Colin Towns
b. 1949, London, England. A jazz performer with a distinguished history in pop and rock, Towns first rose to prominence in the late 70s as the keyboard player in heavy rock band Gillan. However, he became better known during this period for his contributions to television and film soundtracks, notably Full Circle (1977), The Dumb Waiter (1979) and The Rocking Horse Winner (1983), and when Gillan fell apart in 1983 Towns opted to devote himself to his new career. His commissions during the 80s and early 90s included the films Vampire’s Kiss and The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase (both 1989), and the television series The Fear (1988), Capital City (1989), Truckers and Nice Town (both 1992).
Towns always yearned to pursue the jazz music that had dominated his youth, and took his chance in 1993 with an album for Danny Thompson’s The Jazz Label, a double CD released through New Note/Vital Records. Towns was backed by his Mask Orchestra, an ensemble that included some of the UK’s foremost modern jazz exponents, including saxophonists Peter King and John Surman and trumpeter Guy Barker. Afterwards there was a lull in the artist’s performing career, until the announcement of a six-date UK tour in early 1995. Following the rave reviews that attended a pre-tour warm-up set at London’s Purcell Room in February, Towns’ debut was reissued to coincide with the dates. Music from the UK television series The Buccaneers was released by Mercury Records shortly thereafter. Other commissions during this period included the UK television series Pie In The Sky, Cadfael, The Crow Road, Our Friends In The North and Noah’s Ark, and the feature films The Puppet Masters (1994), Space Truckers (1996) and Guest House Paradiso (1999).
Plans for a second jazz album were built around a piece entitled ‘Short Stories’, premiered at Towns’ Purcell Room concert. Performers in the Mask Orchestra on Nowhere & Heaven included Mara Pia De Vito (vocals), Henry Lowther (trumpet) and Alan Skidmore (saxophone), in addition to the returning Barker and King. Towns also set up the highly respected Provocateur label, releasing recordings by Andy Sheppard, Mike Gibbs, John Parricelli, Maria Pia De Vito, and his own outings with the Mask Orchestra, Mask Quintet and Mask Symphonic. He has also collaborated extensively with the NDR Big Band from Hamburg, Germany.
© TiVo
Discografia
11 álbum(ns) • Ordenado por Mais vendidos
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Meeting of the Spirits (A Celebration of the Mahavishnu Orchestra)
Billy Cobham, Colin Towns, hr-Bigband
Jazz Fusion & Jazz Rock - Lançado por IN+OUT Records em 1 de ago. de 2006
Disponível em24-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Visions of Miles - The Electric Period of Miles Davis
Jazz - Lançado por IN+OUT Records em 3 de ago. de 2016
Disponível em24-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Doc Martin - Music From The Hit ITV Series
Film Soundtracks - Lançado por POV Records em 1 de out. de 2007
Disponível em16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Film Soundtracks - Lançado por JAY Records em 14 de jul. de 1995
Disponível em16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
John Lennon - In My Own Write
Jazz - Lançado por Provocateur Records em 8 de nov. de 2010
Disponível em16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Rawhead Rex (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Film Soundtracks - Lançado por Silva Screen Records Ltd em 30 de out. de 2020
Disponível em16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Dark Drama
Soundtracks - Lançado por KPM MUSIC LTD - JUICE MUSIC (UK) LTD em 11 de out. de 2006
Disponível em16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
The Puppet Masters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Film Soundtracks - Lançado por Citadel - Mafy em 18 de mar. de 1994
Disponível em24-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Space Truckers (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtracks - Lançado por MovieScore Media em 14 de mai. de 2021
Disponível em16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
The Catherine Cookson Music Collection Volume 1
Film Soundtracks - Lançado por POV Records em 16 de jun. de 2008
Disponível em16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Extreme Sports Breakout
Rick Driscoll, Stuart Elliott, Colin Towns
Rock - Lançado por Soho Production Music em 2 de set. de 2019
Disponível em16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo