Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted February 25, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 25, 2022 Quote NEW "L.A. STUDIO LEGENDS" PODCAST EPISODE! Pianist, keyboardist and composer RANDY KERBER is one of the most accomplished musicians working in film, television, and pop music. His many collaborations with John Williams as pianist and keyboardist helped define the musical identity of such beloved scores as HARRY POTTER, ANGELA'S ASHES, LINCOLN and THE BOOK THIEF, in which he was the featured soloist. In this conversation with The Legacy of John Williams, Randy Kerber talks about his career as a session musician, his early years working in the studio environment and how he became one of John Williams’ favourite first-call players, from his first experiences as a synth programmer in the late 1980s (Always, Born on the 4th of July) to the prominent role as piano soloist (Angela's Ashes, The Terminal, Lincoln, The Book Thief) and offering his views on the Maestro's musicianship. https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/02/25/randy-kerber-podcast/ Randy is an amazing musician and a really nice guy. He shared a lot of anecdotes and insights, be sure to listen to the whole show crumbs, Disco Stu, Jay and 13 others 8 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artguy360 1,843 Posted February 26, 2022 Share Posted February 26, 2022 Great interview as always! Thank you for all you are coordinating and creating for JW fans everywhere. I never knew Randy started on synths for JW or that he did the NBC Football theme refreshments. mahler3 and TownerFan 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,715 Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 Again a fantastic interview Maurizio! Randy is such a great down-to-earth guy with such obvious love of the music of John Williams and music in general. I feel that these interviews are such important work, helping us to better assess and appreciate the legacy of Williams' music and his influence through the lens of the people helping to bring it to life and giving us these intimate glimpses behind the music making that really speak volumes. mahler3 and TownerFan 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted March 2, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 2, 2022 Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Randy is indeed a great guy. He's also a fantastic composer. Check out his score for the short film Cello, it's gorgeous. mahler3, crumbs and Once 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted March 11, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 11, 2022 On the eve of John Williams' concerts in Vienna, here's a short musing on a dazzling early work of the Maestro and its surprising connection to his more recent music, including the Violin Concerto No.2 that is being performed this weekend in Vienna.https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/03/11/hollywood-1961 Falstaft, ConorPower, Ricard and 6 others 6 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 It's a lovely essay, Maurizio, and I am very sorry to quibble with such a tiny part of it, but no one considers Claude Thornhill "the grandfather of the big band sound." If any single person can claim that I would say it's Fletcher Henderson with Duke Ellington and Bennie Moten right there behind him. Thornhill was certainly important in developing a more sophisticated coloristic sound within the commercial dance band model that would go on to have a big influence on the "cool" jazz sound, but even there he was very much building on the Duke's signature sound on tunes like "Mood Indigo" and many others. As early as 1932, the press was falling over themselves to compare Duke Ellington to Delius. Just listen to something like 1939's "Subtle Lament," a true masterpiece, to hear a clear antecedent to the sound of "Snowfall" TownerFan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TownerFan 4,983 Posted March 11, 2022 Author Share Posted March 11, 2022 Thanks for the note, Disco Stu. What I meant was indeed Thornhill as the grandfather of a sophisticated jazz sound that was later picked up by people like Gil Evans and Nelson Riddle, not the big band sound in general which of course had other progenitors as you pointed out correctly. I will amend the piece to avoid confusion, so thank you for pointing this out 🙂 Disco Stu and Andy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,367 Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 On 25/02/2022 at 10:00 AM, TownerFan said: https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/02/25/randy-kerber-podcast/ Randy is an amazing musician and a really nice guy. He shared a lot of anecdotes and insights, be sure to listen to the whole show I never posted that I listened to this episode, and it was fantastic! I had no idea Kerber had done his own composing and arranging work, and his stories about Williams showing up and looking at his Over The Rainbow arrangement and giving suggestions was really interesting. The whole episode was really interesting! Keep up the great work! TownerFan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TownerFan 4,983 Posted March 14, 2022 Author Share Posted March 14, 2022 Thanks Jay. I've also amended the Rhythm In Motion piece in a few spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted April 1, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 1, 2022 Quote NEW PODCAST EPISODE! SALLY STEVENS is a true Hollywood musical legend and perhaps the most famous and distinguished studio singer, vocalist and vocal contractor who worked on countless film and television soundtracks and studio recordings in Los Angeles. In a career spanning five decades, she collaborated with such illustrious film composers as John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, Alan Silvestri, James Newton Howard, Danny Elfman, just to name a few. She worked with John Williams as vocal contractors on such projects as AMISTAD, MINORITY REPORT, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL and STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. In this new installment of the "L.A. Studio Legends" series on The Legacy of John Williams podcast, Sally reminisces about her glorious career as a singer and vocal contractor working in Hollywood, from the early days singing in the choir for Alfred Newman’s How the West Was Won