Martin Taylor: Standards

Martin Taylor plays Perth Theatre on Wednesday 28 April 2027, with the show running from 20:00 to 21:50. It's a solo set, just him and his guitar, and it shares its name with the album he released on The Guitar Label in spring 2026, Standards. The set is built around fresh arrangements of classic tunes from the Great American Songbook, so it's a night of familiar melodies rather than a new songbook from scratch.

Taylor is a fingerstyle jazz guitarist, which means he plays the bass, chords, and melody all at once on a single guitar. He's been at it for six decades, and the names he's worked with over that time are a good map of the jazz and guitar worlds: Stéphane Grappelli, Tommy Emmanuel, and Chet Atkins. Jeff Beck called him 'the best guitarist in the world', and Pat Metheny described him as 'one of the most awesome solo guitar players in history'. He's also an MBE.

Because it's a solo show, the focus is entirely on the guitar. The material comes from the Great American Songbook — the collection of jazz standards from the early to mid-twentieth century that most jazz players return to throughout their careers. Taylor's take on them is his own, and since the show takes its name from the album, you'll hear the same arrangements live that he recorded for Standards.

Tickets are £26, and the performance runs from 20:00 to 21:50 at Perth Theatre, Mill Street, Perth, PH1 5UW.