Home » Member Page

Martin Francis Smith

Martin has led and continues to lead a very rich, eclectic and varied musical life.

About Me

He values his contribution to original music above all else and has been fortunate enough to be able to keep original music at the centre of his world. The Weave is Martin’s first attempt to present to the world a collection of entirely his own work which he hopes embodies the depth and breadth of his influences and experience over the years. This he does accompanied by some of his most cherished and empathetic musical colleagues.

Since being inspired to play music when as a school boy he met and heard the great British Jazz trumpeter Digby Fairweather, Martin has over the last 25 years forged a career as a freelance trumpeter. Tutored by Ian Carr, Bobby Shew (ex Frank Sinatra sideman), Rhys Owens (pincipal trumpet at the Liverpool Philharmonic), Martin also studied improvisation in New York with Marvin Stamm.

Martin’s first Jazz quartet Cushfoot saw their debut album “Our Fathers” picked up by leading British Jazz label Candid Records and was championed on national radio by Michael Parkinson and Humphrey Lyttleton. Recording credits to date include The Coral (including a live appearance on Later With Jools Holland), Super Furry Animals, Space, The Lightning Seeds, Shack and many others.

Martin is a proud lifetime member of the cult JazzPunk beat combo The Wizards of Twiddly with whom he has recorded 5 albums, and has toured extensively in Europe with The Muffin Men (Frank Zappa tribute band) and The BrassHoppers (New Orleans style street band).

Contact Me

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because it consistently gives me a positive charge like NOTHING I've ever felt in any other sphere of life. I was first exposed to jazz in 1985 when I met and heard a great British trumpeter called Digby Fairweather. The best shows I ever attended was a 5 night residency at Birmingham's Ronnie Scot's club with the Clark Terry quintet. The first jazz record I bought was a best of Glen Miller compilation...it did the trick! My advice to new listeners...just keep your ears and heart open.

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.