Archive
Remembering Roy Budd, 1947-1993
Composer Roy Budd died ten years ago today, on August 7, 1993, of a brain hemorrhage in hospital in London, UK. He was 46.
Roy Frederick Budd was born in London, England, in March 1947. A musical prodigy from a young age, Budd made his public debut on the piano at age six and was performing professionally by his teens. Deeply influenced by jazz legends such as Erroll Garner and Oscar Peterson, Budd quickly carved out a name for himself as a dynamic live performer, often appearing on British television and radio in the 1960s.
His entry into film scoring came in the late 1960s, but it was the 1971 crime thriller Get Carter that cemented his legacy, which he wrote when he was just 24 years old. The minimalist, percussive theme, composed and recorded in just a few days, went on become one of the most instantly recognizable pieces in British cinema history. Budd’s deft combination of jazz, funk, and moody atmospherics would become his signature, earning him further acclaim for scores to films such as Soldier Blue (1970), Fear Is the Key (1972), The Stone Killer (1973), The Marseille Contract (1974), Diamonds (1975), Paper Tiger (1975), Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977),The Wild Geese (1978), and The Sea Wolves (1980).
Over the course of his career, Budd scored more than 40 films, often working on films starring major British actors of the 1960s and 70s including Michael Caine, Richard Burton, and Roger Moore. In addition to his film work, he remained a passionate jazz performer, frequently recording albums and touring. Read more…
Academy Award Nominations 2002
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have announced the nominations for the 75th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film in 2002.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- ELMER BERNSTEIN for Far from Heaven
- PHILIP GLASS for The Hours
- ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL for Frida
- THOMAS NEWMAN for Road to Perdition
- JOHN WILLIAMS for Catch Me If You Can
This is the 10th Oscar nomination for Bernstein, the 2nd nomination for Glass, the 3rd nomination for Goldenthal, the 5th nomination for Newman, and the 37th nomination for Williams, Bernstein previously won for Thoroughly Modern Millie in 1967. Williams previously won for Fiddler on the Roof in 1971, Jaws in 1975, Star Wars in 1977, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial in 1982, and Schindler’s List in 1993.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL and JULIE TAYMOR for “Burn It Blue” from Frida
- PAUL HEWSON (BONO), DAVID EVANS (THE EDGE), ADAM CLAYTON, and LARRY MULLEN for “The Hands That Built America” from Gangs of New York
- JOHN KANDER and FRED EBB for “I Move On” from Chicago
- MARSHALL MATHERS III (EMINEM), JEFF BASS, and LUIS RESTO for “Lose Yourself” from 8 Mile
- PAUL SIMON for “Father and Daughter” from The Wild Thornberrys Movie
The winners of the 75th Academy Awards will be announced on March 23, 2003.
BAFTA Nominations 2002
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the nominations for the 56th British Academy Film Awards, honoring the best in film in 2002.
In the Best Original Music category, which is named in memory of the film director Anthony Asquith, the nominees are:
- JOHN KANDER, FRED EBB, and DANNY ELFMAN for Chicago
- PHILIP GLASS for The Hours
- WOJCIECH KILAR for The Pianist
- HOWARD SHORE for Gangs of New York
- JOHN WILLIAMS for Catch Me If You Can
These are the first nominations for Ebb, Elfman, Glass, Kander, and Kilar. It is the third nomination for Shore, and the tenth nomination for Williams. Williams previously won for Jaws and The Towering Inferno in 1975, Star Wars in 1978, The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982, Empire of the Sun in 1988, and Schindler’s List in 1993.
The winners of the 56th BAFTA Awards will be announced on February 23, 2003.
Ron Goodwin, 1925-2003
Composer Ron Goodwin died on January 8, 2003, at his home near Reading, England. He was 77. Earlier that evening he had completed conducting a series of Christmas concerts with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and died in his sleep that night.
Ronald Alfred Goodwin was born in Plymouth, Devon, in February 1925, and raised in London . He studied trumpet and piano, eventually attending the Guildhall School of Music. After beginning his career in the 1940s as a music copyist and arranger for music publishers, he found early success orchestrating for dance bands and providing musical direction for celebrated vocalists such as Petula Clark and Jimmy Young, including the orchestration of Young’s hit “Too Young”.
