He recorded his early compositions with John Williams' Sky Band. He was also commissioned to write, perform and record his music for three BBC T.V films. During 1980-81, he gave monthly flute recitals at the National Theatre-London, and toured the USA with William Bennett. Howlin' also attended in the International Summer School in Canterbury and spent three years as a Dresser for the Royal Shakespeare Company-London.
Howlin's music combines sophisticated classical traditions with earthy folk roots and an implicit understanding of Australia's indigenous song lines. During 1998, Howlin' toured the USA, England and France. During November 2003 Howlin' followed a childhood dream and recorded his flute at the Taj Mahal, India.
His flute compositions have been used in many films and TV series. Howlin's compositions are published by Sony A.T.V Music Publishing Australia.
He is also the author of a highly respected recorder tuition book "Recorder Technique".
And the wind was Howlin'
(Written by Lucille Richardson)
As I stood waiting at the door of local Apollo Bay musician, Howlin Wind', I could hear the cheerful shrieks from children coming from the inside. I peered in through the glass door and a large figure came into view. A fifty something man, with wild, wooly, grey hear, flute in hand, wearing shorts and bare feet greeted me. This must be him. I introduced my self and I walked into what I knew was a musicians house. Acoustic and electric guitars were sitting on the vibrant leather couch, orange marackers were next to a small ukulele on a coffee table, bookshelves filled Bach, Beethoven and the Beatles, music magazines were sprawled across the carpet and a massive collection on vinyl records and cds stacked on top of each other adjacent to the all time famous Vox amplifier. This place is a musician's heaven.
This is Howlin' Winds house and music has been his life and livelihood for over 35 years. Just as we were about to sit down to a coffee and a few questions, a young girl with long, blonde hair, blue eyes and a cheeky grin poked her head out from behind her mothers apron, saying a quick "hello", then running off. Andy says his five kids are what he lives for. Although Andy feels embarrassed talking about himself, he says he's "just an average bloke" and that he barracks for the Demons.
Andy's love for music began when he was a kid, listening to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix, just as every baby boomer did. I then ask why the flute? All these groups are rock n roll bands. Andy said that during his visit to an optometrist "there was a funny old music shop next door." Displayed in the front window was a flute. Andy's face lit up, when he said "It was only $50 and I was thinking WOW, this is what Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull plays. Groovy." At the age of 21 Andy's love for the flute began.
Andy Richardson ventured to London to study the flute with the world's best players, hoping he would bump into Ian Anderson and get lessons. He never did. He studied with Sue Milan from the Royal London Philharmonic Orchestra, Jimmy Galway and William Bennett from the English Chamber Orchestra and the Academy of St Martins In The Field Orchestra. Andy said "Bennett is the maestro on the flute. His was my mentor and teacher for eight years and now my life long friend." Andy still plays the " twenty-four scale patterns and arpeggios composed by Taffanel and Gaubert, Bennett taught me over 30 years ago". This was in the days before Andy Richardson became Howlin' Wind. Andy said he would "practice like a freak, for 10 to 12 hours a day." He said he was in love.
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In the Green Park underground railway station in central London, for six years Andy took the morning shift busking in the tube, 7am till 10am, Monday to Saturday, playing everything from 'Danny Boy', 'Greensleeves', 'The Sky Boat Song' and 'She Moved Through The Fair'. Andy said how "you try to play Mozart, Debussy and Faure`, but no one knew them and they didn't bring in the money," so Andy stuck to playing what everyone knew. Andy was named the Greater London Council's number one busker in 1980, arrested six times and "kicked to bits" by gangs in the London tube for playing the flute. Andy said, "It was as if I had taken holy orders to devote my life to playing the flute," despite the ruthless gangs of the underground stations breaking four of his ribs, yet Andy's determination and passion to play the flute has continued to stay strong for over 35 years.
The name Howlin' Wind came from the local fishermen in Apollo Bay. Andy said, "They used to come into the pub, describing the weather condition, saying aah shit man, it's wild out there and that the wind's howlin'." Andy said "They didn't know they were giving me a stage name at the time." Andy then began to tell me how he'd always loved blues names like Ringo Star, BB King and Howlin' Wolf.
Howlin' Wind has written, recorded and produced 31 of his own albums, over 35 years, each ranging in genres and style. Howlin's music combines the sophisticated classical traditions of flute music, with earth folk roots. Each album breaking through with the considered post modern sound, combining elements of blues, rock, dance, techno and his own individual sound of the solo flute, and all these aspects work together to create a flute recording unlike any other.
Howlin' Wind usually records, produces and engineers all his own albums in Magnetic Heaven. Magnetic Heaven is his old style analogue studio in Apollo Bay. It sits on the side of an undulating hill, overlooking the Great Southern Ocean. Andy built up his analogue and valve studio, "gathering bit by bit over 35 years". Howlin' said he would "scrounge old equipment" from wherever he could. His first piece of major equipment was a Tascam 234, four-channel cassette recorder, then an Otari eight track, then finally a Studer A80, twenty-four channel (2 inch tape recorder). Howlin' passionately spoke about how he "love the sound of the beautiful, old, Swiss Studer" Howlin now uses a Dave Harrison mixing console, handcrafted in Nashville.
Howlin' Wind's recordings feature a stellar cast of contemporary Australasian musicians. Such as Jim Moginie and Rob Hirst from Midnight Oil, Chong Lim from John Farnham band, Shane Howard from Goanna, Peter Jones from Crowded House, Manny Seddon from Southern Lightning, Paddy Free from New Zealand's Pitch Black and "tons more locals, friends and family".
Howlin' says his main aim is to "give the flute a far more vocal, more passionate, and vastly more expressive sound" through his own compositions, performances and recordings.
Howlin' Wind says, "The flute is wild and needs to be played by wild people" For anyone who knows Andy, they are aware of his exceptional verve and prolific recording career, and his life dedication to the beloved piece of "phosphorus bronze pipe", as he calls his beloved flute, and his wild spirit that cannot be tamed, just like those howling winds that come hurtling off Bass Strait.
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