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Curtis
Macdonald was born in 1962 and grew up
in Westlake Village, a suburb north of
Los Angeles after
experiencing a
childhood in North Hollywood and
Canoga Park, California.
A self-taught
pianist and then educated composer,
Curtis studied and earned a Bachelor’s
of Fine Arts degree in composition at
California Institute of the Arts in
Valencia, California. His mentors
included Mort Subotnik, Leonard
Rosenman, Barry Schrader and Alan
Chaplin. After graduation and only
months in the real world, he landed a
job with film and television
engineer/mixer Steve Hallmark and
participated as a composer's assistant
with such shows as “Star Trek, the Next
Generation” and the revamp of the
"Mission Impossible" series. The “seat
of the pants” training he received
prepared him for the business as a
working composer. He acquired the skills
of working a recording studio, mixing,
and production and took all that he
learned and began composing for
industrial videos, computer games,
commercials, art installations, and
music libraries. Throughout his career
he has worked with Disney, Paramount,
Loramar, Universal, Sony Wonder, Warner
Bros, and Mattel Entertainment. As a
senior composer for various music
libraries his music can be heard in
every media market every day. At the
same time he was a commercial artist,
Curtis was branching off becoming his
own fine artist. The minimalist approach
he acquired at Cal Arts would aid in the
development of his music. During the
beginning of the 1980's the elements in
the minimalist movement in serious art
music would transfer over to popular
music as the decades evolved. Curtis
utilized such elements as pattern
repetition, sonic landscapes, and
memorable melodies, and created a type
of music that could be listenable and
still be derived from the artistic
schooling he received. This became an
electronica sub-genre known as Ambient
and Chillout, which has crossed over to
New Age and Jazz, and is evident on many
of his releases including "Shadow
Crossing" and “Everlasting” from
Eversound. His first break as an artist
came when he teamed up with Steve
Hallmark. As New Age music became
popular in the late 1980's, their
release “The Highland Project”, with its
moody and melodic approach was a hint of
what was to become. As Curtis became
more self-aware of his personal high
empathetic nature, he began to transfer
his emotional sensitivity into his
music. Drawing from many experiences,
his approach to mirroring his feelings
to melody became a staple in his
compositions. His deep affection for
jazz and improvisation, film scores and
the use of popular song form also began
to take shape and with these elements, a
more cohesive and commercial appeal
began to surface in the creation of his
music.
Curtis's
beginnings in music came from the
inspiration he received from his uncle,
Chris Roberts. He influenced his nephew
with jazz Hammond organ skills that in
turn became the beginning of learning
how to improvise which Curtis took to
heart as he began taking drum lessons at
age six from legendary drummer Louis
Bellson's brother Harry, noting that it
was difficult reading linear music but
he could feel and execute a groove. That
feeling blossomed as he graduated to his
grandmothers’ gift, a 1901 Platt upright
piano and began teaching himself how to
play at the age of seven. As a graphic
learner, he utilized memory of pitch and
the topography of the keyboard and later
educated himself with the vocabulary of
scales and chords. This drew his
attention to music theory,
orchestration, and composition. With the
aid of ear training, textbooks and
guidance during high school and junior
college, Curtis began to compose with
the influences of the contemporary jazz
artists of the day. Listening to Bob
James, Dave Grusin and Jeff Lorber with
their approach to using “pop” formulas
with improvisation became a foundation
in Macdonald's own sense of composition.
At this time,
Curtis played in many bands and was able
to realize his compositions performing
at countless dinner houses, casinos, and
events as well as popular venues
including The Palace, The Greek Theater,
The Whisky, and The Troubadour. By the
time he got to Cal Arts in the early
1980's he began composing for film.
Befriending filmmakers, he scored many
student films that in return gave him a
solid demo reel. With reel in hand, he
developed relationships in the industry
and began to compose for industrials
which then lead to small features and 1
hour and ½ hour television projects.
Throughout the
1990's Curtis began to experiment with
the sound he has accomplished and
refined today, a radio friendly and
accessible pop instrumental style that
reflects his personal emotions all the
while using the acoustic piano as the
main voice. At the beginning of the new
millennium the recording label Eversound
approached him and with the aid of award
winning composer/producer John Adorney,
“Shadow Crossing” and “Everlasting”
became a reality. At the same time he
started his own record label CMMP and
began releasing his music with the
ability to explore the genres of music
dear to him while continuing to express
his unique style.
For his
Eversound album release, ”Everlasting”,
Macdonald received Grammy consideration
for Best New Age Record as well as
placing in the New Age Reporter Top 100
Recordings of 2007. His song “Hope and
Faith” was a top 10 hit on Sirius
Satellite Radio’s “Spa” for a straight
20 weeks. In 2013 his CMMP release “When
Dreams Come True” received Grammy
consideration and selections achieved
heavy rotation on Music Choice's
Soundscapes.
He has also
created the side project “Inner Balance
– Modern Meditation” as a way to explore
music that helps relieve stress and give
the listener an ability to reduce their
heart rate and find a calm center of
zen.
When not
composing, Curtis works as an A&R
annalist and reviewer for music
placement in film & television. He
annually participates at Comic-Con while
tending to his pop culture memorabilia
collection. He loves watching sports and
participating in the sights and sounds
of Southern California.
Curtis's goal
is to continue and evolve his present
sound, experimenting in popular music
genres and fusing his brand of
transparent arrangements with lyrical
and memorable melodies. Maintaining a
relationship with the listener is a key
factor in his consistent approach to
creating music, and his love for music
and his fans keeps the adventure going.
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