Biography

Jamie Howell is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator based in the South of the UK. With a broad stylistic palette covering jazz, funk, rock, pop, and experimental music, his guitar playing has been heard at venues such as Turner Sims concert hall, Dean Street Pizza Express, Colour House Theatre and Hard Rock Cafe in London, and at festivals including Sziget in Budapest, Marlborough Jazz Festival and the NIKE run in Hyde Park. He studied guitar with Mike Walker and Adrian Ingram in Leeds, and later with Mike Outram in London.

As a composer, his portfolio includes rock songs, jazz tunes, and contemporary experimental pieces; his big band composition Sabajam received its premier performance at the Montreux jazz festival in Switzerland, and his contemporary percussion piece It is vain to do with more what can be done with fewer was first performed in Texas, USA. His collaborative electro-acoustic piece Cómplices created with Ausiàs Garrigós Morant (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra), was released as part of the Riot Ensemble’s ‘Zeitgeist Commisions’ in 2020.

In 2018 Jamie was awarded the University of Southampton Presidential Scholarship to study for a PhD in composition under Matthew Shlomowitz and Ben Oliver, and he has presented academic papers at conferences in Oslo, London and Southampton. He has taught music technology, composition and production at the University of Southampton, and has run a jazz ensemble for the University of Reading.

Jamie is also a music examiner for Trinity College London and teaches guitar.