Billy Townes Releases Album With These Hands

The El Paso jazz musician's 17th album blends contemporary jazz, funk, soul, and Latin influences with local collaborators.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Jazz

Flat-color graphic illustration in burnt orange and deep teal with halftone texture, showing curved brass-horn shapes and bass-line stripes above a desert horizon. — Billy Townes released his 17th album, With These Hands, on Tuesday, blending contemporary jazz, funk, soul, and Latin influences with El Paso collaborators. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Billy Townes has released his 17th album, With These Hands, which brings together contemporary jazz, funk, soul, and Latin influences. The record features saxophonists, guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, and vocalists, including UTEP and New Mexico State professors and graduates.

Why it matters

The album highlights the continuing role of El Paso musicians and educators in shaping regional jazz. It draws on relationships Townes has built over a long career in music, teaching, and film work.

This is the 17th album in Townes's catalog, compared with the 10 original pieces on his 1988 debut Stratosphere. The source does not report sales figures, streaming numbers, or critical reception for With These Hands.

The players

Billy Townes

Billy Townes is an El Paso jazz musician, educator, and filmmaker who spent 24 years teaching jazz at Coronado High School and teaches music at El Paso Community College.

El Paso Community College

El Paso Community College is a public two-year college in El Paso, Texas, where Townes teaches MIDI, audio engineering, music business, and arranging and helped develop a $300,000 recording studio.

The details

Townes worked with a band and handled every aspect of producing the music, returning to music in late 2024 to focus on the project. The record features longtime collaborators and younger El Paso musicians he has met throughout his career.

1988: Townes releases his debut album, Stratosphere.
Late 2024: Townes returns to music and focuses on the new album.
November 13, 2026: With These Hands is released.

Season Trajectory

Townes's career spans performance, teaching at Coronado High School and El Paso Community College, and film work on the Border Lords trilogy. With These Hands extends that path as a local release tied to the university and college music programs of the region.

Listeners interested in the album can seek out With These Hands after its November 13, 2026 release. The source does not specify the release platforms, pricing, or live performance dates.

The takeaway

Townes's career shows how a musician can move between performing, teaching, and film production while keeping roots in his home city. Local listeners can follow the album's release and the work of the El Paso musicians who contributed to it.