Jan Hammer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jan Hammer
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Jan Hammer in 1977
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jan Hammer |
| Born | 17 April 1948 Prague, Czechoslovakia |
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| Years active | 1968–present |
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Jan Hammer (born on April 17, 1948) is a talented musician, composer, and record producer from the Czech Republic who also became an American citizen. He became famous in the early 1970s playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He is also well-known for creating music for TV shows and movies, especially the "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme" from the 1980s TV series Miami Vice. Jan Hammer continues to make and produce music today.
He has worked with many important jazz and rock musicians. Some of these include John McLaughlin, Jeff Beck, Billy Cobham, Al Di Meola, and Carlos Santana. Jan Hammer has composed music for at least 14 movies. He also created music for 90 episodes of Miami Vice and 20 episodes of the TV show Chancer. His music has won him two Grammy Awards.
Contents
About Jan Hammer
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Jan Hammer was born in Prague, which was then the capital of Czechoslovakia. His mother, Vlasta Průchová, was a famous Czech singer. His father was a doctor who also played music.
Jan started playing the piano when he was just four years old. He began formal music lessons two years later. At first, he thought about becoming a doctor like his father. However, a family friend encouraged him to focus on his musical talents.
When he was 14, Jan formed a jazz trio in high school. They performed and recorded music across Eastern Europe. He later studied at the Prague Academy of Musical Arts. There, he learned about music theory and classical composition.
Moving to the United States
In August 1968, his studies were cut short when his country was invaded. Jan Hammer then recorded a live jazz album in Munich, Germany. He decided not to return to Prague and instead moved to the United States. He received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After finishing his studies, he toured with famous singer Sarah Vaughan.
In 1971, Jan Hammer moved to New York City. He joined the original Mahavishnu Orchestra, a very successful jazz fusion band. He played keyboards alongside guitarist John McLaughlin and drummer Billy Cobham. The band performed over 500 shows before they stopped playing together in 1973. Jan Hammer was one of the first musicians to play the Minimoog Moog synthesizer live on stage.
Solo Career and Collaborations
After Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jan Hammer worked on other projects. He played on Billy Cobham's first solo album, Spectrum, in 1973. In 1975, he released his first solo album, The First Seven Days. He recorded this album in his own studio, Red Gate Studio, which he built in his farmhouse.
In 1976, he worked with jazz/rock guitarist Jeff Beck on his popular album Wired. They then went on a tour, which led to the live album Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live. This album sold very well. Jan Hammer also formed his own band, the Jan Hammer Group, which released two albums.
Music for TV and Movies
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Jan Hammer continued to collaborate with many artists. He recorded with Al Di Meola, Joni Mitchell, and Santana. He also wrote and performed on three songs for Jeff Beck's album There and Back. One of these songs, "Star Cycle," became the theme music for the British TV series The Tube.
He formed a duo called Schon & Hammer with guitarist Neal Schon. They released two albums, Untold Passion (1981) and Here to Stay (1982). In 1984, he worked on Mick Jagger's first solo album. He also contributed to Jeff Beck's album Flash. His song "Escape" from that album won a Grammy Award in 1985 for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance".
Miami Vice and Big Success
Jan Hammer's biggest challenge came in 1984. He was asked to compose music for the new TV series Miami Vice. He had to create music for the show every week.
His music for Miami Vice became very popular. In November 1985, the Miami Vice Soundtrack album reached number one on the Billboard charts. It sold over four million copies in the U.S.
At the Grammy Awards in February 1986, Jan Hammer won two awards for the "Miami Vice Theme." He won for "Best Pop Instrumental Performance" and "Best Instrumental Composition". He was also nominated for Emmy Awards for his musical work on the show. In 1986, he was named "Best Studio Synthesist" by Keyboard Magazine for the second year in a row. He had won "Best Lead Synthesist" for seven years before that, which led to him being inducted into the Keyboard Hall of Fame.
In 1988, Jan Hammer stopped working full-time on Miami Vice. However, the theme song he composed was still used until the show ended in 1989.
His next album, Snapshots, was released in 1989. He composed, performed, and produced every song on it. The music video for "Too Much to Lose" featured famous musicians like Jeff Beck, David Gilmour from Pink Floyd, and Ringo Starr.
The 1990s and Beyond
In the early 1990s, Jan Hammer toured with drummer Tony Williams. He also continued to compose music for movies and TV shows. These included I Come in Peace, Curiosity Kills, and all 20 episodes of the British TV series Chancer. He also worked on episodes of HBO's Tales from the Crypt.
"Crockett's Theme" was re-released in the UK in 1991. This happened after it was used in commercials for a bank called NatWest.
In 1993, Jan Hammer was asked to create all the original music for TV Nova. This was the first commercial TV network in his home country, the Czech Republic. He composed themes for 23 shows, 50 station IDs, and music for news, sports, and weather programs.
In 1994, he released Drive, his first album of new music in several years. He worked with Jeff Beck again on the song "Underground." ..... In 1999, he wrote a song called "Even Odds" for Jeff Beck's album Who Else!. Also in 1999, an older album from his former group, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, called The Lost Trident Sessions, was released.
2000 to Present Day
..... The soundtrack for the film was released in 2007.
In 2004, he released The Best of Miami Vice album. It included new versions of "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme." In 2005, when the first season of Miami Vice was released on DVD, it included an interview with Jan Hammer.
In 2006, Jan Hammer worked with singer TQ on a new version of "Crockett's Theme." This new song, called The Jan Hammer Project Featuring TQ: Crockett's Theme, became very popular in Europe.
In 2014, Jan Hammer recorded a version of the Squidbillies theme song. He also mentioned in an interview that he felt his music was a mix of experimental and progressive rock. He said he had composed the "Miami Vice" theme before the show was even made. He used a special synthesizer called a Fairlight CMI to create the music for the series.
On July 20, 2018, he released his first album of new music in over 10 years, called Seasons - Part 1.
Personal Life
Jan Hammer became a citizen of the United States in 1978. He has a son named Paul, who is the leader of the band Savoir Adore.
Discography
See also
In Spanish: Jan Hammer para niños
