Jan Hammer

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Jan Hammer on the cover of Berklee Today Magazine

Jan Hammer (IPA: [jan hamɘ]) (born 17 April 1948, in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a composer and musician.

His music is as firmly rooted in the fundamentals of classical, jazz and rock, as it is committed to the future of synthesized sound, electronics, television, film and animation. His career spans from the early 1970s and still continues today. His compositions have won him several Grammy awards. He is probably best known for playing keyboards and acoustic piano for the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 70s, as well as the Miami Vice Theme and Crockett's Theme, from the popular 1980s US television program, Miami Vice. Jan has collaborated with some of the era's most influential musicians such as Jeff Beck, Al Di Meola, Mick Jagger, Carlos Santana, Stanley Clarke, Neal Schon, and Elvin Jones among many others. Jan has composed and produced at least 14 original motion picture soundtracks, the music for 90 episodes of Miami Vice (which spun-off over four soundtrack albums and its worldwide #1 hit theme song), 20 episodes of the popular British television series Chancer, and the music for BEYOND the Mind's Eye, one of the all-time best-selling music videos in Billboard chart history.

1 History
2 Discography and Recording Credits
3 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Childhood

Jan Hammer performing on Czech television in 1965

Jan was born in Prague, the capital of then Czechoslovakia (today the capital of the Czech Republic). His mother was a well known Czech singer Vlasta Průchová, and his father was a doctor who worked his way through school playing vibes and bass. Jan began playing the piano at the age of four and formal instruction started two years later. Jan aspired to follow his father into medicine until a family friend convinced him to develop his musical talents instead. Jan formed a jazz trio in high school, performing and recording thoughout Eastern Europe at the age of fourteen. Upon entrance to the highly prestigious Prague Academy of Musical Arts, he immersed himself in classes of harmony, counterpoint, music history, and classical composition.

[edit] Moving to the United States

When the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, his studies at the Academy were cut short, and he moved to the United States and resolved to become a citizen after receiving a scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

[edit] Mahavishnu Orchestra

Jan Hammer with the Mahavishnu Orchestra at their farewell concert in 1973

Upon completion of his studies, Jan moved to the artistic haven of Lower Manhattan and joined the original lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra with guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist Jerry Goodman, bassist Rick Laird, and drummer Billy Cobham in 1971. Their two year/three album association set the standard for rock and jazz fusion which still exists today. In turn, they were the most successful group ever to record and tour in the genre, selling over 2 million records worldwide, and performing some 530 shows before their farewell concert of December 30, 1973.

[edit] Red Gate Studio

After recording one album with Goodman in 1974, Jan's solo career began with the release of The First Seven Days (1975).

Jan Hammer in Red Gate Studio in 1988

Jan produced and recorded the album at Red Gate Studio, which he'd built in his upstate New York farmhouse and which has been the location of his recordings ever since.

[edit] The Jan Hammer Group

The Jan Hammer Group was formed and supported The First Seven Days on tour, receiving ecstatic reviews from both jazz and rock critics. The group was prolific beyond all expectations, turning out no less than three LPs the following year: their own "Oh, Yeah?" and, with master guitarist Jeff Beck, the RIAA platinum "Wired" (with Jan's classic "Blue Wind"), and Jeff Beck With the Jan Hammer Group Live, a chronicle of their 100-show tour together, certified gold. One final album by the group followed in 1977, "Melodies."

[edit] Career Through the Late 70s and Early 80s

Cover of Jan Hammer's Black Sheep (1978)

Jan returned solo work with the release of Black Sheep in 1978, on which he played every instrument. He then formed a new band, known as "Hammer." Also in 1978, Jan wrote and performed on three songs for Jeff Beck's next album, "There And Back" which was released in 1980. One of the album tracks, "Star Cycle," went on to become the theme for the popular British television series The Tube.

The '80s arrived with concurrent (though highly contrasting) projects with two of today's most respected guitarists. With Al Di Meola, Jan recorded "Electric Rendezvous" in 1982. He then joined Di Meola for a tour chronicled the same year on Tour de Force Live; and finally appeared throughout "Scenario," utilizing his then new Fairlight CMI digital synthesizer and contributing to more than half of the album's compositions.

At the same time, the duo known as Schon/Hammer, with the mega-platinum band Journey's guitarist Neal Schon, recorded Untold Passion in 1981 and Here To Stay in 1982. The latter's opening cut, "No More Lies" (which they co-wrote with Glen Burtnick) was the subject of a promo video that became an MTV staple in its first year of broadcast.

