Remote recording · London studio · Live sessions
Session trumpet player
I’m Steve Pretty, a London-based session trumpet player. I record trumpet and flugelhorn remotely from my Hackney studio for records, film and television, advertising and production music.
Send a written part, a demo or an idea. I can play your arrangement, improvise alternatives or build layered brass parts. I’m also available for studio dates and live work.
Enquire about a trumpet session
Selected playing credits
Alongside leading and playing with Hackney Colliery Band, I’ve played or recorded with artists including Sam Smith, Kelis, Paul Epworth, The Cure, Angélique Kidjo, Mulatu Astatke, Roni Size and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Theatre work includes trumpet for The Merry Wives of Windsor at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2025 and Much Ado About Nothing at the National Theatre in 2022, as well as touring and West End shows.
I also toured for a year with a musical about Elvis. I learned a lot about Elvis.
Remote trumpet recording
Send me the track and a little about what you need. I can play a written part, develop ideas with you, or record a few improvised approaches for you to choose from.
I record in my Hackney studio, with Coles and Sphere microphones, Neve, SSL and Thermionic Culture preamps, and Genelec monitoring. There’s plenty of scope for a clean, natural brass sound or something more thoroughly transformed. Explore the studio.
I send listening copies for feedback, make the agreed adjustments and deliver the final audio in WAV or your preferred format. Let me know your deadline early so I can check it against touring and other sessions.
More than one horn?
I can arrange, record and mix horn parts, including putting together a section where the project needs one. Years of playing, recording and leading bands have given me a wide network of musicians I know and trust. I can bring in the right players for the sound, from a small horn section to a larger ensemble.
If you already have an arrangement, great. If you know the sound you want but haven’t written the notes yet, that’s also a useful starting point.
Recording & production →Have a listen
Hackney Colliery Band at the Barbican
I lead, write for and play in Hackney Colliery Band. This was our sold-out Collaborations show at the Barbican, with guests including Mulatu Astatke, DJ Yoda and the Roundhouse Choir.
Explore the Barbican show and full line-up
Shofukan · Spanner Big Band
My trumpet solo on Spanner Big Band’s version of Snarky Puppy’s Shofukan. I also mixed and produced the album, A Load of Old Toot!!, trying to get some of the band’s glorious live chaos onto a record.
Watch Shofukan on Instagram ↗︎ · Hear the album & explore my production work →
In the studio: Jim Moray · Spencer the Rover
Layering cornet, flugel, tenor horn and baritone for Jim Moray’s take on the folk song. Here’s how I built the brass-section sound, one part at a time, with baritone horn added off camera. You can hear it all together in Jim’s finished track below.
Hear the finished track
Watch the brass session on Instagram →
Building a trumpet section
A different kind of layering: bright, punchy trumpet parts for production music. A session for Future Pop: Brass-Infused Pop.
On record: Paul Epworth’s Voyager
Featured trumpet in a very different setting from a theatre pit.
Acoustic instruments, live electronics
I work with delays, harmonisers, sampling and other electronic ways of extending an instrument’s sound. Here’s a performance with violinist Harriet Mackenzie: Slack Tide, for trumpet, violin and live electronics.
The Lark Ascending
Another side of my work with violinist Harriet Mackenzie: our version of The Lark Ascending, with trumpet and live electronics.
Arranging and leading the band
For For the Record: An Incomplete History of Music, I arranged the music, led the band and played in the performances that close each episode, working with a variety of guest artists. Here’s Charlotte Carpenter joining us for Friday I’m in Love.
Watch the closing performance · Explore the whole series
In the theatre
Watch the National Theatre’s Much Ado About Nothing for an example of my trumpet playing in a full production. Viewing access is through National Theatre at Home.
Workshops & masterclasses
My teaching spans undergraduate and master’s level: trumpet and improvisation at Goldsmiths and Brunel, and arranging and music technology for master’s students at London College of Music.
I lead the World Music Big Band, a workshop band bringing players of different experience levels together around music from across the world. Rehearsing, improvising and performing together is at the heart of it, with a professional rhythm section supporting the band.
I’ve also worked on education projects with organisations including the Roundhouse, Royal Opera House and Hackney Empire. I’ve also run a masterclass with the Household Cavalry. My masterclasses can bring acoustic playing and electronics together, alongside improvisation, ensemble playing and practical musicianship.
More teaching, playing and studio details →
Instruments & equipment
I mainly play a Monette trumpet because I am well fancy/good at eBay. Recording usually involves a Coles ribbon microphone or a Sphere modelling microphone.
Planning a remote session
Do I need a written trumpet part?
No. I can work from a score, a demo or a description of the sound you want. If you have a part already, send it with the track; if not, we can develop ideas together.
Can you record a brass section?
Yes. I can layer trumpet, flugelhorn, cornet, tenor horn and baritone horn, arrange the parts, and bring in other players where the project needs them.
What do I receive?
I send listening copies for feedback, make the agreed adjustments and deliver final audio as WAV files or in your preferred format. We’ll agree the required parts and file specifications before recording.
What should I send for a quote?
A listening link or demo, any written parts, your deadline and a little about how the recording will be used. Tell me if you need arranging as well as playing. I’ll confirm availability, scope and fee before we start.
Need some trumpet?
For live work, send the date, place and what you’re putting together. For a recording, send a track or sketch, your deadline and whether you have parts already.
Enquire about a gig or session