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
Discographie
11 album(s) • Trié par Meilleures ventes
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Meeting of the Spirits (A Celebration of the Mahavishnu Orchestra)
Billy Cobham, Colin Towns, hr-Bigband
Jazz fusion & Jazz rock - Paru chez IN+OUT Records le 1 août 2006
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Doc Martin - Music From The Hit ITV Series
Bandes originales de films - Paru chez POV Records le 1 oct. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dark Drama
Bandes originales - Paru chez KPM MUSIC LTD - JUICE MUSIC (UK) LTD le 11 oct. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Space Truckers (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Bandes originales - Paru chez MovieScore Media le 14 mai 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Bandes originales de films - Paru chez Jay Records le 14 juil. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Visions of Miles - The Electric Period of Miles Davis
Jazz - Paru chez IN+OUT Records le 3 août 2016
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rawhead Rex (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Bandes originales de films - Paru chez Silva Screen Records Ltd le 30 oct. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
John Lennon - In My Own Write
Jazz - Paru chez Provocateur Records le 8 nov. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Catherine Cookson Music Collection Volume 1
Bandes originales de films - Paru chez POV Records le 16 juin 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Puppet Masters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Bandes originales de films - Paru chez Citadel - Mafy le 18 mars 1994
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo