Martin Taylor is a jazz guitarist from Harlow, United Kingdom, born in 1956. He is known for solo fingerstyle playing, in which he combines melody, bass and chordal accompaniment on the guitar, and for work across groups, guitar ensembles and as an accompanist to major jazz musicians.

Early life and development

Taylor grows up in a musical family with a gypsy/traveller heritage, though he does not follow a traditional traveller lifestyle. His father, bassist William “Buck” Taylor, gives him a guitar at the age of four. By the age of 11 he plays regularly in his father’s band, and by 15 he leaves school to pursue music full-time.

He develops an early interest in jazz and in Django Reinhardt. During his teenage years and early career he plays in many bands, at holiday camps, on radio dates and on cruise ships. One cruise leads to a jamming session with the Count Basie orchestra.

Work with other musicians

In London he meets fellow guitarist Ike Isaacs, who takes him under his wing, performs with him as a duet partner and helps shape his understanding of jazz harmony and fingerstyle technique. Through Isaacs he is introduced to Stéphane Grappelli. Taylor deputises for one of Grappelli’s regular players on European dates, is invited to join the band full-time and performs and records with Grappelli for 11 years.

His association with Grappelli also leads to regular touring in North America. During this period he meets and records with musicians including Chet Atkins and David Grisman. Another contact finances the album Sarabanda, which receives substantial airplay but does not achieve major commercial success because of financial problems at the record label.

Solo career and recordings

After a difficult period in the mid-1980s, when Grappelli suffers a heart attack and Taylor struggles to find work, he develops his solo career. A moment in which he picks up his remaining guitar before selling it becomes the turning point that renews his commitment to playing. He refines his fingerstyle approach and begins to work as a solo concert artist, with strong critical and financial response.

He later reduces touring with Grappelli and settles in Scotland, where he lives. He signs a recording contract with the Scottish label Linn, which releases solo albums including Artistry and Portraits; Portraits includes a version of Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm”. Linn also issues Don’t Fret, recorded as a modern jazz quartet album, and a reunion album with Grappelli.

At the end of the 1990s he signs to Sony and releases Kiss and Tell and Nitelife. He later sets up his own company, P3 Music, and releases Solo and The Valley, the latter featuring guest appearances by Bryn Terfel, Sacha Distel and Simon Dinnigan.

Style and influences

Taylor’s playing is shaped by guitarists and by pianists such as Art Tatum and Bill Evans. He treats the guitar as a complete instrument, using it to provide bass, harmony and melody. His arrangements and compositions often draw on the style of composers such as Nelson Riddle, with moving lines and complex harmony rather than simple block chords. His sound is marked by rapid syncopated bass lines against the melody, thumb upstrokes on the bass strings, harmonics and a distinctive tone.

Bands and collaborations

In the mid-1990s Taylor forms Spirit of Django, a group inspired by Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club tradition. He records and tours with this band while continuing solo work. He also appears with the 4 Martins, alongside Martin Simpson, Martin Carthy and Juan Martin; with Guitars 3, with Neil Stacey and Martin Simpson; and with Le Nouveau Trio Gitan, with Christian Escoudé and Davide Reinhardt. He also works with Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings and with composer Karl Jenkins.

Awards and honours

His honours include a Gold Badge of Merit from the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters, ten wins for Best Guitarist at the British Jazz Awards, Freeman of the City of London, an honorary doctorate from Paisley University in Scotland, and appointment as a Member of the British Empire in 2002 for services to jazz.

Festival work and other activities

In 1999 Taylor founds an international guitar festival in Kirkmichael, near his home in Ayrshire. The event runs over three days and includes concerts, recitals and tutorials by established and emerging guitarists. Money raised supports Guitar for Schools, a charity that provides equipment and tuition for local schools.

He is also a UK-based stage hypnotist and creates audio-guides to self-hypnosis.