Despite his active schedule, Jan took the stage with Jeff Beck in December 1983 for the nine U.S. benefit concerts that raised money for Ronnie Lane's A.R.M.S. (Action Research into Multiple Sclerosis), featuring Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker and a host of others. Into 1984, Jan's various talents were employed on recordings as diverse as James Young's (Styx) first solo album, "City Slicker" for which Jan co-wrote and produced; John Abercrombie's "Night"; Mick Jagger's first solo album, "She's The Boss"; and Jeff Beck's "Flash" which included the song "Escape," written by Jan, winner of the 1985 Grammy award for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance."

[edit] Miami Vice

Jan Hammer with Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas during Miami Vice

Jan's original scores for three major motion pictures complement a long list of credits for documentaries, "made-for-tv" movies in the U.S., commercials, and station identifications. But Jan's greatest challenge came in the fall of 1984, when the producers of Miami Vice enlisted him to commence the rigorous weekly schedule of scoring the series.

The popular success of his music on the series was evident after just one season when, on November 2, 1985, the Miami Vice Soundtrack hit number one on the Billboard Top Pop album charts. Henry Mancini's Music From Peter Gunn, 26 years earlier, had been the last television soundtrack to do so. The following week, "Miami Vice Theme" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and, in so doing, became the first and only original version of an instrumental theme for television to reach this pinnacle of success. To date, it is the last instrumental to hit #1. Internationally, "Miami Vice Theme" went on to become a top 5 hit around the world. This success was underscored in October, when the Miami Vice Soundtrack, containing the hit and four other instrumentals by Jan, took over the number one position on the Billboard Top Pop Album chart for 12 weeks. The album achieved quadruple-platinum status with U.S. sales of more than four million copies.

At the Grammy awards in February 1986, "Miami Vice Theme" earned Jan two awards; one for "Best Pop Instrumental Performance" and one for "Best Instrumental Composition." Jan also earned Emmy award nominations in 1985 and 1986, for "Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition." At the end of 1986, Jan won Keyboard magazine's poll as Best Studio Synthesist for a second consecutive year. He had previously won the Best Lead Synthesist honor for seven years, at which time he was inducted into the Keyboard Hall of Fame.

In the spring of 1987, "Crockett's Theme" was released in Europe as a single from the Miami Vice II album. The single spent three months in the top 5 in Germany, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium. Its success thrust Miami Vice II to the number one position as well.

Escape From Television, Jan's next LP, contained ten out of twelve tracks drawn from scoring his first 69 episodes of Miami Vice over its first three seasons. The album included "Crockett's Theme," subsequently released as a single in England that fall, where it went to #2 and was certified silver. Four years later, "Crockett's Theme" would be reissued in the U.K. in a new vocal version, and become a hit all over again. Also included were "Tubbs and Valerie" and "Forever Tonight," both of which reached the top 40 in various other European countries.

Escape From Television, 1987

Escape From Television was an enormous breakthrough, selling one million copies worldwide. It was certified gold in Germany and the U.K., and provided the backdrop for November's prestigious Diamond Awards ceremonies in Belgium. This pan-European event honored (among others) Bryan Ferry, Boy George, and Jan Hammer, who was the only instrumental artist to receive the award -- a solid gold record studded with diamond chips.

In 1988, Jan bowed out of full-time musical chores for Miami Vice, having produced the music for the crucial first six and last three episodes of the 1987-1988 season. He was now free to concentrate his efforts on the construction renovation of the new Red Gate Studio on his property in upstate New York. Work on the magnificent countryside recording facility was rarely interrupted. One exception was the pre-Grammy night bash at the Palladium in Manhattan that February, where an impromptu jam with Herbie Hancock attracted Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lenny White, and Dweezil Zappa to the bandstand.

The first project to spring from the new Red Gate was Jan's original soundtrack for Clinton and Nadine for HBO Films with Ellen Barkin, Andy Garcia and Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman which premiered in May 1989.

Jan's next two assignments contributed greatly to his next album. First, at the end of the summer, Jan was commissioned to compose and perform a theme entitled "The Runner" for a major series of television advertisements in England that starred Bob Geldof. Second, Jan composed and performed the theme music for the top-rated new bi-weekly pan-European television series, Eurocops, which premiered in seven countries that November.

