He was the most influential Israeli recording artist in his homeland of Israel, but had to expand, which meant leaving and arriving in the entertainment capitol of the world – Los Angeles. The result? One Emmy, a Brit Award, many other awards, an indelible mark on American cinema with his noteworthy scores, and kudos from his peers that- like his hundred plus compositions- would stand the test of time.
"I have always admired Misha Segal as a very talented musician
and composer."
- Quincy Jones
Fluent in many musical languages, composer Misha Segal
exemplifies a border-free musician. His ability to infuse
different cultural influences and music styles into his work is
one reason why he has won major awards on three different
continents. As a producer and co-writer, Misha Segal's album Don't Say It's
Over (Warner Brothers - 1995) features vocalist Randy Crawford,
and spent three weeks at #1 on the New Adult Contemporary (NAC)
Charts. Prior to that CD, Segal's album, Connected to the
Unexpected (JVC - 1996), was played in heavy rotation by top NAC
stations at over 200 colleges across the country. Far ahead of
its time, reviewers praised it as a "new genre in music." Misha's
highly-acclaimed, first CD, Zambooka, (Music Masters - 1993)
features legendary artists Chick Corea, Freddy Hubbard and Mark
Isham. It hit #1 with the Critic's Choice Awards in JAZZIZ
magazine and was endorsed by both Quincy Jones and Bob
James.
With over 100 feature film scores to his credit, veteran composer
Misha Segal admits, "Failure was not an option." His
contributions include The Phantom of the Opera, which received
wide critical acclaim for its originality and scope and the Brit
Award for Best Soundtrack/Cast Recording, the all time favorite
kids' movie, The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, and Un
Secreto de Esperanza, Mexican diva Katy Jurado's last movie.
Numerous other domestic and international films and even animated
features like The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus and The
Secret Garden display Misha Segal's unique mark and style.
Misha Segal's compositions illuminate the color spectrum. He
shades the notes with influences - the most powerful of whom is
his hero Gustav Mahler. He states, "Not so much directly in
music, but because of Mahler's depth; eternal struggle with the
concept of life / death and nature as expressed through his vast
musical language; being at the peak of the romantic era; his
honesty; clarity; and never compromising message." Even jazz
pianist Tamir Hendelman, mentored by Misha Segal, attests to
Misha's "love of sweepingly inspiring figures in music, Bill
Evans and Gustav Mahler - and the way their influence colored
Misha's music."
From Misha's beautifully lyrical solo piano excursions to
sometimes menacing and searing orchestral scores, he is equally
at home in the studio, as he is conducting a 90-piece orchestra
in Hungary or an 80-piece orchestra in Dublin. After moving to
Los Angeles, Misha Segal was signed by the founder of Motown
Records, Berry Gordy, to compose and write for their artists;
even scoring for the incomparable Berry Gordy's final major film
titled "The Last Dragon" - and the love theme song performed by
Smokey Robinson.
Prior to relocating to Los Angeles, Misha enjoyed a successful
career in New York City, where he initially began working for
Columbia Records and RCA. He had the privilege of writing,
arranging, orchestrating or producing for high profile artists
including Luther Vandross and Nancy Wilson. A vanguard in his native Israel, Misha's jazz, rock, pop, and
classical compositions (performed by the Israeli Philharmonic and
the Israeli Chamber Ensemble, among others) helped revolutionize
the face of contemporary music in his homeland. His claim to fame
is searching for new sounds, new horizons and ground breaking
ideas. Considered today to be one of the leading cultural
influences in Israel, he garnered numerous #1 hits due in part to
his interpretation and application of western music influences to
the Israeli cultural scene.
Before graduating from the Berkeley College of music in Boston
and heading to New York, Misha was well schooled. In London he
studied composition at the Guildhall School of music; apprenticed
under 20th century master composer Dieter Schönbach in
Germany, and initially studied with Israel's foremost composers-
Paul Ben-Haim, Noam Sherrif and Isaac Sadai- as well as film and
philosophy at Tel Aviv University. Getting his first piano and
opportunity to pursue music only happened after his compulsory
military service.
If you haven’t heard the name or work of Misha Segal before
now, then it is perhaps because you need to listen, learn, and
appreciate what he called to me his most applicable genre if he
had to label it – cutting edge jazz. In fact, you most
likely have heard Misha’s work in one of some hundred of
films or T.V. shows, but just not known it.
When one first hears the work of Misha Segal, one recognizes
instantly two things; one, he is not an artist of mimicry, he is
the source. And secondly, his mastery of the craft of music is so
powerful, not for its technical expertise- which is there- but
because of his works soul. As he explains, music is for the
moment, and further I would add, it is to be experienced, heard,
and felt, not merely described. With that said, we still
appreciate the words and ideas here in this exclusive interview
with this amazing artist, and how he sees the world in relation
to his work. I trust that you will be as thoroloughy delighted as
I was with Misha Segal’s mind.
An Exclusive Interview with Misha Segal
By The Hollywood Sentinel
The Hollywood Sentinel: Hello Misha, it’s nice to
meet you. You have had a long and impressive career in music and
in Hollywood, with continuing great successes. What has been your
proudest moment as a musician and composer, and why?
Misha Segal: There have been many moments, my
Emmy win, getting the call from Berry Gordy that he wanted to
sign me to Motown, being called to write the music for the movie
Phantom of the Opera or standing in front of a 120 piece
orchestra and conducting my score. (There are) really too many to
choose one but a really amazing moment was when Chick Corea
played his solo on my first album. Just being in the studio and
experiencing one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time
improvise a solo on my tune. That was a big one.
The Hollywood Sentinel, Bruce Edwin:
That’s great. We hear about the arts and music programs
being cut from public schools in the United States. Why do you
feel this should not occur-assuming you do- and what can people
help do to change this?
Misha Segal: During the 2nd World War, ministers
approached Churchill and asked him if it was possible to cut
budget from the arts so the money could be used for the war
machine. Churchill’s answer to them was; “What do you
think we are fighting for?...” The arts elevate man from
his material existence; problems, taxes, wars, etc., to a place
where he can experience the real important things about life; His
spirituality, his dreams, his aesthetic aspirations. Art modifies
one’s behavior for the better, it raises the intelligence
and shifts man’s priorities to higher values.
I remember going to the Art Institute of Chicago Museum once. On
the stairway sat a few kids who looked like they were gang
members, (which was) quite scary actually. My thought was
“why doesn’t someone get them away from here?”
Then I went in and for two hours looked through the
impressionist’s art. There was a guide who described the
background to some of this magnificent art. I was elated and felt
like I “saw God.” When I came out, the kids, oddly
enough were still sitting there. My thought now was “Why
doesn’t someone invite them inside and show them some
beauty and give them something they really need –
aesthetics, participation in something bigger than life?”
Well, my next thought was – wow, my viewpoint totally took
a 180 degree turn because I experienced some art. And that is
what art does. It elevates. Anyone who promotes cutting (funding
of) art and music is a criminal in my mind because he helps
degrade the culture. How to change that? I don’t know. It
would take very powerful players like Bill Gates or Donald Trump
to force change.
The Hollywood Sentinel: That’s very interesting. Classical
music does not get the major publicity that other genres of music
do in popular culture such as pop music and rock. Yet it is
equally if not more important. Why do you feel that is, and
should classical be more publicized or is it how it should
be?
Continued on next
page.
www.femalecd.com © 2011, The
Hollywood Sentinel.