Colin Towns

Colin Towns + NDR Big Band - Frank Zappa's Hot Licks (And Funny Smells) (2005) {Rent A Dog}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 442 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 156 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 170 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2005 Rent A Dog / Provocateur Records / NDR | rad 2007-2
Jazz / Jazz Rock / Experimental Big Band

If this scorching live set is anything to go by, the November tour by Germany's NDR Big Band playing Colin Towns' arrangements of Frank Zappa classics will be unmissable. One-time rock keyboardist Towns (who worked for Deep Purple star Ian Gillan) became a film and TV composer, then a jazz bandleader, and the founder and funder of creative indie label Provocateur Records. His writing for big jazz ensembles mixes rock, improv, postbop and a slashing Stravinskyesque melodic wildness - but the result often comes at you with a visceral energy of such heat that it melts the edges.

Double Trouble is the fifth album by the British rock band Gillan, released in 1981. It was released as a double album, the first disc containing studio material, and the second containing live recordings. It reached No. 12 in the UK charts…

As diverse and vibrant as the Swedish jazz scene may be, it’s not possible to avoid market trends even here. There are only two professional, continuously working big bands in the country - the Norrbotten and the Bohuslän Big Bands. The latter originated during the Fifties from a military band whose tradition dates back to the early 19th century. The Bohuslän region and the city of Vara support the orchestra, which allows the group to develop its diverse activities, ranging from performances at Swedish schools to regular appearances at the big international festivals with about 100 annual concerts worldwide.
Since 2007 Nils Landgren has been the artistic director of the Bohuslän Big Band, a role for which he is perfect in many ways…

Future Shock is the fourth album by the British rock band Gillan. Released by Virgin in 1981, it reached number 2 in the UK album chart; this would remain the band's highest placing…

Like Mr. Universe, Glory Road put to shame many of the albums Deep Purple recorded after Ian Gillan's departure. Play this album next to Purple's post-Gillan 1975 release Come Taste the Band, and it becomes clear just how superior some of Gillan's solo albums were…

Magic is an album by British rock band Gillan, their final collaboration, released in October 1982. It features eight original songs, mostly co-written by Ian Gillan and Colin Towns, and a cover of Stevie Wonder's 1973 hit single "Living For The City" which was also featured in a promotional video for the album and charted in the UK at #2…

When most people think of Ian Gillan, they often associate him with his long and storied relationship with Deep Purple. However, the singer also had a very successful run with his own band Gillan in the late 70's and early 80's…

Leading his own bands in the late '70s and early '80s, Ian Gillan continued to embrace music that, not surprisingly, was heavily influenced by his former band, Deep Purple. And he never sounded more Purple-ish than he does on Mr. Universe, which isn't quite on a par with Purple's Burn but is stronger than many of the albums the outfit had recorded after Gillan's departure (some of which were quite disappointing)…