Louis Stewart

Louis Stewart - I Thought About You - 1979 - Lee Lambert

If you've never heard of the veteran Irish jazz guitarist, Louis Stewart, then check this album out. Louis is one of the world's greatest jazz guitarists. He is up there with players of the calibre of Larry Coryell, John McLaughlin, the late Emily Remler, Jeff Golub, and many more. On "I Thought About You" with the late bassist Sam Jones, pianist John Taylor, and the late drummer Billy Higgins he covers six great tracks. Mercer & Van Heusen's "I Thought About You" is covered with expert ease, as is the great saxophonist Jimmy Heath's "Smiling Billy". The legendary Thelonious Monk's "Straight, No Chaser" is given a masterful makeover, and Chick Corea's "Litha" is given the same treatment. The late, great bassist Sam Jones' own composition, "Unit 7" is a perfect track, and covered with incredible flair, superb technique, and style by the quartet. The late Belgian pianist, François "Francy" Boland & the late bassist Jimmy Woode's beautiful "Mood Indigo" like "November Girl" is played with a wonderful, delicate subtlety. Louis' guitar work on this track is superb. The album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 121 Mb]. Graham @ LS/ITAY said that "Somewhere there is an ideal parallel universe where stuff like this remains available, while the other 99% of rubbish that the record companies spew out disappears instantly into a black hole". Try and listen to Louis Stewart's "Paradoxical Intervention" album, and check out his "Solo Guitar: Out On His Own" album on this blog.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

A1 I Thought About You - James Van Heusen, Johnny Mercer
A2 Litha - Chick Corea
A3 Smiling Billy - Jimmy Heath

B1 Unit 7 - Sam Jones
B2 November Girl - Francy Boland, Jimmy Woode
B3 Straight, No Chaser - Thelonious Monk

MUSICIANS

Guitar - Louis Stewart
Bass - Sam Jones RIP
Piano - John Taylor
Drums - Billy Higgins RIP

SHORT BIO (WIKI)

Louis Stewart (born Waterford, Ireland, 5 January 1944) is an Irish jazz guitarist, and the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Trinity College Dublin. 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.

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Louis Stewart, the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Trinity College Dublin, began his international career in 1968 when he was awarded the special jury prize at The Montreaux International Jazz Festival. Shortly thereafter he began working with Benny Goodman, an association that lasted three years, and gave way to an extended and prominent period with the late, great, 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-'70s, 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 ("Angel Eyes"). In the 70s Louis began his lengthy association with George Shearing (with whom he has toured America, Brazil and all of Europe; 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 and Eileen Farrell, 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, New York. This led to an association - still active - with Peter Washington and Lewis Nash which has included a week-long engagement, as leader, at the legendary Village Vanguard, NYC (with the masterful 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 to acclaim. © http://www.louisstewart.net/bio.htm