Colin Towns has worked extensively with Hamburg’s NDR Bigband over the past fifteen years and in 2010 was appointed their ‘Composer In Residence’. He has been commissioned to compose, arrange, record and tour numerous projects, many of which have been released on CD. 2001's The Theatre Of Kurt Weill was released on ACT Records to major critical and commercial success being performed in cities such as Chicago, London, Hamburg, Berlin and Bilbao. More recent releases include It's Later Than You Think (featuring vocalist Norma Winstone), Lend Me Your Ears (an album of original pieces) and John Lennon - In My Own Write (a double album). The unique and highly treasured NDR Bigband from Hamburg have worked with many great musicians including Wayne Shorter, Chet Baker, Albert Mangelsdorff and Vince Mendoza. Their programmes continually explore the constant changes in music, through new productions with forward looking musicians, returning a vibrant view of music in the 21st Century. The band is packed with soloists such as Nils Landgren, Christof Lauer, Claus Stötter and Vladyslav Sendecki and has recently been referred to as the jazz equivalent of the Ensemble Modern. For full information on the NDR Bigband band visit www.ndr.de/bigband.