PHIL RAMONE TAPS YAMAHA FOR CABLE SERIES ON FILM SCORES

NEW YORK (March 3, 2002)—The unique process of marrying music and film was the subject of a special five-part television series that aired in March and April, and Yamaha pianos helped the best artists in the field demonstrate their craft.

Co-producer Phil Ramone discusses the process of making music for films with director Brett Ratner and composer Lalo Schifrin—who teamed up for Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2—on The Score, a mini-series on Trio Popular Arts Television that used Yamaha pianos on the set.

The Score, produced by USA Networks affiliate Trio Popular Arts Television, featured host and co-producer Phil Ramone discussing the special challenges of film scoring with a different group of moviemakers and musicians in each episode. Television luminary Norman Lear was Ramone's co-producer, and guests included filmmakers Rob Reiner, Sydney Pollack, Taylor Hackford, Brett Ratner and the late Ted Demme alongside composers Danny Elfman, James Newton-Howard, Marc Shaiman, Lalo Schifrin, David Grusin and Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

Yamaha provided a DC7A 7' 6" Disklavier Mark III Series grand piano, a DGT2IIXG Disklavier GranTouch Digital grand piano and a professional drum kit for use on the set. Among the musical artists who gave special performances using the instruments were Brian Wilson, Patti Austin, Darius Rucker, Matthew Sweet, Curtis Stigers, Stephen Bishop, Will Jennings, Jonathan Butler, Peter Cincotti, Jamie O'Neal, Monica Mancini, and Jeff Barry. Actor Kevin Spacey made a special guest appearance as well.

To respect the preferences of the musical artists involved, Ramone specified the use of Yamaha instruments for the show. "Musicians and I love the sound and technology that comes with Yamaha," he said, noting that Yamaha pianos record well for television and remain in tune through varying weather conditions.

Tapings of The Score, including the in-show musical performances, took place in December in New York. Each of the show's five episodes aired twice, beginning March 3 and ending April 6, and was available to more than 13 million homes in the U.S.