Snapshots was the first full album from the new Red Gate studio in 1989, with Jan composing, performing and producing every track. The promo video for "Too Much To Lose," the album's first European single, featured Jeff Beck, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, and Ringo Starr.

[edit] The 90s

The '90s brought a renewed focus on scoring for film and television, starting with I Come In Peace with Dolph Lundgren; Curiosity Kills with Rae Dawn Chong and C. Thomas Howell; all twenty episodes of the British television series, Chancer that starred future Academy Award nominee Clive Owen; several episodes of HBO's Tales From the Crypt; a thought-provoking television spot for Amnesty International, featuring Czech president Vaclav Havel, which was aired worldwide; two pilots foor NBC, Knight Rider 2000 starring David Hasselhoff and News At 12; The Taking of Beverly Hills (Columbia Pictures), Ken Wahl's first post-Wiseguy vehicle; and New Line Cinema's Sunset Heat, starring Dennis Hopper, Michael Pare and Adam Ant.

Cover of BEYOND The Mind's Eye

Jan's next project was a giant step forward into the world of computer animation as the composer and performer of the original score for the Miramar Productions video album, BEYOND The Mind's Eye, released in October 1992 on Miramar/BMG Video. Scored note-to-frame with visuals that broke the 'virtual reality' barrier, the video was described as “breathtaking" by Roger Ebert (on "Siskel & Ebert At the Movies"), who named it his "video recommendation of the week." On his syndicated CBS Radio program, Leonard Maltin called it "a dazzling showcase for computer animation... mesmerizing... ‘BEYOND The Mind's Eye’ reflects a maturing of the [computer animation] art." BEYOND The Mind's Eye was one of 1993’s top five best-selling music videos, according to Billboard's Top Music Videos chart. It went on to spend 112 consecutive weeks on the chart (through March 1995), and was certified triple-platinum.

1994 was dominated by Jan’s recording of Drive, his first full-fledged album of original new non-soundtrack material under his name in several years. Jan was reunited with longtime partner Jeff Beck on “Underground,” reminiscent of their supercharged collaborations of the past.

In 1995, Jan returned to his scoring and soundtrack work with renewed passion and creativity. He began with the one hour Universal drama Vanishing Son (starring Russell Wong of Joy Luck Club), then went on to compose the theme and score for 13 episodes of the series. He composed and performed the original music for two feature films, both released in 1996: A Modern Affair (with Stanley Tucci, Lisa Eichorn, Caroline Aaron and Tammy Grimes) and In the Kingdom Of the Blind the Man With One Eye Is King (starring Will Petersen and Paul Winfield). Jan wrapped up the year scoring Beastmaster III - The Eye of Braxus, the long-awaited sequel to the sword-and-sorcery favorite (starring Mark Singer and Lesley-Anne Down).

In 1996, Jan’s output continued to thrive. His scoring assignments included the NBC Movie of the Week, The Babysitter’s Seduction (with Phylicia Rashad, Stephen Collins and newcomer Keri ‘Felicity’ Russell); The Secret Agent Club, a feature film starring Hulk Hogan, Richard Moll, Barry Bostwick and Lesley-Anne Down; and The Corporate Ladder (Orion Pictures), starring Anthony Dennison, Ben Cross, and Jennifer O’Neill.

Also in 1996 (and through 2000) Jan was commissioned to compose all the original music for TV Nova, the first commercial television network in Eastern Europe, based in the Czech Republic. Jan composed everything -- including themes for 23 original shows produced by the network, no less than 50 separate station ID’s, the music for all of the network’s special broadcasts, plus the music for all the news, sports and weather programs.

Outlaw Racers for Windows, 1997

In 1997, Jan also composed the hard-driving rock soundtrack for the new CD-ROM game, Outlaw Racers (MegaMedia). His next project was the theme and original music score for the pilot and the series of Prince Street (NBC-TV) starring Vincent Spano and Mariska Hargitay. On another interesting note, 1997 saw six separate compilation CDs released in the U.S. containing compositions and performances by Jan. One of these, Pure Moods (Virgin Records) spent 49 weeks on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and sold nearly four million copies worldwide, a true phenomenon for such collections.

