One of the city’s finest pianists has contributed a dozen songs to the soundtrack of The Knick, a period drama set in the 1900s, which will debut on the cable channel this fall. The action is directed by acclaimed auteur Steven Soderbergh and stars Clive Owen.
McDermott was a natural choice for the project, which is a look at the professional and personal lives of the staff at New York’s Knickerbocker Hospital during the early part of the twentieth century, since he counts the music of the period among his many musical interests. He recorded Chopin waltzes, some 1890s songs, and some early rags for the soundtrack.
The St. Louis native and longtime denizen of the Crescent City has recorded ten albums as a leader and contributed to a wide range of other musical projects. His most recent effort is a compilation, Bamboula, which was curated by renowned composer/arranger/performer Van Dyke Parks.
This is not McDermott’s first foray into the dramatic arts. He has written for the theatre (the Obie-award-winning off-Broadway show, Nita and Zita), appeared in films and on TV. Tom had a continuing role playing himself in the HBO series Treme, and his music was featured in the soundtrack on an ongoing basis.
