Louis Stewart: Out on His Own

One of my favorite jazz guitar albums has been reissued. Out on His Own was recorded by Irish guitarist Louis Stewart in Bray, Ireland, between November 1976 and January 1977. Instead of one Louis, you get two. It's a solo album but he accompanies himself by overdubbing on eight of the album's original 13 tracks. The reissue, by Livia Records, has been remastered and includes six bonus tracks and a fabulous 16-page booklet. Oliver Dowling, a friend in Dublin, knew Louis well and told me that the late guitarist was a big JazzWax fan, giving you an indication of his wonderful taste.

Bray is in County Wicklow, just south of Dublin. The album was recorded while Louis was at his peak and was alternating between Ronnie Scott’s house band in London playing behind some of the best touring jazz musicians and his frequent trips back to Dublin to play clubs and bars.

The tracks on the original release were Blue Bossa, Windows, Darn That Dream, Wave, She Moved Through the Fair, Make Someone Happy, I'm All Smiles, Stella by Starlight, Lazy Afternoon, Invitation, I'm Old Fashioned, General Mojos Laid Plan and What's New. The six bonus tracks are I'll Remember April, Spring Is Here, Blues, Forest Flower and alternate takes of What's New and Spring Is Here.

What's terrific about Louis is the meatiness of his chords, his Django-like runs and how neatly he plays duets with himself. Absolutely gorgeous. Just listen to I'm Old Fashioned. Wow!

Born in Waterford in 1944, Louis's parents probably left the city during World War II to avoid the risk of bombing. They moved back to the city while Louis was still a baby. When Louis was 14, his mother saved up the 7 pounds to purchase him his first guitar. At 16, he was already playing at a professional level. But the early 1960s was a difficult period for an up-and-coming jazz guitarist given the popularity of home-grown rockers.

Louis's first regular jazz engagement came in 1965 at Dublin's Martello Room, a glamorous restaurant perched atop a Dublin hotel. He also played regularly at the Fox Inn about 15 minutes north of the city. The club was a tour stop for many American jazz musicians. In 1967, Louis was in Berlin gigging and meeting jazz legends.

The following year, he played at the Montreux Jazz Festival, where he won the Outstanding European Soloist award given by the international press jury. In 1969, Louis was in Montreux again and was awarded a scholarship to Boston's Berklee College of Music. He was grateful but passed, preferring to remain in Dublin and play with Tubby Hayes's band, shuttling between London and Ireland.

By 1976, Louis began recording this album. It's so pretty you'll be listening to it all day. I only wish the label got him to record another five or six just like it. But we have this one, so we can't complain.

Louis Stewart died in 2016.

Bonus: Here's Louis Stewart live in the early 1980s playing Darn That Dream...



Here's more than three hours of Louis with pianist George Shearing and bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen for Germany's MPS label...