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Bill Stewart Interview
ByRehearsing and playing with James [Brown] had me on the edge of my drum stool. He asked me, 'Drummer, where you from?' I said 'Iowa'. He replied 'Iowa!.....Aint no funk there!'
Upon joining The

John Scofield
guitarb.1951

Bill Stewart
drumsb.1966

Pat Metheny
guitarb.1954

Larry Grenadier
bass, acousticb.1966

Larry Goldings
organ, Hammond B3b.1968
Stewart's worked very steadily since the mid '80s with the likes of leading edge guitarists Pat Metheny, John Scofield,

Pat Martino
guitar1944 - 2021

Jim Hall
guitar1930 - 2013

Michael Brecker
saxophone, tenor1949 - 2007

Maceo Parker
saxophone, altob.1943

James Brown
vocals1933 - 2006

Scott Colley
bassb.1963
AAJ: Can you talk about working with Scofield...touring, studio work etc. anecdotes pertaining to those times?
BS: Scofield's quartet with Joe Lovano and either

Dennis Irwin
bass1951 - 2008

Marc Johnson
bassb.1953

Steve Swallow
bassb.1940
AAJ: Exactly, those great upper structure and triadic voicings. Can you talk a bit about being in Metheny's trio with Grenadier? What a great tour. I saw the Austin gig... and the first time hearing you and Larry live. Just amazing.
BS: The Metheny trio with Larry Grenadier was really fun. Larry and I had played together previously in several different situations, including my two CDs for Blue Note, so I felt comfortable with him. I had played with Pat on the recording and subsequent tour with him and Scofield. There was a nice chemistry with this trio that was noticeable from the first few gigs we did. Pat didn't have plans to record when we first started doing a summer tour but, midway through, he decided to go into the studio to record. Later, the live recording was released also. Pat's music and live concerts go in a lot of different directionsfrom very fast tempos to quiet, lush ballads to free playing, standards, blues and also some of the material from Bright Size Life and the Pat Metheny group material, some of which we were able to do in the trio format. I enjoyed playing with Pat and admire his energy, creativity and dedication to music.
AAJ: You've also worked extensively with Larry Goldings' trio. How do these situations compare?
BS: Larry Goldings trio with

Peter Bernstein
guitarb.1967
AAJ: Right, or at least in different ways. There's also the Pat Martino album Nightwings that you're on. How was that working with him and with guitarists of that stature in general?
BS: That album is the only time I played with Pat Martino. He is a very accomplished player and I remember him as being easy to work with in the studio. It does seem that I've played with a lot of guitarists, and some very good ones. I've also toured with Jim Hall, who is great and a challenge for a drummer because he plays even softer than a pianist, given that pianists today usually use monitors and are usually in the PA system. With Sco and Metheny, I generally play louder, because the music calls for it.
AAJ: Another landmark project was Brecker's Time is of the Essence.
BS: That recording with Brecker was fun. I already had a good hook up with Larry Goldings, and the material was varied and fun. I also enjoyed going to the studio the next day to see Elvin Jones play on his tracks. He is from another planet, musically.
AAJ: Absolutely. That must've been great. You've actually really got a serious funk/soul background.
BS: I did work with Maceo Parker's band for parts of 1990 and 1991 and also am on three of his records. I enjoyed that experience and learned a lot. Maceo is a great player and a great band leader as well. The gigs were mostly funk, with just a little swing-based jazz thrown in. The band also included funk legends Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis as well as Larry Goldings and Rodney Jones. As a result of being in this band, I was involved in an HBO special with James Brown, right after he got out of prison in 1991. Rehearsing and playing with James had me on the edge of my drum stool. He asked me," Drummer, where you from?" I said "Iowa." He replied "Iowa! Aint no funk there!."
AAJ: Ha! That's amazing. That must've really been a highpoint of your career (the gig not the comment).
BS: I played one gig with James Brown, an HBO special, taped in 1991. At the time, I was working with Maceo Parker, and his band was the core of the band used to back James for that taping. We rehearsed in the afternoon and taped the show that evening. MC Hammer was also involved in the show. With James, we played "Cold Sweat" "Please, Please, Please," "Get on the Good Foot" and "I feel good" Everyone, including the band and his wife, referred to him as Mister Brown. It was a surreal experience and, as a drummer, there are lots of little things to catch playing with him, including some little band breaks between tunes that are cued by his movements on stage. So, anyway, I played with James for four tunes. At the gig, he introduced me as "my man on drums." He had just met me and I'm sure he couldn't remember my name.
AAJ: (laughs). Let's talk about your solo album work a bit. You've got three discs out as a leader: Snide Remarks, Telepathy and Think Before you Think. Can you discuss the making of them as well as your method of writing music?
BS: Snide Remarks and Telepathy are different than Think Before You Think in that I wrote almost all the music on those records. Think Before You Think was done in 1989, when I was 22 and I hadn't done a lot of composing then, so I included one tune of my own and invited the other musicians to bring things and we played some standard jazz tunes as well. I don't lead bands very often, maybe not as often as I'd like, but in doing all these CDs I tried to come up with interesting combinations of musicians whose abilities would complement each other and I wrote or chose material with them in mind. I don't really have a method of writing music, but I often get my ideas at the piano, occasionally at the drums or maybe even walking down the street.
AAJ: You studied with a number of non drummers...

