Trevor Jones - film composer

Although much of Trevor Jones' work has been for British made films, this is by no means exclusively so. His early career seems to have included some Python films and some from the Jim Henson stable. The presence of many Hollywood films from recent decades underlines his respect in the industry but it is refreshing to see he is still associated with the film industry in the UK.

In addition to his substantial original output, Jones is also an accomplished arranger of other's music when required. (He worked as an arranger on John Williams' "Return of the Jedi".) A good example of his skills as an arranger is "Brassed Off", the movie with Pete Postlethwaite conducting a Colliery Brass Band. Jones arranged the music played by the band in the film, and supplied the contrasting additional material which tells the human story behind the musical ambitions. Jones apparently has so many credits in the movie that in true Pythonesque manner, he even gets a credit for "person with most credits".

One of Jones' most distinguished soundtracks is the one for "The Last of the Mohicans". Drums feature in this in a two-fold role, side-drums depict the background conflict between French and British forces in America, while heavier drums seem to signify the magnificent natural landscape and the culture of the native Indian tribes. Within this setting, the music deftly illustrates the role of Hawkeye who prefers the company of the natives, the love he shares with Cora, and the tragic death of Uncas which results in his father Chingachgook being the last member of his tribe. Due to post-production delays, Jones was not able to complete the full score for other commitments. Some additional cues were provided by Randy Edelman in the same style, but the main themes and thrust of the music is Jones' work.

Jones' name continues to be associated with a wide range of film genres, including "In the Name of the Father", "Cliffhanger", "Notting Hill", "Brassed Off" (which sports some great musical and acting performances), "Dark City", "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and "Around the World in 80 Days".

Films by Trevor Jones:

• Excalibur - not the Carl Orff Carmina Burana bits!
• Time Bandits
• The Dark Crystal
• Return of the Jedi - arranger for the John Williams score
• Labyrinth
• Mississippi Burning
• A Private Life
• Arachnophobia
• Blame it on the Bell Boy
• The Last of the Mohicans - finished by Randy Edelman
• In the Name of the Father
• G.I. Jane
• Loch Ness - Scottish rock band Runrig produced a cover version of Wild Mountain Thyme which wasn't used in the film
• Cliffhanger - expressive music to match the expansive scenery, and many moments of suspense and action
• Notting Hill - the orchestral bits between contemporary songs
• Brassed Off - additional material and "person with most credits"
• Dark City
• From Hell - the latest film of the Jack the Ripper story by the Hughes Brothers, much of the music is dark and eerie though the contrasting material has a modern vibe
• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
• Around the World in 80 Days (2004) - the Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan version

TV work by Trevor Jones:

• Gulliver's Travels - the excellent Channel 4 production with Jones' grand orchestral score, the classical basis gives a period sound while the exhuberant cinematic scale makes it modern story-telling

Recommendations:

• From Hell - from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• The Last of the Mohicans - (with Randy Edelman) from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• Gullivers Travels - music for the TV movie, from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk