Kris Bowers
Kristopher Bowers (born 1989) is an American composer and pianist. He has composed scores for films, video games, television and documentaries including Bridgerton, Green Book, Madden NFL, Dear White People, and Kobe Bryant's Muse. He has recorded, performed, and collaborated with Jay-Z, Kanye West, and José James. He won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition in 2011 and a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition in 2017 for The Snowy Day. He has also composed the score for Ava DuVernay's Netflix mini-series When They See Us.
Kris Bowers | |
|---|---|
Bowers at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1989 (age 32–33) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, classical, electronic, ambient |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, keyboards |
| Years active | 2010s–present |
| Website | krisbowers |
Life and career
Bowers was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1989.[1] His father is a film and television writer, and his mother is an executive at DirecTV.[2] Although neither of his parents received more than a high school education,[3][time needed] they wanted their son to play the piano, so they played recordings of pianists while he was still in the womb. They sent him to lessons beginning at the age of 4.[2] He had private classical music lessons starting at around the age of 9.[2] He listened to "classic soul records and hip-hop before falling under the spell of jazz, classical music, and film scores."[1] Bowers studied jazz and classical piano at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts[1] where his teachers included Mulgrew Miller and Donald Vega.[4] He studied jazz at Colburn School for Performing Arts.[5] He graduated in 2006[5] then attended Juilliard and obtained a bachelor's and master's degree in jazz performance.[1] While a student, he performed frequently in New York City.[1]
In the same year, Bowers played on Watch the Throne, a Jay Z and Kanye West album.[6] He then toured with Marcus Miller during 2012.[7] He has collaborated with musicians in several genres.[8][9]
In late 2013, he recorded his debut album Heroes + Misfits (Concord, 2014).[10] An AllMusic reviewer commented that the pianist was "based in jazz but with an ear for contemporary R&B, film scores, and electronic music".[10] The album premiered at No. 1 on the iTunes Jazz charts.[11]
In 2014, Bowers performed at the International Jazz Day Concert in Japan,[12][13] the Festival de Jazz de Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain,[14] and at the London Jazz Festival.[15] In 2016, Bowers was invited to perform at The White House for the International Jazz Day Concert hosted by President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama.[16]
In 2020 Bowers and Ben Proudfoot codirected the short documentary film A Concerto Is a Conversation, centering on Bowers's conversations with his grandfather about personal and family history.[17] The film, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, was an Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary (Short Subject) at the 93rd Academy Awards.[18]
In May 2022, the Monterey Jazz Festival commissioned Bowers to compose a work, which he presented that September at the annual event. The piece, Ásylo (Greek for "sanctuary"), commemorates the 30th anniversary of the nearby Monterey National Marine Sanctuary. Bowers had previously performed at the festival as a high school student for three years starting in 2003.[19][20]
Film scoring
His first film composition was for the 2013 documentary Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me.[21] Two years later Bowers' work on the 2015 Showtime documentary Kobe Bryant's Muse gained him attention as an up-and-coming composer well-versed in a wide range of compositional styles.[22] In the same year, he scored two other Showtime documentaries: I Am Giant[6] about the football player Victor Cruz and Play It Forward about Tony Gonzalez. He was one of six composers invited to the Sundance Composers Lab in 2015.[23]
Bowers also worked on the documentary Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You and the film Little Boxes, as well as the television programs Religion of Sports and Dear White People.[24][25] Also in 2016, Bowers composed music for the Amazon children's Christmas special, The Snowy Day, based on the 1962 book of the same title by Ezra Jack Keats.[26][27] It was for this show that Bowers received a Daytime Emmy in 2017.[28][29][30]
During the same period, basketball player Kobe Bryant approached Bowers about composing music for his post-basketball transition into film and television production.[6] When asked about the choice to create an original piece of music for an advertisement, Bryant said, "I thought it was very important for the brand to have an anthem... that's a Bodyarmor 'Obsession is Natural' track."[31]
Bowers wrote the score for the 2018 film Green Book.[32] He was also the piano teacher for the film's star, Mahershala Ali, and was Ali's stand in for some close ups of hands playing.[32]
Bowers wrote the score for Ava DuVernay's 2019 mini-series When They See Us.[33] He said that he took on the project after watching the first episode: "It was so heartbreaking and difficult to watch and gut-wrenching" with an urgent story to tell.[34]
Bowers composed the score for Netflix's period drama, Bridgerton, telling Headliner Magazine: "I think that it's really easy to make a love story cheesy; to make a love story that really feels like it's saying something a little different is a challenge, and I felt like this was doing that." He also shared that despite the huge-sounding orchestral recording, it was all done remotely during lockdown: "We did it all remotely, so when you're hearing this huge orchestral sound, it's really just eight musicians that are at home recording themselves and layering themselves over and over again!"
Bowers wrote the score of the 2021 film Space Jam: A New Legacy.[35][36] and the 2022 film Chevalier.[37]
Collaborating and performing
In 2015, Bowers teamed up with the choreographer Kyle Abraham, to create Absent Matter, which premiered at the Joyce Theater in New York City.[38] During the following year, Bowers and Abraham collaborated again on Untitled America for Alvin Ailey.[39][40]
Bowers performed at the White House for the 2016 International Jazz Day, hosted by President of the United States Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.[41] Bowers participated as a composer in the Sundance Film Composers Lab at Skywalker Sound in 2015.[42]
Bowers has paired his music with extensive and immersive dining experiences. In 2016, he was hired by Bang & Olufsen to create a score to accompany a multi-course meal prepared by chef Fredrik Berselius.[43] In 2017, Krug commissioned Bowers to write compositions inspired by and paired with a signature Krug champagne.[44]
Artistry
In a review of one of his early shows as a bandleader, The New York Times referred to Bowers' playing as "serious, thoughtful, organized, restrained; he made the piano sound good. His set had range and ambition and said something strong, sweet, and normative about phrasing and rhythm in jazz right now."[45]
Bowers' influences include "Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly ('for his comping and incredible feel'), Duke Ellington ('for his compositions'), Ahmad Jamal and Count Basie",[7] as well as John Williams.[46]
Awards and honors
- Winner, - Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, 2011[47][48]
- Honor - DownBeat magazine: “25 for the Future”, 2016[49]
- Winner - Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition, The Snowy Day, 2017[50]
- Nominated - 2019 Critics' Choice Movie Awards for 'Best Score', Green Book, 2018.[51]
- Honor - ROBIE Pioneer Award from the Jackie Robinson Foundation, 2019.[52]
- Nominated - Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject, A Concerto Is a Conversation (co-director), 2021[53]
Discography
An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.
As leader/co-leader
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Heroes + Misfits | Concord | With Adam Agati (guitar), Burniss Earl Travis II (electric bass), Jamire Williams (drums); some tracks with Casey Benjamin (alto sax, vocoder) added; some tracks with Kenneth Whalum III (tenor sax) added; vocalists added are Chris Turner (3 tracks), Julia Easterlin (1 track), José James (1 track) |
As sideman
| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Jay Z and Kanye West | Watch the Throne | Roc-A-Fella, Roc Nation, Def Jam |
| 2013* | Etienne Charles | Creole Soul | Culture Shock |
| Next Collective | Cover Art | Concord | |
| 2014* | Robin Eubanks | Klassik Rock, Vol. 1 | Artist Share |
| José James | While You Were Sleeping | Blue Note | |
| Takuya Kuroda | Rising Son | ||
| Harvey Mason | Chameleon | Concord Jazz | |
| 2016* | A Tribe Called Quest | We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service | Epic |
| 2017* | Maurice Brown | The Mood | Ropeadope |
Works
Films
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Little Boxes | Rob Meyer | |
| 2018 | Monsters and Men | Reinaldo Marcus Green | |
| Green Book[32] | Peter Farrelly | ||
| 2020 | Bad Hair | Justin Simien | |
| 2021 | The United States vs. Billie Holiday | Lee Daniels | |
| Space Jam: A New Legacy[35] | Malcolm D. Lee | Replaced Hans Zimmer | |
| Respect | Liesl Tommy | ||
| King Richard | Reinaldo Marcus Green | ||
| 2023 | Haunted Mansion | Justin Simien |
Television
| Year | Title | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | American Masters[54] | PBS | Episode "Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You" |
| The Snowy Day[26] | Amazon Studios | TV special Won—Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition | |
| Religion of Sports | DirecTV | Composed for 4 episodes | |
| 2017–2021 | Dear White People[6] | Netflix | |
| 2018 | Warriors of Liberty City | Starz | TV series documentary |
| 2018–2019 | For the People | ABC | |
| 2019 | When They See Us[33] | Netflix | TV miniseries Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition (for "Part 2") |
| 2019–2022 | Raising Dion | ||
| 2019–2021 | Black Monday | Showtime | |
| 2019 | Star Trek: Short Treks | CBS All Access | Episode "The Girl Who Made the Stars" |
| 2020 | Mrs. America | FX on Hulu | TV miniseries Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition (for "Reagan") |
| Bridgerton | Netflix | Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (for "Diamond Of The First Water") Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music Nominated — Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media | |
| 2021 | Colin in Black & White | Netflix | |
| 2022 | Inventing Anna | Netflix | TV miniseries |
| DMZ | HBO Max | TV miniseries | |
| We Own This City | HBO | TV miniseries |
Documentaries
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Seeds of Time[55] | Sandy McLeod | |
| Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me[56] | Chiemi Karasawa | Credited as Kristopher Bowers | |
| 2015 | Kobe Bryant's Muse[57] | Gotham Chopra | |
| I Am Giant: Victor Cruz[54] | |||
| Play It Forward[54] | Andrea Blaugrund Nevins | ||
| 2017 | Copwatch[58] | Camilla Hall |
Video games
| Year | Title | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Madden NFL 20 | EA Sports | |
| 2020 | Madden NFL 21[59] |
References
- ^ a b c d e Collar, Matt. "Kris Bowers". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ a b c Thomas, Greg (26 January 2012). "Still a Juilliard jazz student, Kris Bowers plays award-winning Monk with knowing, modern edge". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ All of the Above, Podcast. All of the Above Podcast. PodcastOne.
- ^ Murph, John (25 March 2014). "Kris Bowers: New Power Generation". JazzTimes. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ a b Beener, Angelika "On the Rise: A Conversation with Kris Bowers". nextbop.com. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Tinubu, Aramide (23 May 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Kris Bowers On Scoring 'Dear White People,' Loving Music & Working With Kobe Bryant - JetMag.com". JetMag.com. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ a b Micallef, Ken (April 2014) "Kris Bowers – Cinematic Listening". Down Beat. p. 24.
- ^ . nextbop.com. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Jose James, Kris Bowers". Chicago Reader. 23 September 2009. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ a b Collar, Matt "Kris Bowers – Heroes + Misfits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Kris Bowers". Harlem Arts Festival. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
- ^ "Kris Bowers Photos Photos: International Jazz Day in Osaka". Zimbio. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Global Concert 2014". International Jazz Day. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Festival Jazz de Vitoria-Gasteiz | 39 Edición: Del 11 al 15 de Julio de 2017". www.jazzvitoria.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ Flynn, Mike. "Kris Bowers at XOYO, London – EFG London Jazz Festival". Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ music, Guardian (2016-03-31). "Barack Obama to host International Jazz Day concert at White House". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ Matthew Carey, "Grandfather, Grandson: Two Generations Meet Face To Face In Oscar-Shortlisted ‘A Concerto Is A Conversation’". Deadline Hollywood, March 5, 2021.
- ^ Victoria Ahearn, "Canada's Ben Proudfoot up for Oscar for short doc ‘A Concerto is a Conversation’". Toronto Star, March 15, 2021.
