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Even Better Than Remembered

C. Jefferson Thom — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 13:27:45 +0000

Even Better Than Remembered C. Jefferson Thom November 12, 2024 - 08:27

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Photo courtesy of the Seattle Symphony

While my genetic lineage predominately links me to Europe, many of the practices and traditions that move me originate from cultures that bear no resemblance to my DNA. For decades, I’ve had a wall in my home dedicated to the photos and remembrance of those who have departed from this world and remain with me in spirit. Naturally, when I became aware of the Mexican religious holiday of Dia de Los Muertos, it was immediately recognizable and deeply familiar. That being said, it should come as no surprise that the Pixar animated feature Coco is one of those rare films that chokes me up every time. Today, I live with a partner and two children who all come from Mexico, so this tradition and film have taken on new dimensions of meaning for me. Thus, when I learned there would be a live musical performance with a screening of Coco at Benaroya Hall, I eagerly attended with my partner and our ten-year-old daughter.

The structure of this event is simple enough: a large projection screen hovers above, showing the film and a live orchestra plays the corresponding soundtrack below. In this case, we were privileged to a performance of Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México (The National Folk Orchestra of Mexico) under the direction of conductor Esin Aydingoz, all of whom were exquisite. The quality and precision of the accompanying orchestra were so seamless that one could easily be excused for getting sucked into the film and forgetting that the score they were hearing was being played live. However, if you were so inclined as to let your sightline dip below the silver screen, you were offered the very unique opportunity of watching the production process unfold before you.

I had never realized that the score for Coco contained so many parts for the harp. It is a simple revelation, but one that I won’t forget when I re-watch the film in the future. There was also a screen in front of the conductor that showed the running film along with some sort of numerical tracking system that broke up the score into different sections. I never figured out if it was related to measures in the music or a sort of chapter/scene in the story, but I found watching that in relation to what was happening on the big screen very fascinating. There was ultimately the overall advantage of hearing the music played live by such an astoundingly skilled orchestra. They had the structure; their playing was tight and without room for error, and, most importantly, they made the passion of the music sing through their instruments. Putting all that together with a movie I already love, it was a pure joy to vacillate between observing the process and just being absorbed into the film.

Upon leaving Benaroya Hall, it was clear that both my partner and I had a far greater appreciation for all we had just witnessed than our little girl. For her, I think it was more of watching a movie she likes in an unconventional setting, and she missed the popcorn or couch back home. I’ve told you what the experience was for me, but it was even more meaningful for my partner as she left with a renewed pride in her cultural heritage: the traditions, the rich history, and the mastery of this orchestra of fellow Mexicanos keeping it all alive in the present day. It was also clear that she was not alone, and it was exhilarating to feel that the celebration of Mexican pride rang so clearly for so many people, even in a city that is over one thousand miles away from the Mexican border. If Coco Live-to-Film comes our way again next Dia de Los Muertos, we will be there… this time in full Catrina makeup.

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What Kind of Fantastic Music Have You Got Playing Around Here?

C. Jefferson Thom — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 18:01:48 +0000

What Kind of Fantastic Music Have You Got Playing Around Here? C. Jefferson Thom January 22, 2024 - 13:01

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Photo credit: Carlin Ma

The Music of Twin Peaks and Angelo Badalamenti - Seattle Symphony

Benaroya Hall, Seattle

That was, excuse me, one damn fine event at Benaroya Hall. I would have been satisfied with the evening's host, Kyle MacLachlan (Agent Cooper in the flesh), just introducing the various compositions of Angelo Badalamenti and then leaving it to the Seattle Symphony to do their musical magic. What actually unfolded was something far greater and more sincere than any expectations I would have ventured to have.

