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Dragon's Domain Records presents THE HUMMIE MANN COLLECTION, VOLUME 1, featuring the release of music composed by Hummie Mann for two films from his extensive filmography, THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD and the IMAX film CYBERWORLD.
There are few characters in the history of family entertainment that boast a more devoted or passionate fan base than Thomas the Tank Engine. Born in the pages of a British children's book series penned by Rev. Wilbert Awdry in 1946, Thomas the Tank Engine is an anthropomorphized steam locomotive who clickety-clacks over railroad tracks across the fictional island of Sodor. Released in 2000 and following in the great success of SHINING TIME STATION in the United States, THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD finds Mr. Conductor (Alec Baldwin) running low on his supply of magical gold dust, which allows him to travel from place to place. Not knowing how to get more gold dust, Mr. Conductor must turn to his new friend, Lily (Mara Wilson), her grandfather, Burnett Stone (Peter Fonda) and his own unreliable cousin to find a solution. At the same time, Diesel 10, an evil diesel locomotive, has arrived on Sodor, with the intention of destroying all of the remaining steam locomotives. Can Sodor be saved from the evil diesel engines and can Mr. Conductor find more of the magical gold dust he needs to keep doing his job?
Hummie Mann's charming underscore for THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD is a fine example of rich orchestral film music bolstered by infectious themes, sumptuous harmony, and kaleidoscopic orchestration. While most films are typically scored in three to six weeks, Mann was given several months to pen all the material for the film. THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD was recorded at Manta sound in Toronto, Ontario, with an eighty-five piece orchestra.
During the same year Mann penned his music for THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD, he also wrote the score for a curious IMAX film titled CYBERWORLD 3D. CYBERWORLD 3D is a short forty-minute computer-animated IMAX film directed by Colin Davies and Elaine Despins. The story follows a character named Phig (Jenna Elfman) who takes the audience on a tour of CyberWorld—a virtual museum of various 3D animated exhibits. Three unwelcome bugs named Buzzed (Rob Smith), Wired (also Rob Smith), and Frazzled (Matt Frewer), worm their way into the museum and chomp up the outlying computer code. This inadvertently destroys the environment's digital foundation forcing Phig into a conflict to save CyberWorld from total destruction. Mann's twenty-two minutes of orchestral underscore was also recorded at Manta Sound in Toronto.
Two-time Emmy-award winning Canadian composer/arranger Hummie Mann has collaborated with some of Hollywood's most celebrated directors in both theatrical and television films. His motion pictures projects include ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS, YEAR OF THE COMET and WOOLY BOYS. For television, his projects include P.T. BARNUM, IN COLD BLOOD, PICTURE WINDOWS – SOIR BLEU, THE RESCUERS: TALES OF COURAGE – TWO WOMEN, MASTERS OF HORROR )Homecoming and The Screwfly Solution), FIRST DO NO HARM, SUZANNE'S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS and REBEL HIGHWAY.
Born in Montreal, Mann began studying music at the age of seven. He learned to play not only the piano, but also recorder, guitar, clarinet and oboe. He graduated magna cum laude in 1976 from Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music and moved to Los Angeles in 1980, where he began orchestrating and composing for such top-rated series as FAME, MOONLIGHTING, KNOT'S LANDING, ALF and THE SIMPSONS. In early 1998 Berklee Faculty member and world renowned vibraphonist Gary Burton presented Mann with Berklee's Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Besides his busy composing career, Mann is the creator and lead instructor of the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program which 5 years ago became the music department of the Seattle Film Institute. He was the founding president and a long time board member and of the Seattle Composers Alliance and for 10 years served as a governor of the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Currently he divides his time between Mercer Island, Washington and Santa Monica, CA where he continues to work in the film industry.
While THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD did receive a soundtrack release when the film came out, it contained less than 30 minutes of the composer's score. Dragon's Domain Records is excited to bring THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD in a much expanded presentation and the worldwide release of CYBERWORLD to compact disc for the first time as part of THE HUMMIE MANN COLLECTION, VOLUME 1, newly mastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland. The booklet includes exclusive liner notes written by author and composer Brian Satterwhite with the participation of the composer.
- BSX
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