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Confession time: I'd never heard of this guy until now. Check him out playing Billy's Bounce with Mundell Lowe...
[Can't I embed from an iPad?]
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09-18-2013 07:57 AM
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Lou has been around a long time and is one of the UK's( Northern Ireland )most underrated guitarists.
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BTW.Mundel Lowe is 90yrs young and still playing.
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Correction: One of "Ireland's" greatest jazz guitarists. Check out his work with George Shearing, Tal Farlow and other jazz legends.
Originally Posted by jazzuki
Lou has been around a long time and is one of the UK's( Northern Ireland )most underrated guitarists.
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I see he is not unknown on this site. Fantastic player.
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Whatswisdom.Must have had a senior moment Should have remembered that he was born in Waterford.
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Louis has a new album out on a new Irish label Beechpark Records - called Tunes with pianist Jim Doherty
Tunes « Beechpark Records
Plus is playing at the Limerick Jazz Festival next week - Limerick Jazz Festival
My favourite session he is on is playing live with the Tubby Hayes Quartet in 1969 on a BBC radio jazz programme - I'm not sure if this session ever got an official release but there are bootlegs of it floating around.
"His major recognition came on the BBC Jazz Club shows of December 18th 1968 and April 9th 1969.
The first was the radio "debut" of Tubby's new quartet with Louis Stewart, Ron Mathewson and Spike Wells, and on the programme they appeared opposite the Joe Harriott quintet comprising Joe, Kenny Wheeler, Pat Smythe, Ron Mathewson (again!) and Bill Eyden, who played a wonderfully mixed repertoire by Kenny Wheeler, Ornette Coleman, Horace Silver and Joe himself.
Tubby had formed the quartet with Louis in late summer 1968, after the famous "Mexican Green" line-up of Mike Pyne, Ron Mathewson and Tony Levin had disintegrated following Tubby's drug-related period of seclusion. In fact, hearing that Hayes was looking for a guitarist, Stewart, who'd barely been in London a few weeks, decided to introduce himself to Tubby;
"It was all very casual at first" he told writer Tony Wilson shortly afterwards, Tubby said it was the kind of thing he was looking for. Initially we rehearsed a lot. some of Tubby's compositions are quite unusual...there are some fast tempos that I haven't experienced. If Tubby wants to keep me, I'll be happy".
Tubby was indeed very satisfied with Stewart, as he wrote later that year;"he handles the difficult 'comping' role unobtrusively and with taste in the absence of a piano in the quartet. In this role he follows Terry Shannon, Gordon Beck and Mike Pyne, and when I say I do not miss the piano, it is meant as the highest compliment".
From Tubby Hayes
I met Louis at a summer music festival here a couple of years ago and spoke to him about the move to London back in '68 - which was around the time my own parents moved from Ireland to London & about the London jazz scene at that time particularly around Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott's club - he started reminiscing (and getting not a little choked up) saying that they were the "best days of his life" - but then fair play to the man he pulled himself together and stated that his life wasn't over yet and there could be more good times to come!!! & proceeded to play a blinding set!!!
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You can check out his discography at:
Discography - Louis Stewart : Louis Stewart
Best ever description of a jazz guitarist (from NY Times 1981)?:
Mr. Stewart, who has the staid and sober appearance of a prosperous greengrocer, seems to have his musical roots in be-bop. He leans toward material associated with Charlie Parker and he spins out single-note lines that flow with an unhurried grace, colored by sudden bright, lively chorded phrases. His up-tempo virtuosity is balanced by a laid-back approach to ballads, which catches the mood of the piece without sacrificing the rhythmic emphasis that keeps it moving.
http://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/17/ar...om-dublin.htmlLast edited by rkwestcoast; 09-18-2013 at 03:32 PM.
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Great stuff.
Been trying to see him for ages.
Tickets are now booked.
Ps Check out Wolf Marshall as well......
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Tubby Hayes! Now there's a name from my childhood. My father (no longer with us) was an amateur, occasionally semi-pro tenor sax player, had a few LPs. The ones I remember include a Tubby Hayes one, but I couldn't tell you which. I remember putting it on when he was out of the house, and once REALLY deeply connecting with it. I must have been 11 years old. Ah, memories. I'd love to hear that again. I don't think it had a guitar player - piano, bass, drums, if I remember correctly. And I'd love to hear Tubby and Louis! Thanks, rk!
PS Great video there too...Last edited by Rob MacKillop; 09-18-2013 at 03:55 PM.
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No problem - there is a good article on Tubby Hayes at Tubby Hayes: The Long Shadow of the Little Giant, by Simon Spillett by Simon Spillet called TUBBY HAYES The Long Shadow of the Little Giant.
Which also details a lot of his work that has been re-issued on CD.
BTW - am loving the Roni Ben-Hur Talk Jazz book -its going to be my project for the rest of the year!
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Thanks again for all the links. I think the album I remember is TUBBS!
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Ok, so you are about to meet someone that plays at the level of Louis Stewart:
Which guitar/playing questions would you ask him?
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Rhythm - I'd have to ask about rhythm in terms of how best to develop good rhythmic playing
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Oh my -- Louis Stewart......for those of us of a certain vintage and, shall we say, geographic location, this is a pleasant reminder. I saw him live 30 years or so ago in concert and he was frighteningly good then. I recall he used to be on TV a bit in the days when the channels used to fill otherwise dead time with music (was it the Jazz Coasters?). Not surprised people here know and respect the man -- such a gentleman player. What does surprise me, having grown up there, is that there is a Limerick Jazz Festival.......(you have to know the place, LOL).
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I've got the duet album he did with English bassist Peter Ind - great stuff, you can get it on itunes. Louis' got it all covered - a complete player.
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Limerick has a small but committed jazz society that runs gigs through-out the year mainly upstairs in Dolans; a jazz workshop and now for the 2nd year the jazz festival. Originally Posted by odel
In terms of local players the ones to check out are Joe O'Callaghan - incredible improviser & guitarist this clip is of one of Joe's tunes "Weaving" performed at last year's festival.
The other player (again guitar) is Andreas Varady who is based in Limerick and managed by Quincy Jones!
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Great stuff -- I get back usually once every couple of years..I'll take a look for the Dolan's gathering next time. My experience with Lou was in a late night gig at the Belltable (not sure it's still there or not) -- glad to know there is more to Limerick than there used to be.
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Great to see all this - to me - new info. Many thanks for all the contributions.
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Belltable closed last year - but I think is re-opening under new management & will be used for some of the festival gigs. Its a lively enough scene in terms of the core group of players - but it is a struggle building an audience and getting gigs.
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