I am a highly experienced professional musician. Performing mostly on trumpet and flugel horn, I work in a wide variety of genres, most notably jazz and commercial music. I also work a lot as an actor-musician (see below).

As a freelance session player, I have performed internationally with artists as diverse as Jarvis Cocker, Jim Bob (Carter USM)and R&B star Kele Le Roc as well as commercial session work for TV and radio. I have recently performed at venues including Ronnie Scotts, the Jazz Cafe and the Royal Festival Hall, as well as frequent work overseas, notably in India with the Bollywood Brass Band.

I frequently work alongside comedians, including extensive work with Robin Ince including as a Musical Director for his School For Gifted Children event at the Bloomsbury Theatre in March 2010 where I arranged and performed music with Jim Bob (Carter USM), Darren Hayman (Hefner), and arranged and performed stings for acts including Stewart Lee, Alan Moore and Kevin Eldon. I also performed a 20-minute segment of my music/comedy show Steve Pretty on The Origin of the Pieces which I am performing at the Latitude Festival and Edinburgh Frindge Festival in 2010. More details to follow!

Other work with Robin Ince includes playing as part of the Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra for the Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People events in 2008 and 2009, including a televised appearance from the Hammersmith Apollo where we shared a stage with the likes of Barry Cryer, Dara O'Briain and Richard Dawkins which aired on the BBC at the beginning of 2010.

Other music/comedy work includes occasional work with John Hegley and making silly noises as part of Danielle Ward and Martin White's Karaoke Circus band, where I have shared a stage with Tim Minchin, Jessica Hynes and many more.

I also perform regularly (including backing vocals) with several London-based soul/pop function bands as well as Swing/Jive band Pinstripe Suit, the internationally-renowned Bollywood Brass Band and many more.

You can also occasionally catch me in the pit of West End and touring theatre shows.

I run my own band, the Pretty Small Band, performing jazz, swing, latin, soul and funk tunes at countless private events across the UK and beyond. Recent venues include Claridge's Hotel, a residency at Soho’s famous Madame JoJo’s cabaret bar and at the Eurpoean premiere of Chet Baker documentary Let's Get Lost where the band was warmly recieved by personal friends of Chet Baker, including director Bruce Weber.

I have recently launched a new band which I co-run with several colleagues. The Hackney Colliery Band is a completely acoustic brass 'n' beats band playing contemporary hip-hop, funk and 'world music' originals and covers. I have been busily arranging and composing for this band over the last few months and the band is currently booking dates in London and beyond. Check out the band's Myspace here, website here, Twitter feed here or join our Facebook fan page - just search for 'Hackney Colliery Band' on Facebook.

I have also spent a great deal of time performing as an actor-musician and MD/arranger for theatre (please download my CV here for full credits).

In Spring 2009 I appeared as an actor-musician in The Hot Mikado at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch. Playing the part of All the Gentlemen of Japan, I also sang and played on-stage trumpet, flugel horn, percussion and piano throughout. The show got great reviews and I got a couple of nice mentions too:

'Steve Pretty was brilliantly corrupt in his sleazy All Gentlemen of Japan role' - UK Theatre Network.

'Steve Pretty made quite an impact...with the most remarkable trumpet playing not often heard outside Ronnie Scots’ place – a great addition to the team and so well-suited for Hot Mikado.' - Barking and Dagenham Post

Here are some photos of me looking somewhat ridiculous (photos copyright Nobby Clark 2009):

In October 2008 I appeared as an actor-musician (and musical arranger/MD) for The Beautiful People by William Saroyan at the Finborough Theatre, London. This was a rare revival of this unusual depression-era play, and was met with much acclaim and sell-out audiences. It was also a rare chance to catch me performing on cornet and sporting some rather fetching woolen trousers.

From November 2007 – January 2008 I appeared as an actor-musician in Tale of the Beauty and the Beast at the Castle Theatre in Wellingborough. As well as singing and playing a disgruntled musician, I co-arranged all of the music alongside MD Stephen Brown. With more or less open access to the Royal Shakespeare Company's musical instrument store, I ended up playing an amazing range of weird and wonderful instruments during the show, including cornetto (medieval trumpet), cornet, french horn, glockenspiel, percussion, tabla, euphonium and - perhaps best of all - sousaphone!

A hi-res (though still ridiculous) photo of me in action can be seen by clicking the image below.

In 2007 I wrote and performed in The Big Filling: This Time it’s Pie-sonal at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Underbelly), for which I also wrote the music (see Production/Writing). This show attracted outstanding reviews, with The Scotsman describing my film-noir style score as ‘toe-tapping'.

In 2006 I toured for 11 months with the Bill Kenwright musical This Is Elvis playing number 1 venues across the UK and Ireland to crowds of up to 3000 per night. As well as playing on-stage trumpet and solo flugel horn throughout, I also acted in the show, understudied one of the lead actors and sang backing vocals for many of the songs.

I also sing (strong high baritone) and play a number of other instruments, notably tabla, which I studied under Pandit Subhash Nirwan in New Delhi. I also have good basic piano and percussion 'comping' skills, and (at the moment very) basic guitar skills.

Here are some photos of Steve for use in publicity or promotion. See also his Acting page for plain headshots.