“Johnston’s soundtrack adds an extra dimension to the 2D-nature of the animation, with energetic jazz layered over the pre-recorded percussion track that builds up and flows through the film. While Johnston and Reineger’s compositions are each complex in their own ways, they come together simply and beautifully, stripping animation back to its abstract qualities of light, shadow, image and sound.”
– Anna Madeleine, The Guardian, 2015 (MONA FOMA)
Composer, Saxophonist, Bandleader, and Film Music Scholar
Conjures a Magical Soundtrack for
THE WORLD’S FIRST FEATURE-LENGTH ANIMATED FILM
– THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED –
to Bring to Life the Silhouette Animation by Groundbreaking Female Filmmaker
LOTTE REINIGER
Awakening the Wonders of One Thousand and One Nights
Phillip Johnston has been composing and performing original scores for silent films for 25 years in both his native USA and current home in Australia. His previous silent film scores include The Unknown (Browning, 1927), The Merry Frolics of Méliès (Méliès, 1902-1909), Page of Madness (Kinugasa, 1926), Faust (Murnau, 1926), the first three of which were released on CD by Avant, Koch Jazz and Asynchronous, respectively. Johnston’s interest in silent film projects includes Wordless!, his multi-media collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic artist Art Spiegelman, which features silent films and animation, spoken word/ Spiegelman’s historical essays, and live music by Johnston and his ensemble The Silent Six. Wordless! debuted at the Sydney Opera House on October 5, 2013 and has since been touring worldwide, including a nine-date tour of the USA and performances at the 2016 London Jazz Festival, Buenos Aires’ Comicópolis, and the Philharmonie de Paris. The film and music The Adventures of Prince Achmed have been performed across Australia, including the Sydney VIVID Festival, MONA FOMA and the Woodford Folk Festival, and Johnston is looking forward to touring the project overseas.
In addition to writing music for silent films and animation, Johnston has written articles on silent films for books and scholarly journals, in addition to presenting numerous conference papers. He is author of the chapter “Jazzin’ The Silents: Jazz and Improvised Music in Contemporary Scores for Silent Film” for the upcoming book, When Jazz meets Cinema, edited by Emilio Audissino and Emile Wennekes (Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2019).
The label Asynchronous is releasing Johnston’s The Adventures of Prince Achmed simultaneously with another Johnston project: Diggin’ Bones, a jazz album by Phillip Johnston & The Coolerators. The Coolerators are Johnston’s main Australia-based live band, and include Johnston (soprano/alto saxophone), Nick Cecire (drums), Alister Spence (organ) – all three of whom perform on The Adventures of Prince Achmed – in addition to Lloyd Swanton (bass), also of The Necks.
James Greening: trombone
Alister Spence: organ, keyboards
Casey Golden: organ, keyboards
Nic Cecire: drums
1. Prelude
2. The African Magician
3. Prince Achmed
4. Pari Banu Kidnapped
5. Adventures in China
6. The Witch & The Wedding
7. Take Me to Wak-Wak!
8. The Magic Lamp
9. Aladdin's Tale
10. The Witch vs The Magician
11. The Battle of The Spirits
12. Return to the Land of the Mortals
All tracks by Phillip Johnston © Jedible Music (BMI)
Recorded in Aug/Sep 2013 at Q Studios, Sydney
Record and pre-mix engineer: Richard Hundy
Final mix and mastering by Paul Bromley/Tanuki Studios
Cover design: Keith Lobue
