Exklusive Interview Jan Hammer - English

[Ell.a]

Mr. Hammer, MiamiVice.info is extremely proud to realize an interview with the creator of the score of Miami Vice. Thus the first question already - how could it be different? - deals with Miami Vice.

 

1. You did so many different projects and music styles during your career. Is it an honor or an annoyance for you that so many interview questions and fan requests relate to Miami Vice?
I do get a lot of question a lot of questions about Miami Vice. And there's no way it can annoy me because the actual fact that I did and what I archived with Miami Vice music I'm very proud to this day. It's something that totally changed my musical career because I was introduced to millions of people they would never hear about me. But this way it's just ... it was just a phantastic ... you know ... like winning an Olympic gold medal and lottery and everything in the same time! I'm still " to this day " very proud of this music and I don't mind getting all the questions.

 

2. Your Mother is the well known Jazz-Singer Vlasta Pruchova. She's called "Grande Dame" of Jazz or the Czech "Ella Fitzgerald" by music connoisseurs. Music was at home in your nursery already. Was it your parent's wish to become a musician or did you take the decision of your own?
I think it was inevitable that I was gonna become a musician because I was exposed to music in such an early age. I mean my first memory is ... you know ... going to sleep and hearing a jazz group rehearsing next door in the next room. And even though my father also was a doctor and I was for a while on that track and I was heading for a medical school. But at that time I was in High school I started performing and writing music and things really took an life on their own. And from that point I really just had to go on and continuing music.

 

3. After you left Czechoslovakia in 1968 you settled in New York which became your home over the years. How did this change influence your work as a musician?
Moving from Europe to America, eventually to New York to work on the musical scene over here it was sort of similar to - let's say: moving to a truly professional league where you actually ... you know ... play on whole new different level. And it gave me so much more confidence because I felt I became a member of this club I was basically watching from across the ocean. And I always dreamed about being here. And all the sudden I was here and I was playing with some of the ... you know ... most amazing musicians I only dreamed about. It was just a great great development.

 

4. What did you make up your mind to approch the medium film and to compose so many (successful!) scores of different genres?
I always tried to work in many different genres. Even like when my early records over here ... the records would contain pieces of classical influenced music, something jazzy, something rock. And after, let's say, about ten years of performing live on the road and making records I was asked to compose music for certain motion pictures. And it just became like an actual progression because in a film you're required to be very versatile, you know, going from project to project. And eventually it really became most amazing in working on the series Miami Vice where every week the music style would be different depending, you know, on the local or the theme of the show. There was something that came very natural to me and it was great to be able to work that way.

 

5. How do you typically start to compose? With the basic rhythm or the melody (or maybe a different approach)?
Writing music starts different every time. You just cannot say there is any typical way of composing. Sometimes you hear a complete piece of music, you know, melody and harmony and all that. It just shows up complete. And sometimes it just starts with a rhythmic idea. As you said in the question ... sometimes it's just the mood that you're in ... and everything just grows out of that. The key is to be prepared when the inspiration strikes you to be able to work it into something complete. LISTEN to Jan Hammer's answers to questions 1 to 5 ---> LIVESTREAM

 

6. Besides the score of "Eurocops" the score of "Miami Vice" made you famous all over Europe. Why did you turn your back on the show during season 4?
I worked on the show for close to 4 years. During the final year I had help with a great New York composer John Petersen. And we collaborated on some scores and some weeks he did most of it by himself. The thing was: The first two years the thing was really growing and everything was evolving better and better. I had plenty of energy (chuckles) to do it. The third year it was getting a little harder because it was already ... you know, I mean after that it was so many different episodes that I wrote music for that by the time the fourth season came around I said: I have to move to some other things that I wanted to do and I was getting offered. And eventually after season four I just had to really move on and get back to other things I had neglecting.

 

7. With your tunes you added your personal writing to the show for more than three seasons. John Petersen and Tim Truman had to accept a difficult inheritance after your retirement from the show. How much assistance did you have to give your colleagues then?
I only worked with John Petersen directly. I basically gave him some of my sounds and samples, and also he was using some of my melodic themes and motives. Tim Truman worked all by himself on ... I guess it was season five. I was not involved in that season at all.

