Dylan Howe
Encyclopedia
Dylan Lee Howe is a jazz
drummer
, bandleader
, session musician
and composer
.
, London
, and is the eldest son of Yes
guitarist Steve Howe
.
Named after Dylan Thomas
, the Yes song Clap
was written for him by his father.
Howe attended King Alfred School
from 1975 to 1986. He began drumming at the age of 10, and although he briefly studied with Bob Armstrong
, Bill Bruford
, and Jonathan Mover
; he is primarily self-taught. During this time, Howe spent a year living with his family in Montreux
, Switzerland
, for the recording of Yes's Going for the One
album. It was during this time he first attended the Montreux Jazz Festival
.
When Howe was 13, his parents took him to see Buddy Rich
and his big band at Ronnie Scott's club – he cites this as the moment when he knew that he wanted to become a jazz drummer.
Throughout his teens, Howe played in various groups in North London. His first gigs were at King Alfred School (1981) and University College School
(1982). The groups' repertoires mainly consisted of covers of The Clash
, David Bowie
, Bauhaus
and U2
songs, supplemented with original material. Dylan left King Alfred School with three O-level passes in 1986. He worked as a window cleaner
and sales assistant in various shops (for Katherine Hamnett and others) until 1988 when he started working as a professional musician.
Howe married Zoe Street in November 2006.
/house band
club nights at venues including The Limelight
. It was around this time that he joined flautist
Philip Bent
's group.
In 1996, Howe joined the house band for the Channel 4
light entertainment series Light Lunch
and its subsequent spin-off Late Lunch, presented by comediennes Mel and Sue
.
; appearing on the Ten More Turnips from the Tip
album.
were in Steve Howe's Remedy band in a 2004 European tour. The Steve Howe Trio
was formed in 2007 with Steve, Dylan and Ross Stanley on Hammond organ
. They toured the UK in May 2007 and June 2008 to promote their debut album The Haunted Melody.
Band, with Johnson on guitar and vocals, and Norman Watt-Roy
on bass.
The quintet has had a changing membership, but has primarily consisted of Howe, Quentin Collins (trumpet), Brandon Allen (tenor sax), Ross Stanley (piano) and Chris Hill (double bass). Jazz fusion
musician Robert Wyatt
has previously provided vocals to live performances. This Is It featured as The Guardian
's single of the week in November 2004, and The Observer
commented on Howe's "needle-sharp" drum fills on the live Translation album.
In November 2007, howe disbanded the quintet to focus on alternative projects, including Dylan Howe's Unity 4.
's Low and Heroes. Dubbed a "future jazz sextet with strings and electronics", they launched with a live show and a preview release of one piece on Translation - Volume 2.
, Nigel Godrich
and Guy Chambers
.
Howe has contributed to many movie soundtracks
, including Bridget Jones's Diary
, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
, I Am Sam
and Confetti.
Howe's session and live work has included Paul McCartney
, Ray Davies
, Tom Jones
and Gabrielle
.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
, session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Early life
Howe grew up in HampsteadHampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and is the eldest son of Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
guitarist Steve Howe
Steve Howe (guitarist)
Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
.
Named after Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
, the Yes song Clap
The Yes Album
The Yes Album is the third studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the last record to feature keyboardist Tony Kaye until 1983, and the first to feature guitarist Steve Howe, who replaced Peter Banks in 1970...
was written for him by his father.
Howe attended King Alfred School
King Alfred School
The King Alfred School was founded in London, England, in 1898.The school was radical for its time in that it provided a secular education and that boys and girls were educated together.-Aim:...
from 1975 to 1986. He began drumming at the age of 10, and although he briefly studied with Bob Armstrong
Bob Armstrong
Joseph Melton James is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Bullet" Bob Armstrong. In the course of his career, which spanned five decades, Armstrong held numerous championships throughout the Southeastern United States...
, Bill Bruford
Bill Bruford
William Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
, and Jonathan Mover
Jonathan Mover
Jonathan Mover is an American drummer who has worked with a number of artists including Aretha Franklin, Fuel, Alice Cooper, Shakira, Julian Lennon, GTR, Everlast, The Tubes, Mick Jagger, Steve Howe, Peter Frampton, Oleander, Celine Dion, Elton John, Stuart Hamm, They Might Be Giants, Frank...
; he is primarily self-taught. During this time, Howe spent a year living with his family in Montreux
Montreux
Montreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, for the recording of Yes's Going for the One
Going for the One
Going for the One is the eighth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released in 1977 on Atlantic Records. It was produced after an extended break for solo activity from the group, and marks the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who had departed in 1974 after the Tales from...
album. It was during this time he first attended the Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
.
When Howe was 13, his parents took him to see Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
and his big band at Ronnie Scott's club – he cites this as the moment when he knew that he wanted to become a jazz drummer.
Throughout his teens, Howe played in various groups in North London. His first gigs were at King Alfred School (1981) and University College School
University College School
University College School, generally known as UCS, is an Independent school charity situated in Hampstead, north west London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views...
(1982). The groups' repertoires mainly consisted of covers of The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
and U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
songs, supplemented with original material. Dylan left King Alfred School with three O-level passes in 1986. He worked as a window cleaner
Window cleaner
A window cleaner is a person who maintains the cleanliness of windows, mirrors and other glass surfaces as a profession.-Profession:...
and sales assistant in various shops (for Katherine Hamnett and others) until 1988 when he started working as a professional musician.
Howe married Zoe Street in November 2006.
