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The shipping forecast goes to China…

February 17, 2012
Soundtracks
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There’s a lovely article here about the shipping forecast, which features contributions from BBC Radio 4 friends Zeb Soanes and Kathy Clugston. Here’s a snippet;

“It’s part of the fabric of this intangible thing called Britishness,” says Soanes.

“Just like red telephone boxes, Wimbledon, the chimes of Big Ben, the smell of cut grass, scones and jam.”

And it is probably not something that would make it onto air in every country of the world.

“It is eccentric, though you only realise when people come from other countries – they are completely baffled by it,” says Clugston.

They mention the fact that the forecast made its way into the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony within a piece I wrote called ‘This is London’.
Here’s Zeb featured in that track along with Elspeth Hanson and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Winter Wonderland with Evelyn Glennie released today!

November 8, 2011
Soundtracks
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Evelyn Glennie (Photo by Julian Macedo @PowderPhotography)

Winter Wonderland is a new album I’ve recorded with my friend the brilliant percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie.

It’s released today on iTunes and it’s rather Christmassy…! Here’s a track called Dalbergia… This one features an amazing Halo Drum Here’s just one more for now called Frost Flowers…

Hope you like the tracks. They’re all on iTunes here.

By the way, the photo above was taken at the weekend when we performed together at my Not So Silent Movies… series at Kings Place.

Not So Silent Movies!

September 16, 2011
Concert, Entertainment, film, movies, music, Soundtracks
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I’m hugely excited to announce the launch of Not so Silent Movies…

This monthly event takes place at the wonderful Kings Place in London. First gig is Sunday October 2nd at 3pm. Tickets from here.

The photo of Harold Lloyd is appropriate, as what we’re going to be doing is risky, thrilling and often hilarious.

Here’s the pitch:

  • Great silent film comedies,
  • Great musicians together on stage,
  • No sheet music,
  • No rehearsing,
  • No plan,
  • & No watching the films in advance…

Yes… it’s totally improvised (spontaneously composed if you want to be pretentious..!), utterly great when it all clicks, and unintentionally hilarious when it goes awry.

Our band is amazing… we have Guy Pratt on Bass (he’s been in Pink Floyd & Roxy Music for starters), Geoff Dugmore’s playing drums (He’s an incredible drummer – one of the greatest session players in the world), Pip Eastop on Horn (he’s a stalwart of the London Sinfonietta, a Professor, stunning soloist and one of the wittiest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing), Elspeth Hanson (violinist currently wowing audiences in Bond, was also glimpsed by about two billion people on a bus with David Beckham & Jimmy Page), Mark Neary (Pedal steel player and alchemist of weird and wondrous noises – last time I saw him he was laying down some lines for Flood!), Me (I play the cello a bit), and some amazing surprise guests too (not Jimmy Page… yet… but we’re working on it! see photo).

Geoff Dugmore, Jimmy Page, Me & Guy Pratt at a recording session

Future Not so Silent Movies are featuring Dame Evelyn Glennie (world famous percussion soloist), Robin Millar (Sade’s producer), Steve Mackey (Pulp’s bassist), Julia Thornton (wizard harpist & percussionist), Pete Furniss (Reeds – a mainstay of the extraordinary Impropera), Roger Eno (maverick keyboardist), Stephen Warbeck (composer, Oscar winner), Cherisse Osei (Mika’s drummer), David Le Page (former Menuhin pupil, Subway Pirhanas, Orchestra of the Swan) and many, many more…

You can probably tell I’m a bit excited about this…

Come and join us for the greatest comedies ever made – (featuring Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Joe Keaton, Fatty Arbuckle & co), and to see a group of musos having a busman’s holiday. We may even get you up on stage to take part!

Let me know who else we should invite, and which films you’d like to see us tackle!

