A virtuoso tuba player, Bob Stewart's solos explore his instrument's full range and show its ability to serve as both lead and support within the jazz ensemble. He rivals Howard Johnson in terms of demonstrating depth, facility, and imagination on tuba. Stewart began playing trumpet at ten, and studied trumpet and tuba at the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts. He taught in the public school system in Pennsylvania, then later played in a traditional jazz band at a Philadelphia club. Stewart moved to New York in the late '60s, and joined the tuba ensemble Substructure. He played with Carla Bley, Frank Foster's Loud Minority, and the orchestras of Sam Rivers and Gil Evans in the late '60s. Stewart was a featured member of Arthur Blythe's mid-'70s band that recorded for Columbia, and also worked with the Globe Unity Orchestra, Charles Mingus, and McCoy Tyner. Stewart played with David Murray's big band, Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, and Henry Threadgill's orchestra in the '80s and into the '90s, in addition to performing with Howard Johnson's all-tuba group Gravity. ~ Ron Wynn
