Paul Towndrow
Saxophones, Flutes, Whistles.
I grew up in a small village called Glenmavis, in North Lanarkshire. The area had a strong tradition for instrumental instruction that had grown partly out of the brass band tradition. More importantly however, I was able to benefit from universal free instrumental tuition at secondary school – something which is sadly under constant threat from funding cuts.
I suffered from asthma as a child (I still do although it’s much less severe), and my parents and doctor had suggested that along with taking part in sporting activities, a wind instrument might also help to strengthen my breathing. Bagpipes were suggested at one point, but I was drawn to the saxophone.
My first saxophone teacher at school, Sharron Scott, was actually a flautist, but she was great – she made me do flute-style ‘sonorities’ (long notes) to build my tone and breath control. I remember her instilling in me the importance of regular practice from the beginning. She gave me real structure. She later passed me on to a saxophonist called Andy Brodie for lessons, a fantastic saxophonist and a tremendous communicator, and who helped me a lot with technique.
As far as jazz is concerned, much of my training came through involvement with youth jazz ensembles. I met many of my current Scottish Jazz contemporaries at the Strathclyde Arts Centre Big Band – including drummer Alyn Cosker, saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski, and several others who are well known on the UK jazz scene.
When I was 15, I played my first paid gigs with Airdrie based guitarist Billy Young. We played gigs in smoke-filled social clubs across the central belt most weekends, performing in a huge variety of musical styles. I learned so much in those years, although my mother wondered why her 15 year old son kept returning home smelling like a 16 year old Laphroaig!
I studied music at The University of Strathclyde’s sadly defunct BA Applied Music course, then I went on to study jazz formally at Berklee College of Music in Boston USA in 2001.
A musician’s personal sound is always a product of their environment and listening habits, I think. And the aspects that ‘stick’ are those which emotionally resonate with you for some reason. I always loved the sound of saxophone players who seemed to wear their heart on their sleeve – Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley. Their sound spoke to me from a young age.
In recent years I’ve found myself collaborating more and more with musicians from Scotland’s traditional music sphere. This led to to me studying the musical tradtion in much more depth, and begin branching out to include low whistles, and flutes into my musical output and sound. You can hear lots of this cross-over on my recent albums ‘Deepening The River’ and ‘Outwith The Circle’. And this type of fusion and syncretism also formed the basis for Atlantic Road Trip, an international collaboration with US trumpeter Chad McCullough and Slovak vibraphonist Miro Herak. We released our first album 'One' in 2023.
I played my first gig at Islay Jazz Festival in the early 2000s (2003 I think). The festival has always felt a bit like a pilgrimage for musicians and audiences alike, with many of the participants involved sticking around for the full weekend. I love the way this allows the musicians to develop and grow a relationship with the listeners, and in such a unique geographical environment.