Paul Zaza (born 1952) is a Canadian

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

-winning

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

who worked frequently with director

Bob Clark Benjamin Robert Clark (August 5, 1939 – April 4, 2007) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. He is best known for his work in the Canadian film industry throughout the 1970s and 1980s, where he was responsible ...

and with fellow composer Carl Zittrer. He has composed scores for more than 100 films.

Early life and education

Originally from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Zaza trained as a classical pianist, graduating from the

Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher (musician), Edward ...

Career

In 1980 Zaza won the Genie Award for Best Music Score alongside Carl Zittrer for their work on ''

Murder by Decree ''Murder by Decree'' is a 1979 mystery thriller film directed by Bob Clark. It features the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who are embroiled in the investigation surrounding the real-life 188 ...

''. That year the pair teamed up again to write the score for the film ''Prom Night''. In 1981 Zaza composed the score for the slasher film ''My Bloody Valentine''; in 1983 he once more collaborated with Zittrer to write the score for the well-known film ''A Christmas Story'', which was released as an album much later in 2009. He was nominated for the same award in 1985 for Isaac Littlefeathers. In 1987 he received a Genie nomination for Best Original Song alongside Peter Simpson for the film ''

Bullies A bully is someone responsible for bullying, using aggression to intimidate or dominate others. Bully may also refer to: Animals * American Bully, a breed of dog * Bull Terrier or bully, a breed of dog * '' Gobiomorphus'' or bully, an Australia ...

''. In contrast, in 1986 he was nominated for the

Razzie Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...

for Worst Musical Score for the film ''

Turk 182 ''Turk 182'' is a 1985 American action comedy-drama film directed by Bob Clark and starring Timothy Hutton, Robert Urich, Kim Cattrall, Robert Culp, and Peter Boyle. It is also one of the first movies to receive a PG-13 rating. Plot 34-year-ol ...

''. He also composed the theme music for '' Mr. Wizard's World''. Zaza wrote the new television theme song and composed an all-new soundtrack for the 1993 Canadian English dub of

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...

's anime, ''

Kimba the White Lion ''Kimba the White Lion'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese '' shōnen'' manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka which was serialized in the ''Manga Shōnen'' magazine from November 1950 to April 1954. An anime based on ...

'' in

, originally released in 1965 in Japan.

Work with The Longo Brothers

In 1978, the Longo Brothers had a single " Sun Side Up" bw "Looking For Love" released on People City Music PCM 123. Zaza produced the single. He was also the arranger on their single, "Manhattan" bw "Nightwalk". With Frank Longo and Larry Longo, he played on the Parry Music Libray releases, '' Orchestral Drama 2'' PML 141, ''Country Moods'' PML 144 and ''High Style'' PML 147 albums. The Longo Brothers had a single "City Motions" (Featuring

Moe Koffman Morris "Moe" Koffman, Order of Canada, OC (28 December 1928 – 28 March 2001) was a Canadians, Canadian jazz saxophonist and flautist, as well as composer and arranger. During a career spanning from the 1950s to the 2000s, Koffman was one of Cana ...

) in the CanCon Top 10 Adult Contemporary chart for a number of weeks in 1984.

Work with Yvonne Murray

Zaza produced

her Her is the objective and possessive form of the English-language feminine pronoun She (pronoun), she. Her, HER or H.E.R. may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Music * H.E.R. (born 1997), American singer **H.E.R. (album), ''H.E.R.'' ...

single, " Don't Send Me Roses (Dear Abby)" and album. The single did quite well. For the week ending October 8, the single had entered the RPM Country 50 Singles chart at #50 and was at #24 on the RPM Contemporary Adult chart. The song peaked at #13 on the tenth week in the RPM Contemporary Adult chart on November 26. It also peaked on that date at # 22 on its 8th week in the RPM Country Singles chart. He produced her next single, " Let's Not Waste Another Heartbeat" at his Toronto studio. The song spent a total of eleven weeks in the chart, it peaked at #12 on June 2.

Selected filmography

*'' The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog'' (1927) – 1997 score for home video release *''

Three Card Monte Three-card Monte – also known as Find the Lady and Three-card Trick – is a confidence game in which the victims, or "marks", are tricked into betting a sum of money, on the assumption that they can find the "money card" among three face-dow ...

'' (1978) *''

'' (1979) *'' Stone Cold Dead'' (1979) *''

Title Shot ''Title Shot'' is a Canadian crime drama film, directed by Les Rose and released in 1979.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 219. Rose's second collaboration with writer and actor Richard Gabourie following 197 ...

'' (1979) *'' Prom Night'' (1980) *''

The Kidnapping of the President ''The Kidnapping of the President'' is a 1980 Canadian-American political thriller film starring William Shatner, Hal Holbrook, Van Johnson and Ava Gardner. It was produced and directed by George Mendeluk and co-produced by John Ryan from a scree ...

