I grew up in Harlow, Essex,
England and was interested in music from a very early age, playing
the trombone in the school band, etc. which is where I learned
to read music, play in an ensemble and follow a conductor. These
are essential skills for the job of freelance musician and I am
very thankful that my school had a great music department. I played
the bass guitar in bands as a teenager, annoying the neighbours
by playing "progressive rock" and gradually moved toward
jazz and funk as I entered my twenties.
I turned professional in
December 1978 and since then I've been lucky enough to play for
many great musicians and singers and I've seen a lot of the World;
from the Arctic Circle to the South Atlantic and from Los Angeles
to Wellington, New Zealand plus many places in between. I still
enjoy playing and I'm looking forward to more years of music and
travel. I would say that my two favourite places that my bass
has taken me to are: Japan, where I've toured on five occasions
with Michael Nyman, and Belize, a beautiful
tropical paradise in Central America.
Over the past 25 years or
so some of the jobs I've had include playing for: Michael
Nyman, Gary Numan, Michael Ball, Shirley
Bassey, Bucks Fizz, Petula Clark,
The Nolans, Alice (Italy),
London Saxophonic, Franco Battiato(Italy), The Jesus and Mary
Chain, The Soweto String Quartet, Sacha Distel, Ute Lemper, Matt
Munro and many others, plus I've played in theatres for: "Grease",
"Cats", "Les Miserables", "Chess",
"Whistle Down The Wind", "The Beautiful Game"
and I've played many TV, radio, album and film recording dates.
A couple of TV jobs that I'm most pleased to have done are: playing
on the theme tune of "Blue Peter" (when it had a slapped
Fender Jazz...I'm sure you remember that...) and playing my fretless
semi-acoustic Hohner on the show "Bottom"
as part of the "Bum Notes". During the late '80s I played
in the orchestra for "New Faces", plus I regularly played
in the house band for "Wogan". I have also been involved
as a co-producer with the Michael Nyman Band, for the piece "After
Extra Time" and London Saxophonic, for the CD "An Eye
for a Difference". If you want to see a fuller list of the
gigs I have done, please follow this link....
In 1997 I had the unusual
and privileged opportunity to perform a modern opera - "Dirty
Tricks", with music by Paul Barker - that was accompanied
by solo bass guitar. I have also recorded a "concerto"
for bass guitar written for me by the Spanish composer Chema
Rivas.
A couple of years ago I
was asked to teach bass guitar at Canterbury
Christ Church University. I found that I really enjoy teaching
and now each year I look forward to meeting new students and passing
on the experience and knowledge that I have gained since I "gave
up my day job".
I've got a few basses that
I've collected over the years (follow the links to see photos,
if you like)- mainly I use my Fender
Jazz (from the early 70's, fitted with EMGs and a Badass bridge)
but I use my Steinberger XL2 with the Michael Nyman Band as it
is so convenient for travelling - plus, it's a great bass! - and,
for gigs that need a 5 string, I use my Wal.
I have Charvel and Washburn semi-acoustic
bass guitars. I have two other Fender Jazz basses that are in
"refinished/original" condition. The Candy Apple Red
one is a beauty! I also have an East German double bass that I
play in my Gypsy Jazz/Tango band. For amplification I use a Gallien-Kruger
MB150 or an SWR Basic 350 with a Goliath Junior II. Gibson have
written a press release about me and my Steinberger, it can be
viewed on the web by following this link...
If you'd like to listen
to me playing some of these basses, please follow this link: playing examples
I now live in Whitstable,
Kent, in the south-east corner of England - I've been here since
March 1991. It's a quiet town on the coast, about 60 miles from
London and is famous for its Oysters. I enjoy photography and
have exhibited in a couple of local exhibitions- Whitstable is
very photogenic...it has a working harbour and still retains a
lot of the atmosphere of the early 1900's, plus the sunsets are
beautiful here all year round. If you'd like to see some of my
photos, please follow this link: photography
examples. I also like to sail a dinghy and windsurf, although
I'm only a fair weather sailor - but it's a great feeling...
If you would like to write
to me, here's my email address : martin@beachhut.demon.co.uk
Photos of me by
Sue Carfrae and Jean Macdonald