- ^ Mergner, Lee (May 24, 2022). "Kris Bowers Commissioned by Monterey Jazz Festival". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ^ "Kris Bowers Commissioned to Create and Present Exclusive Work at Monterey Jazz Festival". Monterey Jazz Festival. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ^ Beachum, Zach Laws, Chris (2017-05-25). "Kris Bowers ('Dear White People' composer): The show is 'speaking to a lot of people's truths'". GoldDerby. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Kris Bowers: A Muse to Musicians". bingemagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Sundance Institute and Skywalker Sound Announce Independent Filmmakers and Film Composers for July Music and Sound Design Labs". www.sundance.org. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Composer and Jazzman: Kris Bowers on Dear White People". magazine.scoreit.org. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Kris Bowers on Composing Netflix's Adaptation Of 'Dear White People'". Awards Daily. 2017-06-12. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
- ^ a b "The Snowy Day is Amazon's beautiful, hopeful addition to television Christmas specials". The Verge. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "The Snowy Day, Emmy-winning Holiday Special". www.ezra-jack-keats.org. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2017-04-29). "Amazon & Netflix Lead Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Winners - Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Daytime Emmys: DreamWorks' 21 Nominations Tops Animation Competition". Animation Magazine. 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ Montgomery, Daniel (2017-06-30). "'Dear White People' renewed for season 2 by Netflix, so curb your microaggressions!". GoldDerby. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Creative Director Kobe Bryant Leads Bodyarmor's First Multi-Million Dollar National Ad Campaign". SportTechie. 2017-04-18. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ a b c O'Connell, Sean J. (February 2019). "Bowers Explores Shirley's Work for 'Green Book' Film". DownBeat. Vol. 86, no. 2. p. 23.
- ^ a b "Kris Bowers to Score Ava DuVernay's Netflix Series 'When They See Us' | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- ^ "Composer Kris Bowers on the Urgency to Tell the Story of 'When They See Us'". The Hollywood Reporter. 2019-08-09. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ a b "Kris Bowers to Score Malcolm D. Lee's 'Space Jam 2' | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- ^ "A Surprise "Space Jam 2" Teaser Reveals LeBron James in Tune Squad Jersey | Motion Pictures Association". Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- ^ "Kris Bowers Scoring Stephen Williams' 'Chevalier' | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ^ "Kyle Abraham / Abraham.In.Motion – The Quiet Dance, Absent Matter, The Gettin'". DanceTabs. 2015-11-13. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater - April 27–30 Wang Theatre". www.celebrityseries.org. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Alvin Ailey's 'Untitled America' tackles mass incarceration". NBC News. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "The International Jazz Day Global Concert 2016". jazzday.com. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ "Sundance Institute and Skywalker Sound Announce Independent Filmmakers and Film Composers for July Music and Sound Design Labs". sundance.org. June 30, 2015.
- ^ "Bang & Olufsen – The Future Series". Decon. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Photos: Krug Journey Southampton with Eleven Madison Park". Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ Ratliff, Ben (2011-12-02). "Kris Bowers at Jazz Gallery - Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ Warmann, Amon (2018-06-22). "Kris Bowers, composer behind Netflix's Dear White People and up-coming film, Green Book". Lift-Off Global Network. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
- ^ "Pianist Kris Bowers Wins 2011 Thelonious Monk Competition". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition". Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ Murph, John (July 2016). "25 for the Future / Kris Bowers". DownBeat. Vol. 83, no. 7. Chicago. p. 33. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
- ^ "The Snowy Day, Emmy®-winning Holiday Special | The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation". www.ezra-jack-keats.org. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- ^ "Critics' Choice Awards". Critics' Choice Awards. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- ^ "Kristopher Bowers". Jackie Robinson Foundation. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- ^ "The 93RD Academy Awards | 2021". Oscars.org. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ a b c Murph, John (July 2016) "Kris Bowers". Down Beat. p. 33.
- ^ DeFore, John (March 25, 2014) "Seeds of Time: SXSW Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (February 20, 2014). "Recalling Velvet, Pretzels and Beer, She's Still Here". The New York Times.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (February 17, 2015) "TV Review: 'Kobe Bryant's Muse'". Variety.
- ^ "'Copwatch' Documentary Profiles WeCopWatch Members". EURweb. 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ "Madden NFL 21 Soundtrack". 14 August 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020 – via EA Sports.
External links
- Kris Bowers at IMDb
- "Piano Jazz with John Weber". NPR 2012 interview and solo and duo piano performances.
- "Composer Kris Bowers Unpacks the Idea of ‘Black Excellence’: ‘It Exists in the Small Moments of Every Day’". Variety Artisans column
- "How ‘Bridgerton’ Composer Kris Bowers Set Up a 'Dangerous Connection' in Season 2". Hollywood Reporter podcast