Jan Hammer is a product of diverse locales. Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, he began his
musical journey at the age of four as a piano prodigy; at thirteen he formed a jazz trio; and as
a young man came to the United States to attend The Berklee School of Music in Boston.
In New York City, Hammer helped define a new standard for rock and jazz-fusion as a
member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and later, from his studio in suburban New York,
established himself as a pioneer on many fronts through a series of inspired solo efforts and
collaborations with a who's who of contemporary musicians. It is not unexpected then,
that Miami, a city half way around the world from where Hammer began, would play such a
huge part in his legendary career.
In 1984, Hammer was approached by producers of a soon to be released television pilot set
in Miami and centering around two vice detectives. True to his personality, Hammer set
out to create the score for these shows in his own ingenious way. He approached each show
as its own one-hour film, and strove to stay away from the standard of "scoring by numbers"
that was so prevalent in the industry. Never reading a script, Jan's inspiration came when
he first viewed the final cut, taking notes as he watched the cassettes sent from the west
coast. From a distance of 3000 miles, he re-invented the art of scoring for television. Like
Hammer himself, Miami Vice was a product of different locales: the shows were shot on
location in Miami, posted in Los Angeles, and scored in New York. Miami Vice and Jan
Hammer were a perfect fit.
In a dizzying 4 to 5 day turnaround, he wrote and performed approximately 20 minutes of
new music for each episode. Hammer became the show's third star--- his music its own
character with its own dialogue. So integral was his contribution that, in the beginning, it
seemed as though publicity focused mainly on the show's two stars, Don Johnson, Phillip
Michael Thomas, and around Jan Hammer. It is obvious that Universal and NBC knew
what a valuable asset Hammer and his music were to the show, and the city of Miami soon
knew what a valuable asset Miami Vice was---tourism increased 10% in the months
following the show's debut.
On November 2, 1985, Miami Vice hit number one on the Billboard Top Pop album charts.
Henry Mancini's Music From Peter Gunn, 26 years earlier, had been the last television
soundtrack to do so. The following week "Miami Vice Theme" hit number one on the
Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and, in so doing, became the first and only original version
of an instrumental theme for television to reach this pinnacle of success. The album sold
over 4 million copies domestically, over 7 million worldwide, and secured the number one
position for 12 weeks. The follow-up, Miami Vice II, also enjoyed chart-topping
international success with Hammer's hit single "Crockett's Theme". At the 1986 Grammy
Awards, "Miami Vice Theme" won Hammer two awards: "Best Pop Instrumental
Performance" and " Best Instrumental Composition". Jan Hammer's work on "Miami
Vice", the show and its album, had warranted and received accolades from the public, his
peers and industry critics alike.
Over the three and a half seasons he scored the series, Jan Hammer created an enormous
body of original music from rock to reggae, from classical to jazz, and his own brand of
cutting edge music. Yet while his overwhelming commercial success, his contribution to
the Miami Vice phenomenon and its lasting imprint on the industry are indisputable,
Hammer might never have dreamed of producing this definitive collection of his work
were it not for the volume of fan requests which come his way even today via his web site.
Says Hammer, " Fans would make reference to themes that I had forgotten about after all
of these years, so I went back, watched the shows for myself and realized how much music
there was that cried out to be released ".
In summing up Jan Hammer's gift and his contribution to the Miami Vice series, co-star
Phillip Michael Thomas once said, "If there is a soundtrack to life, Jan Hammer is the only
one who can hear it". His diverse and unique background, his life experiences and his
visionary ideas allowed him to paint with musical notes the soundtrack of a television
landmark.
Reviews:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Long Awaited Masterpiece July 15, 2002
By Marc Loren
Miami Vice: The Complete Collection is a powerful monument to composer Jan Hammer's groundbreaking soundtrack to one of television's most memorable series. With over two hours of music, the two compact discs feature 42 memorable cuts, including 22, which have never been released to the public before. Miami Vice redefined television and Jan Hammer's soundtrack completely redefined the way in which shows were scored. The result was a chart-topping commercial success never before seen from a television soundtrack and international acclaim for series and composer alike.
While there have been other Miami Vice albums in the past, fans have long hoped for this expanded collection and, in resounding fashion, Hammer does not fail to deliver. The old favorites, such as the original "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", are all there but the real payoff is a complete disc, 22 tracks, of previously unreleased gems such as "The Talk", surely one of Hammer's finest compositions from his three and a half years scoring Miami Vice. The end result of it all is a totally wonderful musical experience.
Even after several listenings it continues to amaze me just how many memorable tracks there are and really, when you think about it, it is amazing that anyone could fill two CDs with great music from any television series. Hammer has the most incredible gift for mood and melody and his music stands tall even without the visual components it was written to accompany.
Whether you are a fan of Miami Vice, Jan Hammer, or even if you just enjoy great music, Miami Vice: The Complete Collection delivers the goods.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for the "VICE" fan or 80's lover March 5, 2004
By Tom Benton
One of the most important parts of the "Miami Vice" legacy is Jan Hammer's score, beautifully capturing the feel of Miami in the mid-1980's. Some of the songs have been released on the three hit soundtracks from the show, but a complete collection of Hammer's music has never been released. Until now.
The CD begins with the unforgettable "Original Miami Vice Theme" as heard in the opening titles of the show. Then it goes on to the calm, relaxing "Crockett's Theme" frequently heard on the show (and later featured in the immediate classic video game GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY), followed by the "New York Theme" from the second season pilot episode (a.k.a. "Miami Vice II: The Prodigal Son"). There is then a bunch of themes from the episodes (including the fast-paced "Chase" and the beautiful "Marina"), until we near the end of the first CD with "Rico's Blues", "The Trial and the Search", and "Wedding". To close the CD, the single version of the "Miami Vice Theme" that became so extremely popular is used - basically an extended version of the "Original Miami Vice Theme".
The second CD is, in my opinion, a better CD than the first, containing songs not released until now. It opens with "Candy" (which brings two words to your mind, no matter when you hear it: "Miami Vice"), then moves on to "Voodoo Dance", a fun song. "Angelina Flashback" is a nice re-performance of the original "Flashback", while "Rain" has a very cool, casual feeling to it.
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