No Photos Yet! Sorry! Personal quote Who doesn't know the voice of Mark McKenzie? Apparently there are still people out there! But now who doesn't love the voice of composer Mark McKenzie? Apparently, every person who came in contact loved what he or she heard. It isn't difficult to understand that since he is a kind of John Barry, having that warm voice, that melodic structure that requires no true dissonant or complex nature. But I think McKenzie is up to the task too in writing that. Actually, there are many great points to say about him or his scores. For instance, his scores always start with a suite, presenting the best material beforehand. His music is grand when it needs to and charming when it wants too. And he knows his way with orchestration also. Now, all that and simply several big name movies in the future and you've got a composer who can do miracles when the time requires it. Biography Mark McKenzie was born in Lake City, Minnesota and got in contact with music at a very early age. He attended the University of Wisconsin and got a Bachelors degree in music composition. Later he moved to Los Angeles and got a Masters and a Doctorate in music composition at the University of Southern California. McKenzie became a well respected orchestrator and worked with numerous composers such as Bruce Broughton, Danny Elfman, Cliff Eidelman, John Barry, Marc Shaiman, Alan Silvestri, Basil Poledouris, Randy Edelman, William Ross, the late Jerry Goldsmith, James Newton Howard and John Powell. When Cliff Eidelman couldn't score Son of Darkness: To Die For II, he introduced Mark McKenzie as an alternative to the director and McKenzie scored his first motion picture, this in 1991. Two years later he scored another horror movie, Warlock: The Armageddon. And hearing from film fans that his score beats the score for the prequel by Goldsmith can only be described as a serious positive compliment. Frank and Jesse became probably the score that convinced McKenzie's talent to the mainstream public, and especially directors and producers recognized his thematic talent. Still, McKenzie stayed connected to smaller movie projects, including names as Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde, Down Periscope (where he wrote extra material for Edelman's score) and The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca. With Durango, McKenzie became overly known for his beautiful, melodic and rich music. It became one of McKenzie's finest scores and so far his best known project. Further some of McKenzie's scores are Dragonheart: A New Beginning and The Lost Child, both contain once more that melodic mastery of McKenzie' warm heart for music. He wrote additional music for Jerry Goldsmith's The Last Castle, scored Blizzard, Stitch's Great Escape. The Ultimate Gift and The Last Sin Eater are small proofs that he is making again non Television music.. He remains however extremely busy to orchestrate for the best in the business.
(overall impression) April, 1999 Melody is probably the part of film music that I am most attracted to. Music that is melodically strong often grabs my emotions in the most wonderful way. I'm always striving for that in my music. (overall impression) April, 1999 The 98 Academy Awards was the first time I had personally attended and when the organ solo started from Old Movie Music I wanted to stand up and say...hey everyone I wrote that and that is me playing that too. Kind of childish of me isn't it? (on the use of Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde)
Links to Personal Webpages:
Highlight
of his career: |
The Works лллл лллл ллл |
