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Jimmy Stewart (born September 8, 1937) is an American guitarist who has performed a wide variety of music since the late-1950s. He is best known for his association with jazz guitarist, Gabor Szabo, but has been extensively involved in many genres of music; not only as a guitarist, but also as an arranger, conductor, producer, orchestrator, musical director, and educator. Stewart has appeared on over 1,200 recordings. Leonard Feather wrote in his Encyclopedia Of Jazz In The Seventies: “Stewart, an exceptionally experienced and able artist on all plectrum instruments, attributes his inspiration to a range of influences, from Segovia and Bartok to Charlie Christian and Laurindo Almeida."
Early life[]
Stewart was born on September 8, 1937 in San Francisco, United States (US). At the age of four, Stewart commenced piano lessons, switching to the guitar when he was eight. He snuck out of the family house late at night to experience jam sessions at after-hours clubs.
A professional at age 15, Stewart received the opportunity to play with Earl Hines when he was 16. After working in Lake Tahoe, Stewart studied at the College of San Mateo, earning an Associate Arts degree in 1957; he then studied at the Chicago School of Music in 1960, where he gained a Bachelor of Arts degree following his time as a student of renowned classical guitarist and teacher, Richard Pick; and he received a certificate in composition/modern arranging from the Berklee School of Music in 1964. (1) Stewart also engaged in private studies with Albert Harris (composition, film scoring and orchestration), Jack Lee (conducting), George M. Smith (classical and studio guitar), Paul Miller (fretted instruments), and Bud Young (dance band arrangements and harmony and composition from the 16th–18th centuries).
US Army service[]
During the period from 1958 to 1960, Stewart served in the US Army, where he became a Broadcast Specialist. He recorded the 1959 Playboy Jazz Festival for the Armed Forces radio station, was the musical director/arranger for the weekly radio show, At Ease Show, and produced Parade Rest for St Louis television. (4) He also played guitar on variety shows and produced other radio programs.
Move to Los Angeles[]
Following his time with Szabo, Stewart moved to Los Angeles, where he became very involved in several different areas of music. He recorded his album, The Touch, of which Jim Ferguson wrote in Guitar Player Magazine, “Throughout, Jimmy displays his imagination, depicting a fictional encounter between Szabo and Carlos Santana, as well as paying tribute to influences Jimmy Raney, Jim Hall and Wes Montgomery. Highlights include the fluid, bebop soloing on 'Jim’s Tune' and the synth-backed nylon-string work on ‘Personal Touch.’” (8) In addition to playing jazz, Stewart also sounded comfortable playing heavy metal next to Tommy Bolen at a music industry trade show in Los Angeles. (9)
Studio musician and musical director[]
Since settling in Los Angeles, Stewart worked as the musical director for Lainie Kazan (arranger and conductor on tours between 1972 and 1979) and as an arranger for the road tours of Andy Williams; he also worked with Gary Crosby, Chita Rivera, and Rod McKuen. Stewart also arranged for John Gary, Lou Gottlieb, Alex Hassel, Chad Mitchell and Tonilee Scott, and coached Linda Ronstadt, Juice Newton and Lee Ritenour. (4)
As a studio musician, Stewart has played on over 1,200 sessions. (1) He was one of the first studio guitarists to introduce the sound of rock guitar to soundtracks and commercials and his versatility meant that he was in demand as a professional musician for numerous decades. (4) Chris Colombi Jr wrote of Stewart in 1986, “His playing and tastes run back to the blues, Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt, and forward to Al DiMeola, Tony Purrone and Jim Hall.”
Film and television score appearances[]
Stewart's guitar playing has been utilized in such movies as Paint Your Wagon, Topaz, Some Kind Of Nut, Nice Dreams, Minus One, and Chain Of Command. In television, he has appeared on the scores of Ironside, The Bold Ones, Dan August, The Burt Bacharach Special, The Mike Douglas Show, and The Tonight Show. (4) He also played music for stage shows, such as How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Half A Sixpence, 110 In The Shade, No Strings, Funny Girl, Here's Love, Bye Bye Birdie, Kiss Me Kate, Roar Of The Greasepaint —The Smell of the Crowd, West Side Story, The Boy-Friend, Little Abner, Banbouche, and Man Of La Mancha.
