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Guitarist hoping to jazz up U.S. fan base

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By Stephen McKinley

He first came to New York in 1961 and sat night after night in the Birdland jazz club, captivated by Stan Getz and Jim Hall, the latter, he said, "a jazz guitar hero of mine."

Now, Dubliner and jazz guitarist Louis Stewart is getting a chance to be a hero himself. For the first time, he will appear in New York this week as leader of a quartet, playing his favorite guitar, a custom-built arch-top cello body, a gift from fellow player and guitar maker from Germany, Heiner Franz.

Few people have heard of Stewart in the U.S., a fact that he readily acknowledges.

"I’m practically unknown," he says, even though he did play many American cities in 1993-94, although not as a leader. He admits that while he has played with many of the greatest names in American jazz — Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, J.J. Johnson — his biggest fan base is in Scandinavia and Germany, where his particular modern jazz guitar style has a big following. Critic Peter King has described listening to Stewart on his latest album, "Gift," as being like "eavesdropping on an intimate conversation."

Stewart is excited about his six nights here in Manhattan at the Village Vanguard. He will be playing for the first time with pianist Rich Wyandas, Peter Walsh on double bass, and Kenny Walsh (no relation) on drums. Stewart’s voice on the telephone from Dublin doesn’t sound too different from the sounds he makes on his guitar — soft, mellow, compelling.

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"These three musicians are like a Rolls Royce experience for me," he said. "I hope our music reaches the happy compromise."

When in Ireland, Stewart plays mainly in Dublin, often six or seven nights a week. He has played in Belfast as well, where he says he’s proud to have some ardent fans, including Walter Love, presenter of the BBC Radio Ulster jazz program. But of all the places he’s played, Stewart said, it’s been in Le Petit Oportun’ in Paris where his playing and his idiom have been most welcomed.

"Paris has been the city most sympathetic to modern jazz," he said.

At the Village Vanguard, manager Jed Eisenman said the club is delighted to have Stewart for six nights.

"I think he’s been tremendously underappreciated," he said. "He is a major stylist of the modern jazz era. I hope the exposure at the Vanguard will lead to a wider audience."

The Vanguard has been seeking after Stewart since last fall.

The Village Vanguard is at 178 Seventh Ave. South, at West 11th Street, in Manhattan. Louis Stewart will be playing there through Sunday, April 29.

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