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John Swana: Bright Moments
by Victor L. Schermer
Simply put, this album is so listenable and stood out so noticeably among the many CDs I've been spinning for myself recently, that I thought All About Jazz readers ought to know about it. I first heard then trumpeter John Swana a decade or more ago when he jammed at pianist Tom Lawton's memorable long-term gig with the late great bassist Al Stauffer at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. I was awestruck by Swana's clarity, sustained non-vibrato tone, and ...
Continue ReadingGrant Stewart: The Sound of Hard Bop Today
by Marta Ramon
Grant Stewart is regarded as one of the most influential tenor sax players of the contemporary jazz scene. After nine formative years of intense learning and playing in his hometown of Toronto, the 19 year- old Stewart took his saxophone and bought a flight to New York. Once there, he did things his own way from day one: he decided his best bet would be to seek tutelage from musicians he liked, such as trumpter Donald Byrd, pianist Barry Harris ...
Continue ReadingGrant Stewart: Plays the Music of Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn
by George Kanzler
Here's a refreshing take on Ellingtonia, one that doesn't rely on the overdone ("Take the A Train," “Perdido") or easy ("C-Jam Blues"). Canadian native Grant Stewart brings a post-Swing, combo approach to his Ellingtonia, even going so far as to reference Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk{{ and the {{Duke Ellington/John Coltrane collaboration. The tenor saxophonist, whose own distinctive style has echoes of Clifford Jordan and later Al Cohn in tone and conception, leads a pos tbop/hard bop-leaning ...
Continue ReadingGrant Stewart: Young at Heart
by David A. Orthmann
Since moving from Toronto to New York at age 19, Grant Stewart has spent 15 years dutifully toiling in the city's jazz underground. Only over the past few years have we begun to hear some worthy examples of the tenor saxophonist's labor--a release under his name for Criss Cross, a pair on the same label by Reeds and Deeds (a band he co-leads with Eric Alexander), and a couple on the Video Arts imprint. Although all of these discs are ...
Continue ReadingGrant Stewart: From Smalls To The Big Time
by Jason Crane
Saxophonist Grant Stewart moved from Toronto to New York after high school, and quickly established himself as a musician's musician. Stewart has played and studied with everyone from Donald Byrd and Pat LaBarbera to Brad Mehldau and Al Grey. His new album, In The Still Of The Night (Sharp Nine, 2007) is an infectious album of classic tenor tones.
AAJ contributor Jason Crane recently spoke with Stewart about jazz's Yoda, hard-asses and Eddie Van Halen.
Continue ReadingGrant Stewart: In The Still Of The Night
by David A. Orthmann
Grant Stewart In The Still Of The Night Sharp Nine Records 2007
Soloing on the title track of In The Still Of The Night, tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart plays scads of notes over a rhythm section traveling at warp speed. But while his stamina and ability to think fast at a nearly impossible tempo are impressive, this tenacious blowing doesn't hint at the depth of Stewart's work on the rest ...
Continue ReadingGrant Stewart: In the Still of the Night
by Elliott Simon
Grant Stewart has an athletic able-bodied style on tenor that can best be described as muscular. It is no surprise that he lists Sonny Rollins as a major influence but what makes him a standout in the large crowd of hard bop tenorists is his ability to sprint across the keys without sacrificing an ounce of beef. He can be found often headlining shows at Smalls in New York and impressing with his rare combination of speed and power.
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