In Memory of Andrew Gartland-Jones

I did not know Drew that well, indeed I only used to say hello or sometimes share the Peace with him at St Andrews church. However, there was a warmth and friendliness in his demeanour and it is this that has moved me to add heartfelt condolences (to this incredible list of tributes)from myself and my family.

we thank everyone who has written in Andrew's Guest Book. All your words of comfort and sympathy mean so much to us. We are proud of our son's achievements, he was not only an academic and gifted musician, he was a truly wonderful son to us, and loving brother to Lisa.
He will always be remembered and greatly missed by us all.
Mum & Dad

I met Drew when we were both serving as board members of Lighthouse Media. More recently, Tuesday 2 November, we'd bumped into each other at Falmer station and shared the journey back to Brighton. Though brief, in that time we covered a dizzying range of topics, from my DPhil (his encouragement left me fired up and re-energised) through to his plans for the Creative Lab. When we parted at Brighton I remember thinking what a fantastic person he was - so bright, curious and inspiring. I will treasure the memory of that journey. My thoughts are with Drew's family and all that loved him.

I moved into Drew's house in Drayton Rd, Birmingham in 1996 and lived with him for a couple of years. I didn't know anyone in Brum at the time so his friendship was greatly appreciated and we shared many a beer together, putting the world to rights and, more often, discussing his latest artistic or musical venture. He was witty, intelligent and incredibly passionate about his interests, which was infectious and refreshing.

He was good natured and always managed to see the funny side, even when confronted by adversity - such as when 'the lads' (Marno, Jim and Matt) moved into the house and didn't clean or wash up for 6 months.

Although we'd lost touch - moving in different directions across the country - he'll always be remembered.

Like many who have posted here, I was one of those who on first meeting him immediately felt drawn to Drew. As a member of his post-grad Creative AI class, I enjoyed his breadth of vision, his easy-going manner, and also his no-nonsense approach. His was the outstanding class during my time at Sussex, and although I only shared a few drinks with him, I feel I have lost a good friend as well as a teacher. This is an outrageous loss. My deepest sympathy goes to those who were closest to him.

I was shocked and saddened to hear that Drew had died. I knew Drew when he was an undergraduate at Bretton Hall, he was in the same cohort as my wife Kirsten. Together with a number of other good friends we formed a band that became known as The Big Boys. We even made an album which still exists, his distorted guitar riff at the beginning of Wild Thing still sounds amazing.

His compositional abilities were exceptional, although the atonality of his opera written in the third year provided me with a unique challenge when Drew asked me to sing bass! Drew was one of those people who was able to turn his mind to anything, and everything he did he did really well.

Drew and I were close friends when he lived in Yorkshire. We enjoyed drinking together in the local hostelries and had some fantastic times. I will miss him, but will never forget him. He was a legend. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

I knew Drew from his time at the University of Birmingham - we were both doing an MSc in Computer Science. It was great to meet up with him again in Birmingham last year. I was shocked - I am shocked - to hear of his passing. I'll remember him amongst a very small number of people I've met in my life who have some remarkable and vivid quality within them.

Drew burst onto the scene at Sussex University three years ago when he came to see me about doing a DPhil. In that short time he has left a big mark on the place. That is some achievement, especially given the inevitable inertia of large institutions.

I always looked forward to discussions with Drew, especially about his research. Demonstrating new ideas in his music generating systems, he’d explain the algorithms, run the system and marvel at the beauty of the music -- all at the same time! It was wonderful to see how much he loved his creative work. He brought to it the same deep intelligence, enthusiasm and humanity that he brought to all aspects of his life. His work in generative music was brilliant and exciting; he achieved an enormous amount so quickly. It was a pleasure to work with him, and he was great fun as a friend – I will miss very much the pints in seedy Hove pubs.

Drews imagination and love for his work and people has inspired many of us in our own work and life. I am deeply saddened for his loss. My thoughts are with Theresa and family

I met Drew at Southampton University, twelve years ago, where we were both studying Composition on the Masters course. We soon became good friends and for many years afterwards our lives were very much in-synch. We both started our music lecturing careers at the same time. We both converted to IT careers at the same time. We both also shared a love of Italy, of cooking and of drinking too much wine…

Drew and I spent many an evening discussing music, science, art, politics, religion, whether we were getting fat, etc. But most of all we always discussed what was going on in our lives. I am going to miss this enormously but more than that, I am going to miss his wonderful sense of humour, his humanity, his ability to see the positive side and his boundless enthusiasm.

I still can’t quite believe I am never going to be able to discuss thoughts, ideas and life with Drew again and I know there are things I will never be able to talk about, or laugh about, in quite the same way again.

My thoughts are with Theresa, the boys and all the people who have been so deeply saddened by this event.