Jed Danyel Kurzel (born 1976) is an Australian singer-songwriter-guitarist and film composer. He is a founding member of The Mess Hall (from 2001), a blues rock duo. His older brother Justin Kurzel is a film director and screenwriter.
Jed Kurzel | |
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![]() Kurzel live with The Mess Hall in 2009 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Jed Danyel Kurzel |
Born | 1976 (age 45–46) Gawler, South Australia, Australia |
Genres |
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Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
Kurzel was born in c.1976 and, with his older brother Justin Kurzel (born c.1974), grew up in Gawler, South Australia.[1][2] Their father, Zdzislaw Kurzel (1946–2006), was from Poland and had migrated to Australia in 1960, where he became a taxi driver.[3][4][5] In the 1990s, Kurzel moved to Sydney, where Justin was studying at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).[2]
In 2001 Kurzel on lead vocals and guitar, Anthony Johnsen on drums and a bass guitarist formed a blues-rock group, the Mess Hall in Sydney – the bass guitarist soon left but was not replaced, they continued as a duo.[6] Kurzel recalled "When the clubs asked us where our bass player was, we used to lie and say he was sick."[6] Their debut album The Mess Hall was released in June 2003. In early 2004 Johnsen was replaced by Cec Condon on drums and vocals.[7] Their third album Devils Elbow (October 2007) won the Australian Music Prize.[8]
In 2000 Kurzel composed the film score for the short subject, Sammy Blue, at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, with Kim Farrant directing.[9][10] He worked for Farrant again: providing the score for Naked on the Inside (2006), a feature film documentary on body image.[10] In 2009 he composed music for Castor & Pollux, a short film, directed by Ben Briand.[11]
In 2011 Kurzel provided the music score for the directorial debut feature film by Justin, Snowtown.[12] At the APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards of 2011 Kurzel won Feature Film Score of the Year.[13] It was nominated for Australian Film Institute Award for Best Original Music Score.[14] The related soundtrack album was nominated for ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album in that same year.[15][16]
Kurzel also wrote the scores for Son of a Gun, Slow West and the documentary All This Mayhem. In 2015, he worked again with his brother on Macbeth, followed by Assassin's Creed in 2016. He replaced Harry Gregson-Williams as the composer of Alien: Covenant.[17]
Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
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2011 | Snowtown | Justin Kurzel | Screen Australia Madman Entertainment | First collaboration with Justin Kurzel Soundtrack released by Ivy League Records APRA Music Award for Feature Film Score of the Year[18]
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2012 | Dead Europe | Tony Krawitz | See-Saw Films | Nominated — AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score[21] |
2014 | Son of a Gun | Julius Avery | Screen Australia A24 | First collaboration with Julius Avery
Soundtrack released by Milan Records |
The Babadook | Jennifer Kent | Entertainment One Umbrella Entertainment | First collaboration with Jennifer Kent
Soundtrack released by Waxwork Records | |
2015 | Slow West | John Maclean | Film4 Productions Lionsgate Films | Soundtrack released by Sony Classical Records |
Macbeth | Justin Kurzel | StudioCanal The Weinstein Company | Second collaboration with Justin Kurzel Soundtrack released by Decca Records | |
2016 | Assassin's Creed | Regency Enterprises Ubisoft Motion Pictures 20th Century Fox | Third collaboration with Justin Kurzel Soundtrack released by Decca Records and Verve Records | |
Una | Benedict Andrews | Film4 Productions Thunderbird Releasing | ||
2017 | Alien: Covenant | Ridley Scott | Scott Free Productions TSG Entertainment 20th Century Fox | Replaced Harry Gregson-Williams Soundtrack released by Milan Records |
Jupiter's Moon | Kornél Mundruczó | ZDF/Arte Match Factory Productions Pyramide Films | Soundtrack released by Milan Records | |
2018 | The Nightingale | Jennifer Kent | Bron Studios IFC Films Transmission Films | Second collaboration with Jennifer Kent |
Overlord | Julius Avery | Bad Robot Productions Paramount Pictures | Second collaboration with Julius Avery
Soundtrack released by Paramount Music | |
2019 | The Mustang | Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre | Légende Films Focus Features | Soundtrack released by Back Lot Music |
Seberg | Benedict Andrews | Phreaker Films Amazon Studios | ||
True History of the Kelly Gang | Justin Kurzel | Daybreak Pictures Porchlight Films Memento Films | Fourth collaboration with Justin Kurzel | |
2021 | A Writer's Odyssey | Lu Yang | CMC Productions | |
Nitram | Justin Kurzel | Good Thing Productions | Fifth collaboration with Justin Kurzel | |
Encounter | Michael Pearce | Amazon Studios Film4 Productions | ||
Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
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2007 | Naked on the Inside | Kim Farrant | Magic Real Picture Company | |
2014 | All This Mayhem | Eddie Martin | Hopscotch Films | AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score in a Documentary[22] |
Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) |
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2000 | Sammy Blue | Kim Farrant | AFTRS |
2009 | Castor & Pollux | Ben Briand | Benah |
2014 | Dook Stole Christmas | Jennifer Kent | Smoking Gun Productions |
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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2011 | Snowtown | Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album | Nominated | [23] |
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National libraries | |
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