Home » Jazz Musicians » Al Stewart

Al Stewart

Sign in / sign up and request update access to the Al Stewart page.


Tags

2

Obituary

Al Stewart (1927-2016)

Al Stewart (1927-2016)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Al Stewart, a first-chair swing trumpeter who recorded on some of the most significant New York big-band recordings of the late 1940s and '50s and toured with many marquee jazz orchestras, died on Oct. 17 in Sarasota, Fla., according to his daughter, Amy Abigail Stewart. He was 89. A superb studio sight-reader, Al was in the trumpet section on Benny Goodman's bebop recordings of 1949, Machito's Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite (1950), Chico O'Farrill's Second Afro Cuban Jazz Suite (1951), Maynard Ferguson's ...

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 ...

149

Recording

Collectors' Choice Readies 13 al Stewart Reissues

Collectors' Choice Readies 13 al Stewart Reissues

Source: conqueroo

Reissue rollout attests to singer/songwriter's depth beyond the hits

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - If all you know about Al Stewart is “Year of the Cat," you're missing the best parts of Al Stewart's vaster-than-imagined body of work. Many believe that if weren't for the pop leanings of his one huge American hit, and its follow up, “Time Passages," Stewart might have been widely perceived as the deep and provocative writer he was, a folk artist with a fondness for historical ...

Photos

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.