corto alto

Biography

Liam Shortall, known by his stage name corto.alto—a playful Spanish pun on 'short.tall' reflecting his Irish-Spanish heritage—was born and raised in Dumfries, Scotland. He began his musical journey picking up the trombone during his youth, playing weddings as a teenager to make ends meet and gaining early experience in the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra. Trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Shortall developed his skills as a multi-instrumentalist, honing his craft through bedroom beat-making and countless gigs in Glasgow's intimate venues, from living room shows to packed jazz clubs.[1][2][4][5][8]

Now proudly based in Glasgow's Southside, Shortall has emerged as a key figure in the city's burgeoning jazz scene, consciously choosing to build the local music community rather than relocate to London. As composer, producer, and bandleader, he blends traditional jazz improvisation with electronic production, broken beat, bass-heavy dub, nu jazz, and influences from hip-hop, soul, funk, and club culture. His debut album 'Bad With Names' (2024) marked a breakthrough, shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, featuring UK talents like Fergus McCreadie and Graham Costello, and exploring themes of misspent youth and memory loss across instrumental tracks. Earlier works include the innovative '30/108' (2024), a 30-track daily release project, and live albums that earned Scottish Jazz Awards.[1][2][3][4][5]

Championed by Gilles Peterson and Jamie Cullum, corto.alto has performed at Glastonbury, Love Supreme, and Montreux Jazz Festival, with sold-out tours and his 'Made In Glasgow' mini-festival at Barrowlands Ballroom. His live shows showcase fluid switches between trombone, bass, guitar, keys, synths, and effects, delivering infectious grooves and rhythmic complexity that appeal to head, heart, and hips, positioning him as a future-jazz innovator challenging jazz boundaries.[1][2][5][6]

Fun Facts

• Played three weddings a week for four years as a teen, including the same woman's wedding twice with the same band and venue.
• Released '30/108' in 2024, dropping one track daily for a month from 108 demos, each with live performance videos.
• His moniker 'corto.alto' translates to 'short.tall' in Spanish, nodding to his Irish-Spanish heritage and surname Shortall.
• Favorite Glasgow Southside elements include the people, music, energy, community, food, and parties; personal toppings: Marmite, Butter, Lemon, Honey, Haggis.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Frédéric Chopin - Keys influence (General stylistic inspiration) [Ongoing]
• Joe Pass - Guitar influence (General stylistic inspiration) [Ongoing]
• Jaco Pastorius - Bass influence (General stylistic inspiration) [Ongoing]
• Nai Palm - Vocals influence (General stylistic inspiration) [Ongoing]

Key Collaborators

• Fergus McCreadie - Pianist/Keys, Mercury Prize-nominated (Bad With Names (2024)) [2023-2024]
• Graham Costello - Drummer from STRATA (Bad With Names (2024)) [2023-2024]
• James Copus - Trumpet player (Bad With Names (2024)) [2023-2024]
• Anoushka Nanguy - Trombonist (Bad With Names (2024)) [2023-2024]
• Harry Weir - Horn player (Band performances) [Ongoing]
• Mateusz Sobieski - Horn player (Band performances) [Ongoing]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia