Jeremy Zuckerman

Last updated
Jeremy Zuckerman
Jeremy Zuckerman by Gage Skidmore (cropped).jpg
Zuckerman at San Diego Comic-Con in 2011
Born (1975-07-31) July 31, 1975 (age 48)
Education
Occupations
  • Composer
  • musician
Years active2001–present
Notable workMusic for Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra
Website www.jeremyzuckerman.com

Jeremy Zuckerman (born July 31, 1975) is an American composer of concert music, film and television music, music for modern dance, and experimental music. He is best known as the composer for the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series The Legend of Korra .

Contents

Background

At age five, Zuckerman began learning piano with his mother as his teacher. [1] As a teenager and into his early 20s, he played guitar and synthesizer in heavy metal and coldwave bands. [1] [2] Zuckerman studied jazz and computer music at the Berklee College of Music, where he earned a bachelor's degree. [3] He earned a master's degree at the California Institute of the Arts, where he studied modern composition with a focus on computer music and sonic art with Morton Subotnick, Mark Trayle, and Tom Erbe. [3] [4]

Early life

Jeremy Zuckerman grew up from a Jewish family in Brooklyn. [5]

Career

Film/TV

Zuckerman began his career as a television/film composer as one half of The Track Team, a music and sound design company based in Los Angeles. He started The Track Team in 2004 with co-founder Benjamin Wynn (a.k.a. Deru). [6] Zuckerman created the music for the critically acclaimed television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender , which won a Peabody Award in 2008. [7] [8] Zuckerman also composed the music for the Avatar sequel series, The Legend of Korra. [9] Zuckerman's music is also featured in DC's The Spectre , Jonah Hex , Green Arrow , and Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam . [7] [10]

Together, Zuckerman and Wynn created the music for the feature films Just Peck and A Leading Man , and the Nickelodeon TV series Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness . [7]

In 2017, after two Emmy Award wins and five nominations, Zuckerman and Wynn announced the dissolution of The Track Team to pursue their creative and professional paths independently. [11] [12]

Zuckerman went on to score the first three seasons of MTV and VH1's Scream , as well as the PBS documentaries Nature: Snow Monkeys and Nature: Yosemite . Other documentaries include Beartrek , Stuntman, and This Little Land of Mines. [13] [7]

Other notable film and TV projects include the 2020 Jeff Baena film Horse Girl , and an episode of the experimental Showtime series Cinema Toast. [14] [15] Both of which are collaborations between Zuckerman and Josiah Steinbrick. The Cinema Toast episode, titled Quiet Illness is written by Aubrey Plaza, and is her directorial debut. [16]

Zuckerman has also composed the music for director Natasha Kermani's films Lucky and V/H/S/85. [17]

In 2023, Zuckerman along with The Echo Society, composed the score to the Darren Aronofsky film Postcard from Earth. [18] Postcard from Earth is the first film to be created for and presented at Sphere in Las Vegas. [19]

The Echo Society/Concert Music

Zuckerman is a founding member of The Echo Society, a Los Angeles-based collective whose mission is to gather, inspire, enrich and connect the community through the creation and performance of new sonic and visual art. [20] The Echo Society's other founding members include composers Brendan Angelides (aka Eskmo), Judson Crane, Nathan Johnson, Rob Simonsen, Joseph Trapanese, and Benjamin Wynn. [21]

Zuckerman's music for The Echo Society concert series is predominantly chamber music, and the work "focuses on creating highly specific and controlled masses of sound using a combination of home-grown, semi-algorithmic processes and intuition. Using traditional orchestral instruments, these works explore complexity and transformation of sound and form, instead of the traditional melody/harmony paradigm." [3]

Modern Dance

Zuckerman has worked with choreographer Benjamin Levy on Everyone, Intimate, Alone, Visibly, "in which extended vocal techniques performed and processed in real-time by Jeremy, intersect with Levy’s choreography to form a complex gestural dialog." [3] He also worked with Levy on Khaos, which was commissioned by the Scottish Dance Theatre. [3] Zuckerman created the score for dancer/choreographer Lisa Wahlander's The Impermanent Sky, which was composed and performed live by Zuckerman using the audio programming language SuperCollider. [22]

Theatre

Zuckerman composed the music to playwright Juli Crockett's theatre pieces [or, the whale] , a spoken word opera which debuted in Los Angeles in 2001, and Orpheus Crawling , an experimental opera which premiered in 2007 at the New Original Works (NOW) Fest at REDCAT. [23]

Discography

Awards/Achievements

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i> American animated television series

Avatar: The Last Airbender, also known as Avatar: The Legend of Aang in some regions, is an American animated fantasy action television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhonghu</span>

The zhonghu, short for zhongyin erhu is a low-pitched Chinese bowed string instrument. Together with the erhu and gaohu, it is a member of the huqin family. It was developed in the 1940s as the alto member of the huqin family to increase the pitch range of the instruments used in a Chinese orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zuko</span> Fictional character from Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra

PrinceZuko, also known as the Blue Spirit, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Created by Eric Coleman and designed by series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the character is voiced by Dante Basco in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Bruce Davison in The Legend of Korra, and portrayed by Dev Patel in M. Night Shyamalan's 2010 film The Last Airbender and Dallas Liu in the 2024 Netflix live-action remake series.

