This is a past event
Aberdeen Jazz Festival in conjunction with University of Aberdeen Music Department offer this online session with jazz legend Paul Towndrow where he will be discussing his compositions and composing process.
The composer will focus principally on ‘Deepening The River’, a work for extended multi-genre big band, recently selected for the longlist in the Scottish Album of the Year Awards 2021. Towndrow was commissioned in 2018 to compose a new work for Glasgow's Festival 2018 and the result was 'Deepening The River.’ This was subsequently included in the 2019 programme for Celtic Connections Festival, with a studio recording of the suite released in 2020.
The session will include a Q n A and it would be beneficial if you could listen to the work in advance of the online session. Deepening The River is available to stream and buy here: http://www.paultowndrow.co.uk/
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. 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. In 2020 he premiered his first symphonic work 'Declaration' with the Grit Orchestra.
- Speaker
- Paul Towndrow
- Hosted by
- Aberdeen Jazz Festival
- Venue
- Online