As programming seemingly designed to attract the attention of a younger audience to The Seattle Symphony, this was anything but phoned-in. This was respect. This was love. This must be where Badalamenti compositions go when they die. Threading a needle through the many ham-handed and forced options, MacLachlan and whoever wrote the evening's script worked with deft skill to make it all genuine and land like an inside joke between friends. Somebody put some real effort into curating the excellently selected quotes from Twin Peaks and David Lynch himself, as well as several well-placed winks to favorite quotes from the series. MacLachlan radiated with the joy of being present, embracing his opportunity to celebrate the man who scored some of his most iconic performances.

I learned last Wednesday night that Angelo Badalamenti happened upon David Lynch's cinematic world as a voice coach for Isabella Rossellini on Blue Velvet. From there, he would become the arthouse director's most indelible composer. The challenge for a composer to fulfill the needs of the piece they're servicing while leaving their own unique mark of expression has a paradoxical quality, but Badalamenti makes it feel effortless. He also has a smooth ability to subtly embed quotes from other themes into different compositions. In the Twin Peaks soundtrack, this has the subconscious effect of tying everything together musically and is a masterfully executed trick. Transposing feelings as described directly by Lynch during intimate sittings at a keyboard, Badalamenti had an uncanny ability to fluently speak Lynch's innermost emotions.

Angelo Badalamenti explains how he wrote Laura Palmer's Theme (youtube.com)

Now to address the love & respect I mentioned earlier: The Seattle Symphony and conductor Sarah Hicks offer a passionate embrace of both in their handling of Badalamenti's scores. Cradling the simplistic beauty of his loving sustains and the uncanny tones of his ominous warnings, the musicians of The Emerald City haven't failed my ears yet. There is no better sound system than hearing these vibrations live. These audible feelings wash over you in pulsating waves, rattling around in your soul and enticing your mind to wander beyond the familiar places... It's a powerful drug. A good drug, and The Seattle Symphony deals it out generously.

Among the solo performances, Sarah Tweet stood out with her impassioned rendering of "The Nightingale from Twin Peaks," capturing the haunting beauty of this lonely crooner. Badalamenti's ability to invoke an idealist, 50s-like mood with a contrasting dark underbelly makes it even more natural that he would become Lynch's music man. Lynch was lucky to have found him, and we are all very fortunate to be moved by the results.

When I wrote my last review, I had only been to more traditional events with The Seattle Symphony and had yet to experience their more creative programming. When I suggested aging fans of Rock might like to try their ears on the sounds of Benaroya Hall, I was unaware of the unoriginal nature of my revelation. This Twin Peaks event makes it clear that the idea is beyond conception on Puget Sound; it is manifest, and with heartfelt and well-thought-out performances such as these, one would have to assume a certain lack of imagination not to answer the call. It's just so enticing.

Near the beginning of the evening, MacLachlan went off script, hinting that he hoped this would become the start of an annual event. I am strongly inclined to agree. If you didn't catch it this past time, don't miss it if the opportunity presents itself again.

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Short Q & A with Filmmaker Allison Burnett

Dusty Wright — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 19:41:12 +0000

Short Q & A with Filmmaker Allison Burnett Dusty Wright August 30, 2021 - 15:41

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The following is an interview with LA-based filmmaker and author Allison Burnett about his latest film and its soundtrack.

Dusty Wright: First, let me congratulate you on the release of Another Girl, your sequel to your wonderful film, Ask Me Anything. I hear it's not strictly a sequel.

Allison Burnett: Correct, the film functions both as a sequel and a stand-alone work. Those who haven't seen Ask Me Anything won't have any trouble enjoying this one. Those who have seen the first film, will enjoy this one in a different way.

DW: I want to hear about the music in Another Girl, but first give us some background on the music in Ask Me Anything.

AB: When making the first film, I wanted the score and soundtrack to function in entirely different ways. The score, written by the great John Ehrlich, would tell the story of the 17-year-old heroine Katie's emotional life--her buried pain and longings. The soundtrack, on the other hand, would express the preoccupations of Katie’s ego--the daily junk that distracts her from the issues she needs to face.

