American composer and pianist Aaron Zigman has written more than 70 Hollywood film scores. Firmly established as one of Hollywood’s go-to composers, his film career was launched in 2000, when director Nick Cassavetes heard his work and asked him to collaborate on six films, including the romantic cult classic The Notebook, for which the composer’s score sold a record number of albums. Other box-office hits include Bridge to Terabithia, The Proposal, For Colored Girls, The Company Men, Wakefield,and the Sex and the City franchise.
Similarly distinguished in television, Zigman has penned songs for shows including the popular series Fame and the Showtime TV movie Crown Heights, for which his setting of the Hebrew peace prayer “Sim Shalom” received an Emmy Award. He recently scored American Dream/American Knightmare, Antoine Fuqua’s acclaimed Suge Knight documentary for Showtime. Zigman has scored multiple films for Tyler Perry including the new World War II drama The Six Triple Eight, starring Kerry Washington as commander of the U.S. Women’s Army Corps’ all-Black battalion.
It was in popular song that Zigman first embarked on his career. A student of renowned MGM composer and orchestrator George Bassman, he signed a song-writing contract with music publishing giant Almo Irving while still in college. Subsequently working for industry legend Clive Davis, Zigman went on to write, arrange, and produce more than 50 hit albums for some of the world’s foremost performing and recording artists, including Christina Aguilera, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, John Legend, Seal, Carly Simon, Sting, The Four Tops, Tina Turner, and Dionne Warwick.
You could say that Zigman has an acute ability to tap into human emotions. After all, he was integral to the success off The Notebook, and if it wasn’t Gena Rowlands helping you discover feelings you didn’t know you had, it was probably the music that brought out more waterworks than onions ever could. With Perry’s latest feature, you can almost get the same outcome watching nearly 800 female soldiers march through Europe. It was one of many important scenes that truly echoed the effect that the WAC had on the war effort. It’s Americana and it’s remarkable as this entire effort is like a love letter to the 6888.
Enjoy this chat with Aaron on the latest episode of The GoSeeTalk Podcast Experience!
An army captain (Kerry Washington) leads her historic battalion of all-female soldiers as they face a mission unlike any other: to restore hope to WWII’s frontlines by delivering over 17 million backlogged letters. Witness their courage and determination in The Six Triple Eight, only on Netflix on December 20.
