February 9th, 2018
D.D. JACKSON
newsletter
Emmy Award-Winning Composer/Producer/Jazz Pianist
Greetings!

It's been a while so I thought I'd update you on some of my recent activities, from an upcoming duo performance I'm doing on piano this Tues ., Feb . 13th in NYC with saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, to a movie I scored making its world premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival next month, and more.

Needless to say, please don't hesitate to contact me for any of your producing , composing , arranging and performing needs, as I'm always on the lookout for new projects and potential collaborations !
UPCOMING PERFORMANCE with JAMES BRANDON LEWIS

I'm excited to be making a rare, NYC appearance on piano this Tues ., Feb. 13th , 2018 at the intimate Zurcher Gallery at 8 pm (33 Bleecker St., NYC, $15 cover at the door, no food minimum) in a duo concert with rising star saxist James Brandon Lewis , with whom I've been eager to collaborate ever since we played together a couple of years ago in a group led by baritone saxist Hamiet Bluiett . It will be a concert featuring our own originals , including several new tunes I'll be premiering here for the first time (some written as a form of "venting" over what's going on politically with Trump !) I hope you'll come check it out. More info about the concert and venue here.
FILM PREMIERE AT CINEQUEST
A film for which I wrote the score , as well as the songs with director (and lyricist!) Alexander Baack , will be making it's world premiere at the prestigious Cinequest Film & VR Festival next month (if you're in San Jose , CA you can get tix here ). " You & Me " tells the poignant, at times serious, at times funny love story between a man who happens to be blind (played by the affecting Paul Guyet ) and a woman who happens to be be deaf (played by Alex's incredibly talented wife Hillary Baack , who also co-wrote the story with Alex). Here's a teaser trailer for the film featuring my underscore (myself on piano ):
CHILDREN'S TV-WRITING
I've also been continuing to write music for children’s television and media , after receiving my 4th Emmy Nomination last year (for “ Best Song ”), to go with my win in 2016 for “ Outstanding Music Direction and Composition ”) for the 7 Emmy -winning show " Peg + Cat ". If you have kiddies, be sure to check out the premiere of my final Peg + Cat episode , " The Crayon Problem ", on PBS Kids on Feb . 28 (check local listings!)

Also look out for songs I've written appearing in upcoming shows such as " Esme & Roy " ( HBO / Treehouse T.V. in Canada) and " Sunny Day " ( Nick Jr .).

Lastly, I can also "report" that my " Marvie's Song " (written for Sesame Studios , and featuring my kids on "background vocals"!) has now "gone viral" with 2.8 million views on Youtube ...
EDUCATION
Finally, in education I've continued my part-time work at Hunter College , directing Popular Music Combos and teaching, most recently, courses in Jazz Harmony & Arranging , History of Jazz , and now Jazz Improv. I also r ecently brought in Roots saxist Ian Henrickson - Smith and Dap - Kings trumpeter Marcus Parsley to talk and play with my Hunter students for a very memorable concert (and I also managed to sneak in some of my own playing on piano!)

This semester I'm also especially excited to have begun teaching media scoring at the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Brooklyn College, located impressively on the actual film lot of Steiner Studios.
Ian Hendrickson-Smith on tenor and Marcus Parsley on trumpet playing with my Hunter students