Born in New York to musical parents, it wasn't long before Mark Isham was playing instruments. He studied piano and violin, but it was the trumpet that was to have the deepest impact on his subsequent directions. He played trumpet in a variety of orchestras and jazz bands, sometimes appearing as a soloist or guest artist. Before long he was recording albums and giving solo concerts, while simultaneously launching a successful career as a television and film composer. His albums include "Miles Remembered: The Silent Way Project", a tribute to the great band leader and jazz trumpeter, Miles Davis. Isham is a fine jazz trumpeter in his own right as demonstrated in the soundtrack to "The Cooler" whose music is ideally suited to the casino setting. Individual tracks from Isham's albums also sometimes find their way as source music onto film soundtracks such as "My Pander Bear" which is used in "What Woman Want" scored by Silvestri.
It can be difficult to characterise Isham's film music as it can use widely differing pallets, though he often seems to be most at home with intimate and thoughtful music. His oscar-nominated score for "A River Runs Through It" seems to take it cues from the eternal truths of family life, the natural beauty of Montana, the peaceful river and the pleasures of fly-fishing. Isham has a strong following in both Jazz and Film circles and has actively encouraged and developed this fan-base through his web-site at www.isham.com. Here you can subscribe to his regular free newsletter to keep fans in touch with his concerts and recordings. You can also access exclusive and rare Mark Isham track, and even create your own playlists at http://www.forwardmusikradio.com.
One of Isham's most recent scores is for the movie Crash which has another great screenplay by Paul Haggis (following on from Million Dollar Baby). The music to "Crash" is a further departure from previous soundtracks and highlights the composer's versatility, while The Black Dahlia has Isham very much in home territory with his jazz trumpet solos and Next treats us to an orchestral action score with more comtemplative moments.
On 11th April 2007, Mark Isham received the Henry Mancini Award for Lifetime Achievement from ASCAP. This award is presented once a year to a prominent film composer who has demonstrated leadership qualities in the field.
| 
TOP
BACK
