomatli knew they had to get involved. “The film starts with a simplistic view of immigrant life and blossoms into a complex demonstration of what it takes to survive in this modern world,” says Ozomatli vocalist Raul Pacheco. “A world where opportunity for work is scarce and must be created by the ever present pressure to provide food, clothing and shelter for one’s self and family. It really resonated for the whole band.”
The members of Ozomatli, many whom are children of immigrants, identified with the struggles of the film’s characters and were able to communicate that through their song “Jardinero.” “When Chris Weitz approached us about the film, he said they were looking for a song that was melancholy in flow and tempo that would really represent the feeling of the movie,” says Ozomatli bassist Wildog Abers. “When writing the song, we approached it as if we were the actual characters in the film.”
When it came to the score, Weitz wanted compositions that hinted at the simplicity of the neo-realist films that served as early inspiration in the film’s design. He turned to a former collaborator and friend, composer and four-time Oscar-nominee Alexandre Desplat. “Alexandre is marvelous at moving from very intimate themes — like the mandolin piece that opens the movie — to more sweeping, romantic colors, like the powerful, big-orchestral theme that brings the film home.”
“When it was time to work on the score, Alexandre was coming off the rigors of scoring Harry Potter. We had about a month to go from concept to recording with the London Symphony Orchestra,” recalls Weitz. “I knew that our communication would be vastly improved if I moved my family to Paris for a month. So I took that bold step. Alexandre and I sat in his studio practically every day and Alexandre heroically produced what I think is one of his most beautiful scores.”
Weitz goes on to say, “We would sit in Alexandre’s study in Montparnasse and talk through the cues, Alexandre drinking green tea and I espresso in great quantities. Gradually, themes took form and were shipped off to the orchestrators. The final cue was hashed out in a late night session two days before we hit Abbey Road.”