Robert Darrin Stewart is an American saxophonist. He recorded several albums under his own name during the period 1994–2006. He has also recorded as a sideman, including on trumpeter Wynton Marsalis' Blood on the Fields. Stewart went on multiple national and world tours during his 30-year career as a performer, both under his own name and with the Marsalis band.
Early life Stewart was born in Oakland, California on August 17, 1969. His mother was from Louisiana, and his biological father, Bob Stewart, was a San Francisco Conservatory trained flutist and trumpeter. Stewart says that his mother began teaching him to read from the Qur'an when he was three years old; the Bible was his next reading task, and he went on to study other major religions.Moody, Shelah (2004), "Up Close & Personal with Robert Stewart". City Flight Magazine.
Stewart first played the flute as a hobby; his primary passion was basketball during his grade school years.The Santa Clara Metro, "Young Man With A Hot Horn," by Nicky Baxter, June 1995 He stated that he "played flute in high school because it was easy to hide from my friends who were all into sports".Kohlhaase, Bill (January 31, 1995) "A Young Saxman Gets Sound Advice from Jazz Giants". Los Angeles Times. His high school music teacher encouraged him to play jazz.
The summer after his graduation from Fremont High School, he was listening to the radio and heard tenor saxophonist John Coltrane playing "Russian Lullaby"; the next song was "All Too Soon" played by tenor saxophonist Ben Webster."May The Force Be With You", Rasputin's Manifesto, May 1998, pp. 47–48. The contrast in sound between these two men, playing the same instrument, fascinated Stewart; he then remembered his high school teacher's words and focused on jazz. After the summer of 1986, Stewart began to frequent jam sessions with Oakland Bay Area pianist Ed Kelly. There he met saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, who became his first mentor, giving him technical advice and encouraging him to continue and advance his playing.
Performance career
In New York, Stewart played with trumpeter Roy Hargrove.Merod, Jim (June 1994) "Stray Horns". Jazz Now, p. 15. In 1991, he performed with drummer Max Roach's ensemble.McDonald, Mac (May 1995), "The Future Of Jazz", The Monterey County Herald. In 1992, Stewart performed with McCoy Tyner (piano), Bobby Hutcherson (vibes), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Milt Jackson (vibes), Billy Higgins (drums), and organist Jimmy Smith.Bird, Rick (1994), "Hot West Coast Sax Phenom Playing at Greenwich Tavern", The Cincinnati Post. Stewart also joined the Los Angeles-based group Black-Note for an eight-month stint, and performed with trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and drummer Brian Blade that same year.Gilbert, Andrew (1994), "The Record Bin," LA Village View. Others he had played with by 1995 include Buddy Montgomery, Chico Freeman, and Donald Byrd. Jazz critic Jason Ankeny said that Stewart was "One of the most impressive hard bop tenor saxophonists to emerge during the 1990s".
In 1993, Stewart was asked to tour with the New York-based group The Harper Brothers led by drummer Winard Harper. This was his first national band tour.Goodwin, Elizabeth (February 1995), "Youth In Jazz: Robert Stewart," Jazz Now Magazine. By the end of 1994, he began touring nationally under his own name.Daye, John (April 1994), "All That Jazz", The New York Beacon.
Stewart's highest profile engagement that year came after joining trumpeter Wynton Marsalis' big band, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, to perform Blood on the Fields, including on the recording that won the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He also performed on the album They Came to Swing. He was part of the Blood on the Fields tour of the United States and Europe in 1997.
In 1997, Stewart played weekly at San Francisco venues such as Club Deluxe and Bruno's,Gilbert, Andrew (August 3, 1997) "Saxophonist Busy Over All That Jazz". San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner. and had a gig with vocalist Jon Hendricks doing a Bread and Roses benefit inside the former Alcatraz Island Federal Penitentiary. In June 1997, Stewart's quartet included drummer Billy Higgins for a concert at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.Kohlhasse, Bill (May 30, 1997), "Museums Draw On Palette of Acts in Summer". Los Angeles Times. The previous year, Higgins was reported as saying that Stewart was "perhaps the most important young artist to come along in decades."Kline, Randall, 1996 San Francisco Jazz Festival Official Program Book.
