Grant Stewart was born in Toronto, Canada, on June 4, 1971. His father, an English teacher at high school and semi-professional guitarist, introduced him to the music of Wardell Gray, Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins. Father and son would often play together for hours. Stewart’s father encouraged him and gave him these early experiences. He also developed an ear for style and melody. At age 10, he began playing the alto saxophone. When he was 14, his first teacher, Pete Schofield, a noted Toronto bandleader, invited Stewart to join Schofield’s Big Band. He switched to the tenor instrument at age 17 and soon began playing with master saxophonists like Bob Mover and Pat Labarbara. Stewart regards Mover as one of his most important teachers and among his greatest influences, along with John Coltrane and Lester Young. Stewart moved to New York City when he was 19 years old. He studied with Barry Harris, Donald Byrd and Joe Lovano and has performed with Curtis Fuller and Bill Charlap. Stewart can be seen at clubs such as Birdland and Smoke, The Ketano. The Jazz Standard, Fat Cat, and you can hear him every Tuesday night at Smalls Jazz club. Stewart has performed in North America, Europe, Japan and Taiwan. Stewart was also invited to perform at the historic Hermitage Museum in St. Petersberg (Russia) as a jazz artist. Grant, along with his trio that included drummer Jimmy Cobb, was also a featured artist in the Guggenheim Museums Jazz series. Twelve recordings have been made by Stewart as a leader on different labels. Two of these were recorded with fellow Stewart player, Billy Strayhorn (USA), and has received international critical acclaim. Sharp Nine Records will release Stewart’s new album in September 2010. from www.grantstewartjazz.com
