About Bob Stewart
"Redefining the tuba's place in jazz has been a growth process for
me," notes Stewart. "Of course, I've been influenced by tradition,
such as those of New Orleans and Surinam, and by musicians such as Thelonius
Monk. But in addition, by playing with other musicians -- Gil Evans, for
example, helped me expand the vocabulary for the tuba -- live been able to
observe their perspectives on what the tuba can do and where it can go. And some
of my influences have been unexpected: when I saw how organ player John Patton
plucked the keys with his left hand, I thought of doing the same sort of thing
with the tuba."
Stewart plays regularly with many of the musicians from Then
and Now, as well as with other artists, both in live performances and in the
studio. In July 1996, he put together a tuba spectacular for the JVC Festival at
La Villette in Paris that featured his band, a Surinamese group, and a New
Orleans street band. He is also an educator: his high school students won the
Essentially Ellington contest run by Jazz at Lincoln Center in the spring of
1996.
"I
am grateful to the many talented musicians who have joined me on Then
and Now in showcasing the tuba's musical growth from a traditional brass
ensemble through the blues and up to the modern jazz quintet," concludes
Stewart. "As I listen to the music we recorded for this album, I look
forward to the future. It has given me new ideas on where the tuba needs to go
in its continuing evolution."