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

Gábor Szabó Gábor István Szabó (March 8, 1936 – February 26, 1982) was a Hungarian American guitarist whose style incorporated jazz, pop, rock, and Hungarian music. Early years Szabó was born in Budapest, Hungary. He began playing guitar at the age ...

, but he has been extensively involved in many genres of music as an arranger, conductor, producer, orchestrator, musical director, and educator. Stewart has appeared on over 1,200 recordings.

Early life and education

Stewart was born on September 8, 1937, in San Francisco, California. At the age of four, he commenced piano lessons, switching to guitar when he was eight. He sneaked out of the family house late at night to go to clubs. A professional by age 15, he received the opportunity to play with

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

when he was 16. After working in

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City, Nevad ...

, he studied at the

College of San Mateo College of San Mateo (CSM) is a public community college in San Mateo, California. It is part of the San Mateo County Community College District. College of San Mateo is located at the northern corridor of Silicon Valley and situated on a 15 ...

, earning a degree in 1957, and the next year married Janet McCoy. In 1960 he attended the Chicago School of Music, where he was a student of classical guitarist and teacher, Richard Pick. He received a certificate in composition and modern

arranging In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

from the

Berklee School of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

in 1964. He also engaged in private studies with Albert Harris (composition, film scoring and orchestration), Jack Lee (conducting), George M. Smith (

classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

and studio guitar), Paul Miller (fretted instruments), and Bud Young (dance band arrangements,

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

, and composition from 16th–18th centuries).

US Army

From 1958 to 1960, Stewart served in the US Army, where he became a broadcast specialist. He recorded the 1959

Playboy Jazz Festival The Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival is an event held in the Hollywood Bowl that celebrates jazz and features both established and up-and-coming jazz musicians. Founded in 1959 by Hugh Hefner as the Playboy Jazz Festival, it was held in Chicago but d ...

for the Armed Forces radio station, was musical director for the weekly radio show, ''At Ease Show'', and produced ''Parade Rest'' for St. Louis television. He also played guitar on variety shows and produced radio programs.

Los Angeles

Following his time with Szabó, Stewart moved to Los Angeles, where he became involved in several different areas of music. He recorded his album, ''The Touch'', about which guitarist

Jim Ferguson James Edwin Ferguson (born December 23, 1948) is an American guitarist, composer, journalist, and educator. Born in Dayton, Ohio, Ferguson began his early music education playing the trombone at age 7, and then after eight years of study, swit ...

wrote in ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print si ...

'', "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. In addition to playing jazz, Stewart played heavy metal next to

Tommy Bolin Thomas Richard Bolin (August 1, 1951 – December 4, 1976) was an American guitarist and songwriter who played with Zephyr (from 1969 to 1971), The James Gang (from 1973 to 1974), and Deep Purple (from 1975 to 1976), in addition to maintaining a ...

at a music industry trade show in Los Angeles.

Studio musician

As a

studio musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

, Stewart has played on over 1,200 sessions. He was one of the first studio guitarists to introduce the rock guitar to soundtracks and commercials. His versatility made him in demand for many decades. 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." In ''Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Seventies'', music critic

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

said that Stewart "attributes his inspiration to a range of influences, from

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau (''Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of th ...

and Bartók to

Charlie Christian Charles Henry Christian (July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942) was an American swing and jazz guitarist. Christian was an important early performer on the electric guitar and a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained nati ...

and

Laurindo Almeida Laurindo Almeida (September 2, 1917 – July 26, 1995) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer in classical, jazz, and Latin music. He and Bud Shank were pioneers in the creation of bossa nova. Almeida was the first guitarist to receive Gra ...

." Since settling in Los Angeles, Stewart worked as musical director for

Lainie Kazan Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine; May 15, 1940) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for '' St. Elsewhere'' and the 1993 Tony Award for Best Featured Actr ...

(arranger and conductor on tours from 1972 to 1979) and as an arranger for tours of

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

. He worked with Gary Crosby,

Chita Rivera Chita Rivera (born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson; January 23, 1933), is an American actress, singer and dancer best known for originating roles in Broadway musicals including Anita in ''West Side Story'', Velma Kelly in ''Chica ...

, and

Rod McKuen Rodney Marvin McKuen (; April 29, 1933 – January 29, 2015) was an American poet, singer-songwriter, and actor. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range ...

; arranged for

John Gary John Gary (born John Gary Strader; November 29, 1932 – January 4, 1998) was an American singer, recording artist, television host, and performer on the musical stage. Early life From Watertown, New York, Gary started singing at the age of 5. ...

Lou Gottlieb Louis Gottlieb (October 10, 1923 – July 11, 1996) credited as Lou Gottlieb, was an American bassist and comic spokesman for music trio The Limeliters. He held a PhD in musicology and was considered one of the so-called "new comedy" performers, a ...

, Alex Hassel, Chad Mitchell and Tonilee Scott; and coached

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

Juice Newton Judith Kay "Juice" Newton (born February 18, 1952) is an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categorieswinning once in 1983as well ...

, and

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...

TV, film, stage

Stewart's guitar playing has appeared in such movies as ''Paint Your Wagon'', ''Topaz'', ''Some Kind of Nut'', ''Nice Dreams'', ''Minus One'', and ''Chain of Command''. In television, his work has appeared on music for ''Ironside'', ''The Burt Bacharach Special'', ''The Mike Douglas Show'', and ''The Tonight Show''. 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'', ''West Side Story'', ''The Boy-Friend'', and ''Man of La Mancha''.

