Colin Towns
London born Colin Towns began his music career playing piano in various UK based jazz ensembles. Since then he has gone on to front two of the most innovative and exciting big bands in Europe - the Hamburg based NDR Bigband and the Colin Towns Mask Orchestra.

Formed in 1994, the Colin Towns Mask Orchestra is a rhythmically infectious 19 piece big band presenting some of the greatest and most important new and established players in jazz today. Band members include Dave Hartley, Julian Arguelles, Alan Skidmore, Nigel Hitchcock, Henry Lowther, John Parricelli, Ian Thomas and Guy Barker.

The Mask Orchestra has now released six highly successful albums for Provocateur Records and is regarded as one of the most dynamic and original ensembles in European jazz. By providing an outlet for the jazz composing and arranging skills of Colin Towns, The Mask Orchestra has brought a wholly individual voice, imbued with freshness and vitality, to the European scene. BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

Colin has also recorded albums with the NDR Bigband. 2001's The Theatre Of Kurt Weill was released on ACT Records to major critical and commercial success. To date it has been performed in Chicago, London, Hamburg, Berlin and Bilbao. Colin also collaborated with the NDR for 2004's Frank Zappa's Hot Licks (And Funny Smells) album recorded live at the Moers Jazz Festival. The project toured consistently throughout Germany and was subsequently released as an album in Germany during Spring 2005 following with a release in the UK September 2006. More recently Colin arranged an album for vocalist Norma Winstone and the NDR Bigband entitled It's Later Than You Think' which was released in Germany Spring 2006 and in the UK September 2006. The UK releases support an 8 date double bill tour of the UK in November. As a special 3rd CD Colin also released an album full of his original compositions for the NDR entitled Lend Me Your Ears.

At the end of 2005 Colin was commissioned by the Hessischer Rundfunk Big Band in Frankfurt to arrange, record and perform a Mahavishnu Orchestra project.

The project: At the end of 2005 Colin was commissioned by the Hessischer Rundfunk Big Band in Frankfurt to arrange, record and perform a Mahavishnu Orchestra project. The project featured drummer Billy Cobham. Concerts took place in Germany during January 2006 with a headline slot at Novembers Berlin Jazz Festival to celebrate the release of the album Meeting of the Spirits.

As an arranger, Colin has been involved with the likes of Michael Brecker, Christof Lauer and the Guy Barker / Sting collaboration 'You Don't Know What Love Is.'

Since 2003 Colin has also made regular appearances in Sardinia as a guest composer, conductor and arranger with the Orchestra Jazz della Sardegna (featuring vocalist Maria Pia De Vito).

In 2004 Colin collaborated with world-acclaimed choreographer David Bintley on his new production of Orpheus for the Birmingham Royal Ballet. The Mask Orchestra played for the ballet which premiered at Birmingham Hippodrome in October and then onto London Sadlers Wells and Plymouth Theatre Royal. Provocateur Records released the album The Orpheus Suite that Autumn and received CD of the week in The Observer and The Guardian.