Trumpeteer

How on Earth did you guess Maxine? That was a superb guess. Glad you liked hearing her talk about performing the score.

Thank you so much for all the feedback. It means a lot. An earlier draft of the script pretty much focused on the soundtrack more than the film version. But, I was essentially playing music without talking about it because I had little to no context for that music. I didn't want it to be an episode where I just play music -- even big fans of the music like you would get bored. So, I kept the focus on the film score and went with that. I wish I could have found any quotes from Williams regarding reading the novel beforehand but nothing came up in my research. I hope you will go back and catch up on other episodes. Imagine this podcast as a biographical novel. Would you skip over chapters in a novel? One more thing: My podcast is one of 17 on the shortlist for Best Music Podcast for the annual Podcast Awards. Please consider voting for my show before July 31 to get it on the final list of 10 nominees. Nominate "The Baton" for Best Music Podcast

Thank you so much! That was my goal. Well, mostly to get people to forget the drama surrounding the replacement and at least give the score a chance.

I don't know how I missed that during editing. Thank you so much for catching that. I will fix it and re-upload the show today. 😞 I hope that didn't ruin the show for you.

My co-host Gianmaria Caschetto confirms on our episode of "The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey" that Williams was the pianist. It's the second time in a row he has performed his own music, coming after Schindler's List. "Sabrina" podcast episode

Let's not forget that he is 88 years old! His fingers are flying around like he's 28! That is what made me cry, more than the fact that it is a rare thing to see John Williams perform more than a couple of notes on the piano.

I really wish this album was available four months ago when I was working on the episode of my podcast covering this film. I really wanted to highlight the two great cues in the film besides the main title, and not use the film version with dialogue and sound effects overpowering the music. The first is the cue after the first rain, after Mel Gibson' s character almost drowns and then the family preps the farm for the rain. Interesting drum kit underneath the family theme. And then that famous pony ride scene, which is Williams writing music for a Norman Rockwell painting. If you listen to the episode below, you will hear that I was told by one of my regular sources about an upcoming expanded release back in January 2020. The release date wasn't known, so I am glad to see that it is ready for the world to hear. "The River" on The Baton podcast

When the helicopter arrived at the Costa Rican island in "Jurassic Park," the music that accompanied it opened my ears to the brilliance of film scoring ... and the genius of John Williams. The "Jurassic Park" episode of "The Baton" is here, and I am joined by co-host David Kay to discuss why this score made such an impact on me and many others. https://www.podbean.com/ea/pb-7jzx9-d7e665

I have been getting a lot of positive responses about Far and Away. So happy that people are enjoying it. Colin ranks as one of my favorite co-hosts so far. I had not seen the film until preparing for the episode and he really showed his enthusiasm for the score. Home Alone 2 coming out tomorrow!

Thanks for the comments about all of the recent episodes. I have been told about the wrong note played on the piano for Kevin's theme, which comes from me getting incorrectly transposed sheet music. I have re-uploaded the episode with the piano performance removed. As for Hook, we were not pressed for time. I try to keep co-hosted shows to an hour if possible. Many people write to me wishing we could spend two hours on their favorite score, but that is not the goal of the podcast. I'm not planning to play every minute of every score, but to just give a historical guide to the music. However, I was not aware that the piano melody that plays before "We Don't Wanna Grow Up" would turn into Tinkerbell's theme, so thanks for that observation. My podcast episodes are not being affected by the worldwide pandemic, so you'll still get new ones every Wednesday!

I have been hearing from a lot of people about my lack of discussion about the commercial soundtrack releases. I bring up such things only if it feels like something historic happened with the soundtrack release. Other times, I do record something but take it out in the interest of time and flow of the episode. Besides, my plan since the beginning has been to focus mainly on the music as heard in the film, and the composition itself. But, I will take your comment into consideration going forward. That was the goal that Erik and I made for this episode. We knew there were lots of people who did not like this score, and we wanted to "convert" them. I'm glad you are enjoying the score now.

Erik will be back for "The Last Crusade"!

