Howard McGill

At the age of 21, Howard McGill was fortunate enough to play with Frank Sinatra in Monte Carlo, a once in a lifetime experience and for the past 30 years has carved out a prolific career as a London-based musician playing a range of instruments and styles on soprano/alto/tenor/baritone saxes; clarinet/bass clarinet; flute/alto flute/picc; wind synth and percussion. Vandoren products have been a constant part of his life.

Howard started playing the clarinet at age 7 followed shortly afterwards by the alto sax,  flute and piano. As a young teenager he was fortunate enough to play in a local sax quartet with Keith Pocock (bank manager to the clarinetist Jack Brymer), jazz aficionado David Glenn and the legendary instrument technician Ted Planas. As well as his consultant work for Selmer, Ted was a great raconteur and he loved nothing more than sitting with the quartet enjoying Gitane cigarettes, Macallan whiskey and telling stories about the music business and his time in the army and at the Paris Conservatoire, all a valuable insight!

Howard also played in a local show band run by Gordon Campbell, lead trombone with the BBC Big Band and at the age of 17 he was asked to join the newly formed NYJO II run by Paul Eshelby.

By 19 he was playing Lead Alto with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) run by Bill Ashton where he remained for 7 years, performing annually at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club. At 21 he won the BBC Don Lusher prize for Best Up and Coming Jazz Musician in Britain. 

After graduating from Jesus College Cambridge with honours in Engineering, Howard studied jazz and studio music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Scott Stroman.

He joined the BBC Big Band in 1999 on lead Alto under the direction of Barry Forgie and Jiggs Whigham and played with the likes of Clark Terry, Ray Charles, Bobby Watson, Bud Shank, Phil Woods, Pete Christlieb, Georgie Fame, Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices and Michel Legrand.

Howard has guested with the following Orchestras: RPO, RPCO (European Star Wars Tour), LSO (with Eddie Daniels), Philharmonia, LPO, CBSO, Northern Symphonia, Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra, The Hallé, RTE Concert Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Bergen Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, The John Wilson Orchestra and Sinfonia of London.

He has played the following shows as chair holder: Acorn Antiques, Aladdin (Old Vic), Aladdin (O2), Annie, Annie Get Your Gun, Anything Goes, At Last It’s Summer, Bad Girls, ‘Big’ the Musical, Blitz, The Book of Mormon, Cabaret (Edinburgh Fringe), Carmen Jones (UK Tour), Christmasaurus, City of Angels, Company, The Devil Wears Prada, The Drowsy Chaperone, Finding Neverland (Leicester Curve), Follies (RAH), 42nd Street, The Goodbye Girl, Groundhog Day, Guys and Dolls, Mrs. Henderson Presents, Hex (NT), High Society (UK Tour), Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park), Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Kiss Me Kate, Legally Blonde, Maria Friedman: Re-Arranged, Mimma The Musical, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, Personals, Phantom of the Opera, Porgy and Bess (Coliseum), Ragtime (Regent’s Park), Sinatra (UK Tour), Singin’ In the Rain, Sister Act, Something Wonderful (Edinburgh Festival), Strictly Gershwin (RAH), Sunset Boulevard, West Side Story (UK Tour), White Christmas, Wonder.land (Paris)

Howard has also depped on the following shows: Ain’t Too Proud, Anything Goes, Back to the Future, The Great British Bake Off, Beautiful, Beauty and the Beast, Cabaret, Cats, A Chorus Line, Cinderella, Copacabana, Crazy for You, Daddy Cool, Damn Yankees, Drifters Girl, Fame, Fosse, The Full Monty, Grease, Hairspray, Hot Stuff, Hot Shoe Shuffle, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph, Kinky Boots, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, La Cava, Lautrec, Legally Blonde, Love Never Dies, Mack and Mabel, Matilda, Motown: The Musical, Moulin Rouge, My One and Only, 9 to 5, Oliver!, Phantom of the Opera, The Rat Pack, Saturday Night Fever, Shrek, Singin’ in the Rain, Soul Train, Starlight Express, Sweet Charity, Top Hat, West Side Story, Whistle Down the Wind, The Witches of Eastwick. 

He has played for a host of legendary performers including Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, The Spice Girls, George Benson, Will Young, Paul Weller, Michael McDonald, Lionel Richie, Julio Iglesias, Donna Summer, Shirley Bassey, Andy Williams, Barry Manilow, Michael Buble, Hugh Jackman, Harry Connick Jr, Robbie Williams and Sir Paul McCartney. He played on the soundtrack for Beyond the Sea with Kevin Spacey, conducted by John Wilson and produced by Phil Ramone.

Howard has also toured the world over the past 20 years with Vanessa Mae, including playing opposite Michael Jackson and for 10 years he played lead Alto with the Matthew Herbert Big Band performing throughout Europe and at Glastonbury and the Big Chill. He is currently touring with Anton du Beke from Strictly Come Dancing of which he played on the very first episode hosted by Bruce Forsyth. Howard also toured with Viva La Diva (Katherine Jenkins and Darcy Bussel), Lesley Garrett and Rufus Wainwright.

In recent years he has performed with John Barrowman on his UK Pop Tour and TV show Tonight’s The Night and toured the UK with Barry Manilow as well as playing on the following TV shows: Parkinson, Children in Need, I Love My Country with Frank Skinner and Micky Flanagan, Ball and Boe, Magic of the Musicals, Strictly Come Dancing Tour and TV show and Saturday Night Divas. He also appeared with the house band for the X-Factor TV shows appearing with Tony Bennett and the Backstreet Boys.

He has recorded Sir Richard Rodney Bennett’s Tenor Sax Concerto written for Stan Getz with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Bolero with the Sinfonia of London. He also played as a soloist on The film and TV music of Angela Morley.

Howard has performed on many movie soundtracks including The Special Relationship, The Boss Baby, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, Avengers: Endgame, Pinocchio, The Batman, The Tiger Who Came To Tea, Rocketman, Amsterdam, The Duke, Don’t Look Up, Isle of Dogs, Heart of Stone, Maestro, Wonka, Garfield, Electric State and Dog Man. He also co-wrote and performed the music for the children’s TV series Brum.

Howard has always tried to play from the heart with as much expression and personality as possible, which is why Henri SELMER Paris products are the natural choice!