 Martin Lawrie Keyboards |
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| Martin Lawrie - Keyboards | |||||
| Martin started classical
piano lessons at the age of 6 having been inspired by other members
of his family playing lots of different styles of music. By age 11
Martin had tired of classical grades and was playing jazz tunes from
Dave Brubeck albums and lots of ragtime and boogie. Luckily, he had
a rare-at-the-time, broad-minded teacher who helped him develop this
interest. The first rock influence for Martin was blues guitarist
Johnny Winter but the real turning point was hearing Keith Emerson
for the first time in the early seventies. Martin embraced the rock
and jazz style of that period working out songs by bands like Emerson
Lake & Palmer, Greenslade, Pink Floyd and Weather Report. In 1978 Martin saw Santana for the first time and was blown away by the energy of the latin rock rhythms that drove the band and in particular by the keyboard playing of Tom Coster. Little did he know then that he’d be reproducing those same lines today in La Vida Santana! It was an experience that would influence his style of playing for life, fusing all the rock organ, jazz piano and modern keyboard techniques that had inspired him from the beginning. School band "Nomad" saw Martin's first live gigs, and shortly after graduating from college , whilst managing a music shop in Reading , he began to spread his wings, working with cutting edge classico/jazz/rock band "Maggotts" and his own first recording band "Sphinx". Martin wanted to learn as much as possible from many different styles of music and gained much experience and an introduction to "real" jazz with the BBC Big Band led by vibes jazzman Alan Graham. Martin took this jazz experience and his interest in the funk/fusion scene into several bands, working with Berklee alumni Russ Halliday in jazz rock stars "Off The Cuff" and fusion band "Chain Reaction". Popular radio commentator, author and pop pundit Alan Clayson, recruited Martin into his outrageous band Clayson and the Argonauts, with whom Martin recorded albums, singles and played memorable live gigs at Glastonbury Festival alongside Stevie Wonder and Stonehenge Festival (when there was one!). Gigs with the Clayson band were always memorable – Martin says "we either got three encores or had to lock ourselves in the dressing room and escape as quick as possible – sometimes out the window – gigs with Alan were always unpredictable!" The eighties saw chart success for Martin with the melodic rock band "Sloan" and shortly after this period Martin worked as product specialist/designer for Casio and Korg keyboards working in Japan and Europe, demonstrating at all the industry trade shows and working with inspirational people such as Jools Holland and Ellis Hall (Tower of Power). Martin had throughout this time, been a prolific composer and the nineties saw the emergence of Martin’s own funk/fusion band "Curfew", who now play the major jazz festivals in the UK and Europe and have released two CDs (available via AfterDark Records – visit the Curfew website www.jazzfusioneers.co.uk for further details). |
Martin's dynamic keyboard style has
attracted many top collaborators including some of the UK’s
leading sax players such as the international award winning Theo
Travis, the legendary Dave O’Higgins, and US3 and Incognito
star Ed Jones to name but a few.
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