Goodwin made his feature film debut in 1958 with Whirlpool, but it was in the following decade that he rose to prominence as a film composer. He became best known for his dynamic music for war and adventure films, notably 633 Squadron (1964), Where Eagles Dare (1968), and Battle of Britain (1969). His score for 633 Squadron, with its soaring main theme and martial energy, became a classic of the genre and remains one of his most widely recognized works, especially in the UK. Read more…
Golden Globe Nominations 2002
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has announced the nominations for the 60th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2002.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- TERENCE BLANCHARD for 25th Hour
- ELMER BERNSTEIN for Far from Heaven
- PETER GABRIEL for Rabbit-Proof Fence
- PHILIP GLASS for The Hours
- ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL for Frida
This is the first nomination for Blanchard, the second nomination for Gabriel, the third nomination for Glass, the third nomination for Goldenthal, and the fifth nomination for Bernstein. Glass previously won for The Truman Show in 1998. Bernstein previously won for To Kill a Mockingbird in 1962 and Hawaii in 1966.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- BRYAN ADAMS, HANS ZIMMER, and GRETCHEN PETERS for “Here I Am” from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
- MADONNA CICCONE and MIRWAIS AHMADZAÏ for “Die Another Day” from Die Another Day
- PAUL HEWSON (BONO), ADAM CLAYTON, DAVID EVANS (THE EDGE), and LARRY MULLEN, JR. for “The Hands That Built America” from Gangs of New York
- MARSHALL MATHERS III (EMINEM), JEFF BASS, and LUIS RESTO for “Lose Yourself” from 8 Mile
- PAUL SIMON for “Father and Daughter” from The Wild Thornberrys Movie
The winners of the 60th Golden Globe Awards will be announced on January 19, 2003.
Remembering Georges Delerue, 1925-1992
Composer Georges Delerue died ten years ago today, on March 20, 1992. He had a stroke, just hours after recording the last cue for the soundtrack to his last film, Rich in Love, and died two days later. He was 67.
Georges Henri Jean-Baptiste Delerue was born in Roubaix, France, in March 1925. A clarinet and piano player as a child, Delerue attended the Turgot Institute, the Roubaix conservatory, and the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied composition with Darius Milhaud and Henri Büsser. His friends there included Maurice Jarre and Pierre Boulez, and together the three of them would make often make money on the side performing jazz in piano bars near the Paris Opera House.
He began writing stage music during the late 1940s, for the Théâtre National Populaire, the Comédie-Française, and the Théâtre Babylone, before being hired to direct the orchestra of the Club d’Essai for French National Radio and Television. His work for FRNT led directly to him scoring his first major project, television drama, Princes du Sang, in 1952. Read more…
Academy Award Nominations 2001
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have announced the nominations for the 74th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film in 2001.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- JAMES HORNER for A Beautiful Mind
- RANDY NEWMAN for Monsters, Inc.
- HOWARD SHORE for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- JOHN WILLIAMS for A.I. Artificial Intelligence
- JOHN WILLIAMS for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
This is the first Oscar nomination for Shore, the 6th nomination for Horner, the 8th nomination for Newman, and the 35th and 36th nominations for Williams, Horner previously won for Titanic in 1997. Williams previously won for Fiddler on the Roof in 1971, Jaws in 1975, Star Wars in 1977, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial in 1982, and Schindler’s List in 1993.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- ENYA BRENNAN, NICKY RYAN, and ROMA RYAN for “May It Be” from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- PAUL McCARTNEY for “Vanilla Sky” from Vanilla Sky
- RANDY NEWMAN for “If I Didn’t Have You” from Monsters, Inc.
- GORDON SUMNER (STING) for “Until” from Kate & Leopold
- DIANE WARREN for “There You’ll Be” from Pearl Harbor
The winners of the 74th Academy Awards will be announced on March 24, 2002.
BAFTA Nominations 2001
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the nominations for the 55th British Academy Film Awards, honoring the best in film in 2001.
In the Best Original Music category, which is named in memory of the film director Anthony Asquith, the nominees are:
- CRAIG ARMSTRONG and MARIUS DE VRIES for Moulin Rouge!
- ANGELO BADALAMENTI for Mulholland Drive
- HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS and JOHN POWELL for Shrek
- HOWARD SHORE for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- YANN TIERSEN for Amélie
These are the first nominations for Badalamenti, Gregson-Williams, Powell, and Tiersen. It is the second nomination for Armstrong, the second nomination for De Vries, and the second nomination for Shore. Armstrong and De Vreis previously won for William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet in 1997.
The winners of the 55th BAFTA Awards will be announced on February 24, 2002.
Mario Nascimbene, 1913-2002
Composer Mario Nascimbene died on January 6, 2002, at his home in Rome, Italy, after a short illness. He was 88.
Born in Milan in 1913, Nascimbene studied composition and orchestration at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory. His early work in Italian cinema during the 1940s quickly brought him attention for its originality and subtle emotional shading. He became one of the first Italian composers to find international success in Hollywood, scoring major American productions during the 1950s and 1960s.