Stewart performed with guitarist Patrick Greene for President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton at a Democratic fundraiser in Woodside, California in 1998.Hildebrand, Lee (July 1998), "Robert Rules," The East Bay Express. He backed up Dizzy Gillespie in one of Gillespie's final concerts. In his 30-year performance career he toured the world multiple times.
Recording career Stewart's first album as leader was Judgement, for World Stage Records. The recording featured Higgins, pianist Eric Reed, and bassist Mark Shelby. Jazz writer Scott Yanow wrote: "Even on the up-tempo tunes, Stewart is often content to emphasize his warm tone and to hold long notes, taking his time to get his message across. [...] this is a pleasing modern mainstream effort." In 1994, Stewart recorded Beautiful Love Ballads for Red Records of Italy; it was released in 1998.
Stewart's first album for Quincy Jones's Qwest Records was In the Gutta, in 1996. Saxophonist Dave Liebman, on hearing it, reported enthusiastically that Stewart sounded like a player from an older generation.Primack, Bret (June 1996) "Before and After". JazzTimes. p. 59. Stewart's next album with Qwest was The Force, with drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, bassist Reginald Veal, and pianist Ed Kelly (his first teacher).Elwood, Philip (April 18, 1998) "Sax and Flute with a Spiritual Bent". San Francisco Examiner. According to Stewart, Qwest delayed its release for almost two years and then did not promote it, because of its Islamic influences.
In 2000, Stewart recorded Nat the Cat, a tribute to Nat "King" Cole that featured Kelly (piano), Mark Williams (bass), Sly Randolph (drums), and family members Kevin Stewart (piano) and Robert Stewart III (flute). Stewart's 2003 album The Movement was a concert recording that was also Higgins's final recording. In 2003, Stewart recorded Heaven and Earth for Nagel-Heyer Records. This was essentially a smooth jazz record, and several of the thirteen songs were Stewart originals. The AllMusic reviewer stated that there is "a positive social message that runs through the songs [...] Perhaps Stewart has found a way to combine new age politics with new age music, creating a hybrid that seems almost natural."
Post-performance career Stewart retired from recording and performing at the end of 2016 in order to write religious books, teach, and travel.
Discography As leader Judgement (World Stage, 1994) In the Gutta (Qwest/Warner Bros., 1996) The Force (Qwest/Warner Bros., 1998) Beautiful Love Ballads (Red, 1998) Nat the Cat (Red, 2000) The Movement (Exodus, 2002) Heaven and Earth (Nagel-Heyer, 2004) Happy Birthday Trane (Armageddon, 2006) Invitation (Armageddon, 2006) Evolution (Armageddon, 2006) Don't Move the Groove! (Volume 1 – Organ Funk) (Armageddon, 2006) Don't Move the Groove! (Volume 2 – Organ Blues) (Armageddon, 2006)
Compilations 25th Red Records Anniversary – Un Filo Rosso Nel Jazz (Red, 2003) Ballads 2004 (Nagel-Heyer, 2004) Red Records : The Color of Jazz (Red, 2009) 30 Jazz Love Standards (Red, 2010) Relaxin' Jazz (Red, 2010) Red Records 35th Anniversary (Red, 2011)
Video Marsalis on Music Video Series, Columbia Films (1995) Sessions at West 54th, PBS Television (1997) South Bank Show (Blood on the Fields), Bravo Television (1995)
As a member Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra They Came to Swing (Columbia, 1994) Blood on the Fields (Columbia, 1995)
Big Belly Blues Band Nobody's Home (Chump Change, 2014)
As sideman With David Leshare Watson Live at Lo Spuntino (Music in the Vines, 2002) – live David Leshare Watson Loves Swinging Soft & the Ballads (Music in the Vines, 2003)
With Paul Tillman Smith Fonky Times (Chump Change, 2014) A Beautiful Heart (Chump Change, 2017)
With others Buddy Conner, Can't Hide Love (Seaside, 1996) Jay Johnson, Full Swing Ahead (Deluxe, 1998) Wynton Marsalis, The Music of America: Wynton Marsalis (Sony, 2012)[2CD] Lady Memfis, Expressions of a Legacy (Effania Brown, 2001) Pharoah Sanders, Eddie Marshall, Ed Kelly & Pharoah Sanders (Evidence, 1992)
References
External links
Excerpt from The Real Mind Of God – A Comparative Scriptural Analysis by Stewart, from Barnes & Noble