Ollie Howell

A young Ollie Howell was given his first pair of drum sticks by Radiohead’s Philip Selway and he is now championed by industry guru Quincy Jones as an emerging creative force. Quincy describes him as “an unbelievable drummer. So creative I couldn’t believe it … he really is a 360-degree beautiful young cat.” Ollie is the first ever jazz recipient of a Sky Academy Arts Scholarship and was invited by Quincy to perform the opening residency of his new jazz club (Nov 2016 – Feb 2017).

Ollie is increasingly in demand as a composer and arranger. You can hear his arrangements in the latest albums from Jack Savoretti and George Ezra. He has been commissioned to write the soundtracks for several films this year and is currently composing a piece for the London Chamber Orchestra which will be premiered in 2018.

His first album — Sutures and Stitches — was hailed by the Guardian as a “fine debut” with Mojo highlighting the “delicious dynamic flow and an almost elegiac beauty”. The record is typical of Ollie’s relentless spirit, written in part from his hospital bed as he recovered from a brain malformation and determined to forge something positive from the experience. Second album Self-Identity is released on Ropeadope (April 2017).