{{Short description|New Zealand musician (1949–2011)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=November 2012}} thumb|Martin Winch in 1997. '''Martin Ronald Winch''' (28 February 1949 – 21 May 2011) was a New Zealand guitarist, composer and musician.
==Life and career==
thumb |The CD ''Espresso Guitar'' is Winch's best-known album. It reached #1 in New Zealand.
Born in Nottingham, England, Martin Winch was 14 when his family immigrated to New Zealand in 1963.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |url=https://www.audioculture.co.nz/people/martin-winch |title=Martin Winch |website=Audioculture.co.nz}}</ref> They settled on the North Shore in Auckland, where he attended the Northcote College. He would later tell that as a young boy he became so obsessed with his younger brother Rob's guitar, that he couldn't simply put it down.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hannan |first=Neil |title=Obituary - Martin Winch |url=http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/article/pi_articleid/2396 |accessdate=4 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305011846/http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/article/pi_articleid/2396 |archivedate=5 March 2016}}</ref>
During the late 1970s, his time with the 1860 Band and The Rodger Fox Big Band in Wellington helped Winch to become the brilliant jazz stylist that he was. Prior to that he worked with club bands such as The Crypt and Circa 1973 in the Auckland City. More so, he was an outstanding all rounder in a career spanning four decades. In a buoyant NZ music scene of the 1970s, 1980s and much of the 1990s, Winch played in club bands, backed international artists such as Randy Crawford, Shirley Bassey, Elaine Paige, and Roger Whittaker,<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10728680 |title=Fame elusive, but not acclaim |first=Arnold |last=Pickmere |date=28 May 2011 |website=The New Zealand Herald}}</ref> made orchestral calls, concerts, soundtracks and commercial recording and teaching – all the while writing and recording his own material.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hannan |first=Neil |title=Obituary - Martin Winch |url=http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/article/pi_articleid/2396 |accessdate=4 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305011846/http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/article/pi_articleid/2396 |archivedate=5 March 2016}}</ref>
Winch played with an array of blues, pop and jazz artists from New Zealand and abroad, toured with musicals such as ''Chicago'', ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' and ''My Fair Lady'', lent his fine touch to hundreds of local albums and jammed with Nigel Kennedy<ref>{{cite web |last=Bell |first=Mark |title=Martin Winch: Session Supremo Guitar Man |url=http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/article/pi_articleid/534 |accessdate=4 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531003808/http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/article/pi_articleid/534 |archivedate=31 May 2011}}</ref>
Winch's most famous album, ''Espresso Guitar'' sold over 80,000 copies in New Zealand alone.<ref>{{cite web |title=Legendary New Zealand Guitarist Dies |url=http://libel.co.nz/blog_posts/2686-legendary_new_zealand_guitarist_dies |accessdate=4 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110914045448/http://www.libel.co.nz/blog_posts/2686-legendary_new_zealand_guitarist_dies |archivedate=14 September 2011}}</ref> Musical arrangement was done by another famous New Zealand musician, Pianist Carl Doy<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/ |title=Carl Doy's keys to success |date=30 June 2000 |website=The New Zealand Herald}}</ref> who also produced it.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bell |first=Mark |title=Martin Winch: Session Supremo Guitar Man |url=http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/8/pi_articleid/534/pi_page/1 |accessdate=4 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223010206/http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/8/pi_articleid/534/pi_page/1 |archivedate=23 February 2013}}</ref> ''Espresso Guitar'' enjoyed the number 1 spot on the NZ charts for several weeks, and found wider popularity in Australia and Asia. He released five albums of his own; among which ''Music for Coffee Lovers'' was another hit.<ref name="auto1">{{cite news |last=Pickmere |first=Arnold |title=Fame elusive, but not acclaim |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/music/news/article.cfm?c_id=264&objectid=10728680 |work=The New Zealand Herald |accessdate=4 November 2011 |date=28 May 2011}}</ref>
Winch's favourite instrument was jazz guitar, but he was equally adept at rock, blue, acoustic and electric guitar.
Martin Winch's legacy extends beyond the great musician he was. He was a composer and engineer, teacher and also mentor to many a young players in New Zealand's music industry, particularly in the Auckland music scene.<ref name="auto"/> He was a well known teacher at the School of Music of the University of Auckland where he tutored for five years.<ref name="auto1"/>
In recognition of his work spanning over 40 years, the ''New Zealand Herald'' in 1999 named Winch one of the Top 10 guitarists New Zealand ever produced.<ref>Obituary of Martin Winch: ''Fame elusive, but not acclaim''. New Zealand Herald, 9 October 2011 [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/music/news/article.cfm?c_id=264&objectid=10728680 Obituary]</ref> <ref>{{cite news |last=Baillie |first=Russell |title=My ten guitarists |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=100150 |accessdate=4 November 2011 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=6 November 1999}}</ref>
Martin Winch died of cancer at the age of 62 on 21 May 2011.
==Quotations==
"I’m a working musician on a journey. I play different styles. That’s what I always wanted. I never saw myself as an entertainer, just a musician".<ref name="auto"/>
"The biggest deal for me was working with Randy Crawford. I really like what she did".<ref name="auto2"/>
==Discography==
===Albums===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ List of albums, with selected details and chart positions !scope="col" rowspan="2"|Title !scope="col" rowspan="2"|Details !scope="col" colspan="2"|Peak chart positions !scope="col" rowspan="2"|Sales |- !scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%"| NZ<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://charts.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Martin+Winch|title=Discography Martin Winch|website=charts.nz|access-date=28 October 2022}}</ref> !scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%"| AUS<br /><ref>{{cite Ryan|page=304}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|''Sahara''<br />{{small|(Sahara featuring Martin Winch)}} | * Released: 1984<ref name="audio culture"/> * Label: RCA Victor | — || — | |- !scope="row"|''Martin Winch'' | * Released: 1986 * Label: Kiwi | — || — | |- !scope="row"|''Espresso Guitar'' | * Released: 1998<ref name="audio culture"/> * Label: Thom Marketing | 1 || 99 | * NZ: 100,000<ref name="audio culture">{{Cite web|url=https://www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/martin-winch|title=Martin Winch|website=Audio Culture|access-date=6 November 2022}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|''Espresso Guitar Two'' | * Released: 2000<ref name="audio culture"/> * Label: Thom Marketing | 3 || — | |- !scope="row"|''An Evening with Friends'' | * Released: 2003 (UK) * Label: Marks & Spencer | — || — | |- !scope="row"|''Guitar Song'' | * Released: 2004<ref name="audio culture"/> * Label: Columbia | — || — | |}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* Obituary of Martin Winch: "Fame elusive, but not acclaim". ''The New Zealand Herald'', 9 October 2011 [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/music/news/article.cfm?c_id=264&objectid=10728680 Obituary] * Amplifier Magazine. "Martin 'Espresso Guitar' Winch Passes Away". [https://web.archive.org/web/20110530065108/http://www.amplifier.co.nz/news/70768/martin-espresso-guitar-winch-passes-away.html ''NZ Music News''] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150713173959/http://homepages.vodafone.co.nz/~pauline.berry/martin// Martin Winch's website]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Winch, Martin}} Category:New Zealand guitarists Category:New Zealand male guitarists Category:1949 births Category:2011 deaths Category:People educated at Northcote College