STAN STEWART - Put The Q in Jazz
Self Release
Stan Stewart - all other instruments, composer, producer, and engineer
Xander Dawson - alto saxophone and music scoring
Special thanks to Jinjer Gilcrest, Albert Yost, and Frank Manx
Stan Stewart is about connecting. He describes himself as an improviser and independent musician but he is a bit more than that. His musical journey has been interesting and taken many detours, but along the way, he has picked up a sense of how it connects people, and his philosophy remains to get people together through the power of the art.
As a youngster, Stewart played the family baby grand piano and sang at the church where his father was a minister. He found his piano teachers a bit unchallenging, but when he and his family moved from the US to Scotland in the UK, the young Stan Stewart found challenges and inspiration in music. Adding guitar to his instruments, Stewart explored musical pathways and found a supportive culture in the UK. He played with bands in Europe, and during a gig in a pub, one of a trio he was watching invited Stewart to join them on electric piano. He obliged, initially finding improvisation a challenge but soon realizing it was his niche. Encouraged also by the fact that women began clapping him, Stewart pursued improvisation when the family returned to America two years later.
Back home, Stan’s music was discouraged due to jealous bullying, and he followed the path laid before him, becoming ordained and serving in a Protestant church for three years. However, he knew he was not where he should be and moved to California to pursue music full time.
He found InterPlay, an organization whose philosophy integrates the wisdom of the body in ways that inform creativity and human becoming. Stewart had been doing this all along – finding himself through his creativity - and now he was a part of an organization that helped others do the same. He performed improv for InterPlay events and even became certified as an InterPlay leader, teaching others to use their imagination to become their best selves. Stewart moved to Pennsylvania and thrived, performing at many events. He began posting his work on the web and formed the Muz4Now brand, which aims to bring creative experiences into the lives of others, providing connection and fulfillment. Stewart now lives in upstate New York and writes and performs original music and poetry.
‘Put the Q In Jazz’ is a collection of 8 numbers, with Stewart on Wurlitzer, double bass, drums, Xander Dawson (Charles O. Dickenson jazz Ensemble, Opus Ithica jazz Camp Ensemble and more) on saxes, and local musicians for other instruments. Dawson also scored the music, with Stan Stewart composing, producing, and engineering.
‘Just Go’ is swingy, bluesy with well-worked rises and falls. At the opening, you feel you cross the threshold into a blues club before the instruments enter in harmony, each adding their line and working their heady way around the six-note theme. The central section sees the track rise and fly, with the wind section retaking the theme before the sax soars away with the melody in a raspy, improvised, tonal reflection of the original theme, almost delicate in its note placement. A gorgeous sax-led section adds variation and reflection while the percussion adds its voice and the flugelhorn harmonies and then solos. The rhythmic pattern is again worked around with instruments fleshing out the melody. The eastern European influence with the elongated 6-8 beat is engaging and creates a mode with global appeal.
‘Slide Inward’ is keyboard-led after a drum intro with a melodic sax line over the top of the electronics. A reflective sax interlude creates a sense of stepping out, taking a rest, and letting
everything slide just a little to recharge, the melodies melding together, the flugelhorn tempered by the featherlight touches of the sax.
‘Remedies Abound’ is a laid-back number that lifts the listener, with layers of sound that weave together to create a cohesive whole. A deceptively busy number, it rests easily on the ears, providing textures and variations to engage and delight. The rising flugelhorn leads into a solo opportunity for the sax, which subtly changes the essence of the number in the final section, creating warmth before the return and melodic lines are re-introduced to finish.
‘I Never Knew’ is a steady track with improvisation around the melody. The track has an instantly likable structure, easy on the ears, a gentle feel that neither takes the listener by surprise, nor shocks but offers layers of different sound tones over the central theme that the ears and mind find and explore. The instrumentation offers variety tinged with a sense of familiarity.
‘O’ has an atmospheric opening before the theme establishes. It is a swaying waltz, with flugelhorn rising above the ensemble. The key modulates into minor, an off-kilter feel to some of the passages, and the slight hold on the beat at the two-minute mark lends intrigue. The sax entry is a delight and the ensuing solo adds to the atmosphere as the track develops with trumpet and sax in duet. Interesting harmonies and reactions from different instruments make this an engaging track.
‘Inspire’ is a smorgasbord of sounds with interweaving effects of multiple instruments, with keys to the fore. The reedy effect of the central theme is underpinned by conspiratorial saxophone, and the track builds with increased complexities until it reaches a final flourish with all the instrumentation sounding out. The flugelhorn is beautifully worked on this number.
‘Smuth’ sets off with a pacy rhythm pattern, which continues under the chords of the keys before the sax enters with a light, bouncy melody, which the keys and flugelhorn pick up and run with. The repeated motif is steady throughout the piece as the instrumentation works around it, creating a joyful, uplifting number.
‘Walk Outward’ is opened with sax delivering the melody over a subtle accompaniment, the conversation developing between sax, percussion, and keys. The sax playing is stand-out on this track, balanced pushy harsh notes along with the most delicate of touches. The harmonics are interesting and varied, creating a layered and well-worked number.
On this debut quintet album (the Q in the title is for Quintet), Smith shows his delight in taking a motif, repeating and playing with it until nearly all variations are explored, and then seeing which instruments can change it and create even more diversity. The album is one to entice a smile from even the most taciturn of listeners. Stewart told me one of his hopes is that schools and others will want to perform these quintets as the scores and performing rights contracts will be available at the same time as these are released on the streaming platforms. I can see them being valuable and essential playing.
This is Stewart’s debut quintet release, and undoubtedly there should be more.
