SPILL FEATURE: WHEN EVERY NOTE GOES UNDER THE MICROSCOPE – A CONVERSATION WITH HOWARD JONES

WHEN EVERY NOTE GOES UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

A CONVERSATION WITH HOWARD JONES

Howard Jones was not an overnight success, but it seemed that way when he released his debut single “New Song”, which was a worldwide hit single. His debut album, Human’s Lib (1984) did extremely well, and the hits just kept on coming. But he is not one to rest on his laurels and not try many different things in his career. He has experimented with his sound, released remixed dance EPs, and tried his hand at many different genres. He is now set to release one album, which in fact is two albums. It is not as odd as it may sound. I had a chance to talk with Howard Jones about his new project Piano Composed Ivory and Piano Composed Spirio.

“The final version is where it started,” said Jones. “I composed pieces using Ivory samples/software. Samples off a Steinway. That is how I composed the piece. But what happened then is that my Auntie left me some money and I was able to buy one of the new Steinway Spirio pianos. I used what I had done to make that first version and ran it through the real piano and added more things. I changed things and sort of upgraded it for a real piano sound. That’s why there are two versions. The CD is the Spirio version and the original is the Ivory and that is on vinyl. Does that make sense? Because it sounds really complicated when I say it,” laughed Jones.

And it is unusual to release music in only one format, as he has done with Piano Composed.

“I wanted to separate the two. Because they are very different. Even though they are the same pieces, it is nice for people to compare.”

Some explanation is required as to what a Steinway Spirio is in actuality. “It’s a proper Steinway, but it is like a piano player. You know, in the old days when they had those rolls with holes in them, which enabled the piano to play itself. This is the super high tech, modern equivalent of that. Basically, you can play whatever you like into the piano, and then it will play it back to you exactly as you put it in, but then you can edit what you have done, because it comes with an iPad and software. So, if you have missed a note or played a wrong note, you can correct that. As soon as I saw one of these in action, I thought ‘this is an amazing compositional tool’. I can use my programming skills, and I have been playing the piano since I was seven. I can use both skills to make something unusual, and of its time. And bring help to bring the piano into the modern age. That is the journey I am on. I am just learning what is possible.”

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Piano Composed was always going to be Jones’ next project. He had completed the electronic trilogy (Engage, Transform, Dialogue) that he had worked on from 2015 until 2022, Jones was ready for something new. “It was intended to be an album, and it was going to be called Piano Composed. I was really trying to write a little differently to give the songs a bit more structure, and not just completely improvised from beginning to end, but to have a form and a structure. Either repeating themes…the same way I would write a song. It would have a structure. That is the big difference from what I put out in the past, because I did two piano solo albums, but they were more improvised for friends (hence the titles Piano Solos (For Friends And Loved Ones) Parts One And Two). I wanted to compose the pieces.”

Having structure for the songs, and composing outright, gave Jones the opportunity to try his hand at different genres and sounds. A song, such as “It’s Great To See You Smile Again” sounds like it could have been played on a player piano in a saloon over a player piano.

“It’s a bit more ragtime isn’t it. And Scott Joplin influenced. It is quite an eclectic collection. If you take “Five Pianos”, which is very like Steve Reich and then you have “It’s Great To See You Smile Again” and everything in between. It is an expression of all the things I like. I like so many different styles and mashing them up together. It is great. It isn’t classical, it is a lot of different genres.”

And as with his vast catalogue of music, there are strong melodies throughout the album. Melody is very important to Jones. “I can’t resist putting tunes in there. Whatever style I am working in, it just pours out. I can’t stop it,” laughed Jones. “Melody is very important to me. Even in that “Five Pianos” piece, there are a lot of tunes in there coming out, even though it is quite an abstract piece. It is one of my things. If I wake up in the morning with the tune around my head, then I know I have done my work. If I don’t remember it the next day, I chuck it. Everything has to be an earworm, or it doesn’t make the grade.”

And make no mistake, Jones worked very hard on this album to make sure it was as perfect as he could get it.

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“I’ve enjoyed making this. I probably worked harder on this than a lot of my pop records. It is almost like every note went under the microscope. I think, when you do a single instrument piece, it is very exposed, so if there is something not quite right, you are going to notice it. When it is a solo instrument, everything has to be right, the balances have to be right, the tempos, the whole movement of it. I think I worked harder on this for a long time than anything I have done.”

Although there is no plan for Jones to tour these albums, he is doing a rather unique performance to celebrate the release of this project. “There’s this thing called Spirio Casts. You go to their studio in Hamburg, where they make the European Steinways. And you perform for half an hour on Spirio, and it will be broadcast, over the internet, to all the Spirios around the world, if you want to receive it. I’ll be playing in Hamburg and your piano at home will be playing what I am doing. So, our idea is that I will be doing that in Hamburg, and invite fans to Steinways in London, Rome, New York or wherever there is a showroom, to hear it on the best Steinway. I am very excited about that.”

And performing live is something that Jones enjoys and anyone who has seen him in concert will know that he gives his all when he hits that stage. “I love performing, it is what I do. It is just having a great connection with the audience. A relationship and getting people to sing along. Unique things, gigs, aren’t they. Where people will come together and share an experience and even sing that together. It is such a wonderful thing, and I hope it never goes away. It is all of us huddled together in one room experiencing the same thing at the same time. Maybe having a bit of respite from the problems and difficulties we all must be going through in our daily lives. It is a moment to celebrate being alive and enjoying two hours at a gig, and that’s why I love it so much.”

Now that the album(s) is complete, he still has hopes for how people experience this new sound of his. “I was thinking today, I hope people will listen to the pieces several times because they are much more complicated and complex than most of my pop output. And some of those songs take a bit of investigation and effort to get to know them, but I think it is really worth it because when you get the hidden themes and hidden tunes and the development of the tunes and the themes and that is when you get the most from it. I hope people give it repeated listens and feel immersed in it and let the worries and cares go for a minute and not worry about tomorrow, just concentrate on this moment and enjoy the sound. And be carried away with it.”

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Photo Credits: Simon Fowler