Based in the UK, Charlie Jefferson has scored award winning films, recently winning twice at the Tribeca Film Festival with the feature documentary Scheme Birds described by filmmaker and producer Lena Dunham as being “one of the most profoundly skilful, empathetic and moving films of the year”, whilst his score for feature doc Killing Escobar helped earn the production a BAFTA win for Best Factual Director.
With a background as a multi-instrumentalist and music producer, he has also collaborated with international musicians on live scores for silent movie classics, such as The Goddess (1934) performed live at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and described by filmmaker and critic Mark Cousins as “one of the most moving times I have spent in a cinema.”
Starting off his career composing for television, some highlights include meeting and working with legendary journalist Jon Snow on special reports for Dispatches covering the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and scoring a series for the late George Alagaih called Future of Food which was awarded Best Factual by the Royal Television Society.
His emotive music, which often combines classical instrumentation with more rootsy folk elements and minimal electronica, has proven popular in the industry and his recent credits include BAFTA-winning Mortimer & Whitehouse Gone Fishing, Yellowstone, HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Leonardo DiCaprio produced docudrama Theodore Roosevelt and HBO comedy Miracle Workers starring Steve Buscemi and Daniel Radcliffe.
His solo releases include Memories of America (2016) which was described by the Guardian journalist and author Chitra Ramaswamy as “beautiful music…sparse, wide-screen Americana evoking the shimmer and heat of flat lands bisected by long straight roads vibe…” and Jumping Off Point – a new EP with influences of soul, folk and vintage electronica, released in April 2023.
He is currently working on a new album with some exceptional musicians from the Shetland Islands whilst continuing to enjoy working in the film and tv industry.