I’m lucky in that it feels like everyone I work with in the studio is a friend. But in the case of Daniel Bowen, we literally grew up together. Daniel is an accomplished band leader, composer, arranger, and executive and artistic director of a very impressive and important non-profit called Symphony 21, whose mission is to inspire young people through the power of music. So not only is he a friend, but I’m a big fan of Daniel and his work.
Daniel was asked to write the score for a documentary about Zora Neale Hurston, who did so much more than the book you are thinking of. Like Zora’s life, Daniel’s score was expansive, nuanced, melancholy, and inspiring. We recorded the string section and piano parts at Elm Street over the winter. Oh, and Daniel also knows his way around the tech side of things, too. So he took all of the files after the sessions and mixed his own score. Whenever I hand off files, it’s always thrilling to hear the final result come together since my role was completed even when the project wasn’t.
It was also really cool to work with Endea Owens, who is probably best known for being in the Late Show Band. Her voice was particularly important in this project, as the bass was a central character in Daniel’s score.
Please do check out the doc to learn more about Zora Neale Hurston’s life and work, and to hear Daniel’s beautiful score. I always look forward to getting a call from him just to hear what he’ll do next!
