John Debney scores Disney’s The Jungle Book
Posted on April 15, 2016 by Dan Goldwasser
Earlier this year, Oscar-nominated composer John Debney scored the anticipated live-action version of Disney’s The Jungle Book, his fourth film for director Jon Favreau. Recording took place at Sony with a 102-piece orchestra, and we’re thrilled to bring our readers photos from the session!
Composer/conductor John Debney at the podium with the orchestra
Recording for The Jungle Book took place at the historic MGM Scoring Stage at Sony Pictures, with composer John Debney conducting ain impressive 102-piece (and at times 104-piece) ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony. The score pays homage to its roots, naturally integrating some of the themes from Richard and Robert Sherman’s memorable songs from the original 1967 animated film, as well as some nods to that film’s original score, composed by George Bruns.
The strings
The extensive cello section
The woodwinds
The brass section
The French horns perform on Wagner tubas
Composer/conductor John Debney cues the orchestra
Pianists Mike Watts and Mike Lang
The view of The Jungle Book sessions from the percussion section
In the booth, scoring mixer Simon Rhodes made sure everything sounded spot-on, and supervising orchestrator Kevin Kaska was on hand to give feedback to Debney out on the stage. Music editor Chuck Martin and ProTools recordist Kevin Globerman were also there, as well as director Jon Favreau, who gave his notes when possible.
Composer John Debney (center, with score) and the rest of the music team share a laugh
Supervising orchestrator Kevin Kaska and scoring mixer Simon Rhodes
Music editor Chuck Martin and ProTools recordist Kevin Globerman check their paperwork
The Jungle Book opens today, April 15, 2016, and a soundtrack album featuring Debney’s score, is available from Walt Disney Records.
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