My Week With Marilyn
I’ve just spent the past week in London, in the capacity of collaborator, booth supervisor, wife, companion and support system to my husband, Conrad.
A mere month and a half ago, Conrad received an unexpected and exciting phone call from Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein to compose the music for his new film, “My Week With Marilyn.” Almost immediately the work began, as Conrad worked day and night, cue by cue. During this time I worked in an adjacent studio, helping him musically in any way needed. That included transcribing orchestra parts from MGM musicals which would be recreated in this film; writing an arrangement of “Old Black Magic”, Brazilian-style, for star Michelle Williams to sing in the film; helping Conrad finish big band cues thrown at him at the last minute when he was too tired
to care; and taking a 2 bar melody he had written for Emma Watson and turning it into a full-length ballad for an “Emma/Colin date” scene. Lastly, Conrad played every cue he had written for me, asking for my input and opinion on its effectiveness in the scene as well as musicality.
When it was determined that Conrad would be conducting the orchestra at Abbey Road, he asked me to accompany him and “sit the booth”, as it is called—meaning I would be the second pair of ears listening for performance problems, note mistakes, approving takes, trouble-shooting with the director, etc.
At this point I should interject that—on top of all of these musical contributions I was making—I still had to carry on with the day-to-day duties of running a household, taking care of my 4 kids, driving, shopping, cooking, cleaning, and being the emotional support for Conrad as he navigated the sometimes rocky waters working on a high-profile Hollywood film. And of course, maintaining the goddess-like allure that Conrad attributes to me!
So….after I made arrangements for the kids while I was going to be away, I got myself ready, packed, and we headed for London.
The first session was a night of big band music, and I had a delightful surprise: one of the trumpet players had been on a “Glenn Miller reunion” tour in England with my Dad back in 1989, and he told me some very heartwarming stories. And since
Conrad had presented me to the band as the daughter of a Tommy Dorsey Sentimentalist and a Glenn Miller clarinetist, I was treated like royalty.
The next two sessions were with orchestra—large string section, woodwinds, brass, percussion, piano, harp and celeste. Conrad had hired the most brilliant orchestrator in Hollywood to interpret his music—himself! The music sounded glorious—full, rich, melodic, and emotional. It couldn’t have been better received by everyone in the booth, from engineer Pete Cobbin, music supervisor Dana Sano,
Director Simon Curtis, and all of the others working on the project. Conrad had a great rapport with the musicians from the podium, and most of them knew him from his previous work on “Golden Compass” and the last two “Harry Potter” films. It was clear that they were happy for his success and delighted to play such well-crafted and beautiful music.
Finally, the coup de grace was the evening appearance at Abbey Road of the well-known classical pianist Lang Lang, whom Harvey Weinstein had brought in to perform on the score, Lang Lang charmed everyone with his easy going demeanor and lack of pretentiousness. Conrad judiciously selected the solo theme passages for Lang Lang to play, which he did with great emotion and soul. His participation in this project will certainly help soundtrack sales!
In short, Conrad hit a grand slam, and as his wife, friend, and colleague in the trenches, I couldn’t have been more proud of him. He has waited so long for this opportunity, always in the background making every other composer look good with his expertise, and now, having been given the chance, he has risen to the occasion and surpassed everyone’s expectations.
Bravo to my very deserving husband!
MY MUSICAL INFLUENCES: Johnny Mandel
In my last blog, I spoke of some of my childhood musical influences, and this week I would like to focus on Johnny Mandel, the film composer, and what he has meant to my musical sensibilities. Many years ago my dad came home from work one day to announce, “I’ve just had the greatest musical experience of my career.” He was referring to his participation as one of the studio musicians on Mandel’s iconic film score for “The Sandpiper.” What made this score groundbreaking wasn’t just the use of a memorable theme—although this theme did subsequently become a huge hit as “The Shadow of Your Smile.” No, thematically oriented scores had been in vogue for quite some time, as demonstrated by the works of Max Steiner, Alfred Newman, David Raksin, and later, Henry Mancini.
