CARTWRIGHT, Deirdre

Deirdre Cartwright is a British jazz guitarist, composer and music educator. She became widely known as the guitar tutor and presenter of the BBC television series Rockschool. During the 1980s, she performed with the all-female Afro-Latin jazz group The Guest Stars, recording three albums and touring internationally. In 1989, she co-founded the jazz organisation Blow the Fuse with bassist Alison Rayner.

Cartwright composes contemporary jazz combining melodic improvisation with elements of funk, rock, Afro-Latin, South African and reggae music. She has recorded several albums as a bandleader, including Debut (1994), Play (1996), Precious Things (2002), Dr Quantum Leaps (2005), Tune Up Turn On Stretch Out (2008), Emily Remembered (2011) and Organik (2025). She has also written several educational books on guitar playing.