Michael Kamen | |
|---|---|
 Kamen in 1993 | |
| Born | Michael Arnold Kamen (1948-04-15)April 15, 1948 New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 18, 2003(2003-11-18) (aged 55) |
| Alma mater | |
| Spouse | Sandra Keenan-Kamen |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1967–2003 |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | michaelkamen |
Musical artist | |
Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an Americancomposer,arranger,conductor,songwriter, and musician. He began his work as apop androck music arranger, notably forPink Floyd, and was a member of theNew York Rock & Roll Ensemble and theRoger Waters Band. Starting in the mid-1980s, he achieved further prominence as a composer offilm scores.
Kamen's best known scores include theDie Hard andLethal Weapon franchises, theTerry Gilliam filmsBrazil (1985) andThe Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988),Highlander (1986),Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991),Don Juan DeMarco (1994),What Dreams May Come (1998),The Iron Giant (1999),X-Men (2000), and the television seriesEdge of Darkness,Tales from the Crypt, andBand of Brothers.
During his career, Kamen won fourGrammy Awards, out of nine total nominations,[1] and aBAFTA TV Award, and was nominated for twoAcademy Awards forBest Original Song, fourGolden Globe Awards, and aPrimetime Emmy Award.
Michael Arnold Kamen was born inNew York City,[2] the second of four sons. His father, Saul Kamen, was a dentist and his mother, Helen, was a teacher.[3] He was ofJewish heritage.[4]
While attending theHigh School of Music & Art nearHarlem inManhattan, New York. Kamen became friends with Martin Fulterman (later known asMark Snow), who later composed the theme music forThe X-Files, among other projects. While studyingoboe, Kamen formed arock-classical fusion band calledNew York Rock & Roll Ensemble,[2] together with classmates Fulterman andDorian Rudnytsky, along with Clifton Nivison and Brian Corrigan ofToms River, New Jersey. The group released five albums from 1968 to 1972 (Self-Titled,Reflections,Faithful Friends,Roll Over &Freedomburger). They performed inwhite tie (nottuxedos), as typically worn by classical musicians. In the middle of their concerts, Fulterman and Kamen played an oboeduet. The groupbacked friend and classmateJanis Ian in a concert atAlice Tully Hall inLincoln Center in late 1967.[citation needed]
After graduating from high school, Kamen attendedThe Juilliard School inManhattan.[5] His early work concentrated onballets before extending toHollywood with the score forThe Next Man in 1976,[2] and then topop and rockarranging, collaborating withPink Floyd on their albumThe Wall.[5]
Kamen became a highly sought-after arranger in the realms of pop and rock music. His contemporaries in this field includedAcademy Award winnerAnne Dudley,Richard Niles, andNick Ingman.[2]
His successes include his work withPink Floyd,David Gilmour andRoger Waters[6] (he is one of the few people invited to work with both former Pink Floyd members, even after their acrimonious split), as well asQueen (orchestration on "Who Wants to Live Forever"),Roger Daltrey,Aerosmith (live orchestral version of "Dream On" forMTV),Kiss,Tom Petty,Bon Jovi,David Bowie,Bryan Ferry,Eurythmics,Queensrÿche,Rush,Metallica (on the song "Nothing Else Matters" and their live albumS&M),Def Leppard,Herbie Hancock,Tim Curry,the Cranberries,Bryan Adams,Jim Croce,Coldplay,Sting,Guns N' Roses (on their performance of "November Rain" on theMTVVideo Music Awards) andKate Bush. For Bush, Kamen delivered an orchestral backing for "Moments of Pleasure" fromThe Red Shoes album, substantially building upon a simple piano theme Bush had composed. In this instance and many others, he conducted the orchestra personally for the recording. In 1984, two years after moving to London,[7] Kamen had similarly heightened the effect of a pop recording for the Eurythmics "Here Comes the Rain Again", the score relied as much on hiscompositional skills as his arranging talents.
In 1990, Kamen joined many other guests forRoger Waters' performance ofThe Wall inBerlin, and led theNational Philharmonic Orchestra during the24 Nights sessions withEric Clapton in 1991.Lenny Kravitz recorded a cover of "Fields of Joy", a song co-written by Kamen and Hal Fredricks, on his 1991 CDMama Said. In 2002, Kamen took part in theConcert for George asstrings conductor.
