Louis Stewart is an Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 jazz guitarist

Jazz guitarist

Jazz guitarists are guitar players who play jazz music on the guitar using an approach to playing chords, melodies, and improvised solo lines which is called jazz guitar playing. The guitar has fulfilled the roles of accompanist and soloist in small and large ensembles and also as an unaccompanied...

, and the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Trinity College

Trinity College, Dublin

Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...

 Dublin. He began his international career in 1968, when he was awarded the special jury prize at The Montreux International Jazz Festival (and turning down a scholarship to Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...

, Boston). Shortly thereafter he began working with Benny Goodman

Benny Goodman

Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...

, an association that lasted three years, and gave way to an extended period of prominence with the late English saxophonist

Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

/flautist

Flute

The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...

 Tubby Hayes

Tubby Hayes

Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes was an English jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his tenor saxophone playing in groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and with trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest British jazz instrumentalists.- Early life :Hayes was born...

.

As a member of Ronnie Scott

Ronnie Scott

Ronnie Scott was an English jazz tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner.-Life and career:Ronnie Scott was born in Aldgate, east London, into a family of Russian Jewish descent on his father's side, and Portuguese antecedents on his mother's. Scott began playing in small jazz clubs at the age of...

's quartet

Quartet

In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...

 and quintet

Quintet

A quintet is a group containing five members.It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single unit....

 for several years, Louis began recording as leader in the mid-1970s, making albums with Sam Jones

Samuel Jones (musician)

Samuel Jones was a jazz bassist, cellist, and composer.Sam Jones was born in Jacksonville, FL and moved to New York city in 1955. There, Jones played with Bobby Timmons, Tiny Bradshaw, Les Jazz Modes, Kenny Dorham, Illinois Jacquet, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk...

 and Billy Higgins

Billy Higgins

Billy Higgins was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop.Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, beginning in 1958...

, with Peter Ind

Peter Ind

Peter Ind is a British jazz double-bassist and record producer.Ind began playing professionally in the late 1940s, including being part of the 'house band' on the ship Queen Mary from 1949 to 1951. He relocated to New York City in 1951, where he played with Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz , Buddy...

, and later, with Red Mitchell

Red Mitchell

Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927, New York City - November 8, 1992, Salem, Oregon, was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet. He was the brother of Whitey Mitchell....

, saxophonist Spike Robinson

Spike Robinson

Henry Berthold "Spike" Robinson was a tenor saxophonist. He began playing at age twelve, making recordings with famous jazz and bop musicians on several labels including Discovery, Hep and Concord. However, he sought an engineering degree and followed that profession on a fulltime basis for nearly...

, pianist

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

 Bill Charlap

Bill Charlap

William Morrison Charlap is a jazz pianist born October 15, 1966 in New York City.Bill Charlap comes from a musical background and is a distant cousin to famed jazz pianist Dick Hyman. His mother, Sandy Stewart , is a singer who had a hit in 1962 with My Coloring Book, while his father was Broadway...

, and now, more recently again, a new CD, recorded in Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

 with alto great Peter King

Peter King

-Politics:*Peter King , Australian politician*Peter T. King , U.S. Republican Congressman from New York*Peter King , British politician*Peter King, 1st Baron King -Politics:*Peter King (Australian politician) (born 1952), Australian politician*Peter T. King (born 1944), U.S. Republican...

.

In the 70s Louis began his lengthy association with George Shearing

George Shearing

Sir George Shearing, OBE was an Anglo-American jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for MGM Records and Capitol Records. The composer of over 300 titles, he had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s...

 (with whom he has toured America, Brazil and the European summer jazz festival circuit; and recorded eight albums - several in trio with Danish

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 bass

Double bass

The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...

 master Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen, and in quintet with vibist Steve Nelson

Steve Nelson (vibraphonist)

Steve Nelson is an American vibraphonist, and has been a member of Dave Holland's Quintet and Big Band for over a decade. He graduated from Rutgers University with both Master's and Bachelor's degrees in music, and his teaching activities have included a position at Princeton University...

 and drum

Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

mer Dennis Mackrel

Dennis Mackrel

Dennis Mackrel is an American jazz drummer, composer, and arranger. He is also known for his work as a bandleader and music educator...

). He began working with Canadian genius-orchestrator and arranger, Robert Farnon

Robert Farnon

Robert Joseph Farnon was a Canadian-born composer, conductor, musical arranger and trumpet player. As well as being a famous composer of original works , he was recognised as one of the finest arrangers of his generation...

, in 1976, and at least ten albums resulted: with singers Joe Williams

Joe Williams (jazz singer)

Joe Williams was a well-known jazz vocalist, a baritone singing a mixture of blues, ballads, popular songs, and jazz standards.-Early life:...

