From & Inspired By

The six-part Netflix documentary series Amend: The Fight for America, is executive produced and hosted by Will Smith and features a number of luminaries including Mahershala Ali, Diane Lane, Samuel L. Jackson, Pedro Pascal, and Yara Shahidi among others, and explores the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution—which, in 1868, promised liberty and equal protection for all persons—as America’s most enduring hallmark of democracy. Amend has wall-to-wall music, including Osei Essed’s score, which is intermixed with inspiring pop hits throughout. Essed describes the score as "modern minimalist, meets orchestral Americana." The composer is a lover of simplistic music and making textures interact with harmony and various instruments. English horn, bass clarinet, and electric guitar are some of the most prevalent featured in the music. I spoke via Skype with Essed about the score for Amend and how it fits into his career.