Kamen had a successful partnership withBryan Adams and"Mutt" Lange composing scores and songs. The ballad "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" for the 1991 filmRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves was the number one song that year worldwide. Their other songs were "All for Love" for the filmThe Three Musketeers in 1993, "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" for the filmDon Juan DeMarco in 1994, and "Star" for the filmJack in 1996.[2]
Kamen wrote eleven ballets, asaxophone concerto and an electric guitar concerto (with Japanese guitaristTomoyasu Hotei as a soloist, though originally performed by Eric Clapton). Additionally, he wrote a commissioned work, "Quintet", for theCanadian Brass. He also provided scores for the films101 Dalmatians (1996),The Dead Zone,For Queen and Country,Polyester,Brazil,Someone To Watch Over Me,The Adventures of Baron Munchausen,The Three Musketeers,Highlander,X-Men,Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,Licence to Kill, theLethal Weapon series, the first three films of theDie Hard series,Mr. Holland's Opus,The Iron Giant,Splitting Heirs,Frequency and many others. He also scored both theFrom the Earth to the Moon andBand of Brothers series onHBO. Trailers for the 2007 releaseBee Movie, the 2008 releaseNim's Island, the 2008 releaseWALL-E, and the 2014 releaseMr. Peabody & Sherman featured Kamen's "Central Services / The Office" from his score toBrazil (1985).[2]
In television, Kamen composed music for two series ofThe Manageress produced byGlenn Wilhide, at Zed Productions forChannel 4, andJoan Bakewell's interview seriesMemento in 1993, also at Zed Productions for Channel 4 directed byRobin Bextor. He also worked on the 1985BBC Television serialEdge of Darkness, collaborating withEric Clapton to write the score. The pair received aBritish Academy Television Award for Best Original Television Music forEdge of Darkness and performed the main theme with theNational Philharmonic Orchestra at theRoyal Albert Hall in 1990 and 1991. In 1994, Kamen conducted an orchestration ofthe Who's music for Roger Daltrey's 50th birthday concert series entitledA Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who, which was subsequently released on CD and DVD. In the same year he was initially hired to do the soundtrack for the 1994 filmSpeed, butJan de Bont, the director of the movie, rejected him because he wantedMark Mancina, who at the time worked on someHans Zimmer scores likeDays of Thunder,Where Sleeping Dogs Lie andTrue Romance.[8]
Kamen was nominated for twoAcademy Awards and won threeGrammy Awards, twoGolden Globes, twoIvor Novello Awards, anAnnie Award, and anEmmy.
Kamen's involvement withMr. Holland's Opus, a film about a frustrated composer who finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher, led him to createThe Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation in 1996. The foundation supports music education through the donation of new and refurbished musical instruments to underserved school and community music programs and individual students in the United States. In 2005 the foundation created an emergency fund for schools, and students affected byHurricane Katrina.
In 1998, Kamen composed and conducted the soundtrack forWhat Dreams May Come. Produced byJames Seymour Brett, the score was initially set to be composed byEnnio Morricone. The Italian composer had initially completed and recorded a full score for the film but, after editorial changes were made, his score was rejected and Kamen was hired in his place. Short on time, Kamen took the song "Beside You" from his New York Rock Ensemble's albumRoll Over and adapted it as the movie's main musical theme.[9]
Between April 21 and 22, 1999, Kamen worked with the heavy metal bandMetallica, along withThe San Francisco Symphony, to record a two-day concert that was held at The Berkeley Community Theatre inBerkeley, California. The concert performance, titledS&M by Metallica, which is an acronym for "Symphony and Metallica", referencing the collaboration of the two artists, was released on November 23, 1999, on CD, DVD, and VHS formats, debuting at #2 on theBillboard 200 and reachingmulti-platinum status by 2001. Later that year, Kamen and Metallica won aGrammy Award For Best Rock Instrumental Performance for theS&M track titled "The Call Of Ktulu".[10]
In 2001 and 2002, Kamen performed withDavid Gilmour at Gilmour's semi-unplugged shows at theRoyal Festival Hall, playing piano andcor anglais. The 2001 concert and highlights from 2002 were released on DVD asDavid Gilmour in Concert. In 2002, Kamen, along withJulian Lloyd Webber,Evelyn Glennie andJames Galway, launched the Music Education Consortium in the UK. The consortium's efforts led to the injection of £332 million for music education in the UK. He was also commissioned to write a piece for the opening ceremonies of theWinter Olympics inSalt Lake City.
Kamen's last recorded work appeared onBryan Adams's albumRoom Service, on which he played the oboe and wrote the orchestration to "I Was Only Dreamin'". Kamen had also completed the charts for accompaniment to two songs onKate Bush's albumAerial, which was released in April 2005.