 

8. Do you have a general idea how much tunes and scores you composed for the show? How many of them were released on CD? And how many remained unreleased?
9. Since the release of "The Complete Collection" many Miami Vice Fans long for more unreleased tunes to be released on CD. In an interview with Martijn Kalf (www.jan-hammer.net in 2005) you mentioned the possibility to publish more tunes on your website as MP3 for download. How far did this plan prosper?
I was pretty much involved in about 88 episodes of the show. I can't tell you how much music (chuckles) there was in total. There are all the CDs out there, some of them were released on the official Miami Vice soundtracks. As far as unreleased: I'm not so sure there is very much left. There are few things that I still like and actually... you know, that goes to question 9 ... I might be able to finish some of these. And they won't probably be on a CD, but they might be available for download. But I don't know whether I'm gonna do it and when yet, ok?

 

10. It is said that you received and saw the episodes shortly before the airing. Where did you get your inspiration from to translate so many different vibes and emotions into well fitting tunes in such a little while?
Working on the series was very hectic because things were running quite late, and I only had like about a week to turn an episode around. But I was given so much freedom where I didn't have to second-guess myself and I just could go with my instincts. Since I didn't read the script I didn't know the story beforehand. I just watched it for the first time. And whenever I felt I needed to write something, you know, the emotions growing high I would just write music and put in it.

 

11. Crockett's Theme and Miami Vice Theme are the best known scores from the show. In Europe they remained up to 12 weeks on top of the charts. In 2004 newly recorded versions of Miami Vice Theme and Crockett's Theme were released on The Best of Miami Vice. (Crocklett's Theme made it up to #13 on the AC Top 40 Radio charts). Some of your tunes you revised again and again, and there also some cover versions from other artists. Do you remember how many versions of these two scores (Crockett's Theme and Miami Vice Theme) you created over the years?
As far as Crockett's Theme I only created two versions: The original and then the one that's on the "Best of Miami Vice"-CD. And the Miami Vice Theme ... there is also a new version on the "Best of Miami Vice"-CD. And just right now I did a new version called Remix 06 which is a little shorter and it's got some different sounds on it as well. I also created music for a commercial, for a beer advertisement in America, and that was a short version of the Miami Vice Theme.

 

12. For the delight of all fans you appeared as "Yourself" several times in the show. Did it convey a certain meaning that you appeared as a musician on a wedding twice (One way Ticket, Like a Hurricane)? Were the scenes already written in the script or were they an impulse idea by Michael Mann?
As far as my two cameos ... they were not really speaking parts, so there was no writing involved. It was just such a goof and a great idea to get me into the show and get people who really like the music to watch me play.

 

13. Apropos Michael Mann: The different opinions about the new "Miami Vice" movie are a long way away from each other " even for the fans of the show. Did you already watched the movie? What is your personal opinion " as moviegoer - about it?
As far as the current movie: I was surprised that they didn't even try to use some new version of the theme or Crockett's Theme. An incorporated, you know, into whoever does the score. I watched the movie just two days ago. And the movie looks great but the music was rather disappointing, even the songs. I thought they would gonna have much more edge to them, but they turned out to be kind of "middle of the road". So, there you have it!

 

14. A lot of people are convinced that your music style would not have fit into the recent movie version of Miami Vice. But the new Crockett's Theme swept this rumor away, definitely. How did you get in touch with TQ?
15. How did the new edition of Crockett's Theme evolve? Was the song your choice or TQ's decision? Actually I was approached by the producers from luckysong who put together this whole package. And it was just a great example of somebody totally from the left field coming with fresh ears and creating a whole new treatment for the song, for Crockett's Theme. It was just a great great combination, and I'm very happy with the result.LISTEN to Jan Hammer's answers to questions 6 to 15 ---> LIVESTREAM

 

Mr. Hammer, MiamiVice.info would like to thank you very much for the interview and the given possibilty to present your new Crockett's Theme on Miamiviceonlnie.com!
(Questions by Sonny, KaeptnCaipi, Tom and Ell.a)

Listen to the short version of Crockett's Theme 06 ---> click

 

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Edited February 21, 2016 by Ell.a
Broken source code cleaned.