Harold Battiste Jr. Alone In The Stars (Official Music Video) C+P Lo-Flo Records 2024

LOS ANGELES, CA – Lo-Flo Records presents “Alone in the Stars,” the first of four singles to be released between July and September 2024 featuring the talents of legendary jazz musician and producer Harold Battiste. Jr. Written by prolific composer Jane McNealy, “Alone in the Stars” will be released on July 19, followed by “Florence Nightingale,” “All of You,” and an extended version of “Why Can’t I Have It Too.” These jazz gems, unearthed from McNealy’s extensive archive, hearken back to the 1970s. The video for "Alone in the Stars" will premiere on July 26, with subsequent videos dropping one week after each single’s release on Lo-Flo’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@lo-florecords1599. Listen to the label’s next single on your preferred streaming platform: https://hypeddit.com/m0crbk.

Originally written in 1977 with lyrics, this instrumental version of “Alone in the Stars” was recorded and produced by Battiste and McNealy around the same time. The song opens with McNealy's poignant keyboard melodies intertwined with Battiste's signature saxophone, a laidback bossa nova-like drum beat, and cosmic synth strings. McNealy explains further about the recording process, “I played all the keyboards and he (Battiste) played the saxophone and turned on the drum machine… It was always very laid-back and not a big deal.” The song's dreamlike ambiance is a testament to its title. McNealy poetically elaborates on the song's meaning, “‘Alone in the Stars’ is an ephemeral dream of disassociation and not belonging. This song is very personal because it’s so introspective and indirect. The song is like going through infinity, lost in space and the stars, or a winding river by itself, disappearing into a memory. Or a naked tree in the middle of an arid landscape, reaching into the sky, like Icarus drawn to the burning light of the sun.” Listening to "Alone in the Stars" today, the emotional depth McNealy and Battiste infused into the song decades ago remains palpable.

Harold Battiste, Jr.
A man of many talents and staggering achievements, Harold Battiste, Jr. was born in New Orleans in October 1931. While he began his career as a saxophonist and pianist, his first high-profile collaborations as a producer came with the major success of Sam Cooke’s 1957 track “You Send Me” and the discovery and introduction of New Orleans artist Mac Rebennack as Dr. John. Battiste is well known for his work as a studio arranger and the co-founder of AFO (All for One) Records with Melvin Lastie in 1961. It was notably the first African-American musician-owned label in the American South, achieving immediate success with Barbara George’s massive hit single, “I Know (You Don’t Love Me No More)"—reaching #1 on Billboard’s R&B single chart, and later covered by Fats Domino, Cher, Ike & Tina Turner, Bonnie Raitt, and others. AFO was also home to Ellis Marsalis' debut album, Monkey Puzzle. Moving his operation to Los Angeles, further achievements included contributions on Ike and Tina Turner’s album River Deep, Mountain High, and on Tom Waits’ Blue Valentine. Battiste’s biggest commercial success developed over the course of 15 years working with Sonny and Cher. As their musical director, he arranged hits like “I Got You Babe” and “The Beat Goes On.” This is in addition to his work on their television variety show, which inaugurated Battiste as the first Black musical director on an American TV series.

After 30 years in Los Angeles, Battiste moved back to his home state, where he joined the Jazz Studies faculty at the University of New Orleans, and established the AFO Foundation. Battiste received numerous accolades, including the Beau Arts Award, the Mayor’s Arts Award, and the Governor’s Arts Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1998, his birthday was declared Harold Battiste Day by the City of New Orleans. In 2010, the Historic New Orleans Collection published his autobiography, Unfinished Blues: Memories of a New Orleans Music Man. Harold Battiste, Jr. passed away in June 2015.

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