Kamen was diagnosed withmultiple sclerosis in 1997. He died in London from aheart attack on November 18, 2003, at age 55.[5]
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In 2004, whenAnnie Lennox accepted theAcademy Award for Best Original Song (for "Into the West" fromThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), she dedicated her achievement to the memory of Kamen.[11]
The 2004 filmsBoo, Zino & the Snurks (also known asBack to Gaya) andFirst Daughter, which Kamen was working on at the time of his death, were dedicated to his memory.David Gilmour's 2006 albumOn an Island was dedicated to the memory of Kamen and longtimePink Floyd managerSteve O'Rourke.
| Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Next Man | Richard C. Sarafian | Allied Artists Pictures Corporation | — |
| 1977 | Stunts | Mark L. Lester | New Line Cinema | — |
| 1980 | S*H*E | Robert Michael Lewis | A.E.C. Filmproduktions | — |
| 1981 | Venom | Piers Haggard | Paramount Pictures | — |
| 1982 | Pink Floyd – The Wall | Alan Parker Gerald Scarfe | Goldcrest Film International Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Collaboration withPink Floyd andBob Ezrin |
| 1983 | The Dead Zone | David Cronenberg | Lorimar Film Entertainment Paramount Pictures(US/Canada) De Laurentiis Entertainment Group(International) | Soundtrack released byMilan Records; performed by theNational Philharmonic Orchestra and recorded at EMI Studio, London |
| 1985 | Brazil | Terry Gilliam | Embassy Pictures Columbia Pictures | Performed by theNational Philharmonic Orchestra; soundtrack released by Milan Records |
| Lifeforce | Tobe Hooper | Cannon Films TriStar Pictures | Additional music only; majority of score byHenry Mancini; expanded score released by BSX Records | |
| Edge of Darkness | Martin Campbell | BBC | TV miniseries; composed withEric Clapton; won a BAFTA Award for Best Original Television Score | |
| 1986 | Highlander | Russell Mulcahy | Cannon Films 20th Century Fox(US) Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment(International) | Performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra; most of the film's songs are featured on theQueen albumA Kind of Magic; no official soundtrack was released, but bootleg releases of the score exist, and some cues are included in theHighlander: The Scores compilation |
| Mona Lisa | Neil Jordan | HandMade Films Island Pictures | Soundtrack released by Columbia Music | |
| Amazing Stories | Martin Scorsese | Amblin Entertainment Universal Television | TV series; Episode "Mirror, Mirror" only | |
| 1987 | Lethal Weapon | Richard Donner | Silver Pictures Warner Bros. | Composed with Clapton andDavid Sanborn; soundtrack released byWarner Bros. Records |
| Rita, Sue and Bob Too | Alan Clarke | Channel 4 | Soundtrack released byAriola Records | |
| Adventures in Babysitting | Chris Columbus | Touchstone Pictures Silver Screen Patterns III | — | |
| Suspect | Peter Yates | TriStar Pictures | Soundtrack released byVarèse Sarabande | |
| Someone to Watch Over Me | Ridley Scott | Columbia Pictures | — | |
| 1988 | Die Hard | John McTiernan | Silver Pictures Gordon Company 20th Century Fox | Performed by theHollywood Studio Symphony; soundtrack released by Varèse Sarabande in 2002. |
| The Raggedy Rawney | Bob Hoskins | HandMade Films Virgin Films | Soundtrack released by Silva Screen | |
| The Adventures of Baron Munchausen | Terry Gilliam | Allied Filmmakers Columbia Pictures | Soundtrack released by Warner Bros. Records | |
| Crusoe | Caleb Deschanel | Island Pictures | Limited Edition Soundtrack released by Quartet Records in 2013 (1000 copies) | |
| 1989 | Renegades | Jack Sholder | Morgan Creek Productions Interscope Communications Universal Pictures | Soundtrack released byIntrada Records |
| Licence to Kill | John Glen | Eon Productions Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer United Artists | Performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra; soundtrack released byMCA Records | |
| Road House | Rowdy Herrington | Silver Pictures United Artists | Soundtrack released by Intrada Records | |
| Lethal Weapon 2 | Richard Donner | Silver Pictures Warner Bros. | Composed with Clapton and Sanborn; soundtrack released by Warner Bros. Records | |
| 1990 | Cold Dog Soup | Alan Metter | HandMade Films Anchor Bay Entertainment | — |
| Die Hard 2 | Renny Harlin | Silver Pictures Gordon Company 20th Century Fox | Performed by the Los Angeles Motion Picture All-Stars Orchestra; soundtrack released by Varèse Sarabande | |
| The Krays | Peter Medak | Parkfield Entertainment Rank Film Distributors | Soundtrack released by Parkfield Music | |
| 1991 | Nothing but Trouble | Dan Aykroyd | Warner Bros. | — |
| Hudson Hawk | Michael Lehmann | Silver Pictures TriStar Pictures | Soundtrack released by Varèse Sarabande | |
| Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | Kevin Reynolds | Morgan Creek Productions Warner Bros. | The score was orchestrated by a record-breaking total of 13 people; soundtrack released byPolydor Records; nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score; the song "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" was also nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe | |
