The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey

This is an amazing and incredibly useful resource for anyone who wants to learn about John Williams’ work. There is an episode on every movie score the Maestro has composed. Often there are guest contributors who add personal experiences. I was stunned to learn that the musicians recording the score for the movie are usually given the music for the first time as they arrive. (John wrote the opening music for Star Wars” the night before the session!). Williams’ orchestral writing is challenging but studio musicians can get it right immediately. The amount of work that went into this series boggles the mind. Enormous thanks to Mr. Commings.

I wish I could rate this podcast 10 stars. Jeff Commings is so knowledgeable and listening to him talk about John Williams musical career is just lovely. I’m a John Williams fan, and have been for years. It’s been so great listening and learning about John Williams’ development and career. I want to go see ALL of these movies again (or the first time) :) If you’re looking for your new favorite podcast (whether you play an instrument or not) this is the podcast for you! This is my favorite podcast and I listen every single day.

John Williams’ music for film is always a narrative journey in its own right, and this excellent podcast details the composer’s own development via detailing every single film project he’s ever scored. Host Jeff Commings is full of observations, biographical, historical and production data plus joy and appreciation of the maestro’s work, and always with an eye for a good anecdote. Hugely enjoyable.

Jeff has created the quintessential John Williams podcast. This podcast is detailed and thoughtful. Jeff takes us through all of John Williams musical writing as a young man in television and film. John Williams made an impression on many people all over the world throughout the years and if you thought you were a fan, you might learn a thing or two through this podcast. Jeff is a honest dealer with his openness about his musical training. And Jeff is honestly a little too hard on himself, he is more knowledgeable than he may like to admit. I learned so much more about John Williams than I thought I knew, and it’s all due to Jeff and this beautiful podcast.