Our next featured artist for our Chats with the Cats series is saxophonist Alexander Stewart
Alexander was first introduced to music at 6, playing the piano then moving to the clarinet in the 4th grade. It wasn't until later that jazz came into his life.
"The band teacher put me on bass clarinet, which I loved, and gave me a little solo. I wasn’t exposed to jazz until around the age of 16 and, like many of us who receive the call, I fell in love instantly. That first summer, my brother and I were staying at my grandparents’ camp and we only had a couple records: Thelonious Monk 'Underground' (which I bought because I like the album cover) and The Amazing Bud Powell Vol. I. We wore those records out. Around this time I got my first tenor saxophone."
A move to Boston during his high school years had created some opportunities as a young jazz musician but Alexander was eager to move away.
"It was a cool place to start out with the sessions at Wally’s and other opportunities but I grew tired of the huge student scene and, in particular, the racial tension in the city. My brother, the pianist Dave Stewart, was recognized as a kind of jazz prodigy and was working with all the main cats starting around the age of 15. For me, arriving in New York was a huge breath of fresh air! When I first got to NY, I played in blues, soul and funk bands and fell into the club date scene to make money. There weren’t all the jazz programs that you see today and I paid dues by taking lessons with some great players, playing in bands at Lynn Oliver’s studio on 89th and Broadway and classes with the great Barry Harris.
I eventually settled in Queens. I toured Europe and North America with Lionel Hampton and got a chance to record and play with some of my musical heroes. Eventually I decided to go back to school. I got a masters in jazz at Manhattan School of Music and started work on a doctorate at the CUNY Grad Center. I loved the city and thought I would be spending the rest of my life there."
But by the late 90s, Alexander was married and had a young child - an opportunity arose in Vermont which he jumped at, though the transition wasn't always easy.
"My doctorate opened up a lot of possibilities and when the call came I also saw a lot of potential to build a jazz program at the University of Vermont. The first few months were rough. In NY I was used to phone calls and you never knew who would be on the other end with a gig to offer. Suddenly the phone no longer rang. But by the end of the first year I was involved in a lot of projects with musicians such as multi-instrumentalist/composer James Harvey (a Vermont-born artist who had returned home), the late Latin jazz trombonist/composer Rick Davies, and others. For the annual jazz festival held every June I assembled a big band of the best local players and brought guest stars like Randy Brecker, Paquito D’Rivera, Jim McNeely. I started a jazz workshop for high school players and a summer jazz camp at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts with residencies by Barry Harris, Ray Vega, the O’Farrills (Arturo and his sons Zach and Adam)."
Alexander has been leading a popular jazz night at The 126 in Burlington, Vermont with the support of KEYEDUP!. After a year-long closure during the pandemic there was a shift in focus.
"The club was formerly known as Deli 126 and is now simply The126. It was closed for over a year during the pandemic and when the owner Jacob and his wife Abby re-opened they decided to drop the food menu and concentrate on craft cocktails and jazz. The club was originally modeled on a Speakeasy and patrons entered through a nondescript door. It still has some of that vibe but it has been beautifully remodeled and outfitted with a grand piano on its small stage. Jacob has generously supplied a drum set, bass amp and small PA system so the musicians have very little equipment they have to lug in and out. While there are other small venues around town that feature some jazz, since its reopening The126 has become the premier jazz club in town! A place where jazz musicians congregate for a Wednesday night jam session and weekend gigs.
The support of KU!/Jazz Generation has made possible an incredible array of collaborations that otherwise would not be happening. It has enabled us to build a thriving Thursday night jazz series that provides an opportunity for the region’s leading professionals and young emerging artists to come together. A recent highlight was pianist Arturo O’Farrill and his son Adam sitting on trumpet, a trend we expect to continue with other stars who are passing through town."
What has Alexander been listening to?
"For our Thursday nights, every two weeks we feature a different artist and repertoire, so a lot of my listening is focused on what we will be playing. Our last guest was Sam Atallah, a trumpeter and recent graduate of the jazz program at UVM, and we featured the music of the Brecker Brothers as well as jazz standards and Sam’s originals. Next up is a saxophone summit with alto/tenor saxophonist Jake Whitesell so I’ve been listening to (and learning material from) classic encounters such as Gene Ammons/Sonny Stitt, John Coltrane/Cannonball Adderley, Lee Konitz/Warne Marsh, Phil Woods/Johnny Griffin and so forth."
With many fantastic musicians from NY, Montreal and elsewhere due to visit The126 in the coming months, Alexander is excited about the future of live music.
"It seems like we are coming back stronger than ever. There was overdue emphasis on the local scene in the annual jazz festival and musicians are delighted to be back together (with the necessary precautions, of course!)."