Evan Lurie (born 1954 in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, United States) is an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

. Playing piano and occasionally organ, Evan was a founding member of the band

the Lounge Lizards The Lounge Lizards were an eclectic No Wave musical group founded by saxophonist John Lurie and his brother, pianist Evan Lurie, in 1978. Initially known for their ironic, tongue-in-cheek take on jazz, The Lounge Lizards eventually became a show ...

, along with his saxophonist brother

John Lurie John Lurie (born December 14, 1952) is an American musician, painter, actor, director, and producer. He co-founded the Lounge Lizards jazz ensemble; has acted in 19 films, including ''Stranger than Paradise'' and '' Down by Law''; has composed ...

. Lurie began studying composition with Julius Eastman in the early 1980’s. Eastman had approached him saying, "Don’t you play with the Lounge Lizards? I want to meet their keyboard player". In 1985 he formed a quintet to perform his compositions for bandoneon. The quintet (including Jill Jaffe - violin,

Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, Rock music, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notab ...

- guitar and Alfredo Pedernera - bandoneon) released two recordings: Pieces for Bandoneon in 1987 and Selling Water by the Side of the River in 1990. Lurie started producing music for

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

in 2001, as the composer for their show ''

Oswald Oswald may refer to: People *Oswald (given name), including a list of people with the name * Oswald (surname), including a list of people with the name Fictional characters *Oswald the Reeve, who tells a tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbu ...

''. He was later the music director for all four seasons of the Nick Jr. series ''

The Backyardigans ''The Backyardigans'' ( ) is an animated musical children's television series created by Janice Burgess for Nickelodeon. The series was written and recorded at Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It centers on five anthropomorphic animal neighbors ...

'', which features a different musical genre in every episode. In 2011, Lurie composed an unused song for Nickelodeon's ''

Winx Club ''Winx Club'' is an animated television series co-produced by Rainbow S.p.A., Rainbow and, later, Nickelodeon. It was created and directed by Italian animator Iginio Straffi. It premiered on 28January 2004, becoming a ratings success in Ita ...

'' (a show that many other ''Backyardigans'' crew members worked on, including creator Janice Burgess). Other notable productions he has written music for include '' Joe Gould's Secret'' (2000) and

Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi (,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself. It is not uncommon for people to pronounce his name or instead. ; born December 13, 1957) is an American actor. He is known for his work as an acclaimed character actor. Mul ...

's ''

Trees Lounge ''Trees Lounge'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film and the debut of Steve Buscemi as writer and director. It was produced by Brad Wyman and Chris Hanley and features a large ensemble cast of actors, including Buscemi, Anthony LaPaglia, Chlo ...

'' (1996).

Discography

* ''Happy? Here? Now?'' (1985, solo) * ''Pieces for Bandoneon'' (1987) * ''Selling Water by the Side of the River'' (1990) * ''How I Spent My Vacation'' (1998, with

Greg Cohen Greg Cohen (born July 13, 1953) is an American jazz bassist who has been a member of John Zorn's Masada quartet and worked with numerous other noted musicians for over four decades. Career Cohen plays traditional jazz and other styles, includin ...

, Ben Perowsky,

, Steven Bernstein, Bryan Carrott, Jane Scarpantoni) With

The Lounge Lizards The Lounge Lizards were an eclectic No Wave musical group founded by saxophonist John Lurie and his brother, pianist Evan Lurie, in 1978. Initially known for their ironic, tongue-in-cheek take on jazz, The Lounge Lizards eventually became a show ...

: see The Lounge Lizards Discography

Filmography

* '' Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy'' (2021–present TV series) * '' Final Portrait'' (2017) * ''

Silver Linings Playbook ''Silver Linings Playbook'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by David O. Russell. The film is based on Matthew Quick's 2008 novel '' The Silver Linings Playbook''. It stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawre ...

'' (2012, "Popeye's Clog" and "Devil Tango" only) * ''

'' (2011,

version) * '' Jack Goes Boating'' (2010) * ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

(2007) * ''Face Addict'' (2005 documentary) * '' Lonesome Jim'' (2005) * ''

'' (2004 TV series) * '' The Whole Shebang'' (2001) * ''

'' (2001 TV series) * ''Fear of Fiction'' (2000) * '' Lisa Picard is Famous'' (2000) * '' Happy Accidents'' (2000) * '' Joe Gould's Secret'' (2000) * '' Side Streets'' (1998) * '' OK Garage'' (1998) * ''Homo Heights'' (1998) * '' Inferno'' (1997) * ''

Office Killer ''Office Killer'' is a 1997 American comedy-horror film directed by Cindy Sherman. It was released in the fall of 1997 and stars Carol Kane, Molly Ringwald and David Thornton. Plot A magazine editor named Dorine, due to budget cuts, is for ...

'' (1997) * ''

'' (1996) * ''

Phinehas According to the Hebrew Bible, Phinehas (also spelled Phineas, ; , ''Phinees'', ) was a priest during the Exodus. The grandson of Aaron and son of Eleazar, the High Priests (), he distinguished himself as a youth at Shittim with his zeal again ...

'' (1996 short) * '' Death Game'' (1996) * '' Layin' Low'' (1996) * ''The Salesman and Other Adventures'' (1995 short) * '' The Monster'' (1994) * '' The Night We Never Met'' (1993) * ''Under Cover of Darkness'' (1992) * '' Johnny Stecchino'' (1991) * '' The Kill-Off'' (1989) * ''Kizu'' (1988) * '' Il piccolo diavolo'' (1988) * '' Chōchin'' (1987) * ''The Kitchen Presents Two Moon July'' (1986 documentary) * ''Subway Riders'' (1981)

References

External links

"The Backyardigans'" musical tour guide is a Lounge Lizard (Variety)
*
Evan Lurie
Internet Movie Database entry {{DEFAULTSORT:Lurie, Evan 1954 births Living people American male composers 21st-century American composers American television composers Musicians from Minneapolis Tzadik Records artists 21st-century American male musicians The Lounge Lizards members