ASHTON SMITH - TRUMPET
Ashton Smith is a London-based trumpet player, music teacher, and composer. With professional experience playing jazz, big band, pop, funk, soul, ska 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, where he first started learning the trumpet. He attended primary and secondary schools in the local area, as well as the Luton Sixth Form College. Alongside schooling, Ashton played with local youth music ensembles, such as the Luton Youth Jazz Orchestra. Valuable opportunities with the band include a performance at the Royal Albert Hall, and a concert with British jazz singer Jacqui Dankworth. Ashton also played regularly with the NYJO Academy Big Band aged 17-18.
In 2016, Ashton gained a scholarship to study an undergraduate degree in Jazz at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire until 2020. During this time, he received regular trumpet tuition from Percy Pursglove and Steve Fishwick. He also 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. He has also attended a variety of masterclasses led by Dick Oatts, Jerry Bergonzi, Eddie Henderson, Bruce Barth, Gilad Hekselman, Soweto Kinch, John Abercrombie, Marc Copland, Dave Liebman, Mark Nightingale, Mike Lovatt, and Martin Speake.
