Hidden Man - Altman, John

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Résumé :
Everybody knows John Altman's music, but not so many people know his name. Yet he is one of the most prolific composers, conductors and arrangers in history, and his saxophone playing has been heard live or on record with many great artists. This vivid account of over fifty years in the world of popular music spans the worlds of live performance, recording and composing. His scores include such well-known film sequences as 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' from Life of Brian, which he arranged, conducted and was one of the whistlers; James Bond's tank chase through St. Petersburg in Goldeneye and the ship sinking in Titanic, as the orchestra plays. In all, he has composed the music for over fifty movies, and won most major film awards in his long and distinguished career. His orchestrations can be heard in film scores by legends like Elmer Bernstein and Jule Styne, and he was musical director for several television series, notably Miss Marple, starring Joan Hickson, as well as every episode of Peak Practice. His television and recording work included all the arrangements for the Grammy-nominated Rutles, and he recounts his lively half-century of collaboration with members of the Monty Python team, and Neil Innes. As an arranger/conductor he has worked on hit records for stars including Rod Stewart, George Michael, Tina Turner, Barry White, Diana Ross, Bj?rk, and Alison Moyet. As a saxophonist, flautist and clarinet player he has performed with an equally stellar list of musicians, and this entertaining, fast-paced memoir includes many tales of life on the road with, among others, Hot Chocolate and Van Morrison. John Altman has also written, produced and arranged over 4,000 commercials worldwide, many of which have been whistled and hummed by those who had no idea of the composer. Such anonymity coupled with universally-known themes is why Monty Python's Terry Gilliam named Altman the 'Hidden Man'.

Biographie:
John Altman is a film composer, music arranger, orchestrator, conductor and saxophonist. Among the 54 movies he composed, arranged and orchestrated for are Titanic (period music), Monty Python's Life of Brian and Goldeneye, winning a BAFTA Award for Hear My Song and a Golden Globe for orchestrating Sheltering Sky and a commendation for his work on L?on: The Professional. He also won an Emmy for his score for RKO281, was nominated for Roman Spring of Mrs Stone and received a nomination for the Golden Reel award for Little Voice. He recently completed arranging and conducting for the next James Bond movie No Time To Die. In addition to writing a 100-minute score for the silent movie Shooting Star for the London Film Festival Gala, John has his name as an arranger on 19 platinum records, including George Michael's album Faith, which won several GRAMMYs in 1989 including Album of the Year, and Altman was nominated for the Rutles film All You Need Is Cash. He wrote for Simple Minds, Barry White, Tina Turner, Bj?rk, Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Pretenders, Rod Stewart, Michael Jackson and has scored over 4,000 commercials worldwide to boot. Playing woodwinds he was musical director for Hot Chocolate and Van Morrison and has played with Nick Drake, Little Richard, Peter Green, Amy Winehouse, John Legend, Prince, Eric Clapton and many more. As a jazz musician he has led his big band in the UK, USA and Australia and played with Chet Baker, Slim Gaillard, Bud Freeman, Les McCann and other jazz giants. He has four Lifetime Achievement Awards and an honorary doctorate in music from the University of Sussex.