Max Forster is a Canadian trumpet player, producer, bandleader, arranger and multi-instrumentalist based in Toronto, Canada. His eclectic musical tastes have led him to work with a wide variety of groups and artists across styles, including jazz, hip hop, brass band, electronic, klezmer, Balkan, and more. He is currently involved in a wide range of projects including Bangerz Brass, Queen Kong, The Lemon Bucket Orkestra, and The Toronto Klezmer Society, and has over 20 recording credits to his name.
Growing up in Hamilton, Ontario, Max's first involvement with music was playing guitar and drums and running rock and metal bands in his teen years. Through his high school band program, where he was constantly learning any instrument he could get his hands on, he developed a love for the unique experience and physicality of the trumpet. After a one-year stint at York University, Max transferred to the University of Toronto, where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance.
During his undergrad, and while making a name for himself as a freelancer, he became heavily involved in Toronto's street brass culture. Busking every summer with Hogtown Sound and The Sidewalk Crusaders, he became a link in the chain connecting local legends The Shuffle Demons, The Lemon Bucket Orkestra and The Heavyweights Brass Band to the blistering modern sounds of Bangerz Brass, Big Smoke Brass, and SHOUT! The Band.
As a trumpet player, Max has earned a reputation for his attention to detail and stylistic depth. He has performed regularly throughout the Greater Toronto Area with a who's who of Ontario bands including My Son the Hurricane, Big Smoke Brass, Gold Complex, Snaggle, Mad Heads CA, Hogtown Sound, and many more. His extensive touring experience has seen him perform in France, Switzerland, Dubai, Guatemala, the USA, and Montreal, in addition to tours through Northern Ontario and Western Canada.
In recent years, Max has been developing his skills as a producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist. His first work as a producer was Big Smoke Brass' full-length album From A Block Away, a hard-hitting ode to the explosive Toronto brass band sound. Since then, he has engineered two more projects for BSB, and has worked with Toronto rap icon Ayrah Taerb and Ottawa electronic artist Sam Aleums on developing their own projects.
Max released his first self-produced album, Time & Place, on March 18, 2022.