Jan started off 1999 by writing, performing and producing a tune, “Even Odds” for Jeff Beck’s latest album Who Else? (Epic). Also, 1999 saw the release of The Lost Trident Sessions, the third (and last) studio album from Jan’s former group, the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The album was recorded in 1973 just prior to the bands highly publicized breakup. Its release was temporarily put on hold but the masters were somehow lost and only resurfaced in December of 1998 (25 years later). The album is considered the “Holy Grail” of fusion music. This is when Jan, John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Jerry Goodman and Rick Laird were truly pushing the envelope. The album has met with worldwide critical and commercial success. Among its tunes is Jan’s classic “Sister Andrea”.

[edit] 2000 to Present

Just when Jan thought his chores for TV Nova were winding down, the station changed ownership in 2000. The new management team, wanting to establish their own identity (station logo, IDs, promos, etc.), called upon Jan to compose new music to compliment the new visuals and to accompany an aggressive campaign of newly created programs. Also in 2000, after months of preparation, Jan’s official web site, [1] was officially opened. In the fall Jan released Snapshots 1.2 on One Way Records. The CD, a special reissue of his 1989 album Snapshots which was never released in North America, was digitally remastered by Jan and featured all new artwork and two original bonus tracks.

In January, 2001, reruns of Miami Vice began airing on TNN. Traffic to Jan’s web site increased dramatically and immediately Jan noticed a renewed interest in the landmark soundtrack he had created 15 years earlier. Visitors to the site began to ask about the possibility of releasing much of the previously unreleased material. Said Hammer, “Fans would make reference to themes that I had forgotten about after all these years, so I went back, watched the shows for myself, and realized how much music there was that cried out to be released.” Jan sat down and began to record many of the previously unreleased compositions. In order to maintain continuity with the show’s original sound, Hammer utilized his vintage 1980s equipment, along with more current state of art digital gear.

In 2002, Miami Vice: The Complete Collection was released. The first of the set’s two CDs contained all 20 of Hammer’s compositions previously featured on five separate MCA releases: the soundtracks Miami Vice, Miami Vice II, Miami Vice III, and Jan Hammer’s Escape from Television and Snapshots. The second CD featured 22 tracks never released or heard anywhere but on the television show.

In the fall of 2002, and through the end of the year, Jan commenced work on Red Cap, a six-hour mini series produced and broadcast by the BBC. The popular series features Tamzin Outhwaite, the star of the long running British series EastEnders.

In 2003, interest in Jan's earlier body of work allowed Sony Records to release a remastered version of Jan’s 1975 debut American solo album The First Seven Days. Jan, along with producer Bob Belden, went into Sony’s New York Studios and digitally remastered the entire album. Jan was elated that after 25+ years he was finally able to hear his work as it was meant to be heard. This marks the first time the classic album will be released on CD and the expanded package will feature a 12 page booklet, extensive liner notes and never before seen photos from the era. The First Seven Days was released on the Columbia/Legacy imprint in July of 2003.

Also in 2003, Jan’s music, including special mixes “Miami Vice Theme” and “Crockett’s Theme”, was featured throughout the entire taping of the 2nd Annual American Dance Music Awards. The event took place on March 18, 2003, in Miami Beach, Florida, and was broadcast throughout the UK, Europe, India, China, Southeast Asia and Australia.

2004 brought with it the exciting news that Jan Hammer and Jeff Beck would be reuniting live for the first time in nearly 18 years. Despite continued studio collaborations over the years, most have never forgotten the live magic and indisputable Beck/Hammer chemistry of those early days. To the delight of fans, when Jan and his long time friend & musical collaborator joined forces again for a UK summer tour, including two memorable nights at the famed Royal Albert Hall in London, it was magic all over again.

In the fall of 2004 Jan released the album The Best Of Miami Vice on the Reality label in the U.S. An exclusive release through the Transworld Records chain, the album is sold at FYE, Strawberry, Coconuts & Specs stores, and through special arrangement at Jan’s own online Gift Shop. The Best Of Miami Vice contains newly recorded versions of “Miami Vice Theme” and “Crockett’s Theme”, as well as one bonus track never before released on CD.

Cover of the Cocaine Cowboys DVD

Also in the fall of 2004 Jan scored Cocaine Cowboys, billed as “the true story of how Miami became the drug, murder and cash capital of the United States, told by the people who made it all happen”. The hard-hitting, feature documentary showed how, in the 1980s, ruthless Colombian cocaine barons invaded Miami with a brand of violence unseen in the U.S. since Prohibition-era Chicago.

In February 2005, after years of anticipation, Universal Studios Home Entertainment finally released the first season of Miami Vice on three double-sided DVDs. One of the package’s discs contained bonus material, including an extensive interview with Jan and archival footage of him creating music for the show back in 1985.

