Mark Howell
Encyclopedia
Mark Howell is an American musician, composer, ethnomusicologist, and music archaeologist.
In 1996 Howell earned an M.F.A. in music composition at SUNY Stony Brook; and in 2004 a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the CUNY Graduate Center
with a dissertation called "An Ethnoarchaeological Investigation of Highland Guatemalan Maya Dance-Plays."
ist Michael Lytle.
In 1986 he collaborated with Etron Fou saxophonist, Bruno Meillier to form a Euro-American group called Zero Pop. They recorded, All the Big Mystics and Glows in the Dark. In between Zero Pop tours BTD recorded Swimman (1987), and followed that release with a U.S. tour. Between 1986 and 1994 Zero Pop toured Europe seven times and the United States three.
Howell played guitar
on the Curlew record, North America, and met Martin Bisi
, Rick Brown, Tom Cora
, and Fred Frith
. In 1989 he and Frith, Nick Didkovsky
, and Rene Lussier
formed the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet
.In 1989 Howell formed a third band, Timber, with drummer, Rick Brown and bass player, Faye Hunter who was later replaced by Jenny Wade. Between 1989 and 1996 Timber made two U.S. tours and one in Europe. They released one CD, Parts and Labor, were included on Matador's LP and CD New York Eye and Ear Control, as well as on two of Elliott Sharp
's State of the Union compilation CDs. Howell's involvement with the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet between 1989 and 1995, included five European tours, several U.S. performances and the recording of "The As Usual Dance Towards the Other Flight to What is Not," which was released on Frith's CD, Quartets. He also played with Frith, Didkovsky, Lussier, and others, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
performance of, "In Memory," in 1989.
In addition to his band work, Howell has composed for Lynn Shapiro (at the American Dance Festival
1994), Amy Sue Rosen, Diane Torr, and Stephanie Artz. He was also commissioned by several ensembles including "North By South," (1993) for percussionist Kevin Norton
, and "To the Heart," (1997) for the ten-piece mixed ensemble, New Ear. His composition scores were published by Frog Peak Music
.
Howell has researched the music of Precolumbian America. He has presented papers and published books and journals on topics related to music archaeology. In 2006 he become the director of the Winterville Site
, an archaeology park and museum in the Mississippi Delta.
Howell is a member of the duo called Inconvenient Music.
Early life and education
Howell was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi in 1952 and moved to New York City in 1982.In 1996 Howell earned an M.F.A. in music composition at SUNY Stony Brook; and in 2004 a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the CUNY Graduate Center
CUNY Graduate Center
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
with a dissertation called "An Ethnoarchaeological Investigation of Highland Guatemalan Maya Dance-Plays."
Career
In 1983 he formed an avant-garde post-rock band called Better Than Death (BTD) with bass clarinetBass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
ist Michael Lytle.
In 1986 he collaborated with Etron Fou saxophonist, Bruno Meillier to form a Euro-American group called Zero Pop. They recorded, All the Big Mystics and Glows in the Dark. In between Zero Pop tours BTD recorded Swimman (1987), and followed that release with a U.S. tour. Between 1986 and 1994 Zero Pop toured Europe seven times and the United States three.
Howell played guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
on the Curlew record, North America, and met Martin Bisi
Martin bisi
Martin Bisi is an American producer and songwriter.He is known for recording important records by Sonic Youth, Swans, John Zorn, Material, Bill Laswell, Helmet, Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop, White Zombie, Boredoms, Angels of Light and Herbie Hancock's Grammy-winning song Rockit,In 1979, Martin Bisi...
, Rick Brown, Tom Cora
Tom Cora
Thomas Henry Corra , better known as Tom Cora, was a United States cellist and composer, best known for his improvisational performances in the field of experimental jazz and rock...
, and Fred Frith
Fred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
. In 1989 he and Frith, Nick Didkovsky
Nick Didkovsky
Nick Didkovsky is a composer, guitarist, computer music programmer, and leader of the band Doctor Nerve. He is a former student of Christian Wolff, Pauline Oliveros and Gerald Shapiro....
