Featured Artists, Songs and Posts

Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
Cinematic, Contemporary Classical

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
I was born into a musical family and played, performed and wrote music from a young age. I studied music classically and won the BBC Young Composer Competition in my teens, which led to many commissions and published works. I now work as a composer of commercial and concert music, and have had music played widely on TV, radio and in the cinema. I also write choral music and next month am due to start writing 3 new albums for EMI.

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
I have always loved music's unique ability to express things which words cannot. Within its profoundly emotional universal language one can express aspects of the human experience and I find composing the most fulfilling thing. As a child I always loved attending concerts, and it was regular trips to the cinema which piqued my interest in music serving a narrative. I have been composing since I was about 5 years old!

Nagamag:
What's the coolest commission you've completed?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
Last year I wrote my first three albums for Juice EMI which was pretty fun. My first job back in London (after assisting eminent film composer David Buckley in LA after university) was writing music for the London 2012 Olympic Mascots films, which played in UK cinemas leading up to the London Olympics. It was a wonderful opportunity, and I was forever grateful at the time to Barnaby Spurrier, Producer at Tomboy Films, for bringing me on to the project at the time.

Nagamag:
How are you enjoying Coronavirus lockdown?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
Yes it is a strange time at the moment, isn't it. What a worrying time for the world. Although many music commissions have been postponed, my wife is expecting our first child very shortly, so hopefully that will add a new flavour to our lockdown! Musically, there are several new works that were recorded last year and were set for release throughout this spring and summer. I feel that music of all types is much needed at the moment, providing consolation and hope in times such as these.

Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
Johann Sebastian Bach "Goldberg Variations"

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
Carducci String Quartet Shostakovich "String Quartet no. 2 in A major op.68"

Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

The Rashomon Effect:
Ambient electronic music with acoustic instruments

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

The Rashomon Effect:
I bought my first guitar when I was twelve years old and since then have played in metal, soul, folk and post-punk bands in Seattle, Los Angeles, Budapest and New York City. I’ve learned from many great teachers along the way. Around five years ago I started to make electronic music, which was a perfect fit since I love composition and sound design.

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

The Rashomon Effect:
When I was around six, my mother gave me a set of tapes that told the life stories of great composers – Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, etc. I listened to them every night in my bed when I was supposed to be sleeping. That early love of music has never stopped evolving through styles and genres over the years. There is always more to know and more to discover. I’ve always loved meeting and playing with musicians from other countries and cultures, and the way music can circumvent the intellect and touch the heart. Music has always been deeply healing for me and in these times I am finding that aspect more important than ever.

Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

The Rashomon Effect:
Charles Mingus "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

The Rashomon Effect:
Floating Points "Silhouettes (I,II,III)"