Joel Kass

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joel Kass, born Howard Joel Kass, is a composer, producer and writer who has written for MCA, Sony and the New Jersey Philharmonic. The direct descendent of Serge Koussevitzky and the Four Koussevitzky brothers, Joel is currently the CEO of Kass Media Group.

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Biography

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H. Joel Kass was born on November 18, 1968 to Isadore and Estelle Kass in Chicago, Illinois. The family was Jewish immigrants from the Polish city of Bialystok and settled in the New York City and Midwest area during the begging of the nineteenth century. His mother, a concert pianist who was trained at Julliard was able to guide Joel in his early years of study. Joel created his fist orchestral composition at age 7 and continued that path so that by the age of 9 he had composed over 120 piano and violin sonatas. Joel attended business school earning a BBA in Accounting and finally attending Princeton University for his Masters Degree. At age 22, he was signed to MCA Universal Music Publishing NYC where he was able to compose music for a wide variety of contemporary writers. At 37, he formed Kass Media and setup studios in NYC, Los Angeles and Detroit to publish not only his own music, but the music of a wide variety of other artists for film, TV, and radio.

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Earliest Works

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The earliest works of Joel, which include Sonatas 11-85, are piano and violin based compositions that established the composer as he entered Interlochen School for the Performing Arts. They combine both the dramatic piano elements of his favorite composer, Frederick Chopin, along with traditional Yiddishmelodies. By 1985, Joel had begun working with local artists and producers, who included Stevie Wonder, Kevin Saunderson, and Art Forest. He released his first CD, "Concerto for Midnight", an orchestral compilation preformed by local orchestra's. That year was a productive year for Joel, in which he composed and recorded a total of 75 songs, ranging from rock to soul. Producing CD's for Jive and JBird in 1989 established him as a writer and producer who was able to write and compose beyond classical music.

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Stylist Evaluation

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What separated Joel Kass from the wide range of composers and producers were several factors, including his ability to play a total of 12 instruments and his mutli lingual background with the ability to speak and translate in over 9 languages. When listening to his orchestral compositions, one is drawn to the lush arrangements and moody environments that are familiar in the works of Debussy. His rock and soul material is distinctive for its use of unique rhythms and arrangements. A&R director Andrew Shizline stated in February 1993 in an interview in Music Industry Insider that "Joel is one of the great composers and producers of our time, having the ability to change his hat from opera to rap in a snap"

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The MCA Years

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In 1992 Joel was signed to MCA Universal NYC and was able to work with a stable of writters ranging from Michael O'Hara, Anita Baker to Rosetta Stone. During this time he was able to work and collaborate with artists such as Lilias White whom he recorded the single 'Season of Love', Taylor Dayne and Sounds of Blackness.

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The Commercial Years

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Following his years at MCA, Joel was able to write national commercials for such companies as Coors, Tide, Wilson Golf Balls and many more. During this time he purchased his own A level studio and began to write for both film, tv and commercials. His most popular national commercial was the Coors Keep on Movin campaign, which won him several awards.

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Kass Publishing

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Having composed and written over 700 songs in genres as broad as classical to hip hop, Joel created Kass Publishing to distribute his own material, as well as bringing on several talented industry writters whom he had formed relationships with. The library includes not only his musical compositions, but his literary ones as well.

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Interviews

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The following are publically avaialable interviews of H.Joel Kass ranging from 1992 to the present.

Keyboard Magazine Interview: Describes Joels Keyboard rig and musical history in depth^{[citation needed]}

UK Interview: Describes his classical training as well as style:^{[citation needed]}

Fan Clubs

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The following fan clubs are available for those that wish to discuss H. Joel Kass, his compositions and productions:

Joel Kass Fans: [2] [3] H. Joel Kass Fan Zone:^{[citation needed][citation needed]}

Further Information

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Information on the company, as well as specific material composed by Joel can be found on www.kassmedia.com[4]. Written compositions can be found at www.kasspublishing.com