Biography
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Martyn Bennett merges Scotland’s musical heritage with the rhythms and technology of contemporary dance music. Roots World characterized his approach by observing that "he weaves solo instruments in-and-out of the imaginary orchestra just as a classically trained musician." The L.A. Times called his self-titled 1996 debut album "an invigorating and captivating form of multi-culturalism," whereas the Toronto Sun remarked that the record sports Gaelic jigs, Penjabi melodies, Scandanavian chanting, and Turkish bagpies, which are fit together with seamlessness by synthesizers and drum machines.
Although born in Newfoundland, Bennett’s lineage reaches back to Scotland and Wales. As a child he drew inspiration from Gaelic songs performed by Scottish immigrants; after his family relocated to Scotland in 1977 he encountered those roots directly. He first attended the School for Musically Gifted Children, then studied violin and piano at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dance in Glasgow, eventually becoming equally fluent in the ancient Ceol Mor techniques of solo bagpipe playing. During the Tanzanian president’s visit to Edinburgh he served as the president’s personal piper.
In his late teens Bennett grew fascinated with the rave scene and began devising ways to unite traditional and modern influences. Early opportunities arrived when he was commissioned to score theatrical productions such as Tom McGrath’s adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic Kidnapped at the Royal Lyceum and David Harrower’s Traverse Theater production Knives in Hens, work that soon extended to film and television projects including the animation series The Urisks.
While Bennett toured the United States for three months with the Wolftones, his greatest achievements occurred as a solo performer. In 1995 and 1996 he appeared before more than 90,000 people at the Edinburgh Hogmanay; he also performed at the Stirling Castle premiere of Braveheart. Rykodisc issued his second album of modern electronica and world music tangents, Bothy Culture, in 1998. Subsequent years brought multiple projects, among them collaborations with Tuva’s Huun Huur Tu on their album Where Wild Grass Goes and with fellow Celtic fusion group Mouth Music on their 2001 release Seafaring Man. Peter Gabriel’s Real World label released his third album, Grit, in 2003. After battling cancer for several years, Martyn Bennett passed away January 30, 2005. He was 33. ~ Craig Harris
Although born in Newfoundland, Bennett’s lineage reaches back to Scotland and Wales. As a child he drew inspiration from Gaelic songs performed by Scottish immigrants; after his family relocated to Scotland in 1977 he encountered those roots directly. He first attended the School for Musically Gifted Children, then studied violin and piano at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dance in Glasgow, eventually becoming equally fluent in the ancient Ceol Mor techniques of solo bagpipe playing. During the Tanzanian president’s visit to Edinburgh he served as the president’s personal piper.
In his late teens Bennett grew fascinated with the rave scene and began devising ways to unite traditional and modern influences. Early opportunities arrived when he was commissioned to score theatrical productions such as Tom McGrath’s adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic Kidnapped at the Royal Lyceum and David Harrower’s Traverse Theater production Knives in Hens, work that soon extended to film and television projects including the animation series The Urisks.
While Bennett toured the United States for three months with the Wolftones, his greatest achievements occurred as a solo performer. In 1995 and 1996 he appeared before more than 90,000 people at the Edinburgh Hogmanay; he also performed at the Stirling Castle premiere of Braveheart. Rykodisc issued his second album of modern electronica and world music tangents, Bothy Culture, in 1998. Subsequent years brought multiple projects, among them collaborations with Tuva’s Huun Huur Tu on their album Where Wild Grass Goes and with fellow Celtic fusion group Mouth Music on their 2001 release Seafaring Man. Peter Gabriel’s Real World label released his third album, Grit, in 2003. After battling cancer for several years, Martyn Bennett passed away January 30, 2005. He was 33. ~ Craig Harris
Albums