Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:25
Size: 86,1 MB
Art: Front
(4:42) 1. All The Things You Are
(6:18) 2. Bluesology
(4:08) 3. Body And Soul
(3:06) 4. Send In The Clowns
(5:50) 5. O Grande Amor
(3:58) 6. Here Is That Rainy Day
(5:45) 7. Alone Together
(3:35) 8. Autumn Leaves
The first time I saw Louis Stewart play was when I was 14 years old. My father, a jazz devotee, who knew many of the Irish jazz musicians, took me to a jazz party in Sandycove at the home of the saxophonist John Curran. Before I even got there my father had told me that Louis would be there and that he was the greatest jazz musician Ireland had ever produced. So before I ever saw him play, Louis’ greatness was imprinted on my mind. And at the party, even to my adolescent (and at that time non-playing) self, I could see that they were right he was something special.
There was a fluidity about his playing that marked him out, and this was especially evident when he played with John Wadham another great of the Irish jazz scene whom I saw for the first time that night who clearly sparked Louis’ playing. My memory of that night is very vivid. There were other jazz-scene notables there such as Brian Dunning and Mike Nolan, a string quartet played Haydn, there was food and banter all of which seemed incredibly glamorous to me. Not to mention staying up till 4am. The true jazz life…
Over the following years I saw him play several times, including a memorable night when my father whisked me off to see him playing in Mooney’s in Dún Laoghaire the night before my Inter Cert exams were to start, much to my mother’s horror. My father’s answer to my mother’s protests was, ‘What he doesn’t know now he won’t know in two hours time’. And he was right. What I do remember learning that night is that there was a tune called ‘Maiden Voyage’ that sounded very exotic. Again I wasn’t playing at this point, so had no idea of structure or harmonic content of the piece, but I remember Louis announcing it and being totally enthralled by it.
By Ronan Guilfoyle https://journalofmusic.com/focus/louis-first
Personnel: Louis Stewart, guitar; Martin Walshe, bass; John Wadham, drums.
There was a fluidity about his playing that marked him out, and this was especially evident when he played with John Wadham another great of the Irish jazz scene whom I saw for the first time that night who clearly sparked Louis’ playing. My memory of that night is very vivid. There were other jazz-scene notables there such as Brian Dunning and Mike Nolan, a string quartet played Haydn, there was food and banter all of which seemed incredibly glamorous to me. Not to mention staying up till 4am. The true jazz life…
Over the following years I saw him play several times, including a memorable night when my father whisked me off to see him playing in Mooney’s in Dún Laoghaire the night before my Inter Cert exams were to start, much to my mother’s horror. My father’s answer to my mother’s protests was, ‘What he doesn’t know now he won’t know in two hours time’. And he was right. What I do remember learning that night is that there was a tune called ‘Maiden Voyage’ that sounded very exotic. Again I wasn’t playing at this point, so had no idea of structure or harmonic content of the piece, but I remember Louis announcing it and being totally enthralled by it.
By Ronan Guilfoyle https://journalofmusic.com/focus/louis-first
Personnel: Louis Stewart, guitar; Martin Walshe, bass; John Wadham, drums.
Thank You JT!