Katara (<i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i>) Character in Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra

Katara is a fictional character in the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series The Legend of Korra. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is voiced by Mae Whitman in the original series and Eva Marie Saint in the sequel series, The Legend of Korra. She is Chief Hakoda and Kya's daughter and Sokka's younger sister. In the 2010 live action film adaptation, she was played by Nicola Peltz, while in the live-action television series adaptation, she is portrayed by Kiawentiio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iroh</span> Fictional character in Avatar: The Last Airbender

Uncle Iroh, also referred to as General Iroh and credited simply as Uncle, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the character was voiced by Mako in the first two seasons and, due to Mako's death, by Greg Baldwin in the third season and the sequel series The Legend of Korra.

<i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i> season 1 Animated television series episode list

Book One: Water is the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. The first season aired on Nickelodeon from February 21, 2005 to December 2, 2005, and consisted of 20 episodes. The series stars Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Mako Iwamatsu, and Jason Isaacs as the main character voices.

<i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i> season 2 Second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender animation series

Book Two: Earth is the second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelodeon. The series starred Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Jessie Flower, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Mako Iwamatsu and Grey DeLisle as the main character voices.

<i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i> season 3 Third season of Avatar: The Last Airbender episode list

Book Three: Fire is the third and final season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The series stars Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Michaela Jill Murphy, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Greg Baldwin, Grey DeLisle, and Mark Hamill as the main character voices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sozin's Comet</span> Series finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender

"Sozin's Comet" is the four-part series finale of the American animated Nickelodeon television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. It was written by the creators alongside Aaron Ehasz, and directed by Ethan Spaulding, Giancarlo Volpe, and Joaquim Dos Santos. Although the finale is split into four episodes, it aired as a two-hour four-part film on July 19, 2008. The Saturday airing of "Sozin's Comet" acted as a climax to a week of ten new episodes that concluded Avatar's third season. Before the week of July 14–19, no episodes had been shown in the US since November 30, 2007, though some episodes had been released on DVD prior to their airdate. This is also considered a 92-minute television movie.

<i>Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness</i> American animated television series

Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness is an American animated television comedy series spin off from DreamWorks's Kung Fu Panda films. It serves as a bridge between the first and second films, showing Po's training to becoming a successful Dragon Warrior, whereas the second film is, according to the series' developer Peter Hastings, "not unlike a very long, super-deluxe 3-D version of one of our episodes".

Nicktoons is a Dutch pay television channel broadcasting in the Netherlands and Belgium. It launched together with Nick Hits on 2 August 2007. It mostly airs animated programs dubbed in the Dutch language. Currently you can use the Global Feed since 2017

<i>The Legend of Korra</i> American animated television series

The Legend of Korra, also known as Avatar: The Legend of Korra, or more rarely simply as Korra, is an American animated fantasy action television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelodeon. A sequel to their previous series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired from 2005 to 2008, the series ran for 52 episodes ("chapters"), separated into four seasons ("books"), from April 14, 2012, to December 19, 2014. It has been continued as a comic book series.

Kung Fu Panda is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that originally started in 2008 with the release of the animated film of the same name produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping, a giant panda who is improbably chosen as the prophesied Dragon Warrior and becomes a master of kung fu, the franchise is set in a fantasy wuxia genre version of ancient China populated by anthropomorphic animals. Although everyone initially doubts him, including Po himself, he proves himself worthy as he strives to fulfill his destiny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Wynn</span> American composer, sound designer and producer

Benjamin Wynn, known also as Deru, is an American composer, sound designer and music producer mostly known for creating the sound design for the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. He has collaborated with composers such as Joby Talbot. He also produces electronic music under the name "Deru". He is the grandson of neurosurgeon Joseph Ransohoff.

<i>The Legend of Korra</i> season 1 First season of the American animated television series The Legend of Korra

Book One: Air is the first season of the American animated television series The Legend of Korra created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Consisting of twelve episodes, it was initially intended to be a stand-alone epilogue miniseries sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender before the series was expanded to an order of four seasons ("books") of fifty-two episodes ("chapters") in total. Book One: Air aired from April 14 to June 23, 2012, on the Nickelodeon channel in the U.S., and is broadcast in other countries beginning in June 2012.

