Robert Stewart (saxophonist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Stewart
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Darrin Stewart |
| Born | Oakland, California, United States |
| Genres | Jazz, soul, blues, Middle Eastern, R&B, avant-garde |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | Qwest, Warner Bros., Red, Nagel-Heyer, Exodus, World Stage, Armageddon |
| Associated acts | Wynton Marsalis, Billy Higgins, Pharoah Sanders, Winard Harper, Black Note |
Robert Darrin Stewart is an American musician who plays the saxophone. He has released many albums as a band leader and has also played with other famous musicians. For over 30 years, Robert Stewart traveled around the United States and the world, performing his music. He played both with his own band and with the famous Wynton Marsalis band.
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Robert Stewart's Early Life
Robert Stewart was born in Oakland, California. His mother came from Louisiana. His father, Bob Stewart, was a talented musician who played the flute and trumpet. Robert shared that his mother started teaching him to read from the Qur'an when he was just three years old. After that, he read the Bible and learned about other major religions.
Discovering Music
When Robert was younger, his main interest was basketball. He played the flute as a hobby. He said he played the flute in high school because it was easy to hide from his friends who loved sports. His high school music teacher encouraged him to try playing jazz music.
After graduating from Fremont High School in 1986, Robert heard two different saxophonists, John Coltrane and Ben Webster, on the radio. The way they played the same instrument but sounded so different amazed him. This made him remember his teacher's words, and he decided to focus on jazz. He started going to jam sessions in the Oakland Bay Area, where he met saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. Sanders became his first mentor, giving him advice and encouraging him to keep playing and get better.
Robert Stewart's Performance Career
Robert Stewart moved to New York and played with trumpeter Roy Hargrove. In 1991, he performed with drummer Max Roach's group. In 1992, Stewart played with many jazz legends. These included McCoy Tyner on piano, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Milt Jackson also on vibes. He also played with Billy Higgins on drums and Jimmy Smith on organ.
Stewart also joined a group called Black-Note for eight months. He performed with trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and drummer Brian Blade that same year. By 1995, he had also played with musicians like Buddy Montgomery, Chico Freeman, and Donald Byrd. A jazz critic named Jason Ankeny called Stewart "One of the most impressive hard bop tenor saxophonists to emerge during the 1990s."
Touring and Collaborations
In 1993, Robert Stewart was asked to tour with The Harper Brothers, a group led by drummer Winard Harper. This was his first national tour with a band. By the end of 1994, he began touring nationally with his own band.
One of his most important performances was joining trumpeter Wynton Marsalis' big band, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. He performed on their album Blood on the Fields, which won a special award called the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He also played on the album They Came to Swing. In 1997, he toured the United States and Europe as part of the Blood on the Fields tour.
In 1997, Robert Stewart played weekly at clubs in San Francisco. He also performed with singer Jon Hendricks at a benefit concert inside the former Alcatraz Island Federal Penitentiary. In June 1997, Robert Stewart's quartet, which included drummer Billy Higgins, played a concert in Los Angeles. The year before, Billy Higgins had said that Stewart was "perhaps the most important young artist to come along in decades."
In 1998, Robert Stewart performed with guitarist Patrick Greene for President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton at a special event. He also played with the legendary Dizzy Gillespie in one of Gillespie's last concerts. Over his 30-year career, Robert Stewart traveled and performed all over the world many times.
Robert Stewart's Recording Career
Robert Stewart's first album as a band leader was Judgement. This album featured Billy Higgins on drums, Eric Reed on piano, and Mark Shelby on bass. A jazz writer named Scott Yanow said that Stewart focused on his warm sound and held notes for a long time, taking his time to share his musical message. In 1994, Stewart recorded Beautiful Love Ballads, which was released in 1998.
Albums with Qwest Records
Stewart's first album for Quincy Jones's Qwest Records was In the Gutta, released in 1996. Saxophonist Dave Liebman was very impressed, saying that Stewart sounded like a musician from an older generation. Stewart's next album with Qwest was The Force. It featured drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, bassist Reginald Veal, and his first teacher, Ed Kelly, on piano. According to Stewart, Qwest Records delayed the album's release for almost two years and then did not promote it.
Later Recordings
In 2000, Robert Stewart recorded Nat the Cat, which was a tribute to Nat "King" Cole. This album included Ed Kelly on piano, Mark Williams on bass, and Sly Randolph on drums. Robert's family members, Kevin Stewart and Robert Stewart III, also played on the album. Stewart's 2003 album The Movement was a live concert recording. It was also the last recording for drummer Billy Higgins.
In 2003, Stewart recorded Heaven and Earth for Nagel-Heyer Records. This album had a smooth jazz sound, and many of the songs were written by Stewart himself. An AllMusic reviewer noted that the songs had "a positive social message."
Robert Stewart's Later Career
Robert Stewart stopped recording and performing music at the end of 2016. He decided to focus on writing religious books, teaching, and traveling.
Robert Stewart's Music Albums
As a 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)
Playing with Other Musicians
- Ed Kelly & Pharoah Sanders (Evidence, 1992) with Pharoah Sanders, Eddie Marshall
- They Came to Swing (Columbia, 1994) with Wynton Marsalis, Jon Faddis, Joshua Redman, James Carter, Billy Higgins, Marcus Roberts, Nicholas Payton
- Blood on the Fields (Columbia, 1995) with Wynton Marsalis, Cassandra Wilson, Jon Hendricks, James Carter, Eric Reed, Herlin Riley
- The Music of America: Wynton Marsalis (Sony, 2012) with Wynton Marsalis, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Marion Williams
- Can't Hide Love (Seaside, 1996) with Buddy Conner, Wilton Felder, John Handy, Gaylord Birch, Carl Lockett
- Full Swing Ahead (Deluxe, 1998) with Jay Johnson, Mark Shelby, Ed Kelly
- Expressions of a Legacy (Effania Brown, 2001) with Lady Memfis
- Live at Lo Spuntino (Music in the Vines, 2002) with David Leshare Watson
- David Leshare Watson Loves Swinging Soft & the Ballads (Music in the Vines, 2003) with David Leshare Watson
- Nobody's Home (Chump Change, 2014) with Paul Tillman Smith, Levi Seacer Jr.
- Fonky Times (Chump Change, 2015) with Paul Tillman Smith, Pharoah Sanders, Norman Connors, LaToya London, Rosie Gains
- A Beautiful Heart (Chump Change, 2016) with Paul Tillman Smith, Levi Seacer Jr., Rodney Franklin, Kenneth Nash
Compilation Albums
- 25th Red Records Anniversary – Un Filo Rosso Nel Jazz (Red, 2003)
- Red Records : The Color of Jazz (Red, 2009)
- 30 Jazz Love Standards (Red, 2010)
- Relaxin' Jazz (Red, 2010)
- Red Records 35th Anniversary (Red, 2011)
- Ballads 2004 (Nagel-Heyer, 2004)
Videos
- 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)
Books
