He is Hollywood鈥檚 secret superstar 鈥 a composer who has been responsible for thousands of musical memories.
And now John Altman, whose work has appeared in blockbusters such as Goldeneye and Titanic, is working with an in West Bromwich.
The composer arrived in Birmingham this week to begin work on the project with after the group appealed for his help with a new piece of music.
Emmy and BAFTA award-winning Altman is a living legend, working with Jimi Hendrix, Chet Baker, Spencer Davis, Jimmy Page, Muddy Waters, Tina Turner, George Michael, Rod Stewart, Phil Collins, Alison Moyet, Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, Lionel Richie, Bjork, Amy Winehouse 鈥 not to mention actors Richard Gere, Michael Caine and directors like Luc Besson,
Yet the world seems destined not to know his name, but he doesn鈥檛 mind, In fact, Altman seems to relish his reputation as an unknown celebrity.
鈥淔ame is not important. I simply enjoy what I do. It鈥檚 not about being a celebrity, it鈥檚 about following your passion,鈥 he says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to get Emmy awards but I think we all have something creative inside us that needs to get out. If I can help open the escape valve then great.鈥
For John, musical success is as routinely normal as a middle-aged couple passing each other on the landing. He can鈥檛 stop doing amazing things. But for The People鈥檚 Orchestra, this most unlikely collaboration has opened up a Pandora鈥檚 box of opportunity.
This unlikely connection between Hollywood movie composer/arranger and a group of amateur community players in West Bromwich, even sounds like a far-fetched movie plot.
鈥淭hey contacted me on Facebook and that intrigued me. I can pick and choose my projects now so if I want to help a community orchestra then I can. If I can fire up some enthusiasm for people to discover music then it is worth doing, says John.
The People鈥檚 Orchestra wanted him to compose an educational piece to showcase what different instruments could do. When they performed The Snowman in Malvern, the audience liked it but some couldn鈥檛 tell the difference between oboes or clarinets.
鈥淚 felt that was such a shame because with a little knowledge, music can enrich your life forever. I wanted to do something about that. I also felt drawn to this project because I arranged The Snowman for Aled Jones鈥 number one hit, so I guess fate brought us together 鈥 fate and social media,鈥 he adds.
After performing at at the Town Hall tonight, The People鈥檚 Orchestra plan to return to Malvern on December 7 to unveil their collaboration with Altman and commemorate that light-bulb moment 鈥 with a world premiere.
John is lightning fast. He wrote the famous tank sequence for Goldeneye in just 24 hours. Another hat-trick of achievements was even more eye-wateringly fast.
鈥淚 co-wrote and arranged Always Look on the Bright Side of Life for the Pythons in a morning, a music recording in the afternoon and finished the day with a TV advert 鈥 three things in one day! It was just the way you just did it back then.鈥
Dashing round the world from project to project can be exhausting though. At one movie pre-screening, he confesses he actually fell asleep.
鈥淚 missed it all because I鈥檇 just travelled 12 hours on a flight and dozed off.鈥 Chuckling to himself he added, 鈥淣ext day, I still told them all it looked great though!鈥
Oh, he has a sense of humour. When people confused him with 鈥榯he other鈥 John Altman who played Nasty Nick in BBC1鈥檚 Eastenders, John found it so amusing he organised a special night 鈥淎ltman meets Altman鈥 where the two came together onstage to play music!
John has also worked on 4,000 adverts but even that 鈥渓esser鈥 achievement is spectacular.
Hollywood glamour can seem light years away from Sheila鈥檚 Wheels car insurance adverts but John Altman doesn鈥檛 mind 鈥 far from it.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud of it actually. When I did Sheila鈥檚 Wheels insurance advert it was new but by the end it was one of biggest 海角视频 companies, so I鈥檓 delighted about that too鈥.
John is so talkative he should have his own TV show. He co-founded Ten Club in London where Amy Winehouse, Katie Melua, Jessie J, Joss Stone and many more played.
鈥淎my Winehouse was a sweet girl when she first came to my club. Katie Melua, Jessie J, Joss Stone 鈥 they all played. Amy was delightful. She got up and sang every week at my club. Even when she was starting out, I knew she was special and deserved her success.鈥
John has a new tip for the top. 鈥淚f I had to pick one name for people to watch out for it would be Jamie Collier. He is utterly amazing. I went to a masterclass he did at 18 years old! People should check him on YouTube.鈥
