George Howlett – musician, writer, teacher
rāga: ‘that which colours the mind’
Recent Works
- Living Traditions: 21 articles for 21st-century Indian classical music (Darbar) – collection exploring how music with ancient roots is adapting to a fast-paced, interconnected world. Features artist interviews alongside in-depth essays on various social, technical, and mystical dimensions of the music itself.
- The ‘impatient meditation’: a fresh, multi-pronged approach to tuning (Guitar World) – a flexible, efficient method designed to enhance cognitive focus, fretboard awareness, ear strength, and hand health as well. Includes a breakdown of existing methods and some of the science behind string vibration.
- No Kanjira (with Jesse Bannister) – collaboration with the Indo-jazz sax master mixing acoustic and electronic elements. I sent him a harmonics-laden, gently microtonal drum loop, and cut together the astounding improvisation he sent back, also recording a jungle-infused solo on my superdeep, broken tabla.
Selected Articles
- ‘What you play spontaneously should be perfect’ – interview with Shahid Parvez, the world’s leading sitarist (Darbar)
- Glancing backwards, moving forwards – reviewing John McLaughlin’s 2019 Barbican return (Jazzwise)
- What is it about drummers? Rock mythology vs. tales of the tabla – disparate societies, similar stereotypes (RJ)
- Curious cultural interchange: Indian music in Bristol – anatomy of a scattered, fascinating micro-scene (The Wire)
- Tihai: the power of threes – what can Indian rhythm tell us about the fundamentals of narrative construction? (Darbar)
Selected Lessons
- West African grooves for the guitar – lesson for Guitar World on adapting Ghanaian polyrhythm and Malian kora music
- Rāga Jungle: Turntables, Tablas, & Tālas – examining uncanny similarities between Jungle/DnB and tabla’s tintal soloing
- Alankar: Indian Melodic Ornamentation – lesson for MusicRadar on North Indian slides, bends, & vibrato
- Shakti’s Remainder Bar Rhythms – flow in odd meter using an Indo-jazz rhythm trick, no instrument required
- Odd-Time Songwriting Grooves – lesson for MusicRadar featuring Allman Brothers, Radiohead, Zeppelin, and more
George Howlett is a London-based musician and writer. I play guitar, tabla, and santoor, and write about topics loosely related to jazz, rhythm, and global improvised music. I’m currently recording a Rāga Junglism EP and collaborating with some dedicated, open-minded people from around the world. Hit me up with your ideas!
- Musical CV | Writing CV – current projects, past work, etc
- YouTube | Soundcloud – finished music, still sparse
- Listen to my guru – Pandit Shivnath Mishra of Benares
- george@ragajunglism.org – get in touch
