STUDIO CAREER

Motion Picture Recording

Having performed on well over 750 motion picture soundtracks during his career, Jim Walker is certainly one of the most widely-recorded flutists of all time. If you hear a flute in a major motion picture made between 1988 and 2010, there is a good chance it is Jim Walker playing. Unfortunately, if you watch the credits at the end of that movie, you will NOT find any musician listed.

Jim retired from the studio business in June, 2010 to focus on his teaching career, performing (Free Flight & Solo spots) and other musical projects. The list will grow NO more - time to move on.he way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Life of a Studio Musician

A typical day in Los Angeles would have found Jim heading for one of the major motion picture lots around 9:30 am, with his car trunk bulging with all of his flutes, recorders, pipes and whistles.

By 5:00 pm a double session with 40-90 musicians performing will have been completed.

Fifteen to twenty minutes of underscoring will have been recorded, most of which contains no exposed or challenging flute parts. Ocassionally the score will contain a few prominent flute solos. All of the music will have been sight-read and recorded within minutes.

In general, a day of recording for soundtracks includes lots of time sitting around waiting for directors to make decisions about often very simple, un-challenging music to sight read and record.

Occasionally, however, you are given the hardest thing you can imagine playing to record on the spot - that's the terrorizing part. And, if you consistently don't play it well, you don't get called back!

A List of Motion Pictures Jim has played on 1988 - 2010