Martin Hathaway was born in Chelmsford in 1969. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London from 1987, graduating in 1991 with first class honours and the LGSM diploma in Jazz Studies. Martin Hathaway has established a reputation as one of Britain’s leading jazz performers and educators, working in many different ensembles covering a wide range of genres. He is probably best known for his long association (since 1988) with the legendary British jazz pianist and composer Michael Garrick, playing saxophones, clarinet and flute in many of his projects, including his Big Band and the ‘New Quartet’.
Martin Hathaway has been a member of the London Jazz Orchestra since 1991 and has played in Big Bands led by Mike Westbrook, Stan Sulzmann, Pete Hurt, Keith Nichols and Duncan Lamont. He has also performed with the Dankworth Generation Band, the Pizza Express Modern Jazz Sextet and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as leading his own occasional Big Band and Quartet, which played at Ronnie Scott’s Club in 1993. He is also a member of Loz Speyer’s group ‘Timezone’ which has undertaken several UK tours and played a week at Ronnie Scott’s in February 2005. Martin has recently formed a new quartet, the Martin Hathaway ‘Conglomerate’ making its debut in London in July 2009.
Martin has played with many of Britain’s leading jazz musicians in smaller group contexts, including Kenny Wheeler, Stan Sulzmann, Mick Hutton, Liam Noble, Julian Siegel, Phil Robson, Martin Speake, Harry Beckett, Clark Tracey, Don Rendell, Nikki Iles, Stacey Kent, Jacqui and Alec Dankworth, Alan Barnes, Digby Fairweather and Jim Mullen, and has worked extensively as a session musician, recording music for radio, television and film. He has also performed and recorded with ‘Radiohead’, appearing on their best-selling CD ‘Kid A’.
Martin Hathaway was appointed Head of Jazz at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in September 2007 and has been a Professor there since 1991. He has been a tutor for Essex Music Services since 1989, becoming Musical Director of the Essex Youth Jazz Orchestra in 1991, and has taught on many music summer schools and short courses in Britain and abroad. Martin is also a jazz consultant for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, and an external examiner for the University of Exeter, Trinity College of Music, Leeds College of Music and Birmingham Conservatoire.
