Having returned to Edinburgh in 1999 after two years as a scholarship
student at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Boston, U.S.A.,
Martin quickly re-established himself on the Scottish scene. As
sideman, he has performed alongside all the top names in Scotland,
including Brian Kellock, Mario Caribe, Tommy Smith, Colin Steele, Tom
Bancroft, Graeme Stephen, Ryan Quigley, Nigel Clark, Carol Kidd, Paul
Harrison, Chris Stout, Kevin McKenzie and Tom MacNiven. Since 2004, he
has held the 1st Alto chair in the celebrated Scottish National Jazz
Orchestra.
As bandleader, Martin founded the soul-funk outfit Groovediggaz,
drum'n'bass/hip-hop collective Green Juice and his own Quartet. In
2002 he was awarded a Scottish Arts Council Recording Development
Grant, and produced his first album with the Martin Kershaw Quartet
(Fruition, on the Caber Music label), which received strong reviews
and extensive radio play. Late in 2003 he formed Trianglehead, an
exciting new experimental collaboration with keyboard genius Paul
Harrison and drums maestro Stuart Ritchie. In 2005, with help from
another Scottish Arts Council Recording Grant, Trianglehead released
their debut recording, Maths, and then self-funded a follow-up
recording, Exit Strategy, in 2007. Both albums received strong reviews
and extensive radio play. Late in 2007, Martin became one of the first
recipients of a Scottish Arts Council New Work Grant, to compose and
perform a suite of original music inspired by the work of Scottish
artist Eduardo Paolozzi. The project (entitled Hero As A Riddle), was
a major popular and critical success, with enthusiastically-received
performances in November 2008 in Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh. In
early June 2009 Hero As A Riddle was recorded at Castlesound Studios,
Pencaitland, thanks to a further SAC Grant. Later in the same month,
Hero As A Riddle was named New Project of The Year in the Scottish
Jazz Awards.
