Under the stars in Chace Park, attended by around 2,000 music/film lovers.
Clyde Mitchell conducted the rousing, fun score. Really enjoyed writing this one!
Intrada Records releases a new, remastered edition of Safan’s classic “The Last Starfighter”.
All new digital transfers from my own reel-to-reel composer’s copy of the score. It really sounds great!
Dragon’s Domain Recorded has released two of my older scores: “Timestalkers”, a television movie with Klaus Kinski, Bill Devane, and Lauren Hutton; and “Die Laughing”, a feature film staring Robbi Benson, Charles Durning, and Bud Cort.
Lots of love to Roger Feigelson and Doug Fake for this very beautiful release of my new score for “Phantom of the Opera”! Over the years they’ve released many of my scores, but this one is special to me.
Commissioned by the Marina Del Rey Symphony, Craig Safan’s new score to the classic Lon Chaney film “The Phantom of the Opera” was performed in Chace Park to an audience of over 1,000 music and film lovers. The music was played by the 65-piece orchestra plus vocalists and, of course, a very loud theater organ.
Beautifully recorded with a high level of immediacy, Craig Safan’s third and newest recording is certainly one to get the blood pumping. The high energy of High on Hope Street sets the bar high as this celebration of life in the City of Angels launches. There’s also a sense of play in the vocals, plus real grit to the violin solos.
The disc’s title, L. A. Ex, works with memory (as discussed in the associated interview) but also refers to the city’s famous airport. Spring St. Boogie with its high-octane repetitions seems to simultaneously pay homage to boogie and big bands, but with an extra-beat “kick” to it. The immediacy of the recording is remarkable, particularly over good quality headphones.
There is a real impression of going into some sort of time vortex when listening to this disc; one is never sure which memory of which era will come into focus next. Safan’s imagination is vast, and he is a master painter in the way he creates an individual world for each track. Fantastically inventive; brilliantly realized. Colin Clarke
Notefornote Music is set to release “L.A. Ex”.
This is my love letter to Los Angeles! After a long pandemic year working remotely
with musicians, engineers, and my producer, Greg Prestopino, it’s finally done!
Look for videos to follow.
My new album, “LA-Ex” is on the way! My producer, Greg Prestopino, did an amazing job mixing the complex tracks. It’s now being mastered by Chas Ferry and will be released on Notefornote later this year! The music is inspired by my impressions of growing up in Los Angeles. I’ll post a track in the coming weeks!
This is an all-sung pilot I was involved in for CBS. I was co-composer, co-writer, and co-producer! Somehow it was rediscovered by Michael Darling at LA Magazine and he wrote a great article about the show interviewing many of the actors and creatives.