Grant Stewart (born June 4, 1971) is a Canadian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

saxophonist.

Life and career

Stewart was born in Toronto, Ontario on June 4, 1971.Collar, Mat
"Grant Stewart"
AllMusic. Retrieved December 2, 2016. His father was a part-time jazz guitarist. Aged ten, Stewart played on alto sax solos from saxophonists

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

, and

Wardell Gray Wardell Gray (February 13, 1921 – May 25, 1955) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods. Biography Early years Gray was born in Oklahoma City, the youngest of four children. He spent his early chil ...

that had been transcribed by his father. "By his early teens, Stewart had already found performance experience with such artists as

Pat LaBarbera Pat (Pascel Emmanuel) LaBarbera (born April 7, 1944) is an American-born Canadian jazz tenor, alto and soprano saxophonist, clarinetist, and flautist born in Mt. Morris, New York, most notable for his work as a soloist in Buddy Rich bands fr ...

and

Bob Mover Bob Mover (born March 22, 1952) is an alto, tenor and soprano jazz saxophonist and a vocalist. His father was a musician who played professionally including stints with the Charlie Spivak orchestra. He started playing the alto saxophone at age ...

". By 18 he "was leading a quartet in Toronto, including for a regular gig at C'est What café and pub"; and he moved to New York City when he was 19. In New York, Stewart first played with guitarist Peter Bernstein and saxophonist Jesse Davis. He then began playing at

Smalls Jazz Club Smalls Jazz Club is a jazz club at 183 West 10th Street, Greenwich Village, New York City. Established in 1994, it earned a reputation in the 1990s as a "hotbed for New York's jazz talent" with a "well-deserved reputation as one of the best places ...

from when it opened in 1993. His younger brother, Philip, has been a drummer in Stewart's bands since 2005.West, Michael J. (August 2008
"Grant Stewart: Young Old Soul"
''JazzTimes''. For his 2007 recording ''Young at Heart'', Stewart chose some challenging compositions, including by

Elmo Hope St. Elmo Sylvester Hope (June 27, 1923 – May 19, 1967) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, chiefly in the bebop and hard bop genres. He grew up playing and listening to jazz and classical music with Bud Powell, and both were ...

and

Neal Hefti Neal Paul Hefti (October 29, 1922 – October 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for '' The Odd Couple'' movie and TV series and for the ''Batman'' TV series. He began arranging professionally in his ...

, as well as originals. On ''Around the Corner'' in 2010, Stewart also played soprano sax.Dryden, Ke
"Grant Stewart: Around the Corner"
AllMusic. Retrieved December 2, 2016.

Playing style

Stewart plays "steady swinging, muscular hard bop". His sound is "lean and sinewy, yet flush with lyricism, humor and rhythmic possibilities, much like tenor icons

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

and Sonny Rollins, to whom Stewart is frequently compared".

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.

As leader/co-leader

As co-leader with Eric Alexander

As co-leader with Fabio Miano

As sideman

Featured

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Grant 1971 births Canadian jazz saxophonists Male saxophonists Criss Cross Jazz artists Living people 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century Canadian male musicians Canadian male jazz musicians