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The Jeremiah Show: Pop Culture, Music Icons Food GodsAuthor: Jeremiah D. Higgins Culinary, Pop Culture & Music Expert Language: en Genres: Music, Music Interviews Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Howard Drossin - Award-Winning Composer for Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest - PartII
Episode 10
Friday, 5 December, 2025
*Dedicated in loving memory to Eddie Palmieri, the legendary Latin jazz pianist and bandleader, who was born on December 15, 1936, in Spanish Harlem, New York, and passed away on August 6, 2025, at the age of 88, at his home in New Jersey after an extended illness. He was a pioneering figure in salsa and Latin Jazz, known for blending Afro-Caribbean rhythms with jazz, and was the first Latino to win a Grammy. The Legendary Hollywood Film Composers Series, brought to you by The Jeremiah Show and Executive Producer Carol Connors, Featuring Howard Drossin Step inside the creative world of Howard Drossin, one of the most versatile composer-producers working in film, television, and video games. From his early days as Music Director at SEGA to scoring iconic titles like Sonic & Knuckles, Comix Zone, Afro Samurai, and Splatterhouse, Drossin has built a reputation for blending orchestral depth with punk, metal, hip-hop, and jazz. In this exclusive interview on The Jeremiah Show, Drossin discusses his genre-bending approach to composition, his long-running collaboration with RZA on The Man With the Iron Fists films, and his newest work on the acclaimed feature Highest 2 Lowest by Director Spike Lee. He breaks down his process, the emotional architecture behind his music, and the moments that shaped his career as one of today’s most innovative storytellers in sound. Whether you’re a fan of film scores, game soundtracks, or behind-the-scenes Hollywood craft, this deep dive into Howard’s work offers rare insight into a composer who continues to redefine modern scoring. TAKEAWAYS Why he steps away from the studio, goes on walks, and replays scenes in his head to diagnose musical problems. Practical craft lessons for young composers How to avoid “blank-page paralysis,” why getting anything down is better than waiting for perfection, and why ego has to stay out of commercial scoring. The Herbie Hancock principle: letting music lead What it means to “let the music go where it wants to go,” and how following musical inertia can override rigid theory or school rules. Why imperfection gives music its soul How live, analog performances from the ‘60s–’70s shaped his ears, and why he believes some modern hyper-edited, perfectly tuned work has lost that human character. How video game and theme-park loops shaped his writing Writing long, repeating loops with minimal voices taught him economy, concise melody, and sensitivity to listener fatigue. The real story behind his Sega break and Sonic-era work How a boring game-testing job, a cassette tape, and one phone call from a Sega VP launched his career as a game composer. How Highest to Lowest was built musically from the inside out Why he recorded the score “old school” with everyone playing together, how the end-song arrangement grows as David imagines producing Ayanna, and how genre mashups (Glasgow jazz trio + LA folk singer; Eddie Palmieri in the parade; the chase cue) came together. How character and theme are woven into the score Howard’s view that David King’s core flaw is a lack of empathy, and how he tried to express that in the music very subtly rather than with obvious musical “signals.” - - - THE JEREMIAH SHOW Voices Carry - These Are Your Stories POP CULTURE, MUSIC ICONS, & FOOD GODS The Jeremiah Show - Please Subscribe & Rate - CLICK HERE Check Out The Back Catalogs of Special Guests - CLICK HERE To Become a Sponsor of The Jeremiah Show CLICK HERE for Media Deck and Rates THE JEREMIAH SHOW BROUGHT TO YOU BY evolve entertainment network - www.thejeremiahshow.com Host | Executive Producer - Jeremiah D. Higgins Senior Sound Designer | Producer - Graham Palmer | Surprise Studio Be sure to check out these evolve entertainment network shows The Arwen Lewis Show, The Kimi Kato Show with Jeremiah, and The Mike Gormley Show THE JEREMIAH SHOW PROUDLY FEATURES Music Connection Magazine - https://www.musicconnection.com/ MusiCares - MusiCares provides a safety net of critical health and welfare services to the music community - https://musicares.org/ Cuzen Matcha - https://cuzenmatcha.com/ Golda Zahra - https://www.goldazahra.com/ Whiplash PR & Management - https://www.whiplashprandmanagement.com The Jeremiah Show Radio Broadcast is heard in London, Somerset, U.K., New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Ontario, Santa Barbara, Paris, and Los Angeles by Radio Candy Media, Radio Evolve, and Belter Radio, My Indie Radio Paris JEREMIAH D. HIGGINS SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS GRAHAM PALMER’S WEBSITE Surprise Studio , On Instagram: Surprise Studio Did you like the music in this episode? 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