, and Rene Lussier
René Lussier
René Lussier is a musician based in the province of Québec, Canada. He is a composer, guitarist, bass guitarist, percussionist, bass clarinetist and singer. Lussier has collaborated with such figures as Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Jean Derome and Robert M. Lepage...
formed the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet
Fred Frith Guitar Quartet
The Fred Frith Guitar Quartet was a United States-based contemporary classical and experimental music guitar quartet comprising Fred Frith, René Lussier, Nick Didkovsky and Mark Stewart...
.In 1989 Howell formed a third band, Timber, with drummer, Rick Brown and bass player, Faye Hunter who was later replaced by Jenny Wade. Between 1989 and 1996 Timber made two U.S. tours and one in Europe. They released one CD, Parts and Labor, were included on Matador's LP and CD New York Eye and Ear Control, as well as on two of Elliott Sharp
Elliott Sharp
Elliott Sharp is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer.A central figure in the avant-garde and experimental music scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released over eighty-five recordings ranging from blues, jazz, and orchestral music to noise, no wave rock,...
's State of the Union compilation CDs. Howell's involvement with the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet between 1989 and 1995, included five European tours, several U.S. performances and the recording of "The As Usual Dance Towards the Other Flight to What is Not," which was released on Frith's CD, Quartets. He also played with Frith, Didkovsky, Lussier, and others, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
performance of, "In Memory," in 1989.
In addition to his band work, Howell has composed for Lynn Shapiro (at the American Dance Festival
American Dance Festival
The American Dance Festival is a six and four-week school for dance and a six-week summer festival of modern dance performances, currently held at Duke University and the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina....
1994), Amy Sue Rosen, Diane Torr, and Stephanie Artz. He was also commissioned by several ensembles including "North By South," (1993) for percussionist Kevin Norton
Kevin Norton
Kevin Norton is a percussionist and composer active in the New York City jazz and contemporary music scenes. He has performed and recorded with a diverse group of musicians, including Anthony Braxton, Paul Dunmall, Milt Hinton, Fred Frith, David Krakauer, Joelle Leandre, Frode Gjerstad and Wilber...
, and "To the Heart," (1997) for the ten-piece mixed ensemble, New Ear. His composition scores were published by Frog Peak Music
Frog Peak Music
Frog Peak Music is a composer's collective that produces and distributes experimental works, and functions as a home for its artists. It was co-founded in 1984 by Jody Diamond and Larry Polansky....
.
Howell has researched the music of Precolumbian America. He has presented papers and published books and journals on topics related to music archaeology. In 2006 he become the director of the Winterville Site
Winterville Site
The Winterville Site is an archaeological site consisting of platform substructure mounds and plazas that is the type site for the Winterville Phase of the Lower Yazoo Basin region...
, an archaeology park and museum in the Mississippi Delta.
Howell is a member of the duo called Inconvenient Music.
Select Discography
- Inconvenient Music, MP3 downloads. Myspace.com/Inconvenient Music (2007).
- State of the Union (Elliott Sharp compilation, with Timber), CD. EMF (2001).
- Quartets (with the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet), CD. Rec Rec Zurich (1994).
- Parts and Labor (Timber), CD and LP. joint distribution by Rift and Rough Trade London (1992).
- New York Eye and Ear Control (compilation, with Timber), CD and LP. Matador (1991).
- Glows in the Dark (Zero Pop), CD. Rec Rec Zurich (1987).
- All the Big Mystics (Zero Pop), LP. Rec Rec Zurich (1987).
- Swimman (Better Than Death), LP. Lost/Twin Tone (1987).
- North America (Curlew), LP. Moers (1986); reissue as CD, Cuneiform (2002).
Select Publications
- "An Acoustic Analysis of La Salle's Trading Bells." In Orient Archaologie Band 22 Studien zum Musikarchaologie VI. Eds., Ellen Hickmann, Arnd Adje Both, Ricardo Eichmann, and Lars-Christian Koch. (2008), 477-485.
- "Possible Precolumbian Music Survivals in the Rab'inal Achi." In The World of Music. Music Archaeology: Mesoamerica 49 (2007:2), 105-138.
External links
- http://www.frogpeak.org/fpartists/fphowell.html
- http://www.myspace.com/nanihwaya