He has worked with Annie Whitehead, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Lee Konitz, Paul Motian, Tim Whitehead, Chris Laurence, Eddie Parker, Peter Erskine, Vince Mendoza, Mark Lockheart, Julian Argüelles, Iain Ballamy's Acme, Mark Lockheart Quartet, Andy Sheppard, Gerard Presencer, Colin Towns, Martin Speake Quintet, and Jazz singer Stacey Kent among others.
The college features a percussion ensemble called Tala Tarangini, which has performed throughout Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia, and which has collaborated with numerous jazz rock musicians, including Charlie Mariano, Okay Temiz, Iain Ballamy, Dissidenten, and Embryo.
Downes plays regularly with his own trio, Stan Sulzmann, Troyka, The Golden Age of Steam, Sam Crockatt and Clark Tracey - and has played with Joe Locke, Gilad Atzmon, Empirical, Gerard Presencer, Seb Rochford, Iain Ballamy, Sarah Gillespie, Peter Ind, Gwyneth Herbert, John Warren and Eugene Skeef.
On November 25, 2009 Novrasli performed at Queen Elizabeth Hall together with Iain Ballamy and Tim Garland mixing jazz with traditional Azerbaijani music – mugham and performing Azerbaijani jazz-mugham.
Iain Banks | Iain Matthews | Iain Ballamy | Iain Sinclair | Iain Glen | Iain Duncan Smith | Iain Burnside | Iain Stirling | Iain Rogerson | Iain Pears | Iain Macleod | Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard | Iain Evans | Iain Douglas-Hamilton | Iain Cuthbertson | Iain Stables | Iain Sproat | Iain McIntyre | Iain Lee | Iain Jennings | Iain Hamilton Grant | Iain Archer | Iain Turner | Iain Tuckett | Iain Torrance | Iain Sutherland | Iain Paxton | Iain Overton | Iain Moncreiffe | Iain Marsh |
He has led his own ensembles since the late 1980s; in these combos he has played with Django Bates, Iain Ballamy, Guy Barker, Jamie Talbot, Mark Nightingale, Dave O'Higgins, Nigel Hitchcock, Gerard Presencer, Mornington Lockett, Jean Toussaint, Simon Allen, Zoe Rahman and Alan Barnes.