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Dylan Fowler | |
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Composer/Arranger/Guitar/Multi-Instrumentalist |
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Biographical NotesBorn: Tripoli, Libya 1956.After doing my bit in Suez, returned to S, Wales in 1959 Started piano lessons at age seven and later began studying the oboe at age twelve. Took up the electric guitar at the age of seventeen at which point music became very important to me. By this time I was no longer playing the oboe but my energies were directed to the guitar which I persued through my own studies rather than being formally taught. Some classical guitar lessons helped but I very much wanted to persue my own course. I eventually enrolled at the Welsh College of Music & Drama to do a Performers course but left as I felt I was learning far more musically outside of college than within. In 1980 I moved to London and eventually formed a guitar duo with Dominic Miller (currently guitarist with Sting) specialising in a combination of Latin/Jazz and Original compositions. The duo was very successful over the next three years with a number of appearances at the Edinburgh Festival, numerous festivals in the UK, and a short tour of the USA. The album that emerged from that encounter was voted one of the best albums of 1984 by Derek Jewell of the Sunday Times. We went our seperate ways and I spent a year studying arranging and composition at Leeds College of Music. I was offered work as composer /arranger at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff and moved back down to Wales. I had a busy existence working in various theatre settings as well as the whole gamut of commercial work, gigs, sessions, writing and arranging etc. In 1985 the Welsh Jazz Society commissioned me to write a series of pieces to be performed at St. Davids Hall as part of the Jazz Festival of that year. I performed them with a group that I put together called 'Q'. In 1986 'Q' were finalists in the 1986 Jazz Sounds competition held in London and televised on BBC2 featuring my original compositions. 1987 I was awarded the Lord Harlech Bursary enabling me to spend three months studying and travelling in the USA. continue |
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Returning to S. Wales, continued writing for theatre as well as performing in varied settings. I began developing ideas that would lead me to form a new ensemble called FREVO with the aim of blending my interest in using acoustic instruments to explore contemporary jazz/folk/world music through original compositions. 1989 FREVO official formed and began playing on the British Jazz Festival circuit as well as performances in France, Germany, Holland and the Czech Republic. 1992 Debut CD of FREVO released on Danny Thompsons Jazz Label, to enthusiastic revues. 1993 I was invited to join the legendary bass player Danny Thompson, in a nationwide tour as a member of his group, 'Whatever'. This has led to ongoing session work with Danny on a number of album projects notably with the Canadian musician, Loreena Mckennit recorded at Peter Gabriels Real World Studio. 1995 Invited to play guitar,oboe,cor anglais and recorder as part of a large ensemble for the recording of the "Celtic Steppes" album featuring saxophonist , Dick Heckstall - Smith. The album was released in 1996 and awarded 5 stars by the BBC Music Magazine. 1996 Formed THE THREE AMOEBAS with Lee Goodall (wind instruments/percussion) and Paul Clarvis (hand percussion). The band is currently performing at festivals and is in the process of completing its' debut CD. 1996/97 Invited as part of Danny Thompson's Whatever to record with Richard Thompson on the Album "INDUSTRY". The album was released at the beginning of this year and a nationwide tour was completed in the spring of this year. The album is currently number 1 in Australia. Since 1993 my partner, Gillian Stevens (composer and specialist viol player) and I, have perfomed as a duo specialising in a mix of early music, original compositions and east european music |
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