07
August 2009
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Cue of the Week: “Building the Bat”

This hybridized orchestral/contemporary cue features an enigmatic strings and piano texture, acoustic rhythm guitar, and a light garnish of hand percussion.

If you listen to the left stereo channel you’ll just hear a cool African hand drum called an Udu. (It’s a bit low in the mix, unfortunately, so you’ll have to scrunch up your face and concentrate in order to hear it.)


(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

Building the Bat
 

31
July 2009
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Cue of the Week: “The Close”

This week’s selection is from Cleve Nettles’ slightly-supernatural romantic comedy, Genie and the Shark, which begins its festival run this fall. The cue is an impish tango with a a touch of Mideastern instrumental flavoring.

Pizzicato strings have a sort of intrinsic light charm that’s made them almost obligatory elements of comedy scoring. They propel the bassline in this cue, and I make generous use of them elsewhere in the score. (Stay tuned for more excerpts!)


(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

The Close
 

10
July 2009
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Cue of the Week: “Tropical Vignette”

This week’s selection is atmospheric and rhythmic, arguably falling under the umbrella of minimalism. The primary sound is of a marimba run through a digital delay processor, lightly garnished with a few unusual instrumental colors. Disclaimer: Actual visits to the tropics may be less peaceful than this music implies.


(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

Tropical Vignette
 

26
June 2009
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Cue of the Week: “Broken (Closing titles)”

This week’s music is the closing theme from Red Field Media’s short dramatic film, “Broken”. Cello solo by the very talented Venessa Freebairn-Smith.

The mood of the film is pretty desolate, so a sober musical soliloquy seemed like the right artistic approach for the final credits. The mini-cadenza towards the end isn’t the typical virtuosic exhibition you’d find in a concerto, but rather is meant to suggest a final surge of remorse, a last protest before the arrival of the inevitable.


(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

Broken (Closing titles)
 

Morituri Te Salutant // Michael Gordon Shapiro - Highlights
  1. Morituri Te Salutant // Michael Gordon Shapiro - Highlights
  2. Emerald, Texas // Highlights
  3. Mythic Battle // Highlights
  4. The Yard Sale // Michael Gordon Shapiro - Highlights
  5. Investigations // Highlights
  6. Home Room // Highlights
  7. Sands of Arabia // Highlights
  8. Spider Cult // Highlights
  9. Poker Night // Highlights