Biography Dylan Howe

Dylan Lee Howe (born August 4, 1969 in England) is a jazz drummer, studio/session drummer and composer.

Biography

Dylan Howe grew up in Hampstead, London.

He is the son of guitarist Steve Howe (of Yes)—his father named him after Dylan Thomas. The guitar instrumental "Clap" was written for Dylan.

Howe attended King Alfred School (KAS) from 1975 to 1986. He started playing aged 10 and is mainly self-taught. He studied for a small period of time with UK teaching great Bob Armstrong and had a few afternoons tuition in the early 1990's with Bill Bruford (who worked with his father in Yes) and Jonathan Mover.

Throughout 1977 Dylan lived with his family in Montreux, Switzerland whilst his father recorded the Yes album Going For The One . It was during this time Dylan first went to the Montreux jazz festival.

When Dylan 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 DH played in various groups with classmates from KAS and surrounding schools in North London. His first gigs were at KAS (1981) and UCS (1982) schools in Hampstead. The groups repertoires mainly consisted of covers of Clash, Bowie, Bauhaus and U2 songs, with a few original compositions. Dylan left KAS with three O' level passes in 1986. He worked as a window cleaner and sales assistant in various shops (Katherine Hamnett and others) until 1988 when he started working as a musician professionally.

In 1989 Dylan briefly ran nights at (now defunct) jazz club The Shack on Tisbury Court, Soho and started playing regularly at West End jam session/house band club nights at: The Limelight, Upstairs at Heaven and The Orange, West Kensington (where he played most Monday nights until the mid-nineties). DH also joined flautist and Jazz Warrior Philip Bent's group for a short stint at this time.

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.

He joined Ian Dury and the Blockheads in 1997 and has continued playing in The Blockheads since Dury's death.

Dylan has worked on several projects with his father Steve, drumming on multiple Steve Howe solo albums. Steve, Dylan and his brother Virgil Howe 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' (HoweSound 2008).

Dylan Howe is endorsed by Zildjian cymbals and Hardcase and Protection Racket cases

Dylan's cites his influences as drummers Roy Haynes, Elvin Jones, Philly-Jo Jones, Tony Williams, Al Jackson Jr, Stewart Copeland, John Bonham, Phil Collins, Steve Gadd, Hal Blaine and Bernard "Pretty" Purdie and the music of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Stax, Motown, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Yes, Frank Zappa, Ornette Coleman, Claude Debussy, Steve Reich and Igor Stravinsky.

Dylan Howe married Zoe Street in November 2006. They live in London.

Dylan Howe Quintet:

Dylan Howe formed his jazz quintet in 2003 and has released four solo albums:

Translation - Voume 2 - Standards (2007) Motorik Recordings

Translation - Recorded Live In Soho - Volume 1 (2006) Motorik Recordings

This Is It (2004) OT Records

The Way I Hear It (2003) OT Records

The Quintet has had a changing membership. The main line-up has consisted of Howe, Quentin Collins (trumpet), Brandon Allen (tenor sax), Ross Stanley (piano) and Chris Hill (double bass).

'Translation - Volume 1' was released August 28, 2006 on Motorik Recordings distributed by New Note. 'Translation - Volume 2' followed in 2007 with an accompanying UK tour.

Robert Wyatt sang 'Round Midnight' with the group at their Lincoln Drill Hall gig (22/09/07) on this tour. This was the first time Robert had sung live in nearly 20 years. They plan to collaborate on Dylan's 'Subterraneans' project.

Dylan disbanded his quintet in November 2007 to work on new lineups as leader.

In May 2008 Dylan launched a new group 'Dylan Howe's Unity 4' and toured throughout the UK, with 15 dates in May and June. The group played music mainly from Hammond organist Larry Young's Blue Note album 'Unity' (as well tunes as Larry Young's 'Into Something' album) and music by Ornette Coleman. The group comprised of DH - Drums, Tony Kofi - Alto Saxophone, Mike Outram - Guitar and Ross Stanley - Hammond Organ.

Quotes:

“This is contemporary, fresh energetic jazz played with brio and luxuriant swing that makes it music of today. Howe has that gift not only of swing, but to play oh, so quietly, making you listen to his very restraint, as he encourages his family of drums to talk together. Just file under a bloody good night out.”

