Richard Howell & The Joy Protocol Ensemble

Richard Howell and the Joy Protocol Ensemble presents an exhilarating experience of soul-stirring, genre-defying music grounded in the original compositions of Richard Howell. With every performance, the ensemble delivers a powerful fusion of deep grooves, spiritual uplift, and dynamic improvisation that speaks directly to the heart. This collective of extraordinary artists—Jack West, Frank Martin, Jenny Scheinman, Gary Brown, Lily Stern, Art Khu, David Frazier, Ian Dogole, Adrian Areas, and Elé Howell—comes together under Howell’s visionary leadership to create a sound that is vibrant, healing, and unmistakably joyful. Their music transcends boundaries and fosters a sense of connection that transforms every stage into a space of celebration and unity. The Joy Protocol Ensemble is a force for joy, compassion, and community through sound.

Richard Howell is a Bay Area-based saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator whose career spans decades of international acclaim. He has performed and recorded with legendary artists across jazz, rock, soul, and blues, including Etta James, Chaka Khan, Della Reese, Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor, Charlie Haden, Willie Bobo, Pete Escovedo, Maurice White (founder of Earth, Wind & Fire), Charlie Musselwhite, and Carlos Santana. A former saxophone student of Don Myrick from the famed Phenix Horns (Earth, Wind & Fire), Howell channels this deep musical heritage into every note he plays. He is the creator of the Joy Protocol Ensemble, which he jokingly frames as a “mandate on happiness,” with its members acting as “enforcers of joy.” Deeply committed to service through music, Howell serves as the lead emissary for Oaktown Jazz Workshops—the Bay Area’s original afterschool youth jazz program—and lectures internationally through his “Jazz Tree” series, a powerful exploration of jazz history and its global impact. He also leads the ensemble “Sudden Changes,” continuing his lifelong mission to inspire, educate, and elevate through music.