Q&A with Jazz Musician Robert Stewart
Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen
Photos courtesy of Robert Stewart
Robert Stewart is a jazz saxophonist who worked with Wynton Marsalis in his band from 1994 – 1998. Pharaoh Sanders was his mentor. John Coltrane inspired him to go into jazz music. He toured with most of all the jazz legends including President Clinton. He has written nine books on Science, Religion, Music, and a Children’s Book.
KB: Did you always want to be a musician growing up?
Absolutely not. I was a science geek (especially Astronomy). I also studied the major Religions and The Occult. Basketball was my primary recreational passion as an adolescent. I received a D.Sc. in Astronomy from U.C. Berkeley and an Honorary Doctorate in Theology from Provident University in Delaware. I also did special assignments for a government agency in the late 1980s.
KB: I read “Russian Lullaby” by John Coltrane inspired you to go into jazz music?
Before I heard that song on the radio, my high school band instructor (Donald Ramsey) attempted to entice me to play Jazz. I was playing the flute at the time, but my father (Bob Stewart) bought me a saxophone that I kept in Mr. Ramsey’s band closet for three years. I taught myself to play both instruments, but I wasn’t interested in either of them. Mr. Ramsey called my mother and said: “your son is the biggest waste of talent that I’ve ever seen. He is a natural.” I wasn’t pleased and confronted him that next morning. He said: “we need you, Robert. If you don’t play Jazz, our art form will die.” Those words resonated deep within me. That summer, I heard John Coltrane playing “Russian Lullaby.” After this extremely fast song, another saxophone titan named Ben Webster played Duke Ellington’s ballad “All Too Soon.” The contrast in sound and style of these two giants (plus Mr. Ramsey’s words) made me realize that playing Jazz was my destiny.
KB: Who were your favorite musicians in Jazz growing up?
Saxophonists: Eddie Harris, Yusef Lateef, Stanley Turrentine, Gene Ammons, Sonny Rollins, and several others. Pianists: McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock, and Organist Jimmy Smith. Drummers: Max Roach, Elvin Jones, and Tony Williams. Trumpeters: Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Lee Morgan, Louis Armstrong, and so on. I was blessed to have performed with nearly all on this list. They became my friends as well as my mentors.
KB: What makes a great jazz sax song?
Harmonically simplistic, and melodically unforgettable.
KB: Pharoah Sanders became your mentor: What was he like and how did he make you a better Sax player?
Pharoah was as eclectic as they come. He would wear tidied shirts with wooden shoes and leather socks, suit coats with jeans, and so on. He was a free spirit, indeed. He gave me one of his favorite mouthpieces for the saxophone, and he allowed me to play the mouthpiece that John Coltrane used on his album “Giant Steps.” Pharoah wasn’t the type of musician to tell another musician how or what they should play. He would simply play his horn (in his living room) and ask: “do you hear this?” I taught myself to play the piano, so I would play chords for him to solo over, and he would do the same for me. We went to movies, restaurants, music stores, and everywhere. I was his little brother. He made me a better saxophone player by simply listening to his concept. We are John Coltrane’s disciples.
KB: How did you meet Wynton Marsalis and how was it playing with him in his orchestra?
Wynton and I shook hands in a classroom at Laney College (in Oakland, CA) after his lecture regarding Jazz in December of 1986. However, we formally met at a Jam Session I was co-leading at a nightclub in 1988. I was soloing when he entered through a backdoor. I had completed my solo, opened my eyes, turned backward to leave the stage, and there he was! He had his trumpet in his hand, while he smiled at me and said: “I have some work for you, young man.” We performed several songs that night and exchanged phone numbers. He called me to ask if I would join his big band. I agreed, and the rest is history.
Playing with his big band (called The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra today) was grueling, indeed. We would rehearse for twelve hours a day, for seven days, to perfect his now historic three-hour oratorio entitled: “Blood on the Fields.” We won the Pulitzer Prize, and he is the first living jazz musician to win the prize. We toured around the world, and I was a regular member from 1994 thru 1998.
KB: You can make an album with 7 Jazz songs. Not your own songs: What songs would you pick and why?
The songs would be: “A Love Supreme (John Coltrane), The Creator Has A Master Plan (Pharoah Sanders), In A Sentimental Mood (Duke Ellington), Listen Here (Eddie Harris), Green Onions (Booker T. & The MG’s), Little Sunflower (Freddie Hubbard), Honky Tonk (Wild Bill Doggett).”
I chose these for the reasons previously stated: “harmonically simplistic and melodically unforgettable.” There are pieces dedicated to God, beautiful ballads, a Minor Blues, a Major Blues, and the first Jazz Fusion (modal funk); all jazz periods are represented.
KB: Are there currently any artists out there you would love to work with or wished you had?
Drummer Jack DeJohnette (for his tremendous energy) & Pianist Herbie Hancock (for his sensitivity & inventiveness). I was blessed to have played with most of the giants of Jazz. I’m satisfied and immensely grateful for this.
KB: What are you currently up to?
I’ve written nine books on Science, Religion, Music, and a Children’s Book. I’ve been retired for eight years as of December 16. I’m still a consultant on issues regarding The Occult, but I’m retired from active duty. I tutor children online and teach Martial Arts. I’m overjoyed to finally be living at my own pace and on my terms.
Check out Robert’s website: HERE
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