Educator and author

Stewart has written over twenty books, including ''Ear Training for the Guitarist'', ''Sight Reading for the Guitarist'', ''A Tribute to Classical Guitar'', ''The Complete Jazz Guitarist'', ''Rock Guitar'', and ''Heavy Metal Guitar''. Stewart was founder of the guitar program at

Dick Grove Richard Dean Grove (1927 – December 26, 1998) was an American musician, composer, arranger, and educator. He is best known as the founder of the Dick Grove School of Music. Its students include Michael Jackson, Linda Ronstadt, and Barry Manilow ...

Music Workshops and was chairman of the Music Department at the Audio/Video Institute of Technology in Hollywood, conducting master classes in record production and music recording history. Stewart also taught guitar at the

Musicians Institute Musicians Institute (MI) is a private for-profit music school in Los Angeles, California. MI students can earn Certificates and – with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College – Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachelor ...

; taught

music theory Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...

, orchestration, and guitar at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

; and helped to build the guitar department at Dick Grove Workshops. In the mid-1980s, one of Stewart's guitar students was

. He wrote the monthly column, "The Complete Musician", for ''Guitar Player'' from 1971 to 1981 and has written for ''Jazz Educators Journal'', ''Sound & Recording Magazine'', ''OnStage Magazine'' and ''Recording Engineer & Producer Magazine''.

Composer

As a classical composer, Stewart has written more than fifteen compositions, including ten Etudes for Classical Guitar, Concertino for Electric Guitar and Orchestra, Folk Songs for Orchestra, Sonata for Unaccompanied Violin, and two string quartets.

Golf and hypnosis

An enthusiastic golfer and a student of the game, Stewart wrote ''Mastering Golf Through Hypnosis'' in 2009 and produced a recording of the book. He studied at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in Los Angeles. He has been an assistant golf coach who teaches children and has also appeared on golf

infomercial An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of dire ...

Discography

Solo * 1977 ''Fire Flower'' (

Catalyst Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

) * 1981 ''Street Jazz'' (Techeku) * 1987 ''The Touch'' (BlackHawk) * 1987 ''Evolution of Jazz Guitar'' (

Mel Bay Mel Bay (February 25, 1913 – May 14, 1997) was an American musician and publisher best known for his series of music education books. His '' Encyclopedia of Guitar Chords'' remains a bestseller. Biography Early life Melbourne E. Bay was bo ...

; only issued on cassette) * 1989 ''Rock Tracks'' (Alfred; only issued on cassette) * 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) * 2005 ''Night People'' (Apophis) With Gábor Szabó * 1967 ''

The Sorcerer ''The Sorcerer'' is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic collaboration. The plot of ''The Sorcerer'' is based on a Christmas story, ''An Elixir of Lo ...

'' (

Impulse! Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...

) * 1967 ''

More Sorcery ''More Sorcery'' is a live album by Hungarian jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó featuring performances recorded in 1967 in Boston and at the Monterey Jazz Festival for the Impulse! label.

'' (Impulse!) * 1968 ''

Bacchanal The Bacchanalia were unofficial, privately funded popular Roman festivals of Bacchus, based on various ecstatic elements of the Greek Dionysia. They were almost certainly associated with Rome's native cult of Liber, and probably arrived in Rome ...

'' (Sky) * 1968 ''

Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, alth ...

'' (Sky) * 1977 ''Faces'' (

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

) - one track only

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 * Opus 18 Concertino for Electric Guitar and Orchestra * Opus 19 String Quartet 1 Plus D. B. * Opus 20 String Quartet II Plus Classical Guitar * Opus 21 Homage de Maruro Giuliani * 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

Articles

* "The Complete Musician" 1971–1981 (''Guitar Player'' monthly column) * "An Engineer's Guide to Music" Parts One and Two (''Recording Engineer & Producer'') * "Quincy Jones with Engineer Bruce Swedien: The Consummate Production Team" (''Recording Engineer & Producer'') * "The Roots and Branches of Musical Styles" (''Jazz Educators Journal'') * "Sound Analyze" (''Sound & Recording'') * "In Session" (''On Stage'') * "Going Beyond Natural Sound" (''Recording Engineer & Producer'') * "Personal Use Studios" (''Recording Engineer & Producer'') * "Alpha Studios" (''Recording Engineer & Producer'') * "Keith Olsen: Producer" (''Recording Engineer & Producer'')

Books

* 1968 ''Wes Montgomery Jazz Guitar Method'', Robbins * 1970 ''The Howard Roberts Guitar Book'', Playback * 1971 ''Carol Kaye's Basslines Five'', Gwyn * 1975 ''Chord/Melody'', Apophis * 1975 ''Jazz Guitar'', Apophis * 1976 ''15 Guitar Etudes'', Apophis * 1977 ''Ear Training for the Guitarist'', Apophis * 1977 ''Guitar for Songwriters'', Grove * 1977 ''Orchestration and Arranging'', Apophis * 1977 ''Pentatonic Madness'', Apophis * 1977 ''Sight Reading for the Guitarist'', Apophis * 1978 ''A Tribute to Classical Guitar'', GPI * 1978 ''Studio Guitar'', Apophis * 1980 ''Contemporary Rhythm Playing for the Guitarist'', Apophis * 1985 ''Basic Guitar'', GPI/Hal Leonard * 1985 ''Rock Guitar'', GPI/Hal Leonard * 1987 ''Evolution of Jazz Guitar'', Mel Bay * 1987 ''Rock Guitar'', Alfred * 1989 ''The Working Guitarist'', Volume 1, Alexander Publishing * 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 * 1997 ''Easy Jazz Riffs for Guitar'', Cherry Lane * 1997 ''Jazz Harmony'', Cherry Lane * 1998 ''Easy Jazz Riffs for Guitar'', Japanese Edition, Shinko

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Jimmy American jazz guitarists Living people 1937 births Record producers from California American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians