Alistair Martin

Alistair Martin

Alistair Martin is a trumpeter and composer from the United Kingdom. His work is rooted in jazz, with a focus on concept albums and narrative forms. He is noted for an expressive, rich tone and for music that combines historical awareness with a contemporary approach. He is also described as having a compelling and visionary sound.

Recording career

Martin releases his debut album, Oblivion, on Unit Records in 2021. The album is shaped by social and political concerns, including climate change and conflict, and it brings together jazz quintet writing with elements of hip hop and electronic music. It receives positive attention from publications including Jazzthing, Jazz'n'More and Concerto Magazine, and it is played more than 250,000 times on Spotify.

His second album, MONOMYTH 1K, draws on Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Martin's interest in film, novels and narrative albums informs his approach to improvised music, and the album features Flo Moore, Eddie Lee, Tom Smith and Oren McLoughlin.

Performance and commissions

Martin performs regularly as a sideman, including with Tom Smith's Big Band, Shirley Smart's Sextet and Mornington Lockett. In 2024, he receives a commission from the Royal College of Music Junior Department to write and perform a new work for big band.