Justin Hurwitz is synonymous with jazz. While studying composition and orchestration at Harvard, he met director Damien Chazelle and has been composing scores for jazz-centric films ever since. Guy and Madeline on a park bench, whippingWhen la la landThe latter, a tribute to Hollywood musicals, won the Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“City of Stars”).
(The exception to their collaborations so far is the biopic of the moon landing, first man, Hurwitz composed a retro electronic soundtrack. )
In the fifth co-starring work, Babylon, an epic set set in early Hollywood, Hurwitz wanted to defy expectations of what 1920s jazz should sound like. “It’s a very familiar sound, a very atmospheric one,” he says. “When you look at what was being played underground, and what was being played at parties and clubs, the music was much more interesting and wild than what wax and recording were going to be devoted to at the time. “
Hurwitz’s score—perhaps the most ambitious yet—is somehow Inspired by EDM and rock ‘n’ roll, it’s timeless yet totally modern. “Considering Damien wrote the wildest movie ever,” he says.
Below, the composer shares five films with soundtracks that continue to inspire his own music, including the Oscar-winning scores that most influenced his work. la la land.
more: ‘Babylon’ Composer Justin Hurwitz’s ‘Avant-Garde’ Challenges the Jazz Age (Exclusive)