Primary Instrument: Drums
Drummer/Composer Owen Howard (b. June 13, 1965 Edmonton, Canada) began studying drums at the age of 15. As a young up and coming drummer in Edmonton, Owen had many opportunities to perform with many fine Canadian and international artists passing through town. In 1988 Owen received a study grant from the Canada Council for the Arts which enabled him to move to New York to complete his BFA in Jazz from The New School. It was then that Owen began to make his mark in New York.
For the past eighteen years Owen has enjoyed much success in leading his own bands. He currently has four cd's to his credit. Pentagon and Sojourn, on the Koch Jazz label, Days Before and After (co-lead with Andrew Rathbun on Fresh Sound New Talent) and most recently, Time Cycles (Fresh Sound New Talent) released in Dec 2006.
In addition to his role as a leader, Owen has performed or recorded as a sideman with such artists as Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner, Tom Harrell, Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie, Dave Liebman, George Garzone, Dave Holland, Eddie Henderson, Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton and many others. Owen has appeared on over 40 releases to date and has toured extensively throughout Europe, the United States and Canada as both a leader and as a freelance artist, in a wide variety of musical contexts.
Owen also has extensive teaching experience to his credit. He has been a faculty member at The Banff Centre International Workshop and has held guest professorships at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia and The University of Fine Arts in Berlin, Germany. He has conducted workshops and clinics in the United States, Europe and Canada.
Owen currently lives with his wife Kelly and son Cooper in Brooklyn, New York.
