Drummer Ollie Howell got his holiday present early this year: he was chosen as the opening artist in residence at the legendary Quincy Jones’ first and only jazz bar at the Palazzo Versace Dubai, a venue that opened its doors last month. Howell and his jazz band perform at the intimate Q’s Bar five nights a week — Monday to Friday — from 8.30pm, with shows lasting up until the end of December. He tells us how he landed on Jones’ radar, and where he’s going from here.
You’re the first artist in residence at the first Quincy Jones jazz bar in the world. That’s a lot of firsts. How does it feel?
Quincy is such an important person in my life, and to be part of the history of Q’s Bar, right from the first night, is something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. The bar is so incredible — the interiors are incredible and, most importantly for me, the sound quality is perfect too, which makes such a huge difference to us musicians whilst performing.
What’s your relationship with Jones and his work like? How did you first meet him?
I luckily got the chance to meet him when I was studying at music college in Wales in the UK. Shortly after meeting him, I was very suddenly diagnosed with a brain malformation and had to have several brain surgeries. Quincy was so supportive throughout those difficult years as he knew exactly what I was going through, having gone through brain surgery himself. It was Quincy’s support that encouraged me to write my own music while I was in hospital and the music that I wrote then, later became my first album, Sutures & Stitches.
What can we expect from your second album, Self-Identity?
I try to always make melody the forefront of my compositions, which probably sounds strange coming from a drummer. I think lots of people associate jazz with being avant-garde and not having distinct tunes, but having a strong melody is always crucial for me. There are always elements of improvisation within my music. I try to write each tune in a slightly different way, depending on how I’m feeling in that moment, and there is often some sort of groove or rhythmic hook to each tune.
At what age did you begin to realise you have a special relationship with music?
I’ve been playing music since I was six years old, and I later progressed to playing drums when I was 12. It was only after my first big performance at 13 years of age that I realised there was a joy in performing in front of other people, too. I’m 27 now [and] my birthday is in December, so I’ll actually be celebrating my 28th birthday in Dubai.
What can people expect when they come down to see you at the Palazzo Versace?
My band and I are performing music from both my debut album and from Self-Identity, which will be released in March. The band [has] some of the best jazz musicians in Europe, and are all incredible performers. We try to keep the music varied every night so no one has the exact same experience if they decide to come and see us multiple times.
— To reserve a table at Q’s Bar, call 04-5568851. Walk-ins welcome. 21+ only.
