Charlie Jefferson
Biography Charlie Jefferson
Charlie Jefferson
Born in London in 1978, I was consumed whole by a love of music from my earliest memories. I taught myself guitar and piano by ear, before having a more formal education on the classical guitar at school in the Midlands, where my family had moved to not long after my birth.
I focused more on music and music production whilst studying a non-related arts degree at the University of Glasgow in the 90s-00s. I have lived in Scotland ever since. The city was brimming with music and wild night life. I performed live with trip hop and breakbeat DJs, hiphop producers and MCs, funk bands and live percussionists (MC Soom T, Kinky Afro, The Operators, Senor Snazzy) in some of Scotland’s best music venues and music festivals (The Arches, Lemontree, Sub Club, Glasgow School of Art, T in the Park) supporting acts like Optimo, Jazzanova, Lee “Scratch” Perry & Mungo’s Hifi.
In the period after this, I began writing soundtrack music, moving across to Edinburgh. My first tv commission came from the BBC, after a friend’s short film came to the attention of a producer working in the natural history unit. This led to further commissions in largely factual programming as well as some commercial work. Supporting myself by working in community and youth music education projects, I took modules in Pro Tools at Fife College and got a place on the Edinburgh Film Festival’s first Composer Lab, both of which helped me to hone my skills. Further tv soundtrack work followed, bringing my work to the attention of music libraries and publishers in the UK.
In 2016, I released an album 'Memories of America' after Audio Network commissioned me to write a release, allowing me the chance to go my own way musically in a genre that comes naturally to me. I used an experimental approach to the recording of my folk and classical instruments. I also recorded some pieces with a great violinist, Danny Hart of Flats & Sharps, and acclaimed singer/songwriter Edwina Hayes. I was fascinated by the combination of Americana and folk genres with the minimal electronic and ambient textures I’d been exploring in my soundtrack work.
Since its release, the record has been widely used in film and tv worldwide, in productions ranging from natural history documentaries, like the BBC’s 'Yellowstone', to prime time American TV shows like ‘Miracle Workers’ and 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' (HBO) as well as more recently in hit UK show 'Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing' (BBC) here in the UK.
The album also attracted the attention of film directors and my subsequent first feature film score for ‘Scheme Birds’ followed. It was a beautiful documentary following a young girl growing up in Motherwell and the film went on to win the two main awards at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
On finishing my last feature, BAFTA Scotland winning film ‘Killing Escobar’, my body began to recover from an acute spinal injury that had severely restricted my playing. It took over a year, but fortunately I improved and was again able to play for longer, finding a new joy in improvising on my classical guitar and other studio instruments. The result is a new four track EP called ‘Jumping Off Point’. The title reflects my desire for self-expression again, playing from the heart and following my own musical influences and instincts. The EP will go out in spring 2023. I am currently beginning a new album release.