In 1991, Stewart was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall Of Fame.[citation needed]
Educator and author[]
Stewart has written 27 books on the guitar, including Wes Montgomery Jazz Guitar Method (1968); The Howard Roberts Guitar Book (1970), co-authored with Howard Roberts); Guitar For Songwriters (1977); Ear Training For Guitarists (1977); Sight Reading For Guitarists (1978); Evolution Of Jazz Guitar (1987); The Working Guitarist (1989); Heavy Metal Guitar (1992); and The Complete Jazz Guitarist (1994).
Stewart was the founder of the guitar program at Dick Grove Music Workshops and was chairman of the Music Department at the Audio/Video Institute of Technology in Hollywood, US, conducting master classes in record production and music recording history. Stewart also taught guitar at the Musicians Institute of Technology; taught theory, orchestration and guitar at the University of Southern California; and helped to build the guitar department at Dick Grove Workshops. In the mid-1980s, one of Stewart's guitar students was Linda Ronstadt. (9) He wrote the monthly column, “The Complete Musician”, for Guitar Player Magazine during the period from 1971 to 1981 and has also written articles for the Jazz Educators Journal, Sound & Recording Magazine, On Stage Magazine and Recording Engineer & Producer Magazine. (4)
Composer[]
As a classical composer, Stewart has written more than 15 compositions, ten of which have included works such as "10 Etudes For Classical Guitar", "Concertino For Electric Guitar and Orchestra", "Folk Songs for Orchestra", "Sonata For Unaccompanied Violin", and two string quartets. (10)
Golf and hypnosis[]
An enthusiastic golfer and a student of the game, Stewart wrote Mastering Golf Through Hypnosis in 2009 and produced a recorded the book, read by Tye Justice. Stewart studied "Hypnotherapy with John McCarthy" at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in Los Angeles, US, and has worked with children as an assistant golf coach. He has also appeared on several golf infomercials. (4)
Discography[]
- 1977 Fire Flower (Catalyst)
- 1981 Street Jazz (Techeku)
- 1987 The Touch (BlackHawk)
- 1987 Evolution of Jazz Guitar (Mel Bay) [Cassette Only]
- 1989 Rock Tracks (Alfred) [Cassette Only]
- 1991 Power Trax (CPP/Belwin)
- 1992 Blues Trax (CPP/Belwin)
- 1992 Heavy Metal Guitar (CPP/Belwin)
- 1992 Mode Mania (CPP/Belwin)
- 1993 The Art, History and Style of Jazz Guitar (CPP/Belwin)
- 1994 The Complete Jazz Guitarist (Mel Bay)
- 1998 Memorabilia (J-Bird Records)
- 2005 Night People (Apophis Records)
With Gabor Szabo[]
- 1967 The Sorcerer (Impulse)
- 1968 Bacchanal (Sky)
- 1968 Dreams (Sky)
- 1968 More Sorcery (Impulse)
- 1969 Exotic Guitars (Ranwood)
- 1977 Faces (Mercury)
Books[]
- 1968 Wes Montgomery Jazz Guitar Method, Robbins Music Publishing
- 1970 The Howard Roberts Guitar Book, Playback Music Publications
- 1971 Carol Kaye’s Basslines Five, Gwyn Publishing
- 1975 Chord/Melody, Apophis Music Publishing
- 1975 Jazz Guitar, Apophis Music Publishing
- 1976 15 Guitar Etudes, Apophis Music Publishing
- 1977 Ear Training for the Guitarist, Apophis Music Publishing
- 1977 Guitar for Songwriters, Grove Publications
- 1977 Orchestration and Arranging, Apophis Music Publishing
