Where are they now? - Steve Howe
This page last updated: 13 Jun 2010
On this page: Solo projects - Guest appearances
On other pages: Yes news - Asia
Steve Howe's official site: Homepage - News - MySpace page
Yes & Asia
Howe is touring
with Yes—see
details on main news page. He is
also continuing in the original Asia reunion
with Geoff
Downes, John Wetton and Carl Palmer. Asia have a new album, Omega, now out—see
details
here. Discussing his many
projects in a June
2010
interview, Howe said: "Yes is
central to my work, especially
since 2008 when we got back together. It's always played an important
role, and we have an interesting lineup. I plot my year out to do as
many projects as I can." In an unpublished Apr 2010 interview,
Aymeric
Leroy asked Howe about his busy schedule with multiple acts;
Howe answered:
|
The
Steve Howe Trio No more dates have been announced, but further touring at some point is expected. In a Jan 2009 interview for Notes from the Edge, Howe said the Trio would "definitely" tour in 2010, hopefully longer legs and including the US. In an interview for All About Jazz, conducted while Asia were still recording Omega, Howe says a US tour is "just a question of time." (There was also a plan being considered for a joint Asia/iCon/Steve Howe Trio/Carl Palmer Band tour for 2010. See under Asia for details.) Due 19 Apr 2010 is Travelling (HoweSound), a live album taken from UK and Canadian dates in 2008; tracks: "Blue Bash", "Dream River", "Travelin'", "The Haunted Melody", "Tune Up", "Siberian Khatru", "Mood for a Day", "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", "Momenta", "Kenny's Sound", "Laughing with Larry", "Close to the Edge". Before general release, the album was available at dates on the Trio's Mar tour. See details in Yescography. The back cover photo is by Yumi Hara Cawkwell (worked with pianocircus, Hugh Hopper). All bar two of the tracks ("Tune Up" and "He ain't Heavy, He's My Brother") appeared on the band's debut album, The Haunted Melody (tracks: "Kenny's Sound" (originally by Kenny Burrell), "Mood for a Day", "The Haunted Melody" (originally by Roland Kirk), "Siberian Khatru", "Blue Bash" (originally by Jimmy Smith with Burrell), "Momenta" (originally from Quantum Guitar), "Laughing with Larry" (original solo guitar piece), "Travelin'" (originally by Burrell with Smith), "Dream River", "Close to the Edge" (based on the opening section of the piece), "Sweet Thunder" (originally from Pulling Strings)). Some additional pieces were played live on the band's debut UK tour in 2007, but have not been released: "Distant Seas" (originally on Natural Timbre), "Sweet Thunder" and "Clap". Pieces are arranged for the trio format, so some depart significantly in form from the originals. |
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He has been
working on a second volume, due "perhaps this year [2009]"
according to a May
Billboard
article, and "soon" according to a Jul
2009
article. In an update on his website
in Mar 2010, Howe describes Volume 2 as being "in the planning stage" and
that he will tour in support of it in due course.
Paul
K. Joyce (wrote music for "Bob the Builder", "The Worst Witch",
"Fimbles") said in an Aug
2009
interview that he is collaborating with Howe: "I am producing
his new solo album and a track of mine is on it. Steve has done the
guitar, electronic and acoustic, and there's a small orchestral group.
It's a very precise, compact sound that I love, no over-the-top
arrangements." It's unclear
whether this is the same or another project. In his NftE
interview, Howe talks about wanting to spend a few months in 2010
focusing on live solo work.
| Homebrew 4,
in
the
same
style
as
the
previous Homebrew
releases, is due on general
release in the UK on 19 Apr. Tracks: "Beginnings (Themes)",
"The
Inner
Battle",
"Take
It
in Hand", "Mainland",
"Distant
Seas", "Wayward
Course II", "Georgia's Song", "Solar Winds II", "High Flyer",
"Sensitive
Chaos", "Really Know", "White"
(early version of Asia's "Wish I'd Known All Along"), "Up Above
Somewhere" (alternate version of
material on Natural Timbre and
in Asia's "Over and Over"),
"Closer than
Before", "Lily's in the Field", "Have You
Forgotten
Love" (with Geoff Downes
on keys and harmony vocals), "Go to
This" (early version of the Yes song "Go Through This"),
"What am I?" (alternate version of
"The Go Between" on Homebrew 2
and
used
in
ABWH's
"Quartet: I Wanna Learn"),
"Nothing to Cry for". See details in Yescography. A
4CD Homebrew
Complete box set (ARC-1151) collating all four releases is out
in Japan. "High Flyer" on Homebrew 4 is described as having also been developed by GTR for an unreleased song called "The Future". The liner notes then continue, "which I plan to release as part of a forthcoming project called Radar which contains unreleased songs and tunes with friends". So Far is the name given to a planned 3CD anthology of Steve Howe's career to date with accompanying DVD which was originally due in 2001. This appears to be the same project earlier tentatively entitled Headstock, being compiled by Howe for Rhino. At least at some point, So Far was to include "Traveller" (written by Currie/Howe—Currie: keyboards, viola; Howe: guitar, bass; Toby Anderson: synth) from Billy Currie's 1988 Transportation. Comments from Howe suggest So Far may also include some Yes or Yes-related material. It has been years since anything was heard of this project. However, in his Jan 2009 interview for Notes from the Edge, Howe talks about "a lot of my films that I've been preparing for many years that will eventually come out on a DVD" (including performances of "Corkscrew"), which may be the same project. Howe has previously talked about a documentary of his career, concentrating on his solo work from 1975-1994, which may also be somehow related, and two new books, one called "The Guitarist's Survival Kit", the second a collaboration. At the Steve Howe Appreciation Society workshop in Jun 2005, Howe read a chapter from an autobiography that he is writing (which I guess may be related to some of these other projects). |
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NVP (Nicolet Vidéo
Productions) describe
on
their
website (scroll down to second item) filming in Oct 2008 a
3D film and an accompanying one-hour, 2D film about Howe. It is unclear
what has happened with this project or how it may be related to the
projects described above.
There were long-standing reports of plans for a guitar and orchestra project. In a Nov 2002 interview, Howe referred to "an orchestral project that would likely turn some ears".
Guest appearances & collaborationOther news
Jonathan
Mover, drums in GTR, is planning a
"a
two volume collection of works from various artists that I've played
with over the past twenty or so years. Mainly, a variety of tracks that
are dear to me in one way or another and have not had the chance to see
the light of day." On his website,
he refers to "unreleased GTR (1985)". As GTR was released in 1986, presuming
this is not a typo, Mover would appear to be referring to material
before the first album.
Howe appears to have formed his
own record label, Howe Sounds, who
released Motif
Volume 1 and The
Haunted Melody.
Howe has collaborated with
guitar makers C.F. Martin &
Co. to create the MC-38 Steve Howe Special Edition acoustic guitar,
inspired by the early 1980s MC-28 guitar that Howe has long used.
Any news, additions or corrections, please e-mail Henry
Potts. Thanks.