to her work as soloist for Lalo Schifrin, Jerry Goldsmith and other great composers. She also recollects her experience working as a vocal contractor for John Williams on AMISTAD and other projects involving choirs and vocal soloists, sharing her own unique insight and perspective on Williams’ choral writing and the use of human voice. https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/04/01/sally-stevens-podcast/ I hope you will enjoy this. Sally is a legend and a warm, kind person. Lots of interesting details on AMISTAD shared during the conversation. ConorPower, Omen II, Jay and 5 others 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 Awesome can't wait to hear more about the making of one of my favorite scores. I've got a good feeling that a 25th anniversary release for Amistad will happen this year!!! *crosses fingers* Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faleel 5,350 Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 5 hours ago, Disco Stu said: I've got a good feeling that a 25th anniversary release for Amistad will happen this year!!! *crosses fingers* I almost made a April Fools post about this being teased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,367 Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 On 01/04/2022 at 12:21 PM, TownerFan said: https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/04/01/sally-stevens-podcast/ I hope you will enjoy this. Sally is a legend and a warm, kind person. Lots of interesting details on AMISTAD shared during the conversation. Finally listened to this today - holy cow, it was great! Sally was full of interesting stories, and boy does each new episode you do reveal how much impact the musicians available can have on the writing process. Keep up the great work Maurizio! Yavar Moradi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jay 37,367 Posted May 20, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted May 20, 2022 Wonder and Drama: ‘SpaceCamp’ and ‘Presumed Innocent’ Producer Mike Matessino talks the latest John Williams expanded reissues just released: the 1986 space adventure film SpaceCamp and the 1990 courtroom drama Presumed Innocent Hosted by Maurizio Caschetto and Tim Burden https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/05/20/spacecamp-presumed-innocent-podcast/ BrotherSound, Bryant Burnette, TownerFan and 3 others 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jay 37,367 Posted May 20, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted May 20, 2022 Another great episode, gentlemen! I really enjoyed all the stories, especially the fascinating reveal of which label initially had the rights to the Home Alone album before Sony took them instead! BB-8, Yavar Moradi and TownerFan 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post GerateWohl 4,370 Posted May 21, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted May 21, 2022 Mike Matessino is really such a smart person, so knowledgable. It is always a pleasure to listen to him talking about John Williams and his work and the 80s and anything. Brando, Oceadge, TownerFan and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Andy 4,131 Posted May 21, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted May 21, 2022 I know, right? Mike’s technical work isn’t his only superpower to encourage a fresh take on an old listen - he has a gift of encyclopedic knowledge and compelling commentary to make a re-evaluation of anything appealing. The man knows his film history, and he’s very good at distilling it down and sharing it with listeners to get us excited about his work. I also want to say that Maurizio is a hell of a writer as well. His blog just strikes the right balance of eloquence and celebration, accessible to all readers, yet never pandering. Thoughtful work from Tim as well. It’s the only podcast I’m listening to these days. I save the Mike Matessino podcasts. They’re fun to revisit and add to the end of the score playlist, like a bonus feature. Yavar Moradi, Brando, Oceadge and 5 others 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,367 Posted May 21, 2022 Share Posted May 21, 2022 Well said on every point! TownerFan and Andy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted May 21, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 21, 2022 Thank you everyone for your nice words of appreciation, it’s really sweet. I am glad that you like the show. And it’s very fun seeing some of you combing through every word out of Mike’s mouth when he’s on the show 🙂 But I agree that he’s always a joy to listen to, knowledgeable, insightful and fun. Since you love guessing games, let me tell you that we’re going to have a couple of really terrific musician episodes and also a very special video feature that will “complete the trilogy” after London and Los Angeles… Oceadge, Bayesian, Once and 8 others 9 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faleel 5,350 Posted May 21, 2022 Share Posted May 21, 2022 4 minutes ago, TownerFan said: we’re going to have a couple of really terrific musician episodes and also a very special video feature that will “complete the trilogy” after London and Los Angeles… Boston? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeH 768 Posted May 21, 2022 Share Posted May 21, 2022 20 minutes ago, TownerFan said: Thank you everyone for your nice words of appreciation, it’s really sweet. I am glad that you like the show. And it’s very fun seeing some of you combing through every word out of Mike’s mouth when he’s on the show 🙂 But I agree that he’s always a joy to listen to, knowledgeable, insightful and fun. Since you love guessing games, let me tell you that we’re going to have a couple of really terrific musician episodes and also a very special video feature that will “complete the trilogy” after London and Los Angeles… These continue to be such wonderful listens, can’t wait for what’s next! I hope you’ll be able to get Ramiro Belgardt onboard someday. It’d be great to hear about the nuts and bolts of JW’s daily process when it comes to timings and the music editing/dubbing process. Yavar Moradi and Brando 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted May 21, 2022 Share Posted May 21, 2022 2 hours ago, Counterparts said: Boston? My immediate thought as well, gotta be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bollemanneke 3,349 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Loving