Often referred to as "the guitarist's guitarist," Martin Taylor honed his talents in British swing bands and café residencies during the 1970s. In '79 he established his celebrated relationship with the legendary swing violinist Stéphane Grappelli, touring internationally, and recording with Grappelli and classical violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin. The international exposure allowed Taylor to build a solid reputation amongst America’s jazz musicians, recording with Toots Thielemans, Buddy De Franco, Chet Atkins, and finally replacing Herb Ellis in the Great Guitars trio with Charlie Byrd and Barney Kessel. In June 2002, Taylor was awarded an MBE for his services to jazz. The same year his recording SOLO was voted Best Album by the International Guitar Foundation.