Jason Staczek (born December 4, 1965) is an American composer,[1] record producer[2] and keyboardist.[3]

Jason Staczek
Born (1965-12-04) December 4, 1965 (age 58)
Washington, D.C.
GenresFilm scores, orchestral, electronic music
Occupation(s)Composer
Instrument(s)Hammond organ, piano, cello
Years active1999–present
LabelsMilan Records
Websitehttp://staczek.net/

Life and career edit

Staczek was born in Washington, D.C., attended high school in Miami and studied physics at the University of Michigan. He played the Hammond organ in Seattle bands and sessions beginning in the 1990s. From 2002 to 2008 Staczek co-owned Chroma Sound, a music and film post-production studio and record label in Seattle.[4] Clients of Chroma Sound included Presidents of the United States of America[5] and Robyn Hitchcock.[6] In 2003 Staczek was hired as staff composer for The Film Company, a Seattle film production studio,[7] through which he met and developed a working relationship with Canadian director Guy Maddin.

Staczek has composed music for the soundtracks to the films Brand Upon the Brain! (2006),[8] My Winnipeg (2008),[9] Keyhole (2011),[10] Jobriath A.D. (2012),[11][12] The Roper (2013)[12][13] and Song of the New Earth (2014).[12][14] Brand Upon the Brain! premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, where the silent film was accompanied by a live orchestra conducted by Staczek, narrated by Louis Negin, with sound provided by three live Foley artists and a castrato-style singer. Staczek went on to conduct orchestras accompanying the film's live performances in Berlin,[15] Buenos Aires,[16] New York,[17] Mexico City, San Francisco and Los Angeles.[18]

Staczek was named a Sundance Composer Lab Fellow in 2012.[19][20] His concert work for cimbalom and orchestra premiered at Benaroya Hall in Seattle in March 2013.[21] The piece was released on the album Celebrate World Music which won the 2014 Independent Music Awards Vox Pop Award for Best Contemporary Classical Album.[22]

Partial filmography[23] edit

Year Film Director Studio / Developer Notable Mentions
2006 Brand Upon the Brain! Guy Maddin The Film Company Manohla Dargis (New York Times) Best of 2006.[24]
Staczek to conduct orchestral performance of live show presented by Basel Sinfonietta, June 2015.[25]
2008 My Winnipeg Guy Maddin Buffalo Gal Pictures, Documentary Channel, Everyday Pictures #3, Time Magazine's Top 10 Movies of 2008.[26]
2008 Holding This for You Marissa Rae Niederhauser Marissa Rae Niederhauser Official Selection, Dreamscapes 2009, Seattle International Film Festival.[27]
2009 Night Mayor Guy Maddin National Film Board of Canada Won Best Experimental Short at South by Southwest in 2010.[28]
2011 Keyhole Guy Maddin Everyday Pictures, Buffalo Gal Pictures Won Best Canadian Film award at Whistler Film Festival 2011.[29]
2012 Jobriath A.D.[12] Kieran Turner Eight Track Tape Productions Critic's Pick, The Village Voice April, 2014.[30]
2012 The Roper[12] Ewan McNicol, Anna Sandilands Lucid Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival 2013.[31]
2014 Song of the New Earth[12] Ward Serrill Woody Creek Pictures Nominee, Documentary Award Seattle International Film Festival 2014.[32]
Filming And We Were Young
(Work in progress.)[33]
Andy Smetanka Andy Smetanka

TV Series[23] edit

Year Title Director Producers Notable Mentions
2014 Rocketmen
(Work in progress.)[34]
Webster Crowell Alycia Delmore,
Mel Eslyn

