A Good Collaboration is Hard to Find

...but I've been fortunate enough to experience one recently, courtesy of the ever-innovative Jack Maatman:

Sugarplum Fairy, Sugarplum Fairy from jack maatman on Vimeo.

Animation by Jack Maatman
Music by Joel Scott Davis
Enjoy.

–JSD

Mississippi ReMixed Update, pt. 2

For those who live in Mississippi, Mississippi Public Broadcasting will be airing a repeat broadcast of Mississippi ReMixed this Thursday, July 15th, at 9:00 PM Central Time.

If you are able to tune in, don't miss this free opportunity to see the film for yourself!

Mississippi ReMixed Update, pt. 1

Dear Friends,

I must admit that I'm dreadfully behind on my blogging, once again! There are numerous updates that I look forward to sharing with you soon, but first I would like to begin with some more "pressing" news:

This past June, I was delighted to discover that the PBS documentary I scored last summer, Mississippi ReMixed, is currently under consideration for national and international distribution! This is great news, and I'm extremely excited for director/producer Myra Williams Ottewell – what a well-deserved honor for her and her project!

Here's the only catch: Myra is currently in need of fundraising help to overcome the last financial hurdles that stand between the film and its worldwide audience. I ask you to please consider partnering with this project – either by making a donation, or by helping to spread the word online – so that its message of racial reconciliation can impact viewers not only within the state of Mississippi, but across the globe.

Songs About God – Performance Tonight

Attention, Birminghamians: I would like to share a bit of *last-minute* concert information with you, for anyone who might be in the mood for some new music this evening! I'm very happy to announce that G. William Bugg and Kathryn Fouse will be performing my 2008 song cycle Songs About God tonight at 7:30, as part of Life Love Loss – the final concert of the Birmingham Art Music Alliance's 2009-2010 concert season.

I am deeply grateful to Bill and Kathryn for their willingness to bring these songs forth once again, as they were the catalysts for its commission and subsequent performance at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in October, 2008. In addition to the Carnegie premiere, they also performed the work at the University of Alabama at Huntsville, as well as on multiple occasions at Samford University, including one performance that was reviewed by Michael Huebner, music critic for the Birmingham News. In the summer of 2009, Bill went on to perform the songs at a solo recital program during the International Haydn Festival in Vienna, with Beth McGinnis on piano.

The songs themselves are, perhaps, a reflection of homesickness on my part; for whatever reason, I have taken to reading such Southern authors as Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy and John Crowe Ransom with renewed fervor ever since I moved to Los Angeles nearly three years ago. Ransom's early poetry struck a particular nerve, leading me to set four poems from his 1919 collection Poems About God for this particular song cycle.

Although I won't have the privilege of attending tonight's concert in person, my parents are driving over from Atlanta expressly for the occasion (thanks, Mom and Dad for always going to such lengths to support my musical endeavors, even when I'm on the other side of the continent)!

Other performances on the program include James A. Jensen's stirring Lullaby for Louise, as performed by Donald Sanders and Jeffrey Flaniken, along with new works by Craig Biondi, William Price, Cynthia Miller, and Monroe Golden, performed by artists such as Craig Hultgren, Laura Noah, Adam Bowles, Donnie Ashworth and Leonard Candelaria.

As a former member of BAMA, I am deeply grateful to be included on their concert programs from afar – I hope that those of you in the area will be able to go and support this outstanding organization for new music, if you can!

The concert begins at 7:30 this evening (Monday, April 12), and it will be held in the lovely Brock Recital Hall at Samford University. Tickets are $6.00 for adults, $3.00 for students (with ID), and free for all Samford students (with ID).

Concert tonight at Room 5

If you happen to be in the neighborhood of La Brea this evening, please consider stopping by Room 5 Lounge (right above Amalfi Restaurant) for some great live music.

I'll be there at 9:30pm to accompany the talented Thena Dare and Ted Beam on a few songs, so please stop in for some good music, drinks, and cake, in honor of T&T's upcoming birthdays. Cover is $8.00 at the door – hope to see you there!

Broadcast premiere of Mississippi ReMixed - Tonight @ 8pm on MPB TV

The documentary film Mississippi ReMixed will have its broadcast premiere TONIGHT on Mississippi Public Broadcasting stations at 8:00 PM (CST)!

If you live in Mississippi and are able to tune in (or know of someone who is), please show your support by getting the word out and watching tonight's premiere broadcast on MPB TV.

For those who don't live in Mississippi (like me!) but want to see the film come to your neck of the woods, then I encourage you to go to any of the following websites (MS ReMixed's Facebook fanpage, MS ReMixed Contact, or MS ReMixed Community) and let your voice be heard! If there is enough interest and support, the director will have a better opportunity to bring this movie to a nationwide audience.

Also, don't forget to check out the soundtrack for the film at http://joelscottdavis.bandcamp.com!

Mississippi ReMixed Soundtrack

In anticipation of tonight's private screening of Mississippi ReMixed here in Jackson, I am pleased to announce the limited release of selected musical cues from the film. Some of these pieces are miniatures, while others are a little bit longer; all of them are quite simple, direct & slightly Southern, and each one was written in service of the film.

Although the documentary is currently scheduled exclusively for broadcast on Mississippi PBS stations, I'm hopeful that a grassroots movement can get this movie to a broader audience soon. Please visit the main Mississippi ReMixed website to find out more about the director's mission, journey, and unique story that needs to be heard.

In the meantime, for those who might be interested in purchasing a digital download of Mississippi ReMixed – Original Music from the Documentary Film, click here.

Mississippi ReMixed – World Premiere

As the old song lyric goes, "I'm going to Jackson..."

In a matter of hours, Lauren & I will be flying to Jackson, MS for the private screening and subsequent world premiere of Mississippi ReMixed – an hour-long documentary directed by Myra Williams Ottewell – for which I composed the original music.

This project marks my first film score, and I'm very excited to see/hear the final finished product. The multi-talented Oren Hadar (of Juno fame) mixed both the music and the final audio for the film, and it was a pleasure working with him. He knows how to make you sound better than you really are, which is quite a powerful skill...

Monday's screening party will bring together many of those who have been involved in the making of the film (director, producers, technical staff, etc.), along with people whose stories are profiled within the documentary itself (James H. Meredith).

To find out more information on the film, Monday's screening party, and Thursday night's premiere broadcast on Mississippi PBS stations, click here.

Also, stay tuned for further updates coming soon, including information regarding the release of an EP featuring original music from the soundtrack!

–JSD

Roll over, Beethoven...

If you're in the L.A. area and want to hear some great live music, then come to Molly Malone's this evening for the debut concert of Sounds Like Orange – the new cover band that's bringing back the R.O.C.K. to rock n' roll, one note at a time.

New year, new possibilities...

Dear friends,

Happy 2010!

We're only 10 days into the new decade, and it's already off to an amazing start. There are some exciting projects in the works that I am quite eager to share with you – stay tuned for new developments in the coming days...

In the meantime, here is a sneak preview of the forthcoming PBS documentary Mississippi Remixed – directed and produced by Myra Williams Ottewell for Ottewell Media, Ltd., with original music by Joel Scott Davis.

Cheers,
JSD