Jules Maxwell
Encyclopedia
Jules Maxwell is a songwriter
, and composer
who is best known as composer for the 1998 Oscar nominated short Dance Lexie Dance. His composition work for dance theatre draws upon minimalism
and is often recorded, incorporating strong melodic montages of sampled sound influenced by the work of Gavin Bryars
. He lives in London.
As a politics undergraduate at Queen’s University in Belfast
he hooked up with the drama society and began composing music for their productions. Up to that point he had no intention of working professionally as a musician. Subsequently however, this unlikely group of actors, writers, directors and musicians went on to form Tinderbox Theatre Company.
, Gary Mitchell’s “Independent Voice”, Marie Jones “Ruby” and Tim Loane’s “Caught Red Handed”.
One thing led to another and during this period he also began picking up work as a composer for contemporary dance, working for 4 seasons with Limerick
based Daghdha Dance Company.
He moved from Belfast
to Dublin in 1994 and forged an exciting relationship with fledgling animation house Moving Still with whom he collaborated on 2 series for television: “Ri Ra” was an Irish language programme for RTÉ/UTV, and “Stop, Look, Listen, Animals” was a 6 part series for Channel 4.
1997 marked a significant turning point in his career. He made the soundtrack for Oscar nominated short film "Dance Lexie Dance
” directed by Tim Loane, an old college friend from Queen’s, and also collaborated with Wayne McGregor
for the first time on an audacious dance project called “Cybergeneration” for Belfast Festival.
Ultimately these successes led to more and more opportunities in London
and he moved there in 1997.
He has become a regular collaborator for Box Clever Theatre Company and recently composed for the Young Vic’s acclaimed production of Some Voices
by Joe Penhall
.
Film remains an area of intense interest and over the last 6 years Maxwell has composed soundtracks for Terry Loane (“Cluck”), Colin Bateman
(“The Devil You Know”), Suzanne Arnold (“The Goblin Market”), Lucy Baldwyn (“Freeze”) and Magali Charrier (“Tralala”).
He has also forged a long standing working relationship with Devon based choreographer and film maker Jane Mason, and has created soundtracks for all her theatre and screen projects to date.
Yet through it all Jules Maxwell’s roots are as a piano player and he continues to play and write with various bands and artists. In Belfast he collaborated for a number of years with Brian Houston and co-produced his debut solo album “Crush”. He also played piano with Peacefrog, Iain Archer
, Disreali Gears and with these artists over the years opened for the likes of INXS
, Van Morrison
, David Bowie
, Elvis Costello
, The Cranberries
, Squeeze, Hal Ketchum
, Jools Holland
and Nick Lowe
. He has written and recorded extensively with Ken Haddock, co-producing his “Sweetest Hour” album and is currently working with another Belfast protégé Foy Vance
.
In 1998 he began a ten year project entitled “Nil Pointe” which will eventually culminate in the release of an album of songs which have failed to get past the preliminary stages of the Eurovision Song Contest
. He has successfully received rejection for six entries to date: Little Tiny Raindrops (1999), Your Future’s Just Begun (2000), Every Little Thing I Never Bargained For (2001), True to You (2002), Oo Be Do Believe (2003), My Baby (2004).
Jules Maxwell was awarded the James Kilfedder
Arts Award in 1997 and the Bass Ireland Award in 2003 for his pioneering Red Room Sessions.
He currently lives in London
.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who is best known as composer for the 1998 Oscar nominated short Dance Lexie Dance. His composition work for dance theatre draws upon minimalism
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
and is often recorded, incorporating strong melodic montages of sampled sound influenced by the work of Gavin Bryars
Gavin Bryars
Richard Gavin Bryars is an English composer and double bassist. He has been active in, or has produced works in, a variety of styles of music, including jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, experimental music, avant-garde and neoclassicism.-Early life and career:Born in Goole, East...
. He lives in London.
Biography
Jules Maxwell’s career in music began in rather unlikely circumstances.As a politics undergraduate at Queen’s University in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
he hooked up with the drama society and began composing music for their productions. Up to that point he had no intention of working professionally as a musician. Subsequently however, this unlikely group of actors, writers, directors and musicians went on to form Tinderbox Theatre Company.
The early years
From 1988 through to 2002 Maxwell composed for fifteen of the first Tinderbox shows. These included Lynne Parker’s production of Catchpenny Twist by Stewart ParkerStewart Parker
James Stewart Parker was a Northern Irish poet and playwright.He was born in Sydenham, Belfast, of a Protestant working class family. While still in his teens, he contracted bone cancer and had a leg amputated...
, Gary Mitchell’s “Independent Voice”, Marie Jones “Ruby” and Tim Loane’s “Caught Red Handed”.
One thing led to another and during this period he also began picking up work as a composer for contemporary dance, working for 4 seasons with Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
based Daghdha Dance Company.
He moved from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
to Dublin in 1994 and forged an exciting relationship with fledgling animation house Moving Still with whom he collaborated on 2 series for television: “Ri Ra” was an Irish language programme for RTÉ/UTV, and “Stop, Look, Listen, Animals” was a 6 part series for Channel 4.