To coincide with the release of the DVD, Reality Records released a newly recorded version of “Crockett’s Theme” to AC (Adult Contemporary) radio in America. After 20 years, not many would have expected it to do well but, much to everyone’s surprise, the single was a hit again. For each of its first 4 weeks in release, “Crockett’s Theme” was among the top 3 most added tracks on AC radio and, in week five, it made its debut on the AC Top 40 Radio charts at #32 - the highest debut that week. By its 11th week of release it climbed into the top 15 where it eventually peaked at #13.

On June 1, 2005, long awaited by Jan Hammer fans throughout the world, 1978's Black Sheep and 1979's Hammer were released as a two CD set on Wounded Bird Records. The two classic albums, recorded for Elektra/Asylum Records, have received a constant stream of requests for their release through Jan’s official web site and the new package brings together both albums, completely remastered by Jan Hammer, as well as a special bonus track.

In 2006, Jan was asked to collaborate with the singer/rapper TQ for a brand new version of his world hit song "Crockett´s Theme." The result of their work was The Jan Hammer Project Featuring TQ (Terrance Quaites): Crockett's Theme. A CD single, this fresh new version of the song climbed up the charts all over europe, hitting #1 on the iTunes Europe download list.

[edit] Discography and Recording Credits

Solo (as Jan Hammer, the Jan Hammer Group, Hammer):

Cover	Album
	The Jan Hammer Trio Maliny Maliny (aka Make Love) (1968) MPS
	Jerry Goodman & Jan Hammer Like Children (1974) Nemperor / Sony
	Jan Hammer The First Seven Days (1975) Nemperor / Sony
	Jan Hammer Group Oh Yeah (1976) Nemperor / Sony
	Jan Hammer Group Jeff Beck w/ Jan Hammer Group Live (1977) Epic
	Jan Hammer Group Melodies (1977) Nemperor / Sony
	Hammer Black Sheep (1978) Elektra / Asylum
	Hammer Hammer (1979) Elektra / Asylum
	Neal Schon & Jan Hammer Untold Passion (1981) Columbia
	Neal Schon & Jan Hammer Here To Stay (1983) Columbia
	Jan Hammer Miami Vice (1985) MCA
	Jan Hammer The Early Years (1986) Nemperor / Sony
	Jan Hammer Escape From Television (1987) MCA
	Jan Hammer Snapshots (1989) MCA
	Jan Hammer Beyond The Mind's Eye (1992) Miramar / MCA
	Jan Hammer Drive (1994) Miramar
	Jan Hammer Snaphots 1.2 (2000) One Way
	Jan Hammer Miami Vice: The Complete Collection (2002) One Way
	Jan Hammer The First Seven Days (Remastered) (2003) Columbia/Legacy
	Jan Hammer The Best Of Miami Vice (2004) Reality Records
	Jan Hammer Black Sheep/Hammer (2 CD Set) (2005) Wounded Bird Records
	Jan Hammer Project (Featuring TQ) Crockett's Theme (2006) LuckySong/Sony/BMG

With the Mahavishnu Orchestra (Colombia):

Cover	Album
	The Mahavishnu Orchestra The Inner Mounting Flame (1971)
	The Mahavishnu Orchestra Birds of Fire (1972)
	The Mahavishnu Orchestra Between Nothingness and Eternity (1973)
	The Mahavishnu Orchestra The Best of The Mahavishnu Orchestra (1980)
	The Mahavishnu Orchestra The Lost Trident Sessions (recorded 1973, released 1999)

With Jeff Beck (Epic):

Cover	Album
	Jeff Beck Wired (1976)
	Jeff Beck Jeff Beck / Jan Hammer Group Live (1977)
	Jeff Beck There and Back (1980)
	Jeff Beck Flash (1985)
	Jeff Beck Beckology (1991)
	Jeff Beck The Best of Beck (1995)
	Jeff Beck Who Else! (1999)

With Al DiMeola

Cover	Album
	Al DiMeola Elegant Gypsy (1977)
	Al DiMeola Splendido Hotel (1980)
	Al DiMeola Electric Rendezvous (1982)
	Al DiMeola Tour De Force Live (1982)
	Al DiMeola Scenario (1984)
	Al DiMeola The Electric Anthology (1995)
	Al DiMeola This Is Jazz Volume 31 (1997)
	Al DiMeola Anthology (2000)