What made Johnny Mandel’s score so distinctive were the jazz sensibilities he brought to it—muted trumpet by Jack Sheldon á la Miles Davis, sophisticated harmonies, and his trademark orchestration of unusual and untraditional colors.
Since “The Sandpiper” was far too provocative for my young eyes, I had only the album to play repeatedly, and that experience planted a seed in my subconscious: “Someday I, too, want to make that kind of music.”
I invite you to listen to all of Johnny Mandel’s scores, for they are each stand-alone works of art: “The Americanization of Emily”, “Agatha”, “Deathtrap”, to name a few. And, I challenge today’s young filmmakers to embrace this type of soundtrack—evocative, memorable, thematic and harmonically sophisticated. Your movies, and the music-loving public will be the better for it.
HAVE THE MUSICAL INFLUENCES OF THE PAST BECOME OBSOLETE?
Yesterday I was listening to the car radio with my teenage daughter when we began a discussion about the music she liked, and why. Since she has been taught to make polite conversation, she then asked me who my own musical influences had been. Here were the names that came to my mind:
Frank Sinatra: Mr. Sinatra was revered in our home in part because my dad had played on practically all of his records in the orchestras of Gordon Jenkins, Billy May, and Nelson Riddle. From Frank, I learned about phrasing, swing, and the importance of well-crafted lyrics.
Composer Michel Legrand: As a 10 year old girl I was hired to sing beside him on national television, and his music taught me the power of incredible melodies.
Jazz pianist Bill Evans: As a young jazz pianist myself, Bill led me into a harmonic world filled with many colors and possibilities.
Chopin and Ravel: Through my classical piano studies, I discovered the emotional power and range of harmony and form.
Antonio Carlos Jobim: Upon hearing the rhythm and music of this Brazilian songwriter, I immediately grabbed my guitar to see if my fingers could channel my hidden bossa nova soul.
Peter Matz and Robert Farnon: From my developing sensibilities, I realized it was their great arrangements which made me aware of singers who I had previously ignored
Johnny Mandel: When I heard his evocative film score to “The Sandpiper”, I think subconsciously my career path was set.
My daughter’s eyes glazed over—she was clearly not interested in any of this musical history. But it got me thinking—what a shame that the music of the past does not seem to speak to today’s youth with the passion and urgency that it did to me when I was girl, discovering who I was to become. In my opinion, the music of the immediate past—for the most part—is vastly superior to today’s music in almost every regard: its sophisticated and poetic lyrics, its emotional harmonies and its memorable melodies. Is there anything we can do to keep this music from being forgotten? I think an answer lies in film—biopics, to be specific.
Audiences embraced “Ray” and “Walk The Line” with perhaps no prior knowledge of Ray Charles or Johnny Cash. The films “Amadeus” (Mozart), “Lady Sings the Blues” (Billie Holiday), “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” (Tina Turner) and “Bird” (Charlie Parker) were all widely acclaimed and successful. Why? Because their stories were retold with young, popular actors using state-of-the-art recording and filmmaking techniques. And beyond that, the struggles these musical artists faced—addictions, legal and marital troubles, career highs and lows—are universal, identifiable, and timeless.
In fact, there is a whole treasure trove of film ideas in the untold stories of these icons. If their lives were dramatized using today’s technology, a whole new generation would be exposed to their music, and thus, to the musical values so sorely missing today.