Career
In 1989, Howe ran nights at (now-defunct) jazz club The Shack on Tisbury Court, Soho and started playing regularly at West End jam sessionJam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
/house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
club nights at venues including The Limelight
The Limelight
The Limelight is the name of a chain of nightclubs that were owned and operated by Peter Gatien, located in Atlanta, Hollywood, Florida, and London, and formerly in New York City and Chicago.-History:...
. It was around this time that he joined flautist
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
Philip Bent
Philip Bent
Lieutenant Colonel Philip Eric Bent VC DSO was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Biography:...
's group.
In 1996, Howe joined the house band for the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
light entertainment series Light Lunch
Light Lunch
Light Lunch is a Channel 4 lunch-time comedy chatshow broadcast between March 1997 and February 1998. It starred Mel and Sue...
and its subsequent spin-off Late Lunch, presented by comediennes Mel and Sue
Mel and Sue
Mel and Sue are a British comedy duo, consisting of Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.-Early career:The two women met whilst students at the University of Cambridge in England where both were members of the famous comedy club Footlights.-Television:Their television breakthrough came on the French &...
.
The Blockheads
Howe joined Ian Dury and the Blockheads in 1997 and – following Dury's death in 2000 – has continued playing in The BlockheadsThe Blockheads
The Blockheads are an English rock and roll band. Originally fronted by vocalist Ian Dury as Ian Dury and the Blockheads, the band has continued to perform since Dury's death in 2000. Current members include Chaz Jankel , Norman Watt-Roy , Mick Gallagher , John Turnbull and Davey Payne...
; appearing on the Ten More Turnips from the Tip
Ten More Turnips from the Tip
Ten More Turnips From The Tip is the final album by Ian Dury and the Blockheads. It was compiled and released in 2002, two years after the singer's tragic demise from cancer in March 2000.- History :...
album.
Steve Howe
Howe has worked on several projects with his father Steve, drumming on a number of his solo albums. Steve, Dylan and his brother Virgil HoweVirgil Howe
-Biography:Virgil is the second son of guitarist Steve Howe . Alongside his brother, drummer Dylan Howe, he has played keyboards for a number of his father's projects, including the Steve Howe solo albums The Grand Scheme of Things and Spectrum , as well as in Steve Howe's Remedy...
were in Steve Howe's Remedy band in a 2004 European tour. The Steve Howe Trio
Steve Howe Trio
The Steve Howe Trio is an English jazz trio led by the famous guitarist from Yes and Asia, Steve Howe. It was formed in 2007 by Steve, his son Dylan Howe on drums and Ross Stanley on Hammond organ....
was formed in 2007 with Steve, Dylan and Ross Stanley on Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
. They toured the UK in May 2007 and June 2008 to promote their debut album The Haunted Melody.
Wilko Johnson
Howe has replaced Steve Monti as drummer in the Wilko JohnsonWilko Johnson
Wilko Johnson is an English guitarist and songwriter, particularly associated with the UK rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in the 1970s.-Career:...
Band, with Johnson on guitar and vocals, and Norman Watt-Roy
Norman Watt-Roy
Norman Watt-Roy is the bassist for The Blockheads, previously known as Ian Dury & the Blockheads.In November 1954 the Watt-Roy family, including Norman, his older brother Garth and his sister, moved to England...
on bass.
Dylan Howe Quintet
Howe formed his jazz quintet in 2003 and has released four solo albums:- The Way I Hear It (2003)
- This Is It (2004)
- Translation - Recorded Live In Soho - Volume 1 (2006)
- Translation - Volume 2 - Standards (2007)
The quintet has had a changing membership, but has primarily consisted of Howe, Quentin Collins (trumpet), Brandon Allen (tenor sax), Ross Stanley (piano) and Chris Hill (double bass). Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
musician Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
has previously provided vocals to live performances. This Is It featured as The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
's single of the week in November 2004, and The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
commented on Howe's "needle-sharp" drum fills on the live Translation album.
In November 2007, howe disbanded the quintet to focus on alternative projects, including Dylan Howe's Unity 4.
The Subterreanans
Howe began Dylan Howe and the Subterreanans in 2007, playing the music of David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's Low and Heroes. Dubbed a "future jazz sextet with strings and electronics", they launched with a live show and a preview release of one piece on Translation - Volume 2.
Session work
Howe has played on over 60 albums, including work with producers Trevor HornTrevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
, Nigel Godrich
Nigel Godrich
Nigel Godrich, , is a recording engineer, record producer and musician. He is best known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead and is sometimes referred to as the "sixth member" of the band...
and Guy Chambers
Guy Chambers
Guy Chambers is an English songwriter and record producer, perhaps best known for his long partnership with Robbie Williams.- Biography :...
.
Howe has contributed to many movie soundtracks
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
, including Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film based on Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy...
, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (film)
# Will Young - "Your Love Is King"# Jamelia - "Stop"# Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head"# Joss Stone - "Super Duper Love Pt. 1"# Mary J...
, I Am Sam
I Am Sam
I Am Sam is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with a developmental disability, Dakota Fanning as his inquisitive seven-year-old daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer...
and Confetti.
Howe's session and live work has included Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Ray Davies
Ray Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
, Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
and Gabrielle
Gabrielle (singer)
Louisa Gabrielle Bobb is a multi-platinum selling, BRIT Award winning English singer, who records under the name Gabrielle. Gabrielle began her career temping during the day and singing for free in London clubs at night...
.