Partial Discography[2] edit

Year Album Artist Label Credit
1999 Trad Arr Jones John Wesley Harding Appleseed Recordings Hammond organ, accordion, harpsichord, piano
2000 Rock Star God The Makers Sub Pop Hammond organ, piano
2002 What It Is And How to Get It Shuggie Good Ink Records Hammond organ, piano, Clavinet, Wurlitzer
2003 Only With Laughter Can You Win Rosie Thomas Sub Pop Hammond organ
2003 Motherfuckers Be Trippin' Supersuckers Mid Fi Hammond organ, piano
2005 Live Seattle 12/03/04 Goodness Kufala Hammond organ
2005 Alive Without Control The Black Halos Century Media Records Hammond organ, piano, Mellotron
2006 Nothing but Time Garth Reeves Chroma Records Producer, engineer, Hammond organ, piano, accordion, guitar, percussion, tambourine, backing vocals
2011 Keyhole Jason Staczek Milan Records Primary artist
2011 El Sonido Nuevo Ian Moore and The Lossy Coils Hablador Records Piano, Hammond organ
2011 Marble Son Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter Fargo Piano
2012 You, Anniversary Lindsay Fuller ATO Records Audio engineer, Hammond organ
2012 Pull It Together Shannon Stephens Asthmatic Kitty Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ
2012 Lung of Love Amy Ray Daemon Records Vocal engineer
2013 Imitations Mark Lanegan ATO Records Harpsichord
2013 Celebrate World Music Various Artists Burmer Music Composer of "Lila Sziv"

Further reading edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Jason Staczek". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Jason Staczek". allmusic.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  3. ^ "Jason Staczek". www.ascap.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Chroma Sound". last.fm. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  5. ^ "Presidents Of The United States Of America, The – These Are The Good Times People at discogs.com". discogs.com. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  6. ^ "Music still Brad Zeffren's moment". seattletimes.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  7. ^ "Staff". thefilmcompany.org. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Guy Maddin's Brand Upon the Brain! soundtrack". amazon.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  9. ^ "My Winnipeg (2007) Full Cast and Crew". imdb.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  10. ^ "Music From The Motion Picture Keyhole". milanrecords.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Jobriath A.D.". thefilmcollaborative.org. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  12. ^ a b c d e f with Ian Moore
  13. ^ "The Roper (2013)". imdb.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  14. ^ "Song of the New Earth (2014) Full Cast and Crew". imdb.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  15. ^ "Brain! to get silent treatment in Berlin". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  16. ^ "Interview with Guy Maddin in Buenos Aires". branduponthebrain.com/blog. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  17. ^ Dargis, Manohla (9 May 2007). "Brand upon the Brain! (2006): Marks Mysterious and Foundlings Sad: O, Tangled Web!". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  18. ^ "Maddin's Brand Upon the Brain! Set for Spring U.S. Release". indiewire.com. 21 March 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Sundance Institute Selects Six Fellows for 2012 Feature Film Composers Lab". sundance.org. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  20. ^ "Sundance invite is music to a composer's ears". vashonbeachcomber.com. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  21. ^ "Celebrate World Music!". burmermusic.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Album Nominees : 13th Annual Independent Music Awards". independentmusicawards.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  23. ^ a b "Jason Staczek". imdb.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  24. ^ Dargis, Manohla (24 December 2006). "Not for the Faint of Heart or Lazy of Thought". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  25. ^ "Season 2014–2015: Brand Upon the Brain!". baselsinfonietta.ch. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  26. ^ Corliss, Richard (3 November 2008). "The Top 10 Everything of 2008". content.time.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  27. ^ "Holding This For You". siff.net. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  28. ^ "2010 Film Award Winners". sxsw.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  29. ^ "Keyhole Takes Best Canadian Film Award at Whistler Film Festival". indiewire.com. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  30. ^ "Jobriath A.D. Is an Exceptional Documentary on an Also-Ran". villagevoice.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  31. ^ "The Roper". filmguide.sundance.org. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  32. ^ "Song of the New Earth (2014) Awards". imdb.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  33. ^ "And We Were Young, A Cut Paper Animated Documentary About Americans in WWI". laughingsquid.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  34. ^ "Seattle Filmmakers Trying to Launch Rocketmen". backstage.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.

External links edit