Adventures In The Studio

Myself & Jim Dymond, in performance...

My recollection is that a handwritten note was pinned to the painting dept. noticeboard simply saying that if you were interested in ‘contemporary music’ you should fetch up in a room that (certainly for me at least) I’d hardly noticed before on the bottom corridor. 

Several of us went along.  We met an eccentric looking Welshman who had an Afro hairdo and a terrific bushy mexican moustache.  He was Howard Rees and looking back I now imagine that he wasn’t that many years older than we were.  He was a terrifically energetic, classically trained musician but with a passionate interest in modern music.  Before he let us loose on the amazing kit (that included Sennheiser Concert Speakers, two Revox four track tape recorders and - the very latest sensational musical gismo the VCS3 that we’d only ever seen Brian Eno play on TOTP!) he insisted we go up to the College music room (a comfortable living room that overlooked the gardens) where he introduced us to KarlHeinz Stockhausen’s Kontakte.  There are few moments that are truly revelatory in life but for me, and several others present I reckon, that was one.  A week later Howard was back and we were in the room again listening to Steve Reich’s It’s Gonna Rain and either that week or the following it was Terry Riley’s A Rainbow In Curved Air.  Those sessions have lived in my head for almost forty five years!

Tom Batty (I think) and myself 'performing' for John Elliot

We went on to play about in the studio, to play about with the kit, to make all kinds of sound pieces and even, with our painting tutor, Ron Smith who was by this time less interested in paintings but obsessive about his saxophone playing form an experimental sound group that variously was called Sticks Mbutto & his Magic Band and the Ron Smith Big Quartet (ha ha…there were five of us).  One of number - Jimmy - who I shall feature in another post soon - was so transformed by these experiences he has made his life in avant garden musical circles.

John Elliot 'fixing' a guitar

What happened to Howard?  I’m not sure but I think there may be a reference to him in the book Cybersonic Arts: Adventures in American New Music.  There is mention in Chapter 11 What We Did Last Summer to the International Carnival of Experimental Sound in London in Summer 1972.  A band with Cornelius Cardew in it called Naked Software also lists members John Lifton, Anna Lockwood, Harvey Matusow and - Howard Rees.  I have also turned up a credit on Harold Budd’s 1978 album The Pavilion of Dreams for Howard Rees as the Vibes/Marimba player in the ensemble.  In addition an intriguing album by the Welsh Argentine Guitar Duo features a finale piece written by a Howard Rees called Goodbye Alun and Thank you-Elegy in Memoriam Alun Hoddinott.  It might be a stretch but Howard was Welsh!  There’s also a listing on Gavin Bryars first take on The Sinking Of The Titanic on Eno’s Obscure label in 1975 of a Howard Rees as ‘director’.  Given his interests there's at least a chance these are our man.