Dave Samuels
vibraphone1948 - 2019

Rufus Reid
bass, acousticb.1944
BS: I studied composition with Dave Samuels at William Paterson College for a semester or two. I basically wrote some things and brought them in and we would talk about them and rework them. He had some harmonic ideas that were helpful and new to me. Rufus was the head of the jazz program at that time...so I had ensembles with him often. He is very observant and brought all of his experience to his teaching...he was very good with groups of musicians and helping them play together as a unit. I didn't really study with Joe Lovano except that he subbed for my drum teacher

Eliot Zigmund
drumsb.1945

John Riley
drumsb.1954

Ed Blackwell
drums1929 - 1992
AAJ: What did you find that leaders like Metheny, Sco and Brecker wanted from you?
BS: Those guys were all familiar with my playing before they hired me so I think they mostly wanted me to contribute what I felt was appropriate and then if they wanted something specific, they would say so, but that didn't occur all that often. All of those guys require some flexibility in that they play a variety of grooves and tempos within one set of music.
AAJ: Who are your original and current influences?
BS: My influences on drums are numerous and I probably couldn't list everyone without forgetting someone. My biggest influences are probably

Roy Haynes
drums1926 - 2024

Tony Williams
drums1945 - 1997

Elvin Jones
drums1927 - 2004

Jack DeJohnette
drumsb.1942

Philly Joe Jones
drums1923 - 1985

Billy Higgins
drums1936 - 2001

Joe Chambers
drumsb.1942

Bernard Purdie
drumsb.1939

Victor Lewis
drumsb.1950

Idris Muhammad
drums1939 - 2014

Billy Hart
drumsb.1940

Paul Motian
drums1931 - 2011

Max Roach
drums1925 - 2007

Jimmy Cobb
drums1929 - 2020

Vernel Fournier
drums1928 - 2000

Kenny Clarke
drums1914 - 1985

Pete La Roca
drums1938 - 2012

Clyde Stubblefield
drums1943 - 2017
AAJ: Are you teaching? If so, what do you try to impress most on your students?
BS: I am not teaching at this time as I have been busy. When I have taught, I've tried to help each student with what they felt they were struggling with, listen to them play, help them get a good sound on the instrument, and talk about various musical concepts. I don't have a pre-set agenda if I teach...no system or exercises or any of that because each student has different needs.
AAJ: That's for sure. What are your current projects?
BS: I am currently on the road with bassist

Scott Colley
bassb.1963
AAJ: Thanks for your time, Bill. All the best to you.
Tags
Interview
Bill Stewart
Mike Brannon
James Brown
Larry Goldings
Maceo Parker
Peter Bernstein
Larry Grenadier
joe lovano
Michael Brecker
John Scofield
Jim Hall
Scott Colley
Marc Johnson
Dennis Irwin
pat metheny
Pat Martino
Dave Samuels
Rufus Reid
John Riley
Tony Williams
Elvin Jones
Bernard Purdie
Jack DeJohnette
Philly Joe Jones
Idris Muhammad
Pete La Roca
Ed Blackwell
Roy Haynes
Billy Higgins
Vernel Fournier
Kenny Clarke
Billy Hart
Paul Motian
Jimmy Cobb
Max Roach
Pee Wee Ellis
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