When it came to building the soundtrack, there was no money left to license songs, so I got the idea of holding a contest. I posted ads on Craig's List inviting female singer-songwriters 21 years old and younger to submit up to three songs each for inclusion in the film. I gave them an Amazon link to the novel, in case they wanted to know more about the story. Winners would get their song included in the film, plus a license payment of $150, and royalties from any revenue generated by the sale of the soundtrack. Important to note, we were just licensing the songs. The artists still owned their works and, after a couple of years, could even license them to other films.

DW: Such a simple, yet forward-thinking idea. It gives young unknown artists a chance for professional validation while allowing you to afford fantastic music. Plus share new artists with new listeners. And probably for some of these singer-songwriters even a wider audience than social media would normally offer them. Def a win-win for everyone. It's a wonder it had never been done before.

AB: I agree. And because it hadn't been, so many people advised me against it. I learned a valuable lesson from this: when you come up with an original idea, the world often allies itself against you!

DW: I'm curious, why did you limit yourself to females 21 years old and younger?

AB: I wanted to convey the sensibility of a 17-year-old girl. I wanted young, sincere, unguarded female points of view. I wanted the lyrics to reflect the priorities and passions of youth.

DW: How did the contest turn out?

AB: We received a perhaps a hundred submissions, most of which were recorded on the girls' home computers using Garage Band or similar programs. All of the songs I chose were dropped into the film exactly as we received them, except for one.

A 16-year-old girl named Rachel Faith submitted a remarkable song called "Start."But it was recorded crudely. There was electronic hissing. It sounded as though it had been recorded in the woods and the percussion was a stick banged on a rock. It could not have been more primitive and haunting. But I loved it so much that I had Rachel fly out and re-record it with Jon Ehrlich in his studio. The result was remarkable. I used it over the end titles.

Artistically, the soundtrack and score were everything I had wanted. We won Best Music at the Nashville International Film Festival.

DW: Okay, fast forward. You're making Another Girl. Take us through your thought process when it came to the music this time around.

AB: The first thing I did was go back to Jon Ehrlich for another score, but he was far too busy. I got a lead on a talented Israeli composer named Haim Mazur, looking to do indie features. We hit it off instantly, and he did a superb job on the score. In addition, I recruited a talented composer out of Chicago, named Justin Dahl, to write electronic music for the final credits. Using the sublime vocals of Ashley Gonzalez, he brought me two great tracks, one of which I also used in the trailer.

As the soundtrack, the film's budgetary restrictions were not as bad this time around. They were far worse. We had just half the budget as before. Which meant all I could offer the artists was a $100, plus royalties. Since the heroine of the film is five years older than the previous heroine, I raised the age limit to 26 years old and younger.

We received many wonderful submissions. I was thrilled that three artists whose music was included in the soundtrack of the first film also won placement in Another Girl: Zanny Nicholas, Toni & Ash, and Christiana Schelfhout. For the first film, Zanny, at just thirteen, was the youngest singer-songwriter to place a song. She placed two, actually. Since then, she had graduated from Berklee College of Music. She placed two new songs in Another Girl. My collaborator in building the soundtrack was my film editor Michael Yanovich, who has superb taste, as well as a deep understanding of how music functions in a film.

DW: When do we get a chance to hear it?

AB: The soundtrack is available now for pre-order on Apple Music. When it officially releases September 3, it will be available on many platforms, including Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Pandora, etc.

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A Song As A Movie

Robert Cochrane — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 18:06:36 +0000

A Song As A Movie Robert Cochrane October 19, 2020 - 14:06

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"Sky Falls" Peter Godwin (Zenda Records)

To the question when is a homage not simply a lazy form of affectionate folly? The answer arrives, when it transcends what has inspired it to stand alone, as a work that harnesses the spark that set in into flame.

