Tom MacNiven

Guess What 
Released on 12th Dec 1998 

Tom MacNiven is a Professional Trumpet Player based in Glasgow, Scotland, in the UK.
He began the trumpet at age 8 with the 118th Glasgow coy. of the Boy's Brigade then after studying at the prestigious Music School of Douglas Academy for 6 years his career began playing mostly Jazz and Funk pick up gigs in and around Glasgow and Edinburgh in the early Nineties as well as performing extensively with the Fred Quimby Quartet, Tempus Fugit and Brass Street.
He then went on to form his own Quintet, playing at many Jazz Festivals and enjoying a long running residency in the famous McChuill's Bar in Glasgow.
n 1996, he gained a seat in the trumpet section of the newly formed Scottish National Jazz Orchestra directed by Tommy Smith and has been a member ever since, performing with such international musicians as Joe Lovano, David Liebman, Ingrid Jensen, Geoffrey Keezer, Kenny Wheeler, Bobby Watson, Ken Peplowski, Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, Pete King and Guy Barker, and Maria Schneider among many others.

As a session musician he has played on countless Albums and TV theme tunes (Postcode Challenge being one of them) and performed at most of the major Festivals in the UK including Glastonbury, Reading and T in the Park.

Coming joint second in the Scottish final of the Royal Sun Alliance Young Jazz Musician of the Year competition also in 1996, the next year he won the heat.
Going with the Quartet format for his next project, he recorded his Debut Album Guess What in 1998, featuring an all star rhythm section of Brian Kellock, Mario Caribe and John Rae, with a stunning guest performance by Tenor Saxophone giant, Bobby Wellins.

More recently, he has been mostly doing various Jazz gigs as a leader and sideman, sessions and some touring show work as a dep on shows like Chicago and the European tour of The Rat Pack, and touring with the critically acclaimed Musical 'Sunshine on Leith' based around the music of The Proclaimers.
Look out in 2008 for Stuart Brown's Amazing Raymond Scott Project and a live recording with Scotland's only Western Swing band - The Mending Hearts.
Tom MacNiven is an Eclipse Artist, exclusively playing Eclipse Trumpets and Flugelhorns