A few years into an active, successful career as a trombonist and arranger, MSM Jazz Composition alumnus Steve Armour (MM ’89) discovered his true artistic calling as a writer and filmmaker. Steve discusses his evolution from a musician performing other people’s music into a feature-film screenwriter, as well as his formative time at MSM, in the below interview conducted by Alumni Council Chair Dr. Justin Bischof (BM ’90, MM ’92, DMA ’98).
ABOUT STEVE ARMOUR
Before moving west to write screenplays, Steve Armour built a career as a professional trombonist in New York. He performed around the world with jazz icons such as Lionel Hampton, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Maria Schneider, and in the late 1990s, he co-founded the ensemble the New York Trombone Conspiracy. He played in pit orchestras for Broadway hits like 42nd Street and Gypsy, and was a featured performer and arranger for the musical Swing!
During this time, Steve also wrote for literary journals and national magazines, then entered the USC School of Cinematic Arts and launched a new career path writing screenplays for film and television.
Steve’s first feature film, All Saints, starring John Corbett, was released in 2017 by Sony Pictures, receiving a 94% Rotten Tomatoes Critics score, and was named one of Movie Guide’s Best Films for Mature Audiences. Sony also hired Steve to adapt The New York Times bestseller, The Devil in Pew Number 7.
Steve’s current projects include adapting another The New York Times bestseller, Jim the Boy, for television, writing The Revolutionary, a feature film about Robert Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign, and creating the experimental story experience Digital Divide. Steve’s second feature film, American Soil, about Japanese-Americans interned during World War II, is planned for a 2025 release from Sony Worldwide.
Armour (right) with actor John Corbett (left), star of Armour’s film “All Saints” (2017)
What inspired you to attend Manhattan School of Music?
In part it was the location—New York is the best place in the world to be a jazz musician—but it was also the school’s growing reputation as a jazz center. I loved the idea of having access to faculty who were making their way in the most competitive music scene in the world. I believed that their real-world experience would bring educational opportunities I couldn’t get anywhere else—and I was right.
Please describe your amazing journey from NYC Jazz musician to L.A. screenwriter.
A few years into my jazz career, I started writing fiction. I wanted more creative control of my work, and the great advantage of writing a short story is you don’t have to hire a drummer! Over time, it became clear that the trombone wasn’t an instrument that could lead to the creative life I wanted, one that used all of my creative mind. I wound up playing Broadway shows for a decade or so, using the time and space that work gave me to develop as a writer. Finally, I decided to go to film school at USC to hone my storytelling skills. And, just as I’d hoped, Hollywood offered me many more opportunities to be creative at a very high level than jazz ever could. Everybody loves movies, and, at least for now, people still have to write them. So here I am. I don’t play the trombone anymore, but I do play the piano every day and explore music.
Was there someone during your time at MSM who stood out as a mentor? Please share an experience or some advice you received during your time at MSM that contributed to where you are today.
I learned a great deal from the MSM faculty, especially from Richard DeRosa and Richard Sussman. But the most important relationships were with my fellow students. Easily a dozen or more of my best friends, closest colleagues, closest collaborators and biggest influences were people I knew at MSM. Many are lifelong friends. The best advice I got was from Richie DeRosa, who said to cultivate those friendships because they would sustain me professionally and personally in my career. He was so right.
“[Many of my] biggest influences were people I knew at MSM. Many are lifelong friends. The best advice I got was from Richie DeRosa, who said to cultivate those friendships because they would sustain me professionally and personally in my career. He was so right.” Steve Armour (MM '89), Jazz Composition
“[Many of my] biggest influences were people I knew at MSM. Many are lifelong friends. The best advice I got was from Richie DeRosa, who said to cultivate those friendships because they would sustain me professionally and personally in my career. He was so right.”
Steve Armour (MM '89), Jazz Composition
What advice do you have for our recently graduated Class of 2024 regarding a life in music?
Don’t lose track of the music. Find a way, wherever you are, whatever work you do, to appreciate the music you play. Maybe it’s the brilliant bassoonist at your show. Maybe it’s the creative drummer on your wedding gig. Maybe it’s the chance to play Bach at an outdoor party even though no one is listening. Maybe it’s just sitting alone at the piano and marveling over some snippet of music from a hundred years ago, the way I do every day. The key is to consider it a LIFE in music. My career in music ended years ago. My life in music continues.
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