'' (1980) *''

Ghostkeeper ''Ghostkeeper'' is a 1981 Canadian supernatural horror film, supernatural slasher film directed by James Makichuk, and starring Riva Spier, Georgie Collins, and Murray Ord. Its plot centers on a trio of snowmobilers in the Canadian Rocky Mounta ...

'' (1981) *'' My Bloody Valentine'' (1981) *''

Gas Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...

'' (1981) *''

Porky's ''Porky's'' is a 1981 sex comedy film written and directed by Bob Clark about the escapades of teenagers in 1954 at the fictional Angel Beach High School in Florida. The film influenced many writers in the teen film genre and spawned two sequels: ...

'' (1981) *''

Melanie Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Curtains A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain), water. A curtain is also the movable screen or drape in a theatre that separates the stage from the auditorium ...

'' (1983) *'' American Nightmare'' (1983) *''

A Christmas Story ''A Christmas Story'' is a 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on Jean Shepherd's semi-fictional anecdotes in his 1966 book '' In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash'', with some elements from his 1971 book ''Wanda Hickey's ...

'' (1983)"Our history: More Christmas songs have Cincinnati connections"
''The Inquirer'', via Cincinnati.com, 15 Dec. 2017 *''

'' (1985) *''

The Vindicator ''The Vindicator'' is a daily newspaper serving Youngstown, Ohio, United States and the Mahoning County region as well as southern Trumbull County and northern Columbiana County. ''The Vindicator'' was established in 1869. As of September 1, 2019 ...

'' (1986) *''

'' (1986) *'' Meatballs III: Summer Job'' (1986) *''

The Pink Chiquitas ''The Pink Chiquitas'' is a 1987 Canadian comedy film about a pink meteor that lands near a small town, turning its female residents into nymphomaniacs. The film was directed by Anthony Currie, and stars Frank Stallone, Elizabeth Edwards, and Cla ...

'' (1987) *'' From the Hip'' (1987) *'' Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'' (1987) *'' Blindside'' (1987) *''

The Brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ i ...

'' (1988) *''

Norman's Awesome Experience ''A Switch in Time'' is a 1988 Canadian science-fiction comedy film written and directed by Paul Donovan, starring Tom McCamus, Lori Paton, Jacques Lussier and David Hemblen. It follows Norman, Umberto and Erica, a trio of accidental time travel ...

'' (1989) *''

Mob Story ''Mob Story'' is a 1989 Canadian comedy film starring John Vernon, Kate Vernon, Al Waxman and Margot Kidder. Plot The story is about a New York gangster who is forced to go on the run and hides out in the small town where he grew up. Cast * ...

'' (1989) *'' Loose Cannons'' (1990) *'' Prom Night III: The Last Kiss'' (1990) *''

Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders ''Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders'' (aka ''Flesh Gordon 2: Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders'') is a 1990 sex comedy film, and the sequel to the sex comedy ''Flesh Gordon''. Like the original, it spoofs the ''Flash Gordon'' ...

'' (1990) *''

Popcorn Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion. A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the se ...

'' (1991) *''

To Catch a Killer ''To Catch a Killer'' is a two-part television film from 1992, directed by Eric Till and starring Brian Dennehy and Michael Riley. It is based on the true story of the pursuit of American serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Plot As he investigates ...

'' (1992) *'' Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil'' (1992) *'' Blown Away'' (1992) *'' Liar's Edge'' (1992) *''

Cold Sweat "Cold Sweat" is a song performed by James Brown and written with his bandleader Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis. Brown recorded it in May 1967. An edited version of "Cold Sweat" released as a two-part single on King Records was a No. 1 R&B hit, and reac ...

'' (1993) *'' It Runs in the Family'' (1994) *''

Iron Eagle IV ''Iron Eagle on the Attack'' (also known as ''Iron Eagle IV'') is a 1995 direct-to-video action film directed by Sidney J. Furie. The fourth and final instalment in the ''Iron Eagle'' series, it stars Louis Gossett Jr. reprising his role once agai ...

'' (1995) *''

Baby Geniuses ''Baby Geniuses'' is a 1999 American family comedy film directed by Bob Clark and written by Clark and Greg Michael based on a story by Clark, Steven Paul, Francisca Matos, and Robert Grasmere, and starring Kathleen Turner, Christopher Lloyd, Kim ...

'' (1999) *''In Her Defense'' (1999) *''

Grizzly Falls ''Grizzly Falls'' is a 1999 adventure film about a boy and a bear, set in British Columbia in the early 20th century. It was written by Stuart Margolin and Richard Beattie, and directed by Stewart Raffill. Plot The film starts with an old man, Ha ...

'' (1999) *'' Now & Forever'' (2002)

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaza, Paul 1952 births Canadian film score composers Male film score composers Best Original Score Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Living people Place of birth missing (living people)