Louis Stewart (guitarist)

Louis Stewart (born Waterford, Ireland, 5 January 1944) is an Irish jazz guitarist, and the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Trinity College Dublin.^[1] He began his international career in 1968, when he was awarded the special jury prize at The Montreux International Jazz Festival (and turning down a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, Boston). Shortly thereafter he began working with Benny Goodman, an association that lasted three years, and gave way to an extended period of prominence with the late English saxophonist/flautist Tubby Hayes.

As a member of Ronnie Scott's quartet and quintet for several years, Louis began recording as leader in the mid-1970s, making albums with Sam Jones and Billy Higgins, with Peter Ind, and later, with Red Mitchell, saxophonist Spike Robinson, pianist Bill Charlap, and now, more recently again, a new CD, recorded in Venice with alto great Peter King.

In the 70s Louis began his lengthy association with George Shearing (with whom he has toured America, Brazil and the European summer jazz festival circuit; and recorded eight albums - several in trio with Danish bass master Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen, and in quintet with vibist Steve Nelson and drummer Dennis Mackrel). He began working with Canadian genius-orchestrator and arranger, Robert Farnon, in 1976, and at least ten albums resulted: with singers Joe Williams, Carol Kidd and two with Eileen Farrell, two with Shearing and with trombone legend J.J. Johnson, on all of which he is a prominently featured soloist.

In 1994, as a member of the Shearing trio, Louis featured for a week opposite Tommy Flanagan's trio in The Blue Note. This led to a still active association with Peter Washington and Lewis Nash which has included a week-long engagement, as leader, at the Village Vanguard (with Richard Wyands in the piano chair, and, for that particular week, Kenny Washington, drums, substituting for Lewis Nash).

Continuing to make Dublin his home, Louis performs regularly in Germany and Norway, where, in the national theatre, Oslo, his James Joyce/Ulysses inspired concert piece "JoyceNotes" has been produced and recorded to acclaim.

Discography

• Louis the First (trio, Dublin, Hawk Records) 1975
• Milesian Source (Pye "Ronnie Scott Presents" label)
• I Thought About You, with Sam Jones (bass), Billy Higgins (drums)
• Out on His Own 1977
• Acoustic Guitar Duets (with Martin Taylor) 1985 Livia Records
• Overdrive ( 1994 Hep Records, Scotland) 1993^[2]
• Good News (w/Norwegian band "4 Sure")- awarded 5 stars in Downbeat magazine
• String Time (also Norwegian, featuring bassist Terje Venas)
• Louis Stewart and Peter Ind, Beyond Baubles, Bangles and Beads
• I Wished on the Moon 1999
• Street of Dreams 2002
• In a Mellowtone (w/Heiner Franz)
• Angel Eyes (w/Peter King & pianist Greg Burke)
• Core Business (with Egil Kapstad, Terje Venaas, and Eyvind Olsen) 2004^[3]
• Paradoxical Intervention 2005
• You've Changed (recorded in Venice, w/the Frank Harrison Trio) 2007

References

Sources

• Official website
• Feather/Gitler, "Encyclopedia of Jazz", Oxford University Press
• John Chilton, "Encyclopedia of Jazz In Britain"
• Grove Encyclopedia of Jazz (ed. Kernfield)