Amanda Jones is an American composer and musician who has composed scores for films, commercials, and television series. She is a member of the indie rock band The Anti-Job[1] and has earned the distinction of becoming the first African American woman nominated in a score category at the Emmys[2] for her work on the Apple TV+ series Home.[3]
Amanda Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 26, 1988 Columbia, Maryland |
| Genres | Indie rock, cinematic music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instrument(s) | Acoustic and electric guitar, piano and voice |
| Years active | 2009 to present |
| Website | www.amandacomposer.com |
Life
editJones was born on October 26, 1988, in Columbia, Maryland and began playing piano at the age of three and guitar around the age of fourteen.[4] Jones attended Vassar College intending to study chemistry but subsequently changed her major to music.[4] Jones studied music composition, production, and classical guitar under Terry Champlin. She earned a BA in music from Vassar and received certificates in film scoring and orchestration from the Berklee College of Music.[citation needed]
After graduating from Vassar, Jones moved to Los Angeles in 2010 to record with her indie rock band, The Anti-Job, and started to consider a parallel career composing music for television and films.[citation needed]
Career
editIn 2014 through 2016, Jones worked as a music production assistant for Hans Zimmer, Henry Jackson, John Powell, and Michael Levine.[5] Her work during that time included the films How to Train Your Dragon 2 and Kingsman: The Secret Service.[5]
In 2016, Jones landed a job as a senior music coordinator for Lionsgate.[1] During that time she worked on several television series including Nashville (CMT), Dear White People (Netflix), and Greenleaf (OWN).[6] In 2018, Jones got an opportunity to score her first feature film, One Angry Black Man.[7] Jones has since scored numerous short and feature films, including Andre Hormann's documentary feature Ringside; Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan’s Oscar-nominated documentary St. Louis Superman; and Sujata Day’s feature film Definition Please.[8]
Jones television credits include OWN’s anthology series Cherish the Day, produced by Ava DuVernay; BET’s Twenties produced by Lena Waithe;[citation needed] HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show produced by Robin Thede and Issa Rae; the comedy series Shitty Boyfriends produced by Lisa Kudrow;[9] Love in the Time of Corona on Freeform; and the Apple TV+ series Home.[10]
Jones scored the “Maine” episode of Home, for which she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score),[11] becoming the first African American woman nominated in a scores category at the Emmys.[2]
Discography
edit| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Home: Season 1 Episode V,
"Maine" (Apple TV+ Original S Series Soundtrack) |
Lakeshore |
| 2020 | Twenties (Original Series
Soundtrack) |
Lakeshore |
Films
edit| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | One Angry Black Man | Menelek Lumumba | |
| 2019 | Ringside | Andre Hormann | |
| 2019 | St. Louis Superman | Sami Kahn | |
| 2020 | Definition Please | Sujata Day | |
| 2020 | On the 12th Date of Christmas | Gary Yates | |
| 2021 | Burros | Jefferson Stein | |
| 2023 | The Perfect Find | Numa Perrier |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Shitty Boyfriends | 8 | |
| 2019 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | 6 | |
| 2020 | Twenties | 8 | |
| 2020 | Home | "Maine" | TV docuseries Nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special |
| 2020 | Love in the Time of Corona | 4 | |
| 2020 | Cherish the Day | 8 | |
| 2020 | Adventure Time: Distant Lands | 2 | |
| 2021–24 | Good Trouble | 57 | seasons 3–5 |
| 2022 | Naomi | 13 | |
| 2023 | Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake | 10 | season 1 |
| 2023 | Young Love | 12 |
Awards and nominations
edit- Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score) -Home – "Maine" – Apple TV+ – MediaWeaver/Four M Studios/Altimeter Films, Composer.[3]
- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album for Greenleaf on OWN.[1]
- S&G Rising Award for musical composition work in film and television (2019).[5]
Initiatives
editCo-founder of Composers Diversity Collective[12] whose mission is to increase the visibility of composers of diverse backgrounds and facilitates mentoring.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c "To Make it Happen, Band Together". read.nxtbook.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ a b c Beachum, Chris (2020-08-11). "Amanda Jones Interview: 'Home' composer". GoldDerby. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ a b "Emmy Music Nominations Include Dual Score/Song Nods for Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Labrinth; Nathan Barr Earns Three (See Complete List)". www.yahoo.com. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ a b "INTERVIEW: Composer Amanda Jones Goes From The Anti-Job To Scoring Many Jobs". Popaxiom. 2020-06-19. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ a b c "'Twenties' Composer Amanda Jones On Making Music For Ava DuVernay, Lena Waithe And Robin Thede [Interview]". shadowandact.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ "The Company She Keeps". Television Academy. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ Lumumba, Menelek (2018-08-02), 1 Angry Black Man (Drama), Keith Stone Griffith, Daphne Danielle, Miguel A. Núñez Jr, Ramon Nuñez, Align Pictures, retrieved 2020-09-24
- ^ Day, Sujata, Definition Please (Comedy, Drama), Katrina Bowden, LeVar Burton, Eugene Byrd, Lalaine, Atajus Productions, Datari Turner Productions, June Street Productions, retrieved 2020-09-24
- ^ Shitty Boyfriends (Comedy), Melissa Hunter, Emily Arlook, Bernard David Jones, Sandra Oh, New Form Digital, 2015-10-19, retrieved 2020-09-24
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Amanda Jones on Her Groundbreaking Emmy Nomination! | ExtraTV.com". Extra. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ Soundtracks; Scores; Staff, More (2020-07-31). "EMMYS 2020: Lakeshore Soundtrack Partners Earn 50 Nominations!". Soundtracks, Scores and More!. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ "Amanda Jones on Scoring Comedy Sketch Shows & Documentary Series". composer.spitfireaudio.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.