With an impressive background in theater, relative newcomer Adam Cork (London Road) was enlisted to compose the score for
Genius, a 2016 bio-pic about early 20th century book editor Maxwell Perkins. Some of the film's all-star cast play literary figures such as Ernest Hemingway (Dominic West), Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law), and F. Scott Fitzgerald (Guy Pearce). The mostly genteel score highlights piano, woodwinds, and strings when it's not concerned with era swing. Brass and percussion visit the Charleston-esque "It's a Masterpiece," a drum set leads the frantic first half of "Five Thousand Pages," and celebratory jazz constitutes tracks like "I Love You Max Perkins" and "Three in Bed." Raymond Scott fans will want to check out the whimsical "Rhythms That Inspire." ~ Marcy Donelson