Prince, Michael Jackson & the Art of Arrangement | Brent Fischer Tells All

Grammy Award-winning composer, arranger, and musician Brent Fisher joins Podcast Juice to discuss carrying forward his father Clare Fischer’s musical legacy and the orchestral work behind recordings by Prince, D’Angelo, and other artists. Fisher reflects on creative autonomy, genre-crossing arrangements, music’s emotional impact, Prince’s album-minded approach, and why human feeling remains central to artistic creation. In this second part of the conversation, arranger and musician Brent Fisher explains how he adapts orchestral music for different ensembles, prepares top-tier players to record efficiently, and draws on the musical lineage of his father, Clare Fischer, and Prince. He also recounts arranging Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” in 72 hours and shares why physical music ownership and preserving scores matter for future generations. Chapters 00:00 Brent Fisher returns to discuss the Fisher musical legacy 02:07 Why Prince’s “Graffiti Bridge” opens with an orchestral prelude 05:14 How musical genres rebel, evolve, and circle back 08:07 Clare Fischer’s arrangements across generations of artists 11:50 Why Brent welcomes ideas from every genre 16:03 Questlove, Wise Up Ghost, and the range of arranging briefs 18:21 Building orchestras by matching players to the music 21:12 D’Angelo’s trust and the evolution of Brent’s role 25:46 The long road from “Really Love” to Black Messiah 32:21 When listeners reveal the emotional power of music 39:14 Prince’s album themes and the delayed “Crystal Ball” 46:47 AI, human feeling, and the art-science-math of music 50:14 Recreating orchestral scores from Prince-era recordings 52:50 Re-orchestrating Clare Fischer’s music for new ensembles 55:43 How vetted players make fast, focused sessions possible 58:04 Why repeated takes can drain a performance 01:03:21 Listening for pleasure, then studying the music closely 01:06:04 How Brent Fisher joined Corey Henry’s Devotion project 01:12:26 A musical lineage from Clare Fischer and Prince to new work 01:18:10 The lasting connection between R&B, jazz, and Brazilian music 01:24:00 Lost credits, confidentiality, and the music industry 01:27:26 Arranging Michael Jackson’s This Is It in 72 hours 01:39:13 Why physical music ownership still matters 01:42:05 Preserving Clare Fischer’s catalog for future musicians 01:44:29 Estate records, social updates, and plans for 2028 🎼 SUPPORT THE CLARE FISCHER MUSICAL LEGACY The Clare Fischer Memorial Recording Fund Help preserve the musical legacy of legendary composer and arranger Clare Fischer. All donations go toward recording more of Clare Fischer's music for future generations. 💜 Make a Donation via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/ Send your donation to: planetarymusic@hotmail.com 🎹 MASTERCLASSES WITH BRENT FISCHER Learn Fischer harmonic concepts, orchestration, arranging, and composition directly from Grammy®-winning composer and arranger Brent Fischer. Online masterclasses are available worldwide via Zoom. 🎓 Masterclass Information: https://brentfischer.com/seminars-consulting 🎵 BRENT FISCHER — OFFICIAL WEBSITES Brent Fischer — Grammy®-winning Producer, Composer & Arranger 🌐 https://www.BrentFischer.com Clare Fischer Ensembles — Directed by Brent Fischer 🌐 https://www.ClareFischer.com