By Jon Burlingame
Mar 16, 2021
The Academy music branch made Oscar history yesterday by nominating two films with Black composers for best original score: “Soul” and “Da 5 Bloods.”
Previously, only six films featuring Black composers were even nominated in the entire 86-year history of the category: “In Cold Blood,” “Shaft,” “The Color Purple,” “Round Midnight,” “Cry Freedom” and “BlacKkKlansman.”
Herbie Hancock remains the only African-American composer to win in this category, for his jazz-filled “Round Midnight” score in 1986. Terence Blanchard (pictured at left), composer of “Da 5 Bloods,” becomes only the second Black composer to be nominated twice (his “BlacKkKlansman” was nominated in 2018, duplicating Quincy Jones’ feat from 1967’s “In Cold Blood” and 1985’s “The Color Purple”).
The late soul genius Isaac Hayes was nominated for his groundbreaking “Shaft” score in 1971; he lost the score award that year but won song honors for his now-iconic title theme. South African jazz musician Jonas Gwangwa was later nominated (along with composer George Fenton) for the anti-apartheid drama “Cry Freedom” in 1987.
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