Richard Williams and Mark Ammons, Music

Introduction

It really was a pleasure working with Mark Ammons and the Jazz Ensemble to write this new piece. I have been wanting to write a score similar to the “Incredibles” soundtrack, and I was blessed enough to have this opportunity.

Discussion

I wrote the piece in relatively a short amount of time, less than a month because the band had to practice and perform the piece so quickly. So it was surprising how fast things came together. I would come with various drafts to the band, and they would play through them, and we would go through questions, clarifications, and recommendations on what was written. It was quite the fun experience.

Methodology

I took a look at the Incredibles music and realized a few things that I wanted to emulate. I wanted to have loud, high trumpets playing. I noticed that a lot of odd time signatures like 5/4 were utilized, so I did the same. In the soundtrack, there is also a driving 4/4 section, so I utilized the same technique. There is a common “spy” minor chord progression that I used throughout the piece, where one voice in the chord chromatically descends and then ascends back to the original spot. If you sing the James Bond spy theme, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I even somewhat quote the James Bond opening impact hits. During the piece, I made sure to keep the different families of instruments together, so I would have the trombones, saxes, and trumpets all rhythmically move as one unit, even though they themselves were doing their own thing. For example, it’s really common to do a “call/response” effect where the trombones will play something, then the trumpets will play something and they’ll go back and forth. I also had a solo section in the middle of the piece where the instrumentalists could show their stuff. The version for the concert, however, used a longer than anticipated solo section. And my favorite part was the screaming trumpet at the beginning and at the end.

Results/Conclusion

As a composer, working to get into the industry, it’s very competitive, and having opportunities like this one really help me differentiate myself from the crowd. I recently won a second Student Emmy at the College TV Awards in Hollywood and will go there next week to receive my award. While I’m there, I will also network with some industry professionals, and meet with someone at Disney. The fact that I have this type of pieces to show others really helps me find work for my profession. Thank you so much for this opportunity!

You can watch my piece here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRZYIQmWNgU

And you can see more of my work at: Richardmusic.com

Richard Williams