Mateo Messina scores again!

Good film composers maintain an anonymity greater than James Belushi‘s acting coach. Indeed, a good score should almost go unnoticed. Pity poor Mateo Messina, a tunesmith so talented that few realize he shepherded JUNO’s soundtrack to the rank of the nation’s #1 album, one of only a handful of movie discs to achieve the status in recent years. (TITANIC and DREAMGIRLS also topped the charts.) Mateo’s ingenuity is exemplified by his having created JUNO‘s seamless aural tapestry, weaving the original songs of Kimya Dawson — of Moldy Peaches fame — along with Cat Power, Sonic Youth and his own incidental, instrumental strokes.

This weekend, Seattle-ites can catch another one of Mateo’s musical masterpieces, JUMP!, a hyper-documentary depicting the aspirations and athleticism of rope-jumping teens and pre-teens nationwide striving to be the world’s best speed-jumpers and double-Dutch teams. (**JUMP! will screen again on Saturday, January 31st, 2009 at 3:30pm at the Northwest Film Forum.**) Once again, Mateo’s score deftly mixes a melange of contemporary songs, with his own genre-hopping compositions. The music is as joyful as the unexpected “sport” it celebrates.

To learn more about Mateo Messina, watch my FILM RAP with the young, charitable composer. For even greater insight, download — for FREE! — my entire interview with the winning award… winner. 

For my complete review of JUMP! and other movies showcased at the Children’s Film Festival, please visit the Seattle’s Child website.