Paul Towndrow

Born on 13 December 1978 in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Towndrow first took up the alto saxophone at age twelve during his high-school years in Airdrie, where he then lived. A master class led by tenor saxophonist Tommy Smith sparked his interest in jazz, after which he completed studies at the National Jazz Institute of Scotland and the University of Strathclyde before spending a year at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. His teachers there included George Garzone and Joe Lovano.

The gifted saxophonist began drawing strong praise from critics and enthusiastic responses from listeners in the early 2000s, aided by the self-produced debut album First Impressions. He leads both a trio and a quartet while also performing with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Additional collaborations have placed him alongside the Bad Plus in their interpretations of Ornette Coleman’s music as well as with pianist Geri Allen. In 2002 he received the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award and a Jazz Services grant that supported a United Kingdom tour by his quartet the following year. During July 2003 he reached the final round of the World Sax Competition at the Montreux International Jazz Festival, where audience ballots awarded him the Public Prize.