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Trevor Jones (composer)
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==Career== Jones was soon after brought to the attention of [[John Boorman]], who was in the midst of making his [[King Arthur|Arthurian]] epic, ''[[Excalibur (film)|Excalibur]]'' (1981). Although mostly tracked with classical music by [[Richard Wagner]] and [[Carl Orff]], Boorman also needed original dramatic cues (as well as period music) for certain scenes. Given ''Excalibur'''s modest budget, a "name" composer was out of the question, so Boorman commissioned the up-and-coming young Jones. ''Excalibur'' brought Jones to the attention of [[Jim Henson]], who was making ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'' (1982), and looking for a composer who was young and eager to work in the experimental, free-wheeling way which Henson preferred. The resultant score is an expansive, multi-faceted work, featuring the [[London Symphony Orchestra]], augmented by inventive use of [[Fairlight CMI|Fairlight]] and [[Synclavier]] synthesizers, as well as period instruments like [[crumhorn]], [[Recorder (musical instrument)|recorder]], and the unusual double-[[flageolet]], which Jones came across by chance in a music store. Jones followed ''Excalibur'' with scores for the horror films ''The Appointment'' (1981) and ''[[The Sender]]'' (1982), and the pirate adventure ''[[Savage Islands (film)|Savage Islands]]'' (1983). In 1985 Jones composed one of his best scores, for the acclaimed television production ''[[The Last Place on Earth]]''. Jones reunited with Henson for the 1986 fantasy musical ''[[Labyrinth (1986 film)|Labyrinth]]''. [[David Bowie]] wrote and performed the vocal tracks for this movie, including the hit "Underground", while Jones provided the dramatic score. Reflecting that his complex, symphonic score for ''The Dark Crystal'' garnered little notice, Jones began to re-think his entire approach to dramatic scoring. Around the mid-80s, Jones' work became more electronic-based (much like fellow film composer [[Maurice Jarre]]), eschewing identifiable themes in favor of mood-enhancing synth chords and minimalist patterns. While he wrote a somber, chamber orchestra score in 1988 for ''[[Dominick and Eugene]]'' (which featured classical guitarist [[John Williams (guitarist)|John Williams]]), scores like ''[[Angel Heart]]'' (1987), ''[[Mississippi Burning]]'' (1988) and ''[[Sea of Love (film)|Sea of Love]]'' (1989) are more typical of Jones' output during this period. Jones' return to large-orchestra scoring came with 1990s ''[[Arachnophobia (film)|Arachnophobia]]'', and he provided a light-hearted [[Georges Delerue]]-flavoured score for ''[[Blame it on the Bellboy]]'' in 1992. Jones' most popular success came later in 1992 with his score for ''[[The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film)|The Last of the Mohicans]]'', and his soaring, passionate music belies the difficulties which afflicted its creation. Director [[Michael Mann (director)|Michael Mann]] initially asked Jones to provide an electronic score for the film, but late in the game, it was decided an orchestral score would be more appropriate for this historic epic. Jones hurried to re-fashion the score for orchestra in the limited time left, while the constant re-cutting of the film meant music cues sometimes had to be rewritten several times to keep up with the new timings. Finally, with the release date looming, composer [[Randy Edelman]] was called in to score some minor scenes which Jones did not have time to do. Jones and Edelman received co-credit on the film (thus making this very popular and acclaimed score ineligible for Oscar consideration). Although all were displeased with the circumstances, Jones was not fired from the film despite reports to the contrary. Jones became active in television in the 1990s, with orchestral scores for several Hallmark productions, including ''[[Gulliver's Travels (TV miniseries)|Gulliver's Travels]]'', ''[[Merlin (miniseries)|Merlin]]'' and ''[[Cleopatra (1999 film)|Cleopatra]]''. He also provided a fun, jazzy, 1930s-style score for ''[[Richard III (1995 film)|Richard III]]'' (1995), which features a swing-band setting of [[Christopher Marlowe]]'s ''[[The Passionate Shepherd to His Love]]''. In 1997 Jones worked for the first time with [[Ridley Scott]], providing an electronic/orchestral/rock-flavoured soundtrack for ''[[G.I. Jane]]'' (1997).
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