Nascimbene’s distinctive style, which often incorporated unconventional instruments and electronic effects alongside traditional orchestration, set him apart. He was an early adopter of tape loops and ambient sound in film scoring, helping to modernize the language of cinematic music. He collaborated with legendary directors including Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Roberto Rossellini, and Michelangelo Antonioni, and scored over 150 films across genres, from historical epics to psychological dramas.
His score for Alexander the Great (1956), starring Richard Burton, and his evocative work on titles such as The Barefoot Contessa (1954), A Farewell to Arms (1957), The Vikings (1958), Room at the Top (1959), Solomon and Sheba (1959), Barabbas (1961), Light in the Piazza (1962), Swordsman of Siena (1962) earned him a place among the leading Italian film composers of his generation. Later in his career Nascimbene worked on several films for the Hammer studio in the UK, notably titles such as One Million Years B.C. (1966), The Vengeance of She (1968), The Mummy (1969), When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970), and Creatures the World Forgot (1971). Read more…
Golden Globe Nominations 2001
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has announced the nominations for the 59th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2001.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- CRAIG ARMSTRONG for Moulin Rouge!
- ANGELO BADALAMENTI for Mulholland Drive
- PIETER BOURKE and LISA GERRARD for Ali
- JAMES HORNER for A Beautiful Mind
- HOWARD SHORE for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- JOHN WILLIAMS for A.I. Artificial Intelligence
- CHRISTOPHER YOUNG for The Shipping News
- HANS ZIMMER for Pearl Harbor
These are first nominations for Armstrong, Shore, and Young. It is the second nomination for Bourke, the second nomination for Badalamenti, the third nomination for Gerrard, the fourth nomination for Zimmer, the fifth nomination for Horner, and the nineteenth nomination for Williams. Gerrard previously won for Gladiator in 2000. Zimmer previously won for The Lion King in 1994 and Gladiator in 2000. Williams previously won for Jaws in 1975, Star Wars in 1977, and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial in 1982.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- DAVID BAERWALD for “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge!
- ENYA BRENNAN, NICKY RYAN, and ROMA RYAN for “May It Be” from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- PAUL MCCARTNEY for “Vanilla Sky” from Vanilla Sky
- GORDON SUMNER (STING) for “Until” from Kate & Leopold
- DIANE WARREN for “There You’ll Be” from Pearl Harbor
The winners of the 59th Golden Globe Awards will be announced on January 20, 2002.
Remembering Alex North, 1910-1991
Composer Alex North died ten years ago today, on September 8, 1991, at his home in Los Angeles, California, after a short illness. He was 80.
North was born Isadore Soifer in December 1910, in Chester, Pennsylvania, the son of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine. His father died during surgery for appendicitis in 1915, leaving the family in severe with financial hardships. In the late 1920s, Isadore’s older brother Jacob began writing articles for radical labor publications, and to shield his family from right wing political persecution, Jacob adopted the pseudonym “Joseph North”. Soon the family followed his lead, and Isadore Soifer became Alex North.
In the Second World War, North served as a captain in the U.S. Army Special Services division, where he was responsible for “self-entertainment” programs in mental hospitals. He also composed music for more than twenty-six documentary films for the Office of War Information, which kick-started his love for film music.
After the war North studied at the Curtis Institute, the Juilliard School in New York, and in Moscow with noted Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich. A lifelong advocate for serious music in American life, he began his career composing for theater and modern dance, working with such figures as John Steinbeck and choreographer Anna Sokolow.
North’s Hollywood breakthrough came in 1951 with director Elia Kazan’s A Streetcar Named Desire, where his use of dissonance, blues motifs, and psychological underscoring created a new musical language for film. North’s score for director Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus (1960), with its sweeping orchestral palette and stirring themes, remains a landmark of epic film scoring. Read more…
Academy Award Nominations 2000
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have announced the nominations for the 73rd Academy Awards, honoring the best in film in 2000.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- TAN DUN for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
- ENNIO MORRICONE for Malèna
- RACHEL PORTMAN for Chocolat
- JOHN WILLAMS for The Patriot
- HANS ZIMMER for Gladiator
This is the first Oscar nomination for Tan, the 5th nomination for Morricone, the 3rd nomination for Portman, the 34th nomination for Williams, and the 6th nomination for Zimmer. Portman previously won for Emma in 1996. Williams previously won for Fiddler on the Roof in 1971, Jaws in 1975, Star Wars in 1977, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial in 1982, and Schindler’s List in 1993. Zimmer previously won for The Lion King in 1994.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- TAN DUN, JORGE CALANDRELLI, and JAMES SCHAMUS for “A Love Before Time” from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
- BOB DYLAN for “Things Have Changed” from Wonder Boys
- BJÖRK GUÐMUNDSDÓTTIR, LARS VON TRIER, and SJÓN SIGURÐSSON for “I’ve Seen It All” from Dancer in the Dark
- RANDY NEWMAN for “A Fool In Love” from Meet the Parents
- GORDON SUMNER (STING) and DAVID HARTLEY for “My Funny Friend and Me” from The Emperor’s New Groove
The winners of the 73rd Academy Awards will be announced on March 25, 2001.
