How ‘Saturday Night’s’ Intense Ticking Score Was Created By Tap Dancing, a Fiddle and Jon Batiste

As a music enthusiast and someone who appreciates unconventional approaches to storytelling, I am captivated by Jon Batiste‘s work on “Saturday Night.” His “anti-score” for this film is not just a score; it’s a testament to the pressure cooker of creativity that was the birth of Saturday Night Live. The way he uses music as a character, pushing the narrative forward, is nothing short of genius.

In a departure from the traditional, “Saturday Night” director Jason Reitman didn’t desire a score reminiscent of “Saturday Night Live.” Instead, musician Jon Batiste explained that Reitman asked for a tense, high-pressure score. Batiste understood this to mean that Reitman wanted him to create an ‘anti-score.’

On a chilly autumn evening of October 11, 1975, I found myself immersed in the nerve-wracking 90 minutes that marked the eve of Lorne Michaels and a vibrant troupe of comedians and scriptwriters as they readied for the groundbreaking first broadcast of “Saturday Night Live.” In this gripping account, I step into the shoes of those pioneering artists who dared to redefine comedy.

In Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night,” Batiste takes on two roles: he portrays Billy Preston, the musical performer and band leader, and he is also responsible for composing the movie’s soundtrack.

For Batiste, the “anti-score” instruction was delightful as it challenged traditional norms, a trait he appreciated. The story unfolds over a span of 90 minutes, with Batiste describing the experience as a battle against the ticking clock. In his words, “The movie’s villain is time itself,” and the music serves as a symbol for the relentless passage and stress of time.

Batiste employed the music to intensify the emotions and evoke a sense of nostalgia, yet he had to keep in mind the integration of sound effects, dialogue, and music. As he puts it, “This approach is not conventional, it’s unusual.” In certain instances, the music transforms into sound design. At other times, the music or sound effects are more prominent than the dialogue. Occasionally, they narrate the story, while at others, the dialogue takes place with a subtle, mysterious percussion underlying it that isn’t quite music or sound design, but something else entirely.

The opportunity to have one single-string instrument versus an orchestra was also a tribute to vaudeville and the entertainer Jack Benny. “I see ‘SNL’ as the pinnacle of variety, of vaudeville. It’s like a subtle nod to that without having an orchestra,” Batiste says.

To create an atmosphere of relentless time passing, Batiste pondered over which musical elements would best convey this sensation. He thought about percussion as a primary choice, with a violin incorporated in a rhythmic fashion, accompanied by a brass ensemble and tap dance seamlessly integrated into the composition. “These are instruments that not only set the scene for New York culturally, but also remind me of the classic ‘SNL’ house band sound,” he explained. “It’s a style of percussion and sound design that you might hear in early movies, evoking memories of the vaudeville era. I aimed to combine these elements to build a distinctive, custom-made clock for this unique ‘SNL’ experience.

Batiste articulates that his and Reitman’s intention was to make the music not merely an accentuating element for emotions, scenes, or themes, but rather a distinct character influencing the plot progression. In other words, they wanted the music to be more than just a tool to enhance feelings; it should actively contribute to driving the storyline forward.

When depicting Preston, Batiste relied on taped interviews, yet there wasn’t much insight into the behind-the-scenes happenings. Instead, most of the information was what we saw as viewers, while the rest came from firsthand accounts given by cast members we interviewed and Jason, who had extensively researched the subject matter and generously shared his findings with us.

Preston significantly impacted the final outcome of the music. According to Batiste, “I felt his spirit during the recording and creation process, so there was an indirect yet powerful influence. It’s as if he were our guardian angel, looking down on us from above.

Regarding separating the different aspects, Batiste mentions he didn’t do so. Instead, he enjoyed being engrossed in the entire process without distinguishing between being on set, creating, acting, composing, and recording simultaneously. He explains that this approach gave a genuine sense of immediacy to everything they did, as if it was all happening concurrently in the same space because it truly was – an aspect that can’t be replicated.

https://open.spotify.com/watch?v=album/2U0xxgEpclqdq4dUZ1M7uf

2024-10-15 03:16

How ‘Saturday Night’s’ Intense Ticking Score Was Created By Tap Dancing, a Fiddle and Jon Batiste

Read More

Minority Mindset