Jan Hammer (IPA: [jan hamɘ]) (born 17 April 1948, in Prague, then Czechoslovakia, today part of the Czech Republic). His compositions have won him several Grammy awards. He is probably best known for playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 70s, as well as his "Miami Vice Theme" and subsequent "Crockett's Theme", from the popular 1980s US television program, Miami Vice. Hammer has collaborated with some of the era's most influential musicians such as Jeff Beck, Al Di Meola, Mick Jagger, Carlos Santana, Stanley Clarke, Neal Schon, and Elvin Jones among many others. He has composed and produced at least 14 original motion picture soundtracks, the music for 90 episodes of Miami Vice and 20 episodes of the popular British television series Chancer.

History

Childhood

Jan Hammer was born in Prague, the capital of then Czechoslovakia (today the capital of the Czech Republic). His mother was a well-known Czech singer named Vlasta Průchová, and his father was a doctor who worked his way through school playing vibes and bass. Hammer began playing the piano at the age of four and his formal instruction started two years later. He aspired to follow his father into medicine until a family friend convinced him to develop his musical talents instead. Hammer formed a jazz trio in high school, performing and recording throughout Eastern Europe at the age of fourteen. Upon entrance to the Prague Academy of Musical Arts, he completed many compulsory classes including harmony, counterpoint, music history, and classical composition.

Moving to the United States

When the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, Hammer's studies at the Academy were cut short, and he moved to the United States and resolved to become a citizen after receiving a scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Mahavishnu Orchestra

Upon completion of his studies, Hammer moved to the Lower Manhattan and joined the original lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra with guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist Jerry Goodman, bassist Rick Laird, and drummer Billy Cobham in 1971. A highly successful jazz fusion band, they performed some 530 shows before their farewell concert on December 30, 1973.

Red Gate Studio

After recording an album with Goodman, and also John Abercrombie's ECM session Timeless (with Jack DeJohnette) in 1974, Hammer's solo career began with the release of The First Seven Days (1975). He produced and recorded the album at Red Gate Studio, which he'd built in his upstate New York farmhouse, which has been the location of his recordings ever since.

The Jan Hammer Group

The Jan Hammer Group was formed and supported The First Seven Days on tour, receiving good reviews from both jazz and rock critics. The group turned out three LPs the following year: their own Oh, Yeah? and, with Jeff Beck, the RIAA platinum Wired (with Jan's "Blue Wind"), and Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live, a chronicle of their 100-show tour together, certified gold. One final album by the group followed in 1977, Melodies.

Career work through the Late 70s and Early 80s

Hammer returned solo work with the release of Black Sheep in 1978, on which he played every instrument. He then formed a new band, known as "Hammer." Also in 1978, he wrote and performed on three songs for Jeff Beck's next album, There and Back which was released in 1980. One of the album tracks, "Star Cycle," went on to become the theme for the British television series The Tube.

The '80s arrived with concurrent (though highly contrasting) projects with two of today's most respected guitarists. In 1977 with Al Di Meola, Hammer recorded Elegant Gypsy. Casino, Splendido Hotel and Electric Rendezvous followed. He then joined Di Meola for a tour chronicled the same year on Tour De Force - Live; and finally appeared throughout Scenario, utilizing his then new Fairlight CMI digital synthesizer and contributing to more than half of the album's compositions.

At the same time, the duo known as Schon & Hammer, with the mega-platinum band Journey's guitarist Neal Schon, recorded Untold Passion in 1981 and Here to Stay in 1982.

Despite his active schedule, Hammer took the stage with Jeff Beck in December 1983 for the nine U.S. benefit concerts that raised money for Ronnie Lane's A.R.M.S. (Action Research into Multiple Sclerosis), featuring Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker and a host of others. Into 1984, his various talents were employed on recordings as diverse as James Young's (Styx) first solo album, City Slicker for which he co-wrote and produced; John Abercrombie's Night; Mick Jagger's first solo album, She's the Boss; and Jeff Beck's Flash which included Hammer's song "Escape", winner of the 1985 Grammy award for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance".

Miami Vice

Hammer's original scores for three major motion pictures complement a long list of credits for documentaries, "made-for-TV" movies in the U.S., commercials, and station identifications. But his greatest challenge came in the fall of 1984, when the producers of Miami Vice enlisted him to commence the rigorous weekly schedule of scoring the series.

The popular success of his music on the series was evident after just one season when, on November 2, 1985, the Miami Vice Soundtrack hit number one on the Billboard Top Pop album charts. The album achieved quadruple-platinum status with U.S. sales of more than four million copies.

At the Grammy awards in February 1986, "Miami Vice Theme" earned Hammer two awards; one for "Best Pop Instrumental Performance" and one for "Best Instrumental Composition." He also earned Emmy award nominations in 1985 and 1986, for "Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition". At the end of 1986, Hammer won Keyboard Magazine's poll as "Best Studio Synthesist" for a second consecutive year. He had previously won the "Best Lead Synthesist" honor for seven years, at which time he was inducted into the Keyboard Hall of Fame.