the new MM episode! BB-8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted July 15, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 15, 2022 Quote NEW "L.A STUDIO LEGENDS" PODCAST EPISODE! JoAnn Turovsky is John Williams' principal harp of choice since three decades for all his recording in Los Angeles. You heard her delightful harp solos on some of the Maestro's most heartrending scores including ANGELA'S ASHES, A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA and THE BOOK THIEF. She is an accomplished classical musician playing principal harp for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the LA Opera and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and also a devoted teacher, working at the USC Thornton School of Music. In this conversation, JoAnn Turovsky talks about her impressive career as a classical and studio musician, remembering her many experiences playing for John Williams, including her solo work for Angela’s Ashes and The Book Thief, but also illuminating on the composer’s use of harp and how he let the instrument shine within the orchestral palette. https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/07/15/joann-turovsky-podcast/ crumbs, thx99, GerateWohl and 2 others 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artguy360 1,843 Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 11 hours ago, TownerFan said: https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/07/15/joann-turovsky-podcast/ Great interview! This episode presents another version of how John got involved with Kenobi. JoAnn says Kathleen Kennedy told a story about how she approached him to write a theme for Benny, not him approaching her. TownerFan, BrotherSound and ConorPower 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx99 1,740 Posted July 20, 2022 Share Posted July 20, 2022 On 15/07/2022 at 12:03 PM, TownerFan said: https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/07/15/joann-turovsky-podcast/ Fantastic episode, @TownerFan!! Wonderful conversation and selection of musical excerpts. TownerFan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TownerFan 4,983 Posted July 21, 2022 Author Share Posted July 21, 2022 Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted August 5, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted August 5, 2022 Quote NEW "L.A. STUDIO LEGENDS" PODCAST EPISODE Pianist GLORIA CHENG belongs to the category of instrumentalists who are true favourites of John Williams to the point of being even an inspiration for the composer. One of the most acclaimed musicians of her generation and an advocate of the contemporary repertoire and new music, she performed as pianist for John Williams in many film scores since the mid-2000s and has been spotlighted as soloist on such scores as MUNICH, Tintin and WAR HORSE. In addition to the film work, Gloria also had the unique honour of performing Williams' rare piano compositions for the concert hall: the 4-movement "Conversations" for solo piano, and the "Prelude and Scherzo" for piano and orchestra. In this conversation, Gloria Cheng talks about her career as a classical performer and her path that led to perform as pianist for film scores; she recollectes her experiences playing for John Williams, the challenges of playing the solos on Munich, Tintin and her views on the Maestro's style when writing for piano, reflecting upon her experiences playing "Conversations" and "Prelude and Scherzo". She also recollects her award-winning project Montage: Great Film Composers and the Piano. https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/08/05/gloria-cheng-podcast/ Hope you'll enjoy this, Gloria is fabulous both as a musician and as a human being. Ricard, Brando, ConorPower and 3 others 3 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,367 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 On 15/07/2022 at 12:03 PM, TownerFan said: https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/07/15/joann-turovsky-podcast/ I forgot to post here that I finally had time to listen to this episode and boy, was it great! It was really quite eye-opening to learn just how much harp parts there are in cue I never noticed, and how JW seems to use the harp more, or at least in more different ways, than a lot of other composers do. Great stuff. TownerFan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jay 37,367 Posted August 7, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 7, 2022 The Legacy of John Williams' gets a nice mention in Jon Burlingame's obituary for Mike Lang https://variety.com/2022/artisans/news/mike-lang-dead-jazz-pianist-1235335081/ TownerFan, ConorPower and BrotherSound 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbellamy 6,287 Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 "One of the most acclaimed musicians of his generation and an advocate of the contemporary repertoire and new music, she performed as pianist for John Williams" Pronoun flub there, @TownerFan We all love Gloria at JWFan Amer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TownerFan 4,983 Posted August 9, 2022 Author Share Posted August 9, 2022 On 07/08/2022 at 10:48 PM, mrbellamy said: Pronoun flub there, @TownerFan We all love Gloria at JWFan Duly noted and corrected. Hope you'll enjoy the interview! mrbellamy and Amer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 10, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 10, 2022 I was happy to hear Gloria mention all the footage that Spielberg has shot of the recording sessions over the years and be like "when are we going to see some of this???" Just glad to know people "on the inside" are asking this and not just us weirdos BrotherSound, Brando, thx99 and 2 others 2 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jay 37,367 Posted August 10, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 10, 2022 On 05/08/2022 at 2:11 PM, TownerFan said: https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/08/05/gloria-cheng-podcast/ Hope you'll enjoy this, Gloria is fabulous both as a musician and as a human being. I also listened to this one and it was also pretty great. It has to be one of the shortest interviews so far - only an hour, and filled with music clips, but the information she shared was all interesting. I really liked learning more about how "Prelude" came to be, and enjoyed her story about John Williams smiling to himself at