- 1977 Pentatonic Madness, Apophis Music Publishing
- 1977 Sight Reading for the Guitarist, Apophis Music Publishing
- 1978 A Tribute to Classical Guitar, GPI Publications
- 1978 Studio Guitar, Apophis Music Publishing
- 1980 Contemporary Rhythm Playing for the Guitarist, Apophis Music Publishing
- 1985 Basic Guitar, GPI/Hal Leonard Publications
- 1985 Rock Guitar, GPI/Hal Leonard Publications
- 1987 Evolution of Jazz Guitar, Mel Bay Publications
- 1987 Rock Guitar, Alfred Publishing
- 1989 The Working Guitarist, Volume 1, Alexander Publishing
- 1991 Power Trax, CPP/Belwin Publishing
- 1992 Blues Trax, CPP/Belwin Publishing
- 1992 Heavy Metal Guitar, CPP/Belwin Publishing
- 1992 Mode Mania, CPP/Belwin Publishing
- 1993 The Art History and Style of Jazz Guitar, CPP/Belwin Publishing
- 1994 The Complete Jazz Guitarist, Mel Bay Publications
- 1997 Easy Jazz Riffs For Guitar, Cherry Lane Music Company
- 1997 Jazz Harmony, Cherry Lane Music Company
- 1998 Easy Jazz Riffs For Guitar, Japanese Edition Shinko Music Publishing Company, LTD.
Articles Published[]
- 1971-1981 “The Complete Musician” (Guitar Player Magazine monthly column)
- “An Engineer’s Guide to Music” Parts One and Two (Recording Engineer & Producer Magazine)
- “Quincy Jones with Engineer Bruce Swedien: The Consumate Production Team” (Recording Engineer & Producer Magazine)
- “The Roots and Branches of Musical Styles” (Jazz Educators Journal)
- “Sound Analyze” (Sound & Recording Magazine)
- “In Session” (On Stage Magazine)
- “Going Beyond Natural Sound” (Recording Engineer & Producer Magazine)
- “Personal Use Studios” (Recording Engineer & Producer Magazine)
- “Alpha Studios” (Recording Engineer & Producer Magazine)
- “Keith Olsen — Producer” (Recording Engineer & Producer Magazine)
Classical Compositions[]
- Opus 1-10 Etudes for Classical Guitar
- Opus 11 Folk Tunes for Orchestra
- Opus 12 Prelude for Piano
- Opus 13 Study in Percussion
- Opus 14 Passacaglia for Flute
- Opus 15 Homage de Albert Harris for Classical Guitar
- Opus 16 Fantasia for Classical Guitar
- Opus 17 Sonata for Violin (unaccompanied)
- Opus 18 Concertino for Electric guitar & Orchestra
- Opus 19 String Quartet 1 Plus D.B.
- Opus 20 String Quartet II Plus Classical Guitar
- Opus 21 Homage de Maruro Giuliani — Classical Guitar
- Opus 22 Homge de Dionisio Agnardo
- Opus 23 Homage de Marteo Carcassi
- Opus 24 Homage de Napoleon Coste
- Opus 25 Guitar Concerto no.1 for classical guitar and orchestra
- Opus 26 Guitar Concerto no.2 for jazz guitar and orchestra
- Opus 27 Guitar Concerto no.3 for contemporary guitar and orchestra
References[]
- http://www.thecompletemusician.com[dead link]
- Feather, Leonard (1976), Encyclopedia of Jazz In The Seventies, New York, Horizon Press, p. 316
- The Herald, July 5, 1990 by June Lehman
- The Milwaukee Journal, April 16, 1985 by Tom Strini
- http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jimmy-stewart-p128695
- Cleveland Daily, Sept. 5, 1986 by Chris Columbi
- http://www.dougpayne.com/p67_69.htm — Doug Payne blog on Gabor Szabo-Jimmy Stewart association
- Guitar Player, Oct. 1986 by Jim Ferguson
- Santa Cruz Sentinel, Sept. 19, 1986 by Dave Gringold
- Milwaukee Sentinel, Apr. 5, 1991