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ASHTON SMITH - TRUMPET
Ashton Smith is a London-based trumpet player, music teacher, and composer. With professional experience playing jazz, big band, pop, funk, dance music, and more, he is continually developing both as a musician and educator.
Biography.
UK born and based trumpeter Ashton grew up in Luton, Bedfordshire, in a mixed-heritage family, attending schools in the local area as well as the Luton Sixth Form College. He first started learning the trumpet through his local music service, through which Ashton played with the Luton youth music ensembles, presenting him with valuable opportunities from a young age. Some of these include a performance at the Royal Albert Hall, and a concert with British jazz singer Jacqui Dankworth. Ashton also played with the NYJO Academy Big Band in his late teens.
In 2016, Ashton gained a scholarship to study an undergraduate degree in Jazz at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. During this time, he received regular trumpet tuition from Percy Pursglove and Steve Fishwick, and benefitted greatly from the teachings of Ryan Quigley, John O'Gallagher, Arnie Somogyi, Jeremy Price, Hans Koller, Ed Puddick, and several others.
Ashton has been coached by and performed the music of Tim Berne and Matt Mitchell, as well as Drew Gress, Patrick Cornelius, and John Fedchock, on separate occasions. He has played support sets for Drew Gress and for Ross Stanley in Eastside Jazz Club, and has attended a variety of masterclasses led by Dick Oatts, Jerry Bergonzi, and Eddie Henderson, to name a few.
Whilst studying in Birmingham, Ashton played regularly with the RBC Ellington and Jazz Orchestras, and has performed under the direction of British composer Mike Gibbs. He has also played with the Birmingham Jazz Orchestra, and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra.
Venues and events Ashton has played at include Birmingham Town Hall, Leeds Town Hall, Cheltenham Town Hall, HMV Empire Coventry, Kensington Olympia, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Lincoln Cathedral, Southport Jazz Festival, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Queen's Tennis Final, Copperbox Arena - Vitality Netball Superleague final, 02Islington2, Boardmasters Festival, Lost Village Festival, and more.
Ashton performs regularly up and down the country in jazz, funk, soul, pop, dance, and era-music settings, often for private functions and public events, and has been fortunate enough to play abroad in Europe. Ashton is a core member of Big Smoke Brass - UK, a London-based upbeat pop-brass band. See bigsmokebrass.co.uk
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