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Louis Stewart: Out On His Own

By Ian Patterson
February 27, 2023
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In his lifetime, Irish guitarist Louis Stewart was probably more celebrated abroad than at home, winning the Best Soloist prize at Montreux Jazz Festival in 1968, playing in the house band at Ronnie Scott's and touring with

Benny Goodman

clarinet
1909 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Benny Goodman,

J.J. Johnson

trombone
1924 - 2001

" data-original-title="" title="">J.J. Johnson and

George Shearing

piano
1919 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">George Shearing. His third album, his extraordinary solo opus Out On His Own, was released in 1977 on Gerald Davis' Livia Records. The label folded upon Davis' passing in 2005, but thanks to Dermot Rogers the label and Stewart's recorded legacy, beginning with this reissue, are enjoying a new lease of life.

Out On His Own made it onto CD in 1995 (Jardis Records), with the addition of three previously unreleased tracks. This Livia reissue dangles three more unearthed carrots in the shape of Stewart's self-penned "Blues" and alternate takes from the original sessions of the standards "What's New" and "Spring is Here." But even without these gifts for completists, the mere fact of this classic album's rerelease is worth celebrating. Weighted in favor of time-honored standards, Stewart, accompanying himself on eight overdubbed tracks, also brings his genius to bear on

Chick Corea

piano
1941 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Chick Corea's "Windows,"

Kenny Dorham

trumpet
1924 - 1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa,"

Steve Swallow

bass
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Swallow's "Mr. Mojo's Well Laid Plan" and

Charles Lloyd

saxophone
b.1938

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Lloyd's "Forest Flower."

Few inhabit the melodic bones of a standard like Stewart. It is hard to think of a more exquisite reading of the Bob Haggard/Johnny Burke standard "What's New," with respect to

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane,

Ahmad Jamal

piano
1930 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Ahmad Jamal and

Dexter Gordon

saxophone, tenor
1923 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Dexter Gordon. The Dubliner's harmonically deft readings of Bronislaw Kaper's "Invitation" and

Antonio Carlos Jobim

piano
1927 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Wave" sound definitive here. There are nods to

Wes Montgomery

guitar
1923 - 1968

" data-original-title="" title="">Wes Montgomery's distinctive chordal language on the latter, though if Stewart hitched his wagon to any one guitarist it was probably

Jim Hall

guitar
1930 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Jim Hall, whose precision, clarity, and mellifluous fluidity are shared hallmarks.

At his most flowing, Stewart's dexterity is jaw-dropping, notably on a quicksilver version of Dorham's "Blue Bossa" and on the Victor Young/Ned Washington chestnut "Stella by Starlight." But Stewart is arguably at his most arresting on slower numbers, such as his wonderfully personal take on Jerome Morros' "Lazy Afternoon," where the warmth of his tone and his caressing touch shine through. Likewise, the guitarist's poetic interpretation of the Irish traditional tune "She Moved Through the Fair" would bring a tear to a banshee's eye.

Charming, exhilarating and inventively playful, Louis Stewart's Out On His Own stands assuredly alongside works by

Joe Pass

guitar
1929 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Pass,

Johnny Smith

guitar
1922 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Johnny Smith,

Ted Greene

guitar
1946 - 2005

" data-original-title="" title="">Ted Greene,

Barney Kessel

guitar, electric
1923 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Barney Kessel,

Kenny Burrell

guitar, electric
b.1931

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Burrell, et al. in the pantheon of great solo jazz guitar albums. Remastered by

Michael Buckley

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Buckley, and with a 16-page booklet of insightful notes and unpublished photos, Livia Records has produced a high-quality reissue worthy of Stewart's timeless classic. Essential.

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Track Listing

Blue Bossa; Windows; Darn That Dream; Wave; She Moved Through The Fair; Make Someone Happy; I��m All Smiles; Stella By Starlight; Lazy Afternoon; Invitation; I��m Old Fashioned; General Mojo��s Well Laid Plans; What��s New; I��ll Remember April; Spring Is Here; Blues; Forest Flower; What��s New (alternate take); Spring Is Here (alternate take).

Personnel

Louis Stewart

guitar

Album information

Title: Out On His Own | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Livia Records

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