BAFTA Nominations 2000
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the nominations for the 54th British Academy Film Awards, honoring the best in film in 2000.
In the Best Original Music category, which is named in memory of the film director Anthony Asquith, the nominees are:
- T-BONE BURNETT and CARTER BURWELL for O Brother, Where Art Thou?
- TAN DUN for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
- STEPHEN WARBECK for Billy Elliot
- NANCY WILSON for Almost Famous
- HANS ZIMMER and LISA GERRARD for Gladiator
These are the first nominations for Burnett, Burwell, Dun, Gerrard and Wilson. It is the second nomination for Warbeck, and the third nomination for Zimmer.
The winners of the 54th BAFTA Awards will be announced on February 25, 2001.
Golden Globe Nominations 2000
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has announced the nominations for the 58th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2000.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- TAN DUN for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
- MAURICE JARRE for Sunshine
- ENNIO MORRICONE for Malèna
- RACHEL PORTMAN for Chocolat
- MARTY STUART, LARRY PAXTON, and KRISTIN WILKINSON for All the Pretty Horses
- HANS ZIMMER and LISA GERRARD for Gladiator
These are first nominations for Dun, Stuart, Paxton, Portman, and Wilkinson. It is the second nomination for Gerrard, the third nomination for Zimmer, the seventh nomination for Morricone, and the tenth nomination for Jarre. Zimmer previously won for The Lion King in 1994. Morricone previously won for The Mission in 1986 and The Legend of 1900 in 1999. Jarre previously won for Doctor Zhivago in 1965, A Passage to India in 1984, Gorillas in the Mist in 1988, and A Walk in the Clouds in 1995.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- GARTH BROOKS and JENNY YATES for “When You Come Back to Me Again” from Frequency
- BOB DYLAN for “Things Have Changed” from Wonder Boys
- BJÖRK GUÐMUNDSDÓTTIR, LARS VON TRIER, and SIGURJÓN SIGURÐSSON for “I’ve Seen It All” from Dancer in the Dark
- STAFFAN OLSSON (BOSSON) for “One in a Million” from Miss Congeniality
- GORDON SUMNER (STING) and DAVID HARTLEY for “My Funny Friend and Me” from The Emperor’s New Groove
The winners of the 58th Golden Globe Awards will be announced on January 21, 2001.
Jack Nitzsche, 1937-2000
Composer Jack Nitzsche died on August 25, 2000, in hospital on Los Angeles, of cardiac arrest brought on by a recurring bronchial infection. He was 63.
Bernard Alfred Nitzsche was born in Chicago, Illinois, in April 1937, the son of German immigrants, and raised on farm in Michigan. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1950s with aspirations of becoming a jazz saxophonist, but soon found his calling in arranging and studio work. He initially worked for Sonny Bono, but later found his niche working as an arranger for producer Phil Spector. He played a pivotal role in shaping Spector’s the “Wall of Sound,” and was an important contributor to legendary recordings by pop and rock artists including The Ronettes, The Righteous Brothers, Jackie De Shannon (‘Needles and Pins’), and Ike and Tina Turner (‘River Deep Mountain High’).
Later, in the 1960s and ’70s, he collaborated with a wide array of artists, including The Rolling Stones – contributing keyboards and orchestration on several albums, especially songs such as ‘Paint It, Black’ and ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ – and Neil Young, with whom he had a long and occasionally volatile creative partnership.
Nitzsche’s film work was equally distinguished. His first important score was for the 1970 thriller Performance starring Mick Jagger, and he provided ‘uncredited contributions’ to the soundtrack for The Exorcist in 1973. He received his first Oscar nomination for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 1975, and he won an Oscar for the song “Up Where We Belong” from An Officer and a Gentleman in 1982, which he co-wrote with Buffy Sainte-Marie and Will Jennings.
His other important scores include Cruising (1980), Starman (1984), The Razor’s Edge (1984), The Jewel of the Nile (1985), 9½ Weeks (1986), Stand By Me (1986), Revenge (1990), Mermaids (1990), and Blue Sky (1994). His last major score was the for the Sean Penn-director drama The Crossing Guard in 1995; he suffered a stroke in 1998 which ended his scoring career. Read more…
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