In 1988, Hammer bowed out of full-time musical chores for Miami Vice.

Life after Vice

The first project to spring from the new Red Gate was Hammer's original soundtrack for Clinton and Nadine for HBO Films.

Hammer's next two assignments contributed greatly to his next album. First, at the end of the summer, he was commissioned to compose and perform a theme entitled "The Runner" for a major series of television advertisements in England that starred Bob Geldof. Second, Hammer composed and performed the theme music for the top-rated new bi-weekly pan-European television series, Eurocops, which premiered in seven countries that November.

Snapshots was the first full album from the new Red Gate studio in 1989, with Hammer composing, performing and producing every track. The promo video for "Too Much to Lose," the album's first European single, featured Jeff Beck, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, and Ringo Starr.

The 90s

The '90s brought Hammer's renewed focus on scoring for film and television, starting with I Come In Peace, Curiosity Kills and all twenty episodes of the British television series, Chancer, several episodes of HBO's Tales from the Crypt; a television spot for Amnesty International, featuring Czech president Vaclav Havel, two pilots for NBC, Knight Rider 2000 and News at 12, The Taking of Beverly Hills (Columbia Pictures) and New Line Cinema's Sunset Heat.

Hammer's next project was a giant step forward into the world of computer animation as the composer and performer of the original score for the Miramar Productions video album, Beyond the Mind's Eye.

1994 was dominated by Hammer's recording of Drive, his first full-fledged album of original new non-soundtrack material under his name in several years. He was reunited with longtime partner Jeff Beck on "Underground", reminiscent of their collaborations of the past.

In 1995, Hammer returned to his scoring and soundtrack work with renewed passion and creativity. He began with the one hour Universal drama Vanishing Son, then went on to compose the theme and score for 13 episodes of the series. He composed and performed the original music for two feature films, both released in 1996: A Modern Affair and In the Kingdom of the Blind the Man with One Eye Is King. Hammer wrapped up the year scoring Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus.

In 1996, Hammer's output continued to thrive. His scoring assignments included the NBC Movie of the Week, The Babysitter’s Seduction, The Secret Agent Club, and The Corporate Ladder.

Also in 1996 (and through 2000) Hammer was commissioned to compose all the original music for TV Nova, the first commercial television network in Eastern Europe, based in the Czech Republic. He composed everything -- including themes for 23 original shows produced by the network, 50 separate station ID’s, the music for all of the network’s special broadcasts, plus the music for all the news, sports and weather programs.

In 1997, Hammer also composed the hard-driving rock soundtrack for the new CD-ROM game, Outlaw Racers (MegaMedia). His next project was the theme and original music score for the pilot and the series of Prince Street. On another interesting note, 1997 saw six separate compilation CDs released in the U.S.

Hammer started off 1999 by writing, performing and producing a tune, "Even Odds" for Jeff Beck’s latest album Who Else! (Epic). Also, 1999 saw the release of The Lost Trident Sessions, the third (and last) studio album from his former group, the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The album was recorded in 1973 just prior to the band's breakup.

2000 to Present

TV Nova and the Miami Vice Revival

In the fall Hammer released Snapshots 1.2 on One Way Records.

In January 2001, reruns of Miami Vice began airing on TNN. Traffic to Jan’s web site increased and Jan noticed the renewed interest in the Miami Vice soundtrack he had created 15 years earlier. Visitors to the site began to ask about the possibility of releasing much of the previously unreleased material. Said Hammer, “Fans would make reference to themes that I had forgotten about after all these years, so I went back, watched the shows for myself, and realized how much music there was that cried out to be released.” Jan recorded many of the previously unreleased compositions while maintaining continuity with the show’s original sound by utilizing his vintage 1980s equipment, along with more current digital gear.

In 2002, "Miami Vice: The Complete Collection" was released. The first of the set’s two CDs contained all 20 of Hammer’s compositions previously featured on five separate MCA releases: the soundtracks Miami Vice, Miami Vice II, Miami Vice III, and Jan Hammer’s Escape from Television and Snapshots. The second CD featured 22 tracks never released or heard anywhere but on the television show.

In 2003, interest in Hammer's much earlier body of work allowed Sony Records to release a remastered version of his 1975 debut American solo album, "The First Seven Days."

Cocaine Cowboys

A 2006 documentary with interviews of both law enforcement and organized crime leaders depicting the infamous Miami drug trade scene of the 1980's, Jan Hammer produced the original score. Cocaine Cowboys.

Recent Projects

Also in the fall of 2004 Hammer released the album The Best of Miami Vice on the Reality label in the U.S. The Best of Miami Vice contains newly recorded versions of "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett’s Theme", as well as one bonus track never before released on CD.

In February 2005, after years of anticipation, Universal Studios Home Entertainment finally released the first season of Miami Vice on three double-sided DVDs. One of the package’s discs contained bonus material, including an extensive interview and archival footage of Hammer creating music for the show back in 1985.

To coincide with the release of the DVD, Reality Records released a newly recorded version of "Crockett’s Theme" to AC (Adult Contemporary) radio in America.

