Music
Recent Works
Studio in the Sky excerpts
Here are some selections from Studio In the Sky, an upcoming documentary about Michael Richards, a remarkable African-American artist based in the World Trade Center. Tragically he was in the north tower on 9/11 and perished, and the film explores his life as well as the darkly prophetic nature of his work.
Brooklyn Museum - Tar Baby Vs St. Sebastian
The cue begins with Michael seeing an African art exhibit, which in turn inspired his most well-known work, Tar Baby Vs. St. Sebastian. As the piano fades and the basses and pipe organ enter, the work and its tragic reflection of Michael's fate is explored.
Inevitable Decline
Analog synths dominate this cue, which accompanies a dramatic flyover of downtown Manhattan.
End Titles / Longing to Fly
The first section is one of the first things I wrote for the film, which plays over the end titles, and as the credit crawl begins, one of the central themes of the score, Longing to Fly, is reprised at a gentle tempo.
Fallen Angel
Never seen publicly, Fallen Angel is the title of Michael's final work, which he had completed hours before American Airlines Flight 11 struck the north tower, and was lost in the attack.
Taking Wing
Time lapse footage of NYC required something a bit different than the rest of the score, so a 4-on-the-floor type electronica cue was composed.
The Chrysalis and the Phoenix
This cue is meant to be delicate and contemplative, as it relates to Michael's career, inner world and philosophies, unavoidably colored by his tragic death in hindsight. I built the piece gradually, adding one higher voice a time to evoke the feeling of climbing higher and higher, in parallel with Michael's ascent in the art world and the sensation of flying higher and higher still.