FILM AND PASSION
I recently attended the Newport Beach Film Festival, and since I only had one day to see as many films as possible, I decided to pick one from each category: art/design, feature, short, family, and documentary. My first screening was “A Not So Still Life”( http://www.ginnyruffnerthemovie.com/) , the story of Seattle-based artist/iconoclast Ginny Ruffner. Having no expectations, I was immediately drawn into Ginny’s art and personal story. The film chronicled
her life from young, vibrant artist and force of nature, to her being subsequently debilitated by a tragic car accident. While in a coma for weeks, her prognosis for survival—let alone her ability to walk again one day—was not good. Her family stayed by her side, communicating with her without knowing if she was able to hear them. And then, miraculously, Ginny’s spirit and strength brought her back from the dead to transcend her physical limitations, and she is now more than ever an in-demand, highly successful artist whose coterie relishes her unique perspective, which is at once hopeful, encouraging and uplifting. What a story! In my enthusiasm for the film, I subsequently contacted director Karen Stanton to praise her work—not only did she beautifully portray Ginny Ruffner in all of her dynamic glory, but she did so using the architecture inherent in all good storytelling. I was then put in touch with David Skinner at Shadowcatcher Entertainment, and was pleased to know that they have a successful track record in TV and films, each bearing the mark of integrity. Both Karen and David were gratified to know that their work had been appreciated. I can’t wait to see what projects these two talented filmmakers— and of course, Ginny— come up with next. The world needs more films that are positive and inspiring,…especially now that Oprah is off the air! But seriously, is anyone encouraged by downbeat stories of people who can’t overcome life’s obstacles and are left in their own misery? I know I’m not. When I see how others have conquered great challenges—in spite of overwhelming odds—to become winners, I smile at the fortitude of the human spirit, and know that I can handle anything that life hands me.
For those reasons, films like “A Not So Still Life” are the films about which I am most passionate.
WHERE ARE HOLLYWOOD’S FEMALE FILM COMPOSERS?
Jodie Foster is a Hollywood force to be reckoned with.I have been intrigued and impressed with her for years now—first as a child actress who developed into an Academy Award-winning adult actress, then as one of a few successful female film directors, and always as a person of integrity. In a recent LA Times article about Jodie Foster, she analyzed the death of female directors this way: “I don’t think it’s a plot and these guys sit around and say ‘let’s keep these women out.’ When a producer hires a director, you’re hiring away your control completely. When you give that amount of power up, you want them to look like you and talk like you and think like you, and it’s scary when they don’t. I’m gonna hand over millions to somebody I don’t know. I hope they look like me.” It caught my eye, because years ago I had analyzed the dearth of female composers the same way: “If you phoned up a company and asked for someone to come and repair your TV and a 12-year old showed up at your door, he could be a totally qualified boy electronics genius, but you would think, ‘Where’s the real repairman? You’re not what a repairman is supposed to look like.’ “
I’m not what a film composer is supposed to look like.
So how do I, in a sea of male producers, directors, and other male composers—my competition—overcome this obstacle? I know some might suggest I go undercover like the Barbra Streisand film “Yentl” (girl Yeshiva student masquerades as a boy in order to study the Talmud), assume a male name as an alias, or give up my beauty rituals to look less attractive. Instead, it has been my experience to be the best that I could be—as a composer and a woman—and let the music speak for itself.
I’m very curious as to how youngup-and-coming female film composers are dealing with this issue today. I would love to hear from any of you.
“God bless your heart! Your chart is a masterpiece!”
These are the words written to me by the incomparable, world-renowned trumpet player Arturo Sandoval (http://www.arturosandoval.com) following my recording session for his upcoming CD “Dizzyland”, a tribute to Arturo’s friend and colleague Dizzy Gillespie.
It all started this past Monday with a call from Gregg Field, who had been the drummer on my Grammy winning NatalieCole sessions. Wearing his other hat as a producer for Concord Records, Gregg had been looking for an opportunity to work with me, and this was it: He needed an arrangement of “Con Alma.” But what pressure! It had to be done in 3 days, and the song, recorded numerous times as an uptempo jazz tune, was to be written as a ballad for a string quartet.
Immediately challenged, I began right away, knowing that my writing had to be fresh and unique, but also indigenous to the string quartet ensemble. By that I mean: every note counts, and each player has to have interesting lines to play. I worked this out the old fashioned way, with pencil and paper.
Finally, with the hard part completed, the fun began. I met Arturo at the session for the first time, and he couldn’t have been warmer or more down-to-earth. Conducting the strings with the Arturo Sandoval playing his trumpet behind me, following my baton, was a thrill I won’t forget. The track came out great, thanks to everyone’s exceptional musicianship, all recorded by esteemed engineer Don Murray. I’m so grateful to have gotten the chance to work on such a prestigious project, andI’m hoping it’s the beginning of many more collaborations with everyone involved.