Michael Brook

Biography

Michael Brook (born 1952) is a Canadian guitarist, inventor, music producer, and film music composer. He plays in many genres, including rock, electronica, world music, minimalism and film scores. His collaborations with musicians around the world have made him "one of the most sought-after producers in the music industry." Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Brook lives in Los Angeles. He is the creator of the Infinite Guitar.

Career

Brook studied music and electronics at York University and worked as an engineer at the Grant Avenue studios, then owned by the Lanois brothers. Here he worked with Brian Eno, The Edge, Jon Hassell and Harold Budd. In 1985 he released his first solo album Hybrid, containing instrumental tracks with Indian and African elements.
Another notable collaboration was Sleeps with the Fishes with Clan of Xymox member Pieter Nooten (4AD, 1987). He worked on the album Set by Youssou N'Dour, Miss America by Mary Margaret O'Hara and collaborated with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on the album Mustt Mustt.
He toured as a member of the Sylvian and Fripp tour group, with the final concert at the Royal Albert Hall in December 1993 documented on the album Damage: Live. He also opened the concerts with a solo set, featuring the Infinite Guitar with effects and sequencer backing. In 1998, he produced the album "Volcán: Tributo a José José", a tribute album to singer Jose Jose. In 2006, the solo album RockPaperScissors×RockPaperScissors18 July 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Strange Procession4:522Want3:543Doges3:554Darker Room6:065Rock Paper Scissors3:556Tangerine3:057Light Star4:568Pond4:199Silverized3:5210Pasadena, Part 13:1411Pasadena, Part 211:08 was released, with an ambient remix version following in 2007. Brook toured small venues in Canada and the United States in late January/early February, 2007. In writing about his score for the film 2015 film Brooklyn, Variety said the film was "buoyed along by a beautiful Michael Brook score and The Hollywood Reporter praised his "evocative scoring."

Awards and honors

He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1996 for his production work and as a co-artist on Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's album Night Song.
Brook's soundtrack to Into the Wild×Into The Wild18 December 2007 · Album · SoundtrackSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 36 tracks1Lord Byron0:592Best Unsaid2:143Carving2:304Timekeeper1:595Burning the Proof1:176Waking / Waterskier1:127Pacific Crest1:188Carte Noir3:039Birds, Snow, Ice0:4310The Combine & Wayne1:3311Carthage Grain Sale1:1412Free Satellite and Hunting Advice2:2113Wayne's Arrest0:5414Chris's California Trip2:4015The Rapids1:1916The Canyon0:2517Childhoood Adventure0:4318Swimming & Horses1:3819Sea of Cortez1:1620Los Angeles at Night2:0421Violence at Home1:4522Billie & Hitchhiker2:2023Shooting the Moose0:4124Arrival at the Slabs0:3425Salvation Mountain2:1926Selling Books0:4827Chris Reads Tolstoy1:3728Falling in the River1:1329Ron Climbs Hill0:5130Starving0:4531Flood2:0932Chris Meets the Bear1:2633Where Are They Now?1:2934Chris Dying2:0435Final Heartbeats0:5236Devil Slayer1:44 was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2008.
He also contributed a track to The Edge's soundtrack for the film Captive (1986). Brook's Infinite Guitar was later utilized by The Edge on U2's The Joshua Tree (1987).
Two films that he scored, Brooklyn and Aloft, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015.
He won ASCAP awards in 2011 for The Fighter and 2013 for The Vow. He won the Havana Film Festival award for best music in 2011 for El Infierno.

Soundtracks

Captive (1986) – co-writer/producer with The Edge.
Heat (1995)
Albino Alligator (1996)
Affliction (1997)
Getting to Know You (1999)
Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (2000)
Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
Black Hawk Down (2001) - music composed by Hans Zimmer
Charlotte Sometimes (2002)
India: Kingdom of the Tiger (2002)
An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006)
Tre (2007)
Into the Wild (2007)
Americanese (2008)
Road, Movie (2009)
Morning (2010)
9500 Liberty (2010)
The Fighter (2010)
Country Strong (2010)
El Infierno (2010)
Darwin (2011)
Undefeated (2011)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Cas and Dylan (2013)
Aloft (2015)
Brooklyn (2015)
Tallulah (2016)
Stronger (2017)
My Days of Mercy (2017)
Le Brio (2017)
Giant Little Ones (2019)