Ep. 23: Sound of Our Times - Prince, Brent and the Fischers

Here’s To Life with Tori Reid

Last week Prince enjoyed a birthday. He remains one of the most celebrated pop artist of the 20th century and the soundtrack by which many artists measure their own creations and draw inspiration from. In this episode of Here’s to Life’s, Tori Reid explores the music and orchestral arrangements of some of his most widely celebrated albums including Parade, Sign of the Times, Batman (Soundtrack), Lotus Flow3r, Chrystal Ball, Graffiti Bridge and Girl Six. This week's guest as well as his orchestral compositions are in fact a soundtrack for the 21st century having composed musical arrangements for Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Chaka Kahn, Toni Braxton, Raphael Saadiiq, Al Jarreau, Michael Jackson, Usher, The Roots (with Elvis Costello) and D’Angelo. Going back to the 1940’s, Tori's guest and his father were profoundly influenced by Latin jazz, mambo and bossa nova greats as Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez and Machito. This duo's collaborations have come posthumously with the father's significant library along with his son, a prodigy in his own right who grew up lying under the piano listening to his father. In fact, they have won 3 Grammy’s on their collaborations. And these orchestral arrangements are the soundtracks to arguably the greatest pop star of the 21st century, Prince.
Here's to harmony, here's to the symphonic funk, here's to the orchestral delight swirling in the Purple one's anthems... and Here's to Brent Fischer and his father, the late great Clare Fischer.

This is Part 1 of a 2 part series focusing on the Fischer musical legacy.

"On the first big album that dad did for Prince on Parade, Prince wrote in the liner notes... it said special thank you to Clare Fischer for making more beautiful, the colors, black and white. Cause you know, there was that whole black and white theme for Parade and Under the Cherry Moon that the album covers in black and whites... basically Questlove did the same thing on this wise Up Ghost album. He said special thank you to Brent Fischer for making more beautiful, the colors, white an black." - Brent Fischer

Credits
Guest: Brent Fischer
Host and Producer: Tori Reid
Executive Producer: Patrick A. Howell
Co-Executive Producer: Tori Reid
Writer: Patrick A. Howell
Associate Producer: Claris Dodge
Special Consultant: Jizelle Reid
Post Production: We Edit Podcasts
Add'l Post Production: Brian K. Jackson at Maven Soundz
Post Production Assistant: Lauren Young
Show Intern Affiliation: Howard University
Voiceover Artist: Vïntóry Blake Moore
Advertising Sponsor: Vivreau Water Systems
Advertising Sponsor: Hilton Sacramento Arden West
Ad Voiceover Artist: Ginger Levert
Logo Photography: Bobby Holland / MPTV Images

Music Editor: Matt Brownlie

Music: by Brent Fischer

New Thing
Son of a Dad
Rainforest
Prince music featuring the Claire and Brent Fischer Sound

Sign of the Times (Clare Fischer, Orchestral Arrangement, Brent Fischer Percussion)
All My Dreams (Clare Fischer, Orchestral Arrangement)
Resources Mentioned:

Connect with the Guests:

Brent Fischer's Official Website

Brent Fischer

Connect with Tori Reid:

Tori Reid on Instagram

Here's To Life on Facebook

Here's to Life with Tori Reid is a show about living your best life, living it out loud and always using the reservoir of the spirit to fill in life's valleys and mountain tops. Find more of our shows at www.HerestoLifeEveryday.com, also find out more about our host Tori Reid on Instagram at www.instagram.com/iamtorireid.