, Carol Kidd

Carol Kidd

Carol Kidd, MBE is a Scottish jazz singer.She came to prominence in the mid 1970s, as the vocalist in the band led by vibrophonist / saxophonist Jimmy Feighan. In 1990, she released her award-winning album, The Night We Called It a Day. She has subsequently performed and recorded extensively on...

 and two with Eileen Farrell

Eileen Farrell

Eileen Farrell was an American soprano who had a nearly 60 year long career performing both classical and popular music in concerts, theatres, on radio and television, and on disc. While she was active as an opera singer, her concert engagements far outnumbered her theatrical appearances...

, two with Shearing and with trombone legend J.J. Johnson

J.J. Johnson

J. J. Johnson was a United States jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. He was sometimes credited as Jay Jay Johnson....

, on all of which he is a prominently featured soloist.

In 1994, as a member of the Shearing trio, Louis featured for a week opposite Tommy Flanagan

Tommy Flanagan

Thomas Lee Flanagan was an American jazz pianist born in Detroit, Michigan, particularly remembered for his work with Ella Fitzgerald...

's trio in The Blue Note. This led to a still active association with Peter Washington

Peter Washington

Peter Washington is a jazz double bassist. He initially played classical bass and played with the Westchester Community Symphony at 14. Later he worked with electric bass and in rock bands. He went on to study English at the University of California, Berkeley...

 and Lewis Nash

Lewis Nash

Lewis Nash is an American jazz drummer. According to Modern Drummer magazine, Nash has one of the longest discographies in jazz. and has played on over 400 records by musicians, earning him the honor of being named Jazz's Most Valuable Player by the magazine in it's May, 2009 issue...

 which has included a week-long engagement, as leader, at the Village Vanguard

Village Vanguard

The Village Vanguard is a jazz club located at in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. At first, it also featured other forms of music such as folk music and beat poetry, but it switched to an all-jazz format in 1957.-History:Over 100 jazz...

 (with Richard Wyands

Richard Wyands

Richard Wyands is a hard bop pianist best known as a side-man. He began playing in his teens in San Francisco, but later moved to New York City. He worked with Kenny Burrell in the 1960s and also played in Gigi Gryce's quintet...

 in the piano chair, and, for that particular week, Kenny Washington, drums, substituting for Lewis Nash).

Continuing to make Dublin his home, Louis performs regularly in Germany and Norway, where, in the national theatre, Oslo, his James Joyce/Ulysses inspired concert piece "JoyceNotes" has been produced and recorded to acclaim.

Discography

• Louis the First (trio, Dublin, Hawk Records) 1975
• Milesian Source (Pye "Ronnie Scott Presents" label)
• I Thought About You, with Sam Jones (bass), Billy Higgins (drums)
• Out on His Own 1977
• Acoustic Guitar Duets (with Martin Taylor
  Martin Taylor
  Martin Taylor, MBE is a British jazz guitarist who has performed in groups, guitar ensembles and as an accompanist to many of the world’s most famous musicians...
  
  ) 1985 Livia Records
• Overdrive ( 1994 Hep Records
  Hep Records
  Hep Records is a Scottish record label specializing in both new and reissued jazz music. The label was founded in 1974 by Alastair Robertson in Edinburgh.-Past and present artists:*Don Lanphere*Jessica Williams*Jim Mullen*Tommy Smith*Michael Hashim...
  
  , Scotland) 1993
• Good News (w/Norwegian band "4 Sure")- awarded 5 stars in Downbeat magazine
• String Time (also Norwegian, featuring bassist Terje Venas)
• Louis Stewart and Peter Ind
  Peter Ind
  Peter Ind is a British jazz double-bassist and record producer.Ind began playing professionally in the late 1940s, including being part of the 'house band' on the ship Queen Mary from 1949 to 1951. He relocated to New York City in 1951, where he played with Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz , Buddy...
  
  , Beyond Baubles, Bangles and Beads
• I Wished on the Moon 1999
• Street of Dreams 2002
• In a Mellowtone (w/Heiner Franz)
• Angel Eyes (w/Peter King & pianist Greg Burke)
• Core Business (with Egil Kapstad, Terje Venaas, and Eyvind Olsen) 2004
• Paradoxical Intervention 2005
• You've Changed (recorded in Venice, w/the Frank Harrison Trio) 2007

Sources

• Official website
• Feather/Gitler, "Encyclopedia of Jazz", Oxford University Press
• John Chilton, "Encyclopedia of Jazz In Britain"
• Grove Encyclopedia of Jazz (ed. Kernfield)