Tamar-kali did not plan on becoming a film composer, but she has quickly become a standout voice in the industry. The Brooklyn-based musician was a figure of the Afropunk movement in the 1990s, and was prominently featured in James Spooner’s 2003 documentary “Afro-Punk.” That appearance helped jump-start what would become a unique career in film — after seeing “Afro-Punk,” director Dee Rees asked Tamar-kali to write a few original songs for her debut film, “Pariah.”
Since “Pariah,” Tamar-kali and Rees have continued to be longtime collaborators. Tamar-kali scored Rees’ “Mudbound,” which was the first feature-length film she ever composed music for. According to the Los Angeles Times, Tamar-kali “composed, orchestrated, recorded, mixed, and mastered the project herself in just under five weeks.”
The score of “Mudbound” is integral to its rich landscape. According to Billboard, Rees told Tamar-kali to channel “ancestors” and “dark strings” in the film’s overall sound.
“Some of her pieces — like, they’re very deep and resonant, and there’s, like, a melancholy there,” Rees told NPR. “And there’s, like, an unexpectedness there. So just from her body of work, honestly, I knew she’d be able to write the score for this film.”
Tamar-kali also collaborated with Rees on this year’s “The Last Thing He Wanted.”
Tamar-kali’s sensibilities as a composer are formed by her long career in various music scenes — from growing up in choir to finding herself in the throngs of Afropunk — and she is able to acutely convey distinct moods for a wide range of films.
“I’m not just like throwing you a reel and having you pick something,” she told the LA Times. “Because I’m not a media composer like that, like an industry professional composer. I’m an artist.”
Tamar-kali also composed the scores for Kitty Green’s “The Assistant” and Josephine Decker’s “Shirley,” both films in which she utilized her classical background to underscore darker themes.
“There’s a quality to [‘Shirley’] that feels like a fever dream,” Tamar-kali told Cinemacy. “I tried to create textures that would give you a sense of magic or danger.”
“The Assistant” is by far the most silent of the films Tamar-kali has worked on, relying on natural sound and minimal scoring. But Tamar-kali ensures the rare moments of music are striking.
With “The Last Thing He Wanted,” “The Assistant,” and “Shirley” — and soon Dawn Porter’s “John Lewis: Good Trouble” — 2020 is shaping up to be a career-defining year for Tamar-kali. Just a few years in the industry and she is solidifying herself as a distinct and commanding voice in an industry that is overwhelmingly male. Per the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, women comprised just six percent of composers in the top 250 films of 2019.
“I’m a newborn baby in this regard, so I need to gain enough experience, in composing and moving through this world, in order to expand on that with any real understanding,” Tamar-kali told Colorlines. “I love that little old me can even be a spark for conversations around more equitable representation.”
“Shirley” will be available on VOD June 5, and “John Lewis: Good Trouble” hits theaters and VOD July 3. “The Assistant” is now on VOD, and “Mudbound” is streaming on Netflix.
