Despite the brutal schedule of working in the scoring profession, I always look for other creative avenues. Last spring, I composed “Incantation” for flautist Jenni Olson, and it is now available on her second studio album, “The Dreams of Birds,” from Delos Music (on CD or digitally from iTunes or Amazon MP3).

Jenni is a remarkable musician and our collaborations go back more than a decade, to when we met at the USC Thornton School of Music.  She was a featured performer in my earliest orchestras, assembled in college to record film scores for directors I still collaborate with today. Fans of mine will recognize her haunting flute tone from evocative solos on my scores to “Human Target” and “The Cape,” among others. (more…)

This November will mark the twentieth anniversary of the tragic passing of Freddie Mercury.  As the lead singer and frontman of Queen, his music has inspired generations of fans and musicians alike.  Approaching this historic milestone, I wanted to create an event where anyone who has ever loved the music of Queen could come together and celebrate the life and music of Freddie Mercury, and raise money for a worthy cause.

I joined forces with Brendon Small and Brendan McCreary to produce The Show Must Go On: A Tribute to Freddie Mercury, a one-night concert of the music of Queen, performed by some of the most talented and in-demand musicians in Los Angeles.  All proceeds benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles, to help combat the deadly disease which took Freddie from this world.

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I was honored this summer to take part in the 7th International Film Music Festival in Úbeda, Spain and to accept the Jerry Goldsmith Award for Best Television Score for my work on “Human Target.”  The journey was an incredible experience for me, both as a film score composer and film score geek.  An event like this presents a rare opportunity to escape the studio, see the world and get to know fellow soundtrack fans and fellow composers.  I tried to capture the spirit of this adventure in my poorly-filmed travelogue, “A Bear in Spain.” Enjoy…

CHAPTER 1 – Málaga

My story begins not in Spain, but in the LAX airport at 6:00 am.  I brought my scores with me, to study on the plane, but forgot colored pencils to mark them with.  Minutes before boarding the plane, I managed to find a Spiderman activity book in the gift shop!  Thanks to this stroke of luck, I had markers with me to prepare my scores during the long, 18 hour flight.  Plus a sweet coloring book!  🙂

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Brendan McCreary and Raya Yarbrough are performing in a unique double-bill concert at Room 5 in Los Angeles, on November 28th, 2009.  I will be a guest musician, playing accordion.

I normally don’t blog about every single concert by members of my Battlestar (and/or literal) family, but this one is special.  Rather than simply dividing their time into two sets, Brendan and Raya have integrated their songs into one seamless set list.  And rather than missing their full bands, I’ve found that the intimate musical setting allows you to appreciate every note, every gorgeous harmony and catchy melody even more.  We’ve been rehearsing in my living room all weekend, and it sounds frakkin’ incredible.  Even though its an acoustic set, it’s going to truly be epic.

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