Jazz At The Merchants House presents Paul Towndrow Quartet with Strings

Paul Towndrow Quartet

Paul Towndrow - Alto Saxophone, Whistles, Flute

Pete Johnstone - Piano

Ali Watson - Double Bass

Alyn Cosker - Drums

with

Greg Lawson - Violin

Fiona Stephen - Violin

Feargus Heatherington - Viola

Su-a Lee - Cello

In this world premiere concert, saxophonist and composer Paul Towndrow presents a brand new collection of compositions, inspired by the vastness of the ocean, bridging the worlds of jazz, folk and classical music.

“The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides. The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the Living Infinite. ”

Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea

Towndrow joins forces with longtime co-conspirators Alyn Cosker and Pete Johnstone alongside rising star of the double bass, Ali Watson. They are joined by a string quartet comprising the talents of key instrumentalists from the orchestral world.

About Paul Towndrow

Saxophonist Paul Towndrow is best known as a bandleader of ensembles ranging from duo to sextet. From 2001-2021 he was a member of Scotland’s flagship jazz orchestra, The SNJO, before leaving the organisation to focus on solo pursuits. More recently he has worked as a composer and saxophonist for the groundbreaking Grit Orchestra. Performing professionally since the age of 15, and having spent his formative musical years studying on both sides of the Atlantic, Towndrow has become one the UK’s busiest musicians.

Paul has released six solo albums and has appeared as a sideman on many others. Much of his output is released on his own label, Keywork Records which was founded in 2005.
​

“His albums confirm the contemporary Scottish scene's membership of the world league.”4 Stars **** John Fordham, The Guardian

His live credentials include appearances with a diverse range of artists from jazz greats Branford Marsalis, Randy Brecker, and John Scofield, to Motown stars Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, soul legend Ben E King, and rock icons The Fratellis.

Once described in The Guardian as “A turbo-charged amalgam of all your saxophone heroes”, Towndrow has maintained an extensive international career and profile, touring both with his own-name projects and others, such as with sensational US group The Bad Plus, New York based pianist David Berkman, Venezualan piano virtuoso Leo Blanco, jazz vocalist Kurt Elling, and jazz legend Benny Golson. In 2008 he was selected to tour Europe as part of the new European Colours Jazz Orchestra, a project comprising top jazz musicians from all over Europe.

In 2002 he won The Peter Whittingham Jazz Award resulting in his debut album ‘Colours’, and in 2003, reached the final of The World Saxophone Competition at Montreux Jazz Festival, winning the Public Prize (most audience votes) following his performance with the Geri Allen Trio.

As composer and arranger, Towndrow has written for ensembles of all shapes and sizes including music for TV and radio and arranging commissions for the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra. He has also developed compositional work with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra as part of Serious Productions' Air Time scheme. In 2013 he was commissioned to write music to celebrate 21 years of the London Jazz Festival. In 2014 he was commissioned to compose 'Pro-Am', his debut suite for double big band, to celebrate the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Towndrow was commissioned in 2018 to compose a new work for Glasgow's Festival 2018. The result was 'Deepening The River', a 60 minute work for extended multi-genre big band. 'Deepening The River' was subsequently included in the 2019 programme for Celtic Connections Festival, with a studio recording of the suite released in 2020, and subsequently longlisted for the 2021 Scottish Album of The Year Awards. In 2023 he received a commission to compose for string quartet Glisk, as part of a project entitled Stories Of People & Trees.

In 2020 Paul premiered his first symphonic work 'Declaration' with the Grit Orchestra.

In 2022, Paul co-founded the international crossover touring group, Atlantic Road Trip, with Chicago based trumpeter Chad McCullough and Slovakian vibraphone master Miro Herak. In the same year he toured extensively with indy rock band The Fratellis, and recorded an new album for release in early 2023 entitled "Outwith The Circle”.

Outwith the jazz genre, Paul has appeared on record releases by Hue & Cry, Sharleen Spiteri, Labrinth, The Fratellis, Del Amitri, Capercaillie, Calum & Rory MacDonald (Runrig), Isobel Campbell, Colin MacIntyre (Mull Historical Society), Sacred Paws,Ross Ainslie, and many others.He has performed and toured with a wide range of artists including Macy Gray, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Ben E King, Average White Band, Jack Bruce, Texas, Sinkane, and many others.

Orchestral experience includes performances with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Ireland’s RTE Concert Orchestra, and Scotland's multi-award winning cross-genre Grit Orchestra