1997 marked a significant turning point in his career. He made the soundtrack for Oscar nominated short film "Dance Lexie Dance
Dance Lexie Dance
Dance Lexie Dance is a short film made in Northern Ireland, and released in 1996. The two principal characters are a widower, Lexie, and his daughter, Laura, who live in Derry. Laura becomes keen on Irish stepdance and on joining Riverdance when she grows up. Traditional Irish dancing is practiced...
” directed by Tim Loane, an old college friend from Queen’s, and also collaborated with Wayne McGregor
Wayne McGregor
Wayne McGregor CBE is a British choreographer of contemporary modern dance. His work is highly distinctive in its vocabulary of movement, for its integration of dance with film and visual art, and for his active interest and incorporation of computer technology and biological science...
for the first time on an audacious dance project called “Cybergeneration” for Belfast Festival.
Ultimately these successes led to more and more opportunities in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and he moved there in 1997.
The London Years
Since 1997 he has composed music for countless theatre, dance and film productions. He has worked with Israeli choreographer Jasmin Vardimon on her productions of “Lure, Lure, Lure” and “Ticklish”. He has continued to collaborate with Wayne McGregor – “Digit01” and “Alpha”, and Cathy Marston – “Sophie” and “Before the Tempest”, and recently spent a year in Antwerp working with Retina Dance Company.He has become a regular collaborator for Box Clever Theatre Company and recently composed for the Young Vic’s acclaimed production of Some Voices
Some Voices
Some Voices is an EP by indie rock band Pinback.-Track listing:# "Some Voices" – 3:16# "Trainer" – 2:43# "Manchuria" – 2:41# "June" – 7:17...
by Joe Penhall
Joe Penhall
Joe Penhall is a British playwright and screenwriter.Born in London, his first major play was Some Voices for the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1994, which won the John Whiting Award. It has twice been revived off Broadway...
.
Film remains an area of intense interest and over the last 6 years Maxwell has composed soundtracks for Terry Loane (“Cluck”), Colin Bateman
Colin Bateman
Colin Bateman is a novelist, screenwriter and former journalist from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland.Born in 1962, Bateman attended Bangor Grammar School leaving at 16 to join the County Down Spectator as a "cub" reporter, then columnist and deputy editor...
(“The Devil You Know”), Suzanne Arnold (“The Goblin Market”), Lucy Baldwyn (“Freeze”) and Magali Charrier (“Tralala”).
He has also forged a long standing working relationship with Devon based choreographer and film maker Jane Mason, and has created soundtracks for all her theatre and screen projects to date.
Yet through it all Jules Maxwell’s roots are as a piano player and he continues to play and write with various bands and artists. In Belfast he collaborated for a number of years with Brian Houston and co-produced his debut solo album “Crush”. He also played piano with Peacefrog, Iain Archer
Iain Archer
Iain Denis Archer is a singer–songwriter from Bangor, Northern Ireland, who was once a secondary lyricist for the indie band Snow Patrol. Archer comes from a musical background and released several solo albums in the mid 90s on the small Scottish independent label Sticky Music...
, Disreali Gears and with these artists over the years opened for the likes of INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
, Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, The Cranberries
The Cranberries
The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler...
, Squeeze, Hal Ketchum
Hal Ketchum
Hal Michael Ketchum is an American country music artist. He has released ten studio albums since 1986, including nine for the Curb and Asylum-Curb labels. Ketchum's 1991 album Past the Point of Rescue is his most commercially successful, having been certified gold by the Recording Industry...
, Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
and Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
. He has written and recorded extensively with Ken Haddock, co-producing his “Sweetest Hour” album and is currently working with another Belfast protégé Foy Vance
Foy Vance
Foy Vance is a musician from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. His first single "Gabriel and the Vagabond" was released on 18 December 2006 on Wurdamouth Records. The single's B-side was "Indiscriminate Act of Kindness"...
.
Recorded Work
He has released three albums of his own to date. “Bolt” is an eclectic collection of songs and instrumentals. “Hard Shoulder” is the 1998 piece devised for Retina Dance Company for his quartet The Jules Maxwell Project. “Candy Floss” is an exploration of childhood through soundscape and lullaby.In 1998 he began a ten year project entitled “Nil Pointe” which will eventually culminate in the release of an album of songs which have failed to get past the preliminary stages of the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. He has successfully received rejection for six entries to date: Little Tiny Raindrops (1999), Your Future’s Just Begun (2000), Every Little Thing I Never Bargained For (2001), True to You (2002), Oo Be Do Believe (2003), My Baby (2004).
Jules Maxwell was awarded the James Kilfedder
James Kilfedder
Sir James Alexander Kilfedder was a Northern Ireland unionist politician.-Early life:...
Arts Award in 1997 and the Bass Ireland Award in 2003 for his pioneering Red Room Sessions.
He currently lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.