<i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i> (franchise) Multimedia franchise

Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American multimedia franchise consisting of three television series, a live-action film, comics, books, video games, home media, and soundtracks. The franchise began with the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. The series is set in an Asian-inspired fantasy world in which some people can telekinetically manipulate one of the four classical elements: air, water, earth, or fire. Only the titular "Avatar" can bend all four elements and is responsible for maintaining balance in the world.

<i>Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight</i> Computer-animated streaming television series

Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight is an American CG-animated television series, developed by Mitch Watson and Peter Hastings for Netflix. It is the third TV series in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, following Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny. Produced by DreamWorks Animation Television, the series premiered on Netflix on July 14, 2022. A second season was released on January 12, 2023. A third and final season was released on September 7, 2023.

Andrew Huebner is an American television producer with Nickelodeon Animation Studios. In that capacity, he has received one Primetime Emmy Award and three Daytime Emmy Awards.

Andrew Prahlow is an American video game, film, and television composer based in Los Angeles, California. He is a BAFTA-nominated composer. Prahlow is best known for his work on the action-adventure game Outer Wilds and its expansion, Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye. His music has been featured in many trailers, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Martian. He also co-wrote music featured at Disney's Epcot and in Westworld. He began his career as a composer's assistant for Legend of Korra and Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.

References

  1. 1 2 Jeremy Zuckerman Interview, archived from the original on 2021-12-15, retrieved 2019-09-01
  2. "Kung Fu Jesus music, videos, stats, and photos". Last.fm. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jeremy Zuckerman". Jeremy Zuckerman. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  4. "Jeremy Zuckerman CV 2016". Issuu. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  5. Src='https://Secure.gravatar.com/Avatar/6abba29efdc8480194b931777b6ab503?s=20, <img Alt='' ;='' #038;d='mm;' Srcset='https://Secure.gravatar.com/Avatar/6abba29efdc8480194b931777b6ab503?s=40, #038;r=g' ;='' #038;d='mm;' Treagus-Evans,='' #038;r='g' 2x'='' class='avatar avatar-20 photo' height='20' width='20' decoding='async' data-eio='l' />Phil (2016-12-06). "Jeremy Zuckerman: A Clear Moment Of Empowerment - The Reading Lists" . Retrieved 2024-03-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. "Music Interview with the Track Team (part 1 of 3) :: AvatarSpirit.net". www.avatarspirit.net. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Jeremy Zuckerman". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  8. "Avatar: The Last Airbender". www.peabodyawards.com. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  9. Jacobs, Mira (2018-09-21). "Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Adds Another Name From Animated Series". CBR. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  10. "How a Nickelodeon Cartoon Became One of the Most Powerful, Subversive Shows of 2014". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jeremy Zuckerman". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  12. "The Track Team". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  13. Otterson, Joe (2019-06-24). "'Scream' Series Moves From MTV to VH1 for July Debut". Variety. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  14. Horse Girl (2020) - IMDb , retrieved 2020-02-01
  15. Cinema Toast (TV Series 2021– ) - IMDb , retrieved 2024-01-04
  16. Gates, Marya E. "Shining a Light: Aubrey Plaza on Her Directorial Debut | Interviews | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  17. "Jeremy Zuckerman | Composer, Sound Department, Music Department". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  18. Postcard from Earth (2023) - IMDb , retrieved 2024-01-04
  19. "The Las Vegas Sphere interior's first film is both mind-blowing and Disneyfied". Los Angeles Times. 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  20. "Our Mission". The Echo Society. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  21. "Bios". The Echo Society. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  22. August 16, Ann Haskins on; Dance, 2017 in (2017-08-16). "Music Center Dances To Cahuenga Pass". Cultural Weekly. Retrieved 2019-09-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. "NOW Festival | REDCAT". 2007-10-10. Archived from the original on 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  24. "Score Album for MTV's 'Scream' TV Series Released". Film Music Reporter. October 28, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  25. "egantic (remixes), by ginormous". hymen records. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  26. "Diamond Dave - David Lee Roth | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  27. "Distant [feat. Lil k dick and emily dwyer], by Tommy MV$ERVTI" . Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  28. "2019 DOC LA — Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival". docla. Archived from the original on 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness - IMDb , retrieved 2019-09-01
  30. "Jeremy Zuckerman & Benjamin Wynn to Participate in PlayFest | Film Music Reporter" . Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  31. "BsoSpirit - Premios GoldSpirit - XIII Edición (2013)". 2014-08-15. Archived from the original on 2014-08-15. Retrieved 2019-09-01.