Colin Towns' Mask Orchestra
Colin Towns (conductor); Alan Skidmore, Nigel Hitchcock, Graeme Blevins, Julian Siegel, Simon Allen (saxophone); Barnaby Dickinson, Roger Williams, Liam Kirkman, Alistair White (trombone); Guy Barker, Henry Lowther, Graham Russell, Nathan Bray (trumpet); John Parricelli (guitar); Dave Hartley (piano); Dudley Phillips (bass); Ralph Salmins (drums); Paul Clarvis (percussion).
Sun 11 July 2010 20:30 - 21:45 Congo
[trans_artistinfo_about]
Ever since his youth, Colin Towns has been obsessed with music. He learned to play the piano at thirteen, after which he took gigs at every neighborhood birthday or wedding party to earn a few bob. This provided the Londoner with a lot of experience on stage and made him into a fine session and jazz musician. During his time as a member of the jazz rock fusion group the Ian Gillian Band, Towns also demonstrated he is an outstanding lyricist. It earned him an important role as a TV and movie soundtrack composer. Towns' true musical love, however, remained jazz. For over two decades, the 62-year-old Brit delivers an accessible big-band repertoire with his Colin Towns' Mask Orchestra, with an eye for detail and an edge. Towns' experience with the moving image can clearly be heard and his compositions are a wonderful mix of symphonic bombast and modest refinement.
