Jeff Beal

Jeff Beal (born June 20, 1963) is an American composer of music for film, television, recordings, and the concert hall. Highly regarded as a jazz instrumentalist and versatile composer, Beal's music often incorporates a synthesis of improvisatory and composed elements.

Beal was born in Hayward, California, and began trumpet studies in the third grade after attending a school music assembly at Castro Valley's Marshall Elementary School with his father. Upon hearing the trumpet played, he chose it as his instrument. Beal's grandmother, Irene Beal, was an accomplished pianist, professional silent-movie accompanist, and fan of trumpeter Miles Davis. She gave Jeff a recording of Miles' collaboration with Gil Evans, Sketches of Spain. Beal wrote his first long-form composition for the Oakland Youth Symphony Orchestra while a student at Castro Valley High School. OYSO conductor Kent Nagano had Jeff combine his love of jazz improvisation with an orchestral accompaniment. This merging of improvisation with classical composition has remained a hallmark of Beal's music. Beal went on to study composition and trumpet at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor of Music degree.

In the mid-1990s, Beal relocated to Los Angeles. His first critical notice came in 2001, for his "hypnotic combination of minimalist rhythmic drive and Americana" score to Ed Harris' directorial debut, Pollock. He has since been nominated for nineteen primetime Emmy Awards, and has won five, His first statue was awarded in 2003 for his main theme to the USA Network detective series Monk. Other Emmy nominations include HBO's evocative Depression era series, Carnivàle and epic drama Rome, as well as four nominations and two wins for Netflix's House of Cards. Beal is noted for composing most of his music at his home, without assistants or orchestrators, playing most of the instruments himself. For the music from House of Cards, he added strings through recording a 17-piece string ensemble, which he invited to record in the living room of his home.