Certain songs must wait for their time to be timely. One such example is Peter Godwin's 2012 single "Sky Falls" a shimmering rhapsody in blues of lush and darkening hue to John Barry and the film series that has always opened with an epic ballad. It is the perfect pill to pop as a palliative comfort to the news that the new James Bond movie No Time To Die won't be released till 2021, and that the franchise is now a half century old. An artillery of champagne corks should be exploding, but the time for celebration will come later, and in this stunning piece Peter Godwin had popped all of his drama pills with tremendous aplomb.

Godwin knows a thing or three about presentation. His visuals have always borne a nod and a wink to what's in vogue. When his band METRO and their single "Criminal World" didn't fare too well on release, a BBC ban for being suggestive of sexual ambiguity didn't much help, it fell into the ears of a certain David Bowie who included it on his album Let's Dance, although his version rather pedestrianised the drama implicit in the original. There is no such lack of moodiness to "Sky Falls." Brooding and intense with an existential lyric it cosies up to John Barry on a bed of churning strings.

Exquisitely shot and realised by Johnny Normal, and with a swirlingly insistent production by Charlie Hoskyns, this is an exercise in elegance and poise. A Scott Walker element presides, and the ghost of Billie MacKenzie sighs, as it proceeds to beguile the listener. An effort that deserves a wider audience, and perhaps on the coat tails of "Bond" disappointment, it may just receive some belated kudos, for being thus inspired, and is nothing less than wonderful.

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The Bridge Between a Film and Its Music

Isabella Huang — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 15:00:00 +0000

The Bridge Between a Film and Its Music Isabella Huang December 23, 2019 - 10:00

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The chances of finding two suspects on the run are quite slim in a remarkably populated city like Manhattan. What does NYPD detective Andre Davis do when he faces this dilemma in 21 Bridges?

Chadwick Boseman's character, Andre Davis shuts down all 21 bridges connecting the island of Manhattan to find the suspects, while trying to understand the unfolding conspiracy involving him. Directed by Brian Kirk and produced by the Russo Brothers, this film is a fast-paced thriller that keeps the audience drawn to the characters as their morals and values are in question. When it is difficult for the characters to communicate their thoughts, the captivating film score by Alex Belcher and Henry Jackman tells the unspoken complexities of both the protagonists and antagonists.

With credits on many fan favorite projects such as Captain America: Civil War, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and the Netflix sci-fi thriller IO, Alex Belcher is a storyteller that uses music as his medium. Recently, Alex granted us an opportunity to have ask him some questions.

What approach did you take to compose for 21 Bridges? Did you have any inspirations for the score?

Yes, quite a few. [We listened to] Bernard Herrmann's score for Cape Fear, Quincy Jones’s score for Money; [the score for] The French Connection; the David Shire score for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three; as well as Taxi Driver -- an American classic -- all of these films from an era that we [Henry Jackman and I] love. We weren't trying to completely imitate the score from these films. We wanted it to be a nod in that direction while still putting our own spin on it because we're not those legendary film composers, and we don't write exactly like they do. We had a blast writing the score because it is music that you don't get to write a lot.

Howard Shore, a composer for The Lord of the Rings, once mentioned that some of his favorite moments to score were the heartfelt moments between Frodo and Sam. Were there any dynamics between certain characters in any of your projects so far that you adore the most?

In 21 Bridges, there was a very captivating dynamic between Andre [played by Chadwick Boseman] and Michael [played by Stephan James], the two main characters. One of them is a cop, the other is a bad guy. It’s a very generic relationship but within that there is so much more. They are both two people who are in something that is over their head, they're trying to make sense of it all, and they're against each other. That to me artistically was a lot of fun because of the good guy versus bad guy dynamic, and we all know that type of music, but relationships like that of Andre and Michael are more nuanced than that.

Chadwick Boseman, 21 Bridges

They're both interesting to each other. They both have really developed characters and intricate personalities, and the way that those two characters play off each other on screen really allowed us to write some music that dived into that existential being. This is a lot of fun because you're not just playing what you see on screen, you get to play music that fit their emotional depth. It really opened up a lot musically as to what we could do and write in a way that you may not be able to do for other films.

