Rex Stewart

Rex Stewart achieved his greatest glory in a subsidiary role, playing cornet 11 years in <a href="spotify:artist:3W4GTSHxlqXfXjdmSNIbTB">the Duke Ellington Orchestra</a>. His famous "talking" style and half-valve effects were exploited brilliantly by countless <a href="spotify:artist:4F7Q5NV6h5TSwCainz8S5A">Ellington</a> pieces containing perfect passages tailored to showcase Stewart's sound. He played in a forceful, gripping manner that reflected the influences of <a href="spotify:artist:19eLuQmk9aCobbVDHc6eek">Louis Armstrong</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5HDCdQ8Z534fUX4gZI5IzT">Bubber Miley</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3kfbYBrL3MCPAMUwKDRpc7">Bix Beiderbecke</a>, whose solos he once reproduced on record. Stewart played on Potomac riverboats before moving to Philadelphia. He went to New York in 1921. Stewart worked with <a href="spotify:artist:3xNzMGxMGxIhGXYmQTc4iP">Elmer Snowden</a> in 1925, then joined <a href="spotify:artist:2ovJLSejirvJybNers2YG6">Fletcher Henderson</a> a year later. But he felt his talents were not at the necessary level, and departed <a href="spotify:artist:2ovJLSejirvJybNers2YG6">Henderson</a>'s band, joining his brother <a href="spotify:artist:5CH9h1pnlwBLqi38RiqZLM">Horace</a>'s band at Wilberforce College. Stewart returned in 1928. He remained five years and contributed many memorable solos. There was also a brief period in <a href="spotify:artist:5I3S4y3G5KQ6M5DUqxM3wD">McKinney's Cotton Pickers</a> in 1931, a stint heading his own band, and another short stay with <a href="spotify:artist:2QYQ1OaqqulNz8o2c80ViP">Luis Russell</a> before Stewart joined <a href="spotify:artist:3W4GTSHxlqXfXjdmSNIbTB">the Ellington Orchestra</a> in 1934.

He was a star throughout his tenure, co-writing classics "Boy Meets Horn" and "Morning Glory." He also supervised many outside recording sessions using <a href="spotify:artist:4F7Q5NV6h5TSwCainz8S5A">Ellingtonians</a>. After leaving, Stewart led various combos and performed throughout Europe and Australia on an extensive <a href="spotify:artist:1MrfEFvDJwmXQJADGBSEPV">Jazz at the Philharmonic</a> tour from 1947-1951. He lectured at the Paris Conservatory in 1948. Stewart settled in New Jersey to run a farm in the early '50s. He was semi-retired, but found new success in the media. He worked in local radio and television, while leading a band part-time in Boston. Stewart led the <a href="spotify:artist:2ovJLSejirvJybNers2YG6">Fletcher Henderson</a> reunion band in 1957 and 1958, and recorded with them. He played at <a href="spotify:artist:1YaB5mqH5zlJqvJaKIsBrS">Eddie Condon</a>'s club in 1958 and 1959, then moved to the West Coast. Stewart again worked as a disc jockey and became a critic. While he published many excellent pieces, a collection containing many of his best reviews, Jazz Masters of the Thirties, came out posthumously. There's also a Stewart autobiography available. ~ Ron Wynn, Rovi