The Martin Committee was a line of band instruments, including trumpets, cornets, fluegelhorns, trombones, and saxophones. The name originated in the mid-1930s and was used until 2007. The Martin Committee trumpets and saxophones were favorites of jazz musicians.
The Martin Committee trumpet was originally designed in the late 1930s for the Martin Band Instrument Company by a "committee" of diverse players and teachers.
The first advertisement for the Martin Committee ran in the December 1, 1940 issue of Down Beat. It listed the committee as follows:
Some have said that the Committee consisted of brass instrument makers Renold Schilke, Vincent Bach, Elden Benge, and Foster Reynolds. It is highly doubtful that either Bach or Benge would have helped the competition, as they were advertising their own instruments in the same magazine.
The horn became widely adopted in jazz music because of its warm, rich sound and flexible intonation. They have a unique sound that has been described as "dark and smokey".
Miles Davis played custom-made Committees throughout his career. Other notable players include Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, Maynard Ferguson, Art Farmer, Wallace Roney, and Chris Botti.
When Martin was purchased by Leblanc, the original Committee design was discontinued and a new instrument carried the name. These horns were produced until 2007, when the Martin brand was dropped by Conn-Selmer who had purchased Leblanc in 2004.
Vintage Martin Committee trumpets are highly sought after. Medium-bore versions from the 1940s-1960s frequently command well over $2000 on the popular online auction site. The large-bore versions often sell for over $3000.