Cody ChesnuTT Delivers ‘Partings Ways’ For A ‘Soul’ Sneak Peek

Cody Chesnutt's new song "Parting Ways" Is part of the sneak peek video of the upcoming animated feature "Soul."

June 27, 2020

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Soul director Pete Docter, co-director and screenwriter Kemp Powers and producer Dana Murray teamed up with American anthropologist Dr. Johnnetta Cole and jazz pianist Jon Batiste to deliver a sneak peek of the film during a virtual panel titled “Finding Soul.” The video features “Parting Ways,” a song penned, produced and performed by multi-talented musician Cody ChesnuTT. Check out the virtual panel as well as a clip from Soul in our post!

Dr. Johnnetta Cole and jazz pianist Jon Batiste worked as cultural consultants on Soul, and one huge reason why this animated feature is on my radar lies in its spotlight on Jazz.

ALL THAT JAZZ – In Pixar Animation Studios’ upcoming feature film “Soul,” Joe Gardner is a middle-school band teacher whose true passion is playing jazz. A single unexpected step sends him to the cosmic realms where he finds the “You Seminar”—a fantastical place where Joe is forced to think again about what it truly means to have soul. Jamie Foxx was tapped to voice Joe. Directed by Academy Award® winner Pete Docter (“Inside Out,” “Up”), co-directed by Kemp Powers and produced by Academy Award® nominee Dana Murray (Pixar short “Lou”), “Soul” opens in theaters on November 20, 2020. © 2019 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Soul centers on Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a middle-school band teacher who gets a shot to play at the best jazz club in town. A simple twist of fate leads him from New York to The Great Before, an environment where new souls get their personalities and passions before they head to Earth.

Determined to get back to his life, Joe befriends a soul named 22 (Tina Fey) and teaches 22 the wonders and joy of the human experience. Pete Docter (Inside Out, Up) co-directed the feature with Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami), and the feature hits theaters on November 20.

In Disney and Pixar’s “Soul,” a middle-school band teacher named Joe Gardner gets the chance of a lifetime to play the piano in a jazz quartet headed by the great Dorothea Williams. Featuring Jamie Foxx as the voice of Joe Gardner, and Angela Bassett as the voice of Dorothea, “Soul” opens in U.S. theaters on November 20 © 2020 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

The utilization of Cody ChesnuTT as part of the musical fabric behind Soul also has me excited, and if you have never given a listen to his diverse array of music (he’s best known for his collaboration with The Roots on “The Seed 2.0”). One of my personal favorites from ChesnuTT’s discography is “Till I Met Thee” from his album Landing on a Hundred: