BIOGRAPHY
at a music festival in baltimore kambon was summoned to the stage by none other than dizzy gillespie. they agreed to play “st. thomas,’’ the sonny rollins tune, and kambon began tinkling out the notes on the piano under mr. gillespie’s watchful eye. suddenly, the whole band crashed in with full musical force, mr. gillespie’s trumpet riding high above it all.
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”at the time, the significance of that moment wasn’t clear to me. but, in retrospect, this was my first introduction to “being in the right place at the right time.”
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he went on to graduate from the prestigious berklee college of music in boston, where he composed music for the Emmy nominated film, dancing: new worlds, new forms and Emmy-Award winning malcolm x:make it plain.
“i’ll never forget something oliver stone told me.” he said, ‘your art is a direct reflection of who you are and where you’ve been. so, when you show me your art, i see where you’ve been.’ that’s what i convey in my music: my life story.”
camara kambon
in 1995, just 23 years old and not even a full year out of college, camara kambon took home one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment world, an Emmy, for the music he composed for the hbo film, sonny liston: the mysterious life and death of a champion.
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such an achievement might be the capstone to any musician’s career but in many ways it was just the beginning for kambon, who has lent his musical touch to an array of films, tv shows and recording artists. a prodigy and eclectic, he has shared the stage or the studio with performers ranging from dizzy gillespie to dr. dre, the baltimore symphony orchestra to mary j. blige and eminem.
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trained as a jazz and classical pianist, his compositions move easily from the lush strings of an orchestra to the pounding beats of hip-hop and r & b.
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he followed up his Emmy win with two more nominations for scoring sports-related hbo films and he earned 3 grammy nominations in 2001 for co-writing the blige no. 1 hit “family affair’’ and for his keyboard work on nelly furtado’s “whoa, nelly!’’ and eve’s “scorpion.’’
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some of his most prolific and genre-bending work can be found in his film and tv scores, including the score for the Oscar-nominated la corona, any given sunday, biker boyz, and the theme to the cw network’s girlfriends. Most recently, his work was featured during the 2022 Super Bowl LVI Halftime show and in marvel studios' thor: love and thunder.
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kambon began playing music when he was 10 months old, as he would rhythmically tap on his high chair. he started studying drums, moved on to piano when he was 4 and composed his first musical riffs by 6. at 11 he enrolled in peabody prep in his native baltimore, graduating with honors in musicianship, classical and jazz piano and composition. it was around this age when he had the kind of seminal experience that charted his future.
FILMOGRAPHY
LA CORONA
The contestants are murderers, guerrillas and thieves. The winner will be crowned Queen, but she won’t be invited on a press tour as a role model for young girls. Instead, she will be escorted back to her cell. LA CORONA (The Crown) is a character-driven documentary that follows four inmates competing for the crown in the annual beauty pageant of the Bogota Women’s Prison.
JOHN LEWIS: GET IN THE WAY
Follow the courageous journey of John Lewis, whose unwavering fight for justice spans the past 50 years, from his youth in the segregated South, through his leadership within the Civil Rights movement, to his current role as a powerful voice in Congress.
NOW en ESPAñOL
Now En Español follows the trials and travails of five Latina actresses in Los Angeles who dub “Desperate Housewives” for Spanish language audiences in the US. These dynamic women struggle to pursue their Hollywood careers while balancing the responsibilities of making rent and raising children – surviving but with their dreams always out of reach.
ONE NIGHT IN VEGAS
The story of the On the evening of Sept. 7, 1996, Mike Tyson, the WBC heavyweight champion, attempted to take Bruce Seldon's WBA title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Sitting ringside was controversial rapper Tupac Shakur. Following Tyson's victory, Shakur and "Iron Mike" were to celebrate at an after party, but the rap star never arrived. This is the story of that night and Shakur and Tyson's friendship.
BIKER BOYZ
Slick Will, the mechanic for a legendary motorcycle racer named Smoke (Laurence Fishburne), is struck dead during an off-the-grid race. Following the funeral, and in opposition to his mother's protests, Slick Will's son, Kid (Derek Luke), starts racing in the same fringe circuit -- but, despite Kid's skill and showmanship, Smoke refuses to race him. Spurned by the man he looked up to, Kid starts a rival motorcycle gang called the "Biker Boyz," and a showdown between them is inevitable.
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY
Four years ago, DAmato's (Al Pacino) Miami Sharks were at the top. Now, his team is struggling with three consecutive losses, sliding attendance, and aging heroes, particularly 39-year-old quarterback Jack "Cap" Rooney (Dennis Quaid). Off the field, DAmato is struggling with a failed marriage and estranged children, and is on a collision course with Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz), the young president/co-owner of the Sharks organization.