In 2006, Hammer was asked to collaborate with the singer/rapper TQ for a brand new version of his world hit song "Crockett's Theme". The result of their work was The Jan Hammer Project Featuring TQ (Terrance Quaites): Crockett's Theme. A CD single, this fresh new version of the song climbed up the charts all over Europe, hitting #1 on the iTunes Europe download list.

Complete Discography and Recording Credits

Solo (as Jan Hammer, the Jan Hammer Group, Hammer):

Album
The Jan Hammer Trio Maliny Maliny (aka Make Love) (1968) MPS
Jerry Goodman & Jan Hammer Like Children (1974) Nemperor / Sony
Jan Hammer The First Seven Days (1975) Nemperor / Sony
Jan Hammer Group Oh Yeah? (1976) Nemperor / Sony
Jan Hammer Group Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live (1977) Epic
Jan Hammer Group Melodies (1977) Nemperor / Sony
Hammer Black Sheep (1978) Elektra / Asylum
Hammer Hammer (1979) Elektra / Asylum
Neal Schon & Jan Hammer Untold Passion (1981) Columbia
Neal Schon & Jan Hammer Here to Stay (1983) Columbia
Jan Hammer Miami Vice (1985) MCA
Jan Hammer The Early Years (1986) Nemperor / Sony
Jan Hammer Escape from Television (1987) MCA
Jan Hammer Snapshots (1989) MCA
Jan Hammer BEYOND The Mind's Eye (1992) Miramar / MCA
Jan Hammer Drive (1994) Miramar
Jan Hammer Snaphots 1.2 (2000) One Way
Jan Hammer Miami Vice: The Complete Collection (2002) One Way
Jan Hammer The First Seven Days (Remastered) (2003) Columbia/Legacy
Jan Hammer The Best of Miami Vice (2004) Reality Records
Jan Hammer Black Sheep/Hammer (2 CD Set) (2005) Wounded Bird Records
Jan Hammer Project (Featuring TQ) "Crockett's Theme" (2006) LuckySong/Sony/BMG

With the Mahavishnu Orchestra (Columbia):

Album
The Mahavishnu Orchestra The Inner Mounting Flame (1971)
The Mahavishnu Orchestra Birds of Fire (1972)
The Mahavishnu Orchestra Between Nothingness and Eternity (1973)
The Mahavishnu Orchestra The Best of The Mahavishnu Orchestra (1980)
The Mahavishnu Orchestra The Lost Trident Sessions (recorded 1973, released 1999)

With Jeff Beck (Epic):

Album
Jeff Beck Wired (1976)
Jeff Beck Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live (1977)
Jeff Beck There and Back (1980)
Jeff Beck Flash (1985)
Jeff Beck Beckology (1991)
Jeff Beck The Best of Beck (1995)
Jeff Beck Who Else! (1999)

With Al Di Meola (Columbia):

Album
Al Di Meola Elegant Gypsy (1977)
Al Di Meola Hotel Splendido (1980)
Al Di Meola Electric Rendezvous (1982)
Al Di Meola Tour De Force - Live (1982)
Al Di Meola Scenario (1984)
Al Di Meola The Electric Anthology (1995)
Al Di Meola This Is Jazz Volume 31 (1997)
Al Di Meola Anthology (2000)

With Carlos Santana (Columbia):

• Love Devotion Surrender (1973) - Drums

With Stanley Clarke (Nemperor):

• Stanley Clarke (1973) - Keyboards

With Billy Cobham (Atlantic):

• Spectrum (1973) - Keyboards

With John Abercrombie (ECM):

• Timeless - Keyboards
• Night (1984) - Keyboards

With The Freelance Hellraiser (Sony/BMG):

• Waiting For Clearance (2006) - Keyboards

With Tommy Bolin (Atlantic):

• Teaser (1975) - Keyboards, Drums
• From The Archives Vol. 1 (1996) - Keyboards

With Elvin Jones (Blue Note):

• Merry-Go-Round (session December 16, 1971) - Piano
• Mr. Jones (sessions July 12 & 13, 1972) - Piano
• The Prime Element (sessions July 24-26, 1973) - Keyboards

With Elvin Jones (P.M.):

• On the Mountain (1975) - Keyboards

With Glen Moore (Elektra):

• Introducing Glen Moore (1978) - Drums

With Tony Williams (Columbia):

• The Joy of Flying (1979) - Keyboards

With Mick Jagger (Columbia):

• She's the Boss (1985) - Keyboards

With James Young (Passport):

• City Slicker (1985) - Keyboards, Drums

With Clarence Clemons (Columbia):

• An Evening With Mr. C (1989) - Keyboards, Drums

External links

• Official Jan Hammer website
• Jan Hammer Interview - Mahavishnu, Miami Vice and More
• Unofficial Jan Hammer website *New*
• Unofficial Jan Hammer website (est. 1995)
• Interview Jan Hammer, 07.08.2006
• Jan's son, Paul Hammer
• Interview - Discusses his guitar sound experimentations