Andy Robson - JAZZWISE MAGAZINE October ‘06

“The remarkable cohesion of the whole band.. Howe's needle-sharp drum fills... and that indefinable sense of occasion which comes when a band knows it is working at the top of its form” Dave Gelly - THE OBSERVER - September 2006

"Just the right mercurial touch...you might well assume that it came from one of the more advanced Blue Note sessions of the mid 1960's.” Dave Gelly - Jazz Cd of the week -THE OBSERVER August 2005

"The Drummer-led quintet play with a dexterity and maturity to match any mainstream/hard-bop artists of the 50's and 60's. This is 'it' if you like serious jazz." MUSICIAN MAGAZINE

“His fills and cymbal rides evoke memories of the great Elvin Jones and Philly-Jo Jones.” JAZZ JOURNAL

“Searing modal, scorching originals - superb retro-hard bop” Critic’s Choice - TIME OUT *

“Intelligent hard bop with a melodic twist.” Clive Davis: Critic’s choice - THE TIMES

“A looseness reminiscent of Miles's 1960s ensemble... He (DH) knows exactly how the dynamics and drama of this idiom are supposed to work, and he proves himself to be a sophisticated composer of slow tone-poetry.” John Fordham - THE GUARDIAN

“Howe handles the Blue Note genre with ease! Stimulating.” Jack Massarik - Jazz Cd of the Week: LONDON EVENING STANDARD

“A sharp young band breathing new life and inspiration into the hard bop idiom” THE OBSERVER Critics Choice 13/08/06

Dylan Howe & The Subterreanans

Howe's new project is Dylan Howe & The Subterreanans, playing the music of David Bowie's Low and Heroes, re-imagined by a 'future jazz sextet' with strings & electronics. They launched in late 2007 with a live show and a preview release of one piece on Translation - Volume 2.

The line-up at the launch consisted of:

Dylan Howe (drums/arrangements), Hugh Cornwell (vox), Tim Dickinson (vox) Ross Stanley (piano/arrangements), Chris Hill (double bass), Robbie Robson (trumpet), Sam Crockatt (tenor sax) and Gilad Atzmon (alto sax), with Adrian Utley (guitar, electronics) and The Solid Strings. The project premiered at London's Cargo on 25th November 2007.

" Dylan Howe's self-styled "reimagining" of Bowie's instrumental meisterwerks invests them with new life while remaining true to their original spirit. His mini-orchestra (ensemble?) treat the originals as blueprints for some inventive flights of fancy but remain recognisably anchored in Bowie's Berlin. The Thin White Duke would surely approve." - Tim Cooper, Music Editor, Contemporary Magazine

"A formidable lineup…immaculate, entrancing collective performance. Howe’s trademark powerful yet delicate drumming was the motor propelling this finely-tuned engine. Every piece told its own story. This will not be easily forgotten…" Frederick Bernas JAZZWISE MAGAZINE

They plan to tour the project in October 2008.

Session work

Dylan Howe has played on over 60 albums and has been hired for session work since he was in his teens, working with producers Trevor Horn, John Leckie, Laurie Latham, Steve Lyons, Geoff Barrow, Kipper (Sting), Andy Wright, Richard Stannard & Julian Gallagher, Paul O'Duffy, Nigel Godrich, John Cornwell, Karl Wallinger, John Brough, Steve Power and Guy Chambers. Also eight solo albums by his father Steve Howe.

Dylan can also be heard on soundtracks to 'Bridget Jones' Diary', 'Bridget Jones' The Edge Of Reason', 'I Am Sam' and 'Confetti' among others. Also on live DVD's by The Blockheads, Steve Howe's Remedy, Later With Jools Holland - 'Giants' and 'A Tribute To Leiber and Stoller' and hundreds of live TV appearances.

Dylan Howe's session/studio and live work has included Paul McCartney, Portishead, Beth Gibbons, The Blessing, Damon Albarn, Dave Gilmour, Nick Cave, Robert Wyatt, Shane McGowan, singer-songwriter Ray Davies' (of The Kinks), Hugh Cornwell, Steve Harley, Glenn Tilbrook, Suggs, Green Gartside, Paul Young, Curtis Stigers, Courtney Pine, Gilad Atzmon, Jim Mullen, Guy Barker, Tom Jones, Baxter Dury (Ian's son), Lewis Taylor, Hijack, Nigel Kennedy, Edwin Starr, Sam Moore, Ben E King, Ruby Turner, Martha Reeves, Sam Brown, P. P. Arnold, Sinéad O'Connor, Jane Monheit, Seal, Leon Ware, Gabrielle, Chaka Khan, Lightning Seeds, Cat (Prince alumni), Tim Simenon (Bomb The Bass), Howard Jones and Johnny Hates Jazz.

A full session/musical history is available at one of his MySpace pages.

Quotes:

'A superb player' THE OBSERVER

'Swings like an old veteran' MODERN DRUMMER

'Dylan Howe, rightly acclaimed as one of the best drummers of his generation.' RONNIE SCOTTS

'Dylan Howe makes it new. The way he plays it, it's as if Be-bop were still hot and wet from its Harlem womb. Dylan Howe, he plays time from the heart.' ROBERT WYATT

'Howe, Inspiring and invigorating in any genre' THE GUARDIAN

'Dylan Howe simply does all the right things' MUSICIAN MAGAZINE

'You funky little bastard' Ian Dury

'The best new young drummer to emerge since Phil Collins or Stewart Copeland.' YESWORLD

'Howe swings effortlessly' **** DRUMMER MAGAZINE

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