Year Two of "The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey" has begun, and I am giving you TWO new episodes today. The first is a fun and lively discussion about the score to "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," including those amazing final 15 minutes. The other episode focuses on the drama "Monsignor," which marked John Williams' first straight dramatic film in eight years and featured a very un-romantic love theme for Christopher Reeve and Genevieve Bujold. I have already recorded episodes 58-60, and those will be released over the next three Wednesdays. I am looking forward to bringing you the final 55 episodes of this podcast, and thanks to everyone for being a part of this journey with me!

The first year of "The Baton" is coming to a close. I'm so grateful to everyone who has been a part of this fun and insightful journey since the beginning, and thankful to those who found the podcast later and became new fans. I am very excited to get Year Two started, but for now, please enjoy the final episode of the year, which focuses on the film "Heartbeeps" and its very fine score by John Williams. See you in 2020 for 56 more episodes!

I am very excited about the newest episode in my podcast, because it features a discussion of the best score ever written: "The Empire Strikes Back". I am joined on this episode by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra trombonist Jim Nova, who helps me understand why Vader's theme is so sinister. We also talk about that stellar music during the asteroid field chase, the big lightsaber battle in the bowels of Cloud City and whether or not the score would translate into a great musical. Learn much in this episode, you will! "The Empire Strikes Back"

I didn't know it either, until a year ago! I'm glad there is some new information in the episode for you!

Let's get back on topic … though there is a Jerry Goldsmith connection. The 50th episode of "The Baton" is here! And the score discussed in this episode is a "super" one. I'm joined by co-host Doug Grieve as we discuss the music to "Superman." I'm sure everyone reading this knows that John Williams was not the original composer for "Superman," and we discuss that a bit while theorizing about the relationship between John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. But, this episode is really about analyzing this great score, from the record-setting opening titles to the wonderfully orchestrated theme for the villains. Enjoy! "Superman" episode on "The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey"

I am open to anyone joining me as guest host … provided they have something interesting to contribute about a particular score and/or that time period in John Williams' life.

Played fine for me on the Spotify app. Try other platforms (including YouTube) if you keep running into problems.

Thanks for the insight on "The Fury." I should have gone in more detail about having "Gillian's Power" on the CD, but it really is nowhere near as good as the film version and the there in is part of the reason. I played the "Jaws" episode on Podbean and it was fine. If you are playing it on another platform, let me know. That is my goal!!! But I don't think I am there ... yet.

The solo episodes have a quick turnaround and I try to have them completed at least two weeks before they go live. It takes a week to produce a show, starting with watching the film then doing research and creating the script. Recording and editing are usually done in one day. Shows with guest co-hosts take twice as long. I try to stay at least two weeks ahead so I am not rushing to get each episode done. Sometimes I am working on two episodes in the same week, if I have the time to do so.

Yes, I am gaining so many followers each week and it's amazing! But, really, I am so busy producing each episode that I sometimes forget to let the JWFan folks know about each new episode. A new one is released EVERY Wednesday!

The "Star Wars" episode of my podcast has arrived, and it's a big one! I had the privilege of talking with Sir Clive Gillinson, who played cello on the score with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1977. He looks back on his memories of working with John Williams and seeing the film with music for the first time. I also take time to discuss the main theme and other music in the film. Chris Hatt returns to join me in that discussion. Another former guest co-host, Brian Martell, relives his memory of seeing Star Wars in the theater and being captivated by the music. It's an episode I have been excited to bring you since this podcast started, and I hope you enjoy it! Star Wars on "The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey"

October has been a busy month, and very fun! Family Plot was a better score than I expected. And the movie was OK, too.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I understand why you think "The Missouri Breaks" stands up as a good film. I enjoyed hearing the score for the first time, but I was not enjoying whatever Brando was doing. As opposed to those other films that Thor referenced, I had such high expectations for the film, based on the involvement of Brando, Nicholson and Penn. I received a few emails from listeners who also had major issues with the film. As you will hear in the episode, I do praise some parts of the score. I am glad you're enjoying it! I regret to inform you that the "Star Wars" episode will not be two hours long. It might be the longest to date, but barely. As of now, I have a 65-minute show planned, which is longer than I want but necessary given the special guest who will be on the show.