If you have kids that watch the Disney Channel, there's no doubt you've been impacted by Danny Jacob's music.
Best known for his work on Phineas & Ferb, Jacob's journey from pop guitarist to three time emmy nominated composer is a unique story that provides him with a diverse musical palette.
"It was a goal I had to be a session player and tour," Jacob says.
After touring throughout the nineties with George Michael and Bette Midler, he was ready for a change. "I always wrote songs. I always loved movie scores but didn't think I'd end up a composer." His well-established guitar skills led to an opportunity in 1997 to arrange and co-produce with Hans Zimmer.
"Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell were gracious enough to let me play all the guitars on 'Shrek' and Hans Zimmer let me arrange the opening of 'The Road to El Dorado'. They let me into their world and I started to experiment with orchestration. I’m sure I was a pain to them cause I kept showing up and soaking up what I could."
After working solo with Disney TV Animation, Jacob joined the team of new, song-oriented production - Phineas & Ferb. According to Jacob, the production process differs from most shows.
"Before animation begins, the songs are written and recorded. This makes it more like a music video and the animators catch a lot of the instrumentation in picture," Jacob explains.
"Once the animation is finalized, we have a 'preview'. I go to the Disney lot to spot the episode with the show creators, Dan Povenmire and Swampy Marsh."
Jacob makes revisions after this session, then delivers a finished product from his own studio.
"I produce, arrange, compose, play all the guitars, hire all the singers and mix the score and songs at my studio," says Jacob. "The challenges I face are deadlines."
The pressure to deliver has helped Jacob prioritize. "I love deadlines because they force you to make decisions on what to spend most of my time on. EQ’ing a kick drum or sketching out a 3-minute orchestral cue? The answer is #2!"
Currently, Danny Jacob is getting ready for pre-production of a Phineas and Ferb movie and the 3rd season of the TV series. Look for a Phineas & Ferb Christmas album later this year. For more information and audio clips, visit http://www.dannyjacobmusic.com/
More tips from Danny Jacob:
"Most composers, including myself, come from other careers and can play an instrument. Or they might come from engineering or music editing. Getting familiar with an instrument is a must. If I draw blanks, I pick up my guitar and it saves me every time. It’s better to have a simple setup that you can get around then all the latest gear in the world. It is essential to love and be inspired by music."
"Although I am schooled in the guitar and can read music, my orchestra chops are from my ear. I listen to my favorite composers and try to make my own style, employing technology, the guitar, and the orchestra samples. Composing is an evolving process and I’m constantly learning."
"I used to complain before I got big tours that I was stuck in all these top 40 nightclubs, while my other LA friends started going on the road. It turned out all the dues I paid learning and tearing apart hit songs help me immensely with Phineas. Learning all I could from Hans, Harry, and John helped me, as well. Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell’s score to 'Chicken Run' is one of my favorites."
Hans Zimmer Says 'Inception' Score Created From 'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien'
Composer Hans Zimmer has revealed his score for Christopher Nolan's blockbuster movie 'Inception' was born from Édith Piaf's 'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.' The song appears in the reality-twisting movie as a warning to the characters to wake up from their dreamlike state but is also the basis for all the music which features in Zimmer's score.
The connection with 'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien' was recently made public online after a viral video comparing the 'Inception' theme with a slowed down version of the Charles Dumont-written song was posted on YouTube. An excited Zimmer spoke to the New York Times, "I've seen it. I've seen it. I was surprised how long it took them to figure it out. It was meant to be a secret."
Hans Zimmer Dreams Up Johnny Marr Collaboration for 'Inception' Soundtrack
As rare as it was for Zimmer to be involved from the beginning, even more unorthodox was Nolan's mandate to the composer that he write based on their conversations and his feelings instead of scoring to fit the picture. "Chris has never once told me what to do. All he does is he creates an environment, an opportunity, to do exactly what I always wanted to do," says Zimmer of their previous collaborations on 'Batman Begins' (with James Newton Howard) and 'The Dark Knight.'
In fact, Nolan wouldn't let Zimmer see 'Inception.' "He wanted me to write the music independently of how they were cutting the movie," Zimmer says. "It was a collaborative process on a completely different level. It was totally instinctive and [with] the great freedom of just being able to write long pieces without getting caught up in the mechanics of 'Oh, you have to hit this cut or you have to hit this piece of action.'"
I recently had the honor of working with legendary jazz violinist, Berklee professor and remote recording entrepreneur Christian Howes. His site, Christian Howes String Productions, offers string recordings from solo violin to 60-piece string orchestra.
Recording real strings is a process that usually requires a lot of time, money and patience. Without access to top players, it can often be frustrating when the final result doesn't match the quality you hear in Hollywood films. In many respects, the service Christian offers goes beyond remote recording - Christian's expertise means that your project isn't just being recorded, it is being produced!
I sent over the sheet music to a song written by my friend Tyler Vahldick, recent graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London (and my classmate from Branson). Christian went above and beyond, calling me multiple times and doing a complete 2nd revision at no additional cost. What resulted is 21 layers of beautifully recorded string parts!
Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!
I highly recommend using Christian on your next string project. This really shows the possibilities for creating music around the world, using technology not just to make music faster and cheaper - but to make music that comes to life with the spirit of collaboration. Being able to write a piece and put it in the hands of professionals makes the creation process a lot more fun!
Staged by American creative director Amy Tinkham (Madonna, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney), the two-and-a-half-hour show will feature a cast of musicians, dancers and acrobats, plus changing sets and an extensive video production.
"What is added is a new dimension which nobody has ever seen, the Asian audience has never seen," added Rahman, who won Academy and Grammy awards for his 2008 "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack. "Normally what happens is we go and sing and there's some dancers and some kind of visual effects. But this one is so integrated, and every (musical) bar and every second is integrated with technology and stuff which moves around, and it's done with so much passion."
Rahman himself will be playing keyboards and singing during the show, as well as speaking to the audience to explain the meanings and creation of the songs. "We're looking at a universal appeal to this," he said. "There's some songs in English, of course, but even for those that aren't you can still come and enjoy the musicality and the whole culture and colorfulness and the vibrancy of Indian stuff. That's all going to be there."
Though the show is keeping him busy, Rahman is still composing film soundtracks, and also has started work on a non-film album of original songs that will target the North American markets he conquered with "Slumdog Millionaire" and the single "Jai Ho."
On MusikPitch, songwriters are able to sell their music by competing for music licensing contracts. The idea is to match songwriters with people needing music for their projects, such as companies looking for music to use in a corporate video, commercial or event; or a bride looking for a custom song for her wedding; or filmmakers needing music for their movie or documentary.
Nashville-based MusikPitch gives music supervisors, corporate brands and others access to a largely untapped pool ofsongwriting talent while empowering the songwriting community with a way to showcase their music making talent.
