American Fiction

Laura Karpman was already a Grammy-winning opera composer, an Emmy-winning TV-theme writer, and had over 30 years of (mostly) orchestral film and television scoring to her credit when she was nominated for her first Academy Award for a jazz venture. The film in question, Cord Jeffersons biting social satire American Fiction, follows the travails of Black author Thelonious "Monk" Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), whose musical namesake inspired Karpmans playful, piano-based approach to the score. Throughout the vast majority of the soundtracks 47 minutes of original music, she stays loyal to this concept, including during more whimsical moments (the part atonal, part grooving, part space age, part outraged "Bookstore"), wistful orchestral cues (such as "Human Remains," whose jazz bass remains intact, and the Debussy-tinged "[Patrices] Family Is," one of two tracks featuring pianist Patrice Rushen), and pure jazz combo fare (the Beatnik "[Elenas] Monk Is" featuring Elena Pinderhughes"). Its a score thats both audacious and perfectly suited to the films spiraling absurdity. ~ Marcy Donelson