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Alex Stewart

Just 21 years of age, singer Alex Stewart is already creating a buzz as one of the most precociously talented vocalists of the new generation.

With a voice rooted in Connick and Sinatra, and with a touch of the Kurt Elling rasp, Stewart avoids being a nostalgia act by a judiciously off-beat choice of material and a decidedly contemporary energy level.

As well as clever re-arrangements of great standards, he translates the occasional pop song into jazz and adds some originals, including songs by pianist Alex Webb.

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110

Interview

Interview: Al Stewart (Part 5)

Interview: Al Stewart (Part 5)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

By the late 1950s, trumpeter Al Stewart was performing relentlessly with top bands, recording on a range of notable big band albums and playing in orchestras supporting televised events such as The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. By 1958, television had created enormous opportunity for many big band musicians, especially as jazz's popularity began to wane and big band tours became less economical. After the 1950s, Al continued to play on television shows and recorded in studios, recording two albums under ...

121

Interview

Interview: Al Stewart (Part 4)

Interview: Al Stewart (Part 4)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

By the mid-1950s, trumpeter Al Stewart was appearing as a sideman on a growing number of top big band dates and recordings. With the rise of the 12-inch jazz LP in 1956, album production ramped up as the larger format required more music per disc than had appeared on the smaller 10-inch LP releases. The change in disc size also meant longer, more complex arrangements, which in turn boosted demand for musicians who could read and play parts perfectly the ...

108

Interview

Interview: Al Stewart (Part 3)

Interview: Al Stewart (Part 3)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

When Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong tried to iron out how their 1953 joint tour would play out, egos clashed and Goodman dropped out. Goodman's decision proved to be a stroke of luck for trumpeter Al Stewart. As the Goodman band without Goodman fell under the direction of a more laid back Gene Krupa, Al found himself developing a bond with Armstrong, a relationship that taught him about music, entertainment and life. [Pictured, counterclockwise from bottom left: Al Stewart, Louis ...

220

Interview

Interview: Al Stewart (Part 2)

Interview: Al Stewart (Part 2)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Trumpeter Al Stewart spent much of 1948 and 1949 touring with Benny Goodman's bebop band. Al was classically trained, and Benny appreciated his hard work and rock solid sound in the trumpet section. But by late 1949, Goodman was fed up with bop. So he folded the band, assembled a quartet and went on a tour of the Philippines. Al moved on and spent the next three years in other major bands. Then in early 1953, Benny asked Al to ...

208

Interview

Interview: Al Stewart (Part 1)

Interview: Al Stewart (Part 1)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

You may not recognize Al Stewart's name. But back in the late 1940s and 1950s he was one of the most in-demand East Coast trumpeters in the big-band business. Over the past 55 years, Al has played trumpet along side the biggest names in post-War jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bobby Hackett, Lee Morgan, Charlie Shavers, Buck Clayton, Conrad Gozzo, Maynard Ferguson, Bernie Glow, Gene Krupa to name just a golden handful. [Photo of Al ...

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Performance / Tour

Alex Stewart Makes Pizza on the Park Debut in London

Alex Stewart Makes Pizza on the Park Debut in London

Source: All About Jazz

At just 21 years of age, Alex Stewart, a jazz vocalist for a new generation, performs live at London's prestigious Pizza on the Park venue on Saturday August 1st.

Stewart is already creating a buzz as one of the most precociously talented vocalists of the new generation in the UK. With a voice rooted in Connick and Sinatra, and with a touch of the Kurt Elling rasp, Stewart avoids being a nostalgia act by a judiciously off-beat choice of material ...

“Stewart is good. I enjoyed hearing "I'm in the Mood for Love" for once with attack and kick rather than mawkish sentimentality … Stewart's singing, and the one original he sang, "Goodbye" with its sinuous and original melodic line, are more than more-ish.'' www.londonjazz.blogspot.com March 2009

"Look out for Manchester singer Alex Stewart, who may just blow all the young Ratpack-imitators out of the water." Jazzwise Magazine Dec 2008

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