Reviewed by Sammy Stein
Self Release
Stan Stewart - all other instruments, composer, producer, and engineer
Xander Dawson - alto saxophone and music scoring
Special thanks to Jinjer Gilcrest, Albert Yost, and Frank Manx
Stan Stewart is about connecting. He describes himself as an improviser and independent musician but he is a bit more than that. His musical journey has been interesting and taken many detours, but along the way, he has picked up a sense of how it connects people, and his philosophy remains to get people together through the power of the art.
As a youngster, Stewart played the family baby grand piano and sang at the church where his father was a minister. He found his piano teachers a bit unchallenging, but when he and his family moved from the US to Scotland in the UK, the young Stan Stewart found challenges and inspiration in music. Adding guitar to his instruments, Stewart explored musical pathways and found a supportive culture in the UK. He played with bands in Europe, and during a gig in a pub, one of a trio he was watching invited Stewart to join them on electric piano. He obliged, initially finding improvisation a challenge but soon realizing it was his niche. Encouraged also by the fact that women began clapping him, Stewart pursued improvisation when the family returned to America two years later.
Back home, Stan’s music was discouraged due to jealous bullying, and he followed the path laid before him, becoming ordained and serving in a Protestant church for three years. However, he knew he was not where he should be and moved to California to pursue music full time.
He found InterPlay, an organization whose philosophy integrates the wisdom of the body in ways that inform creativity and human becoming. Stewart had been doing this all along – finding himself through his creativity - and now he was a part of an organization that helped others do the same. He performed improv for InterPlay events and even became certified as an InterPlay leader, teaching others to use their imagination to become their best selves. Stewart moved to Pennsylvania and thrived, performing at many events. He began posting his work on the web and formed the Muz4Now brand, which aims to bring creative experiences into the lives of others, providing connection and fulfillment. Stewart now lives in upstate New York and writes and performs original music and poetry.
‘Put the Q In Jazz’ is a collection of 8 numbers, with Stewart on Wurlitzer, double bass, drums, Xander Dawson (Charles O. Dickenson jazz Ensemble, Opus Ithica jazz Camp Ensemble and more) on saxes, and local musicians for other instruments. Dawson also scored the music, with Stan Stewart composing, producing, and engineering.
‘Just Go’ is swingy, bluesy with well-worked rises and falls. At the opening, you feel you cross the threshold into a blues club before the instruments enter in harmony, each adding their line and working their heady way around the six-note theme. The central section sees the track rise and fly, with the wind section retaking the theme before the sax soars away with the melody in a raspy, improvised, tonal reflection of the original theme, almost delicate in its note placement. A gorgeous sax-led section adds variation and reflection while the percussion adds its voice and the flugelhorn harmonies and then solos. The rhythmic pattern is again worked around with instruments fleshing out the melody. The eastern European influence with the elongated 6-8 beat is engaging and creates a mode with global appeal.
‘Slide Inward’ is keyboard-led after a drum intro with a melodic sax line over the top of the electronics. A reflective sax interlude creates a sense of stepping out, taking a rest, and letting
everything slide just a little to recharge, the melodies melding together, the flugelhorn tempered by the featherlight touches of the sax.
‘Remedies Abound’ is a laid-back number that lifts the listener, with layers of sound that weave together to create a cohesive whole. A deceptively busy number, it rests easily on the ears, providing textures and variations to engage and delight. The rising flugelhorn leads into a solo opportunity for the sax, which subtly changes the essence of the number in the final section, creating warmth before the return and melodic lines are re-introduced to finish.
‘I Never Knew’ is a steady track with improvisation around the melody. The track has an instantly likable structure, easy on the ears, a gentle feel that neither takes the listener by surprise, nor shocks but offers layers of different sound tones over the central theme that the ears and mind find and explore. The instrumentation offers variety tinged with a sense of familiarity.
‘O’ has an atmospheric opening before the theme establishes. It is a swaying waltz, with flugelhorn rising above the ensemble. The key modulates into minor, an off-kilter feel to some of the passages, and the slight hold on the beat at the two-minute mark lends intrigue. The sax entry is a delight and the ensuing solo adds to the atmosphere as the track develops with trumpet and sax in duet. Interesting harmonies and reactions from different instruments make this an engaging track.
‘Inspire’ is a smorgasbord of sounds with interweaving effects of multiple instruments, with keys to the fore. The reedy effect of the central theme is underpinned by conspiratorial saxophone, and the track builds with increased complexities until it reaches a final flourish with all the instrumentation sounding out. The flugelhorn is beautifully worked on this number.
‘Smuth’ sets off with a pacy rhythm pattern, which continues under the chords of the keys before the sax enters with a light, bouncy melody, which the keys and flugelhorn pick up and run with. The repeated motif is steady throughout the piece as the instrumentation works around it, creating a joyful, uplifting number.
‘Walk Outward’ is opened with sax delivering the melody over a subtle accompaniment, the conversation developing between sax, percussion, and keys. The sax playing is stand-out on this track, balanced pushy harsh notes along with the most delicate of touches. The harmonics are interesting and varied, creating a layered and well-worked number.
On this debut quintet album (the Q in the title is for Quintet), Smith shows his delight in taking a motif, repeating and playing with it until nearly all variations are explored, and then seeing which instruments can change it and create even more diversity. The album is one to entice a smile from even the most taciturn of listeners. Stewart told me one of his hopes is that schools and others will want to perform these quintets as the scores and performing rights contracts will be available at the same time as these are released on the streaming platforms. I can see them being valuable and essential playing.
This is Stewart’s debut quintet release, and undoubtedly there should be more.
Reviewed by Sammy Stein