Philip

Philip Sheppard

NSSM article

Olympic Anthems, an endurance race

May 23, 2011
Soundtracks
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With the LPO in Abbey Road

Today is the last day of mixing all 205 of the Olympic Anthems for the London 2012 Games.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra are incredible, and having spent 50 hours locked away with them in Studio 2 at Abbey Road, we all know one another that bit better, and I’m totally in love with their sound. If you want proof of how good they are, just listen to some of their live recordings on their own label.

We’ve gone from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe via the Faroes and Tajikistan, and it’s been something I’m not going to forget in a hurry. Jake Jackson, my rather extraordinary producer, had the bright idea of keeping a record of what we’d done on a wallchart… Dr Strangelove would approve…

Jake's map!

The press attention’s been odd and an interesting element to deal with, some of the papers were looking for an angle – eg, ‘what’s the worst anthem?’, ‘What could go horribly wrong?’, and ‘Why do you look like Nick Clegg?’. For the record, I DO NOT LOOK LIKE NICK CLEGG. At all. Really.

A top class athlete with a chap in a suit (me)

On our last day we asked Jonathan Edwards – the world’s favourite triple jumper – to come and join us for the recording of God save the Queen. You’ll have to watch this space to see if he made it onto the final cut of the recording… all I’ll say is that it was the loudest note we recorded across all 974 takes!

Just to show what a good setup we have here at Air Studios.. here’s a snapshot for you:

The mix setup...

Note; a very busy Jake Jackson (two keyboards at the same time a la Rick Wakeman), our spreadsheet of anthems projected, too many apple computers, live streamed football match (ahem)…

Easter gifts

April 16, 2011
Soundtracks
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Here’s an Easter present… for a little while only, these tracks are free downloads. All I ask is that you click the stumble button below, or retweet and recommend them to others if you like them!



Stumble It!

Happy and peaceful Easter to you.

Philip Sheppard

Christmas music in space!

December 15, 2010
Soundtracks
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Here are a couple of Christmas tracks to download by way of thanks for all the great support this year!

Here’s a track called ‘Look Up’ (download using the down button on the right):

This is all about the happiness of flying down a mountain when your heart is full to bursting… Cady Coleman the wonderful astronaut is taking this track up into orbit on the International Space Station this week.

Think of her as she makes her incredible commute on the Soyuz rocket.

I’ve had a great month writing music in Oman as I worked on the sound design of the 40th anniversary celebrations, and have just completed my first album with Evelyn Glennie the percussion virtuoso. There’s a huge project next year which is very very hush hush but it involves being locked in a studio for two weeks conducting a symphony orchestra… more soon!

If you’re going to the Sundance Film Festival – here are two films I’ve got showing there:
http://sundance.bside.com/2011/films/bobbyfischeragainsttheworld_sundance2011
http://sundance.bside.com/2011/films/theflaw_sundance2011
And if you follow the Oscars, the Tillman Story has been shortlisted for the best Documentary!
http://indiegeniusprod.com/BestMoviesEver/tillman-story-trailer/

And… Here’s a carol I wrote called ‘the Orange Tree’… please download if you like.

Stumble It!

The robin laughed in the orange-tree:
“Ho, windy North, a fig for thee:
While breasts are red and wings are bold
And green trees wave us globes of gold,
Time’s scythe shall reap but bliss for me
Sunlight, song, and the orange-tree.

Have a peaceful, wonderful Christmas and stay in touch!

Key Matters BBC Radio 4

September 22, 2010
Soundtracks
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Image by Andrew Lee

Today, 15:45 on BBC Radio 4 (FM only) UK

In this second series of Key Matters, presenter Ivan Hewett explores the question of why certain musical keys have become associated with particular moods. For example, why is A major almost always employed by composers to write optimistic, even ecstatic music? And how has E minor become the key of choice for portraying menace and tragedy?

Cellist and composer Philip Sheppard defines the qualities of E minor on Wednesday with music ranging from Brahms, Elgar and Shostakovich to The Clash.

Produced in Birmingham by Rosie Boulton.

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