| Company Business | Nicholas Meyer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Soundtrack released by Intrada Records | |
| Let Him Have It | Peter Medak | British Screen Productions | Soundtrack released byVirgin Records | |
| The Last Boy Scout | Tony Scott | Geffen Pictures Silver Pictures Warner Bros. | Soundtrack released by La-La Land Records | |
| 1992 | Two-Fisted Tales | Richard Donner Tom Holland Robert Zemeckis | Carolco Pictures | Television film; Segment "Showdown" |
| Tales from the Crypt | various | Home Box Office | TV series; 4 episodes | |
| Shining Through | David Seltzer | 20th Century Fox | Soundtrack released byRCA Records | |
| Lethal Weapon 3 | Richard Donner | Silver Pictures Warner Bros. | Composed with Clapton and Sanborn; Soundtrack released by Warner Bros. Records | |
| Blue Ice | Russell Mulcahy | M&M Productions | — | |
| 1993 | Splitting Heirs | Robert Young | Universal Pictures(US/Canada) United International Pictures(International) | — |
| Last Action Hero | John McTiernan | Columbia Pictures | Soundtrack released by Columbia Music | |
| Wilder Napalm | Glenn Gordon Caron | TriStar Pictures | — | |
| The Three Musketeers | Stephen Herek | Walt Disney Pictures Caravan Pictures | Soundtrack released byWalt Disney Records | |
| 1994 | Don Juan DeMarco | Jeremy Leven | New Line Cinema | Performed by theLondon Metropolitan Orchestra; soundtrack released byA&M Records; nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score; The song "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman ?" was also nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe |
| 1995 | Circle of Friends | Pat O'Connor | Savoy Pictures Cineplex Odeon Films The Rank Organisation | Soundtrack released by Warner Bros. Records |
| Die Hard with a Vengeance | John McTiernan | Cinergi Pictures 20th Century Fox(US/Japan) Touchstone Pictures(International) | Soundtrack released byRCA Victor | |
| The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies | Chuck Workman | American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Pictures Home Box Office | — | |
| Stonewall | Nigel Finch | Strand Releasing | — | |
| Mr. Holland's Opus | Stephen Herek | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Interscope Communications Hollywood Pictures(US/Canada) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer(International) | Performed by theSeattle Symphony Orchestra and the London Metropolitan Orchestra; soundtrack released byDecca Records | |
| 1996 | Jack | Francis Ford Coppola | Hollywood Pictures American Zoetrope | Soundtrack released byHollywood Records |
| 101 Dalmatians | Stephen Herek | Walt Disney Pictures Great Oaks Productions | Soundtrack released by Walt Disney Records | |
| 1997 | Inventing the Abbotts | Pat O'Connor | Fox 2000 Pictures Imagine Entertainment 20th Century Fox | — |
| The Heart Surgeon | Audrey Cooke | BBC | TV movie | |
| Remember Me? | Nick Hurran | Talisman Productions Channel Four Films | — | |
| Event Horizon | Paul W. S. Anderson | Golar Productions Impact Pictures Paramount Pictures | Collaboration withOrbital; performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra; soundtrack released byLondon Records | |
| The Winter Guest | Alan Rickman | Capitol Films Fine Line Features | Soundtrack released by Varèse Sarabande | |
| 1998 | The Avengers | Jeremiah S. Chechik | Warner Bros. | Rejected score due to last-minute re-editing; replaced byJoel McNeely |
| From the Earth to the Moon | various | Home Box Office | TV series; 3 episodes; nominated for an Emmy Award | |
| Lethal Weapon 4 | Richard Donner | Silver Pictures Warner Bros. | Composed with Clapton and Sanborn; soundtrack released by La-Land Records | |
| What Dreams May Come | Vincent Ward | Interscope Communications PolyGram Filmed Entertainment(throughUniversal Pictures) | Performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra; soundtrack released byDecca Records | |
| 1999 | The Iron Giant | Brad Bird | Warner Bros. Feature Animation Warner Bros. | His first score for an animated film; performed by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; soundtrack released by Varèse Sarabande |
| 2000 | Frequency | Gregory Hoblit | New Line Cinema | — |
| X-Men | Bryan Singer | Marvel Entertainment Group 20th Century Fox | Soundtrack released by Decca Records | |
| 2001 | Band of Brothers | various | Home Box Office | TV miniseries; soundtrack released bySony Classical |
| 2003 | Open Range | Kevin Costner | Beacon Pictures Touchstone Pictures | Performed by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; soundtrack released by Hollywood Records |
| 2004 | Against the Ropes | Charles S. Dutton | Paramount Pictures | Posthumous release |
| Back to Gaya | Leonard Fritz Krawinkel Holger Tappe | Ambient Entertainment Warner Bros. (Germany) Entertainment Film Distributors (United Kingdom) First Look International (United States) | Posthumous release; his second and final score for an animated film | |
| First Daughter | Forest Whitaker | Regency Enterprises New Regency Davis Entertainment 20th Century Fox | Posthumous release,Blake Neely completed the remaining score |
| Studio albums |
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| Compositions | |