hearing all the in-jokes in Randy Newman's composition for her album for the first time. ConorPower, thx99 and TownerFan 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jay 37,367 Posted August 20, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 20, 2022 The latest episode is now up, a conversation between Maurizio, Tim Burden, and Mike Matessino about the Spielberg/Williams collabration. Great stuff! https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/08/20/spielberg-williams-podcast/ thx99, BrotherSound, TownerFan and 3 others 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted August 20, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted August 20, 2022 FYI, Mike offers a wide-ranging talk here, focusing on the recent reissues (E.T., JP, CE3K), but also putting the entire Spielberg-Williams collaboration in historical context. It's almost a lecture in film and film music history. I mostly listened to his brilliant observations, so you won't hear much blabbering from me Mike also took the chance to clarify some of his previous comments about future expansions and releases. Chewy, Once, Bayesian and 3 others 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jay 37,367 Posted August 20, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 20, 2022 2 hours ago, TownerFan said: Mike also took the chance to clarify some of his previous comments about future expansions and releases. Well now you've done it, this part will now generate more posts here than the main content of the episode... Brando, Andy, Chewy and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy 4,131 Posted August 20, 2022 Share Posted August 20, 2022 Knew that was coming. TownerFan and Brando 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brando 1,864 Posted August 20, 2022 Share Posted August 20, 2022 Woot! Can’t wait to listen to it soon. TownerFan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holko 9,526 Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 13 hours ago, Jay said: Well now you've done it, this part will now generate more posts here than the main content of the episode... Oh I've got something even better; both Amistad and CMIYC get more than a passing mention, both have anniversaries this year... the releases confirmed? Fantastic talk, especially loved the deep dive and comparison of emotional and family dynamics of CE3K and E.T.! TownerFan and Bayesian 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Once 605 Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 Can’t wait to listen to this. Hopefully later today! TownerFan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post crumbs 14,317 Posted August 21, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 21, 2022 4 hours ago, Holko said: Oh I've got something even better; both Amistad and CMIYC get more than a passing mention, both have anniversaries this year... the releases confirmed? Well take your pick because Mike said only 1 more expansion is coming this year. I would love to see Amistad expanded at long last, after 25 years. Lots of unreleased material and an incredible score to boot. TownerFan, Holko and BrotherSound 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bollemanneke 3,349 Posted August 31, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 31, 2022 On 20/08/2022 at 6:01 PM, Jay said: The latest episode is now up, a conversation between Maurizio, Tim Burden, and Mike Matessino about the Spielberg/Williams collabration. Great stuff! https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/08/20/spielberg-williams-podcast/ Loving this one. This is how you interview people. BB-8, Brando, TownerFan and 2 others 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jay 37,367 Posted August 31, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 31, 2022 It's a wonderful conversation BB-8, TownerFan, bollemanneke and 1 other 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted November 1, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted November 1, 2022 So, here's finally what I hinted a while ago: https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/11/01/spielberg-john-williams-milan-festival-announcement/ Bayesian, Holko, Jay and 16 others 14 1 1 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,367 Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 Wow! TownerFan and BB-8 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fommes 153 Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 When will tickets for the pre-concert talk/Sugarland Express become available? BB-8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConorPower 148 Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 This is major, what an exciting series of events! Milan is in for such a treat, I am incredibly envious. Hats off to you! BB-8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted December 7, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 7, 2022 On the heels of the Milan events... Tune in today at 7pm CET / 1pm EST / 10am PST (available at any moment immediately afterwards) Quote The Legacy of John Williams presents a special video tribute to the historic collaboration between director Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams, whom this year celebrate their 50th anniversary of friendship. Since their first meeting in 1972, the duo has worked together on 29 feature films, including such beloved titles as JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, JURASSIC PARK, SCHINDLER'S LIST, and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. The diversity and variety of their work, in addition to its astounding volume and duration, make the partnership the longest and most successful collaboration between a film director and a composer in the history of cinema. It's a gift to all Steven Spielberg/John Williams fans and admirers and it's dedicated to both director and composer, whose artistry continues to enchant, captivate and inspire generations of film lovers around the world. Jay, Disco Stu, BrotherSound and 9 others 4 3 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BB-8 3,478 Posted December 13, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted December 13, 2022 Long live JW and his legacy! Congrats and thank you to Maurizio! Jay, thx99, Ricard and 13 others 10 1 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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