You've worked with Henry Jackman on many projects such as 21 Bridges, Captain America: Civil War, and the two Kingsman movies, and many more. Can you talk a little bit about your work relationship with Henry Jackman? Is there a story behind how you started collaborating?

Henry and I met almost 10 years ago. At the time, his career was just starting out and I had just moved to LA and started working here at Hans Zimmer's place. He was looking for someone that could help him out and make some noises, mess around with some synths, play some guitar here and there. That's really where our professional relationship began.

We had a shared love of a lot of the same films like I talked about with 21 Bridges. A lot of our inspirational aspects come from that era, so we bonded over that and our professional relationship snowballed to where it is today as collaborators [...] I was a young guy starting out and he taught me a lot. I made a lot of cool sounds, he liked what I was doing, and we worked well together. We've both been very lucky in our careers, and I'm very lucky to have a mentor like him because that's critical [when you're getting] yourself through that door and establishing yourself as a composer here in Hollywood.

What sparked your interest to become a composer?

Growing up, I worked at a theater as an actor while also pursuing music, so at a pretty young age it was pretty quick for me to combine those two loves for storytelling and writing music. I stumbled upon the profession in college when I was studying composition and realized that it allowed me to sort of hang on to the feelings of theater that I loved so much.

Are there any exciting upcoming projects that you would like to talk about?

At the moment I am doing Made in Italy, which is a film by the actor James D'Arcy, and it is his directorial debut for Lionsgate. It's a wonderful film. Henry [Jackman] has a long relationship with the Russo Brothers, and through that we will be continuing to work with them on Dhaka, which we’re doing right now. This is a really intense film, and we are super excited for the audience to watch that and hear our score.

21 Bridges is now in theaters.

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Album of the Week: Stay Awake

Dusty Wright — Tue, 27 Nov 2018 18:36:54 +0000

Album of the Week: Stay Awake Dusty Wright November 27, 2018 - 13:36

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Image courtesy of A&M/UMe

Various Artists - Stay Awake (A&M/UMe)

I hail producer Hal Wilner, not just for his short-lived but innovative music variety television show Sunday Night, or his Sirius radio show with Lou Reed, but his excellent tribute records including the timeless classic Disney tribute Stay Awake (A&M/UMe). Originally released in 1988, this remastered Record Store Day Black Friday album on double vinyl (only 3500 copies) sounds simply amazing. And it features a marvelously eclectic mix of artists like Michael Stipe, Bill Frisell, Harry Nilsson, Aaron Neville, NRBQ, Sun Ra Arkestra, Suzanne Vega to name but a few. One can't help but applaud a producer who would willingly take on the music of the Disney catalog and then set those beloved songs on fire by allowing the musicians complete poetic license.

The sonic depth and quality of these iconic tunes jump off the album. And with so many extraordinary tracks to choose from one must listen to it in its entirety to experience the aural majesty. Some of my favorites include Bonnie Raitt and Was (Not Was)'s soulfully bluesy reading of the ballad "Baby Mine" from Dumbo, James Taylor's poignant and moving cover of "Second Star To The Right" from Peter Pan, Tom Waits' clanging and banging "Heigh Ho (The Dwarves Marching Song)" from Snow White, and my very favorite -- Los Lobos' spirited Americana roots-rock take on "I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" that was originally done by Louis Prima for Jungle Book.

Treat yourself to an early holiday gift and buy this album now!

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Video of the Week: Inspired Bicycles

Dusty Wright — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:45:03 +0000

Video of the Week: Inspired Bicycles Dusty Wright April 24, 2009 - 07:45

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Beauty in motion. Pro rider Danny MacAskill from Edinburgh will leave you gasping at his extreme bicycle ballet. Throw in a killer track by Band of Horses, one of my favorite bands, and you have the best viral video of the year. Ride on, Danny.