Rex Stewart
Rex Stewart achieved his greatest glory in a subsidiary role, playing cornet 11 years in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. His famous "talking" style and half-valve effects were exploited brilliantly by countless Ellington pieces containing perfect passages tailored to showcase Stewart's sound. He played in a forceful, gripping manner that reflected the influences of Louis Armstrong, Bubber Miley, and Bix Beiderbecke, 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 Elmer Snowden in 1925, then joined Fletcher Henderson a year later. But he felt his talents were not at the necessary level, and departed Henderson's band, joining his brother Horace'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 McKinney's Cotton Pickers in 1931, a stint heading his own band, and another short stay with Luis Russell before Stewart joined the Ellington Orchestra 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 Ellingtonians. After leaving, Stewart led various combos and performed throughout Europe and Australia on an extensive Jazz at the Philharmonic 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 Fletcher Henderson reunion band in 1957 and 1958, and recorded with them. He played at Eddie Condon'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 /TiVo
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The Complete Felsted Mainstream Collection
Coleman Hawkins, Billy Strayhorn, Rex Stewart, Earl Hines
Jazz - Released by Jazz & Groove on 17 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Baden 1966 and Montreux 1971
Rex Stewart, The Henry Chaix Orchestra
Dixieland - Released by Sackville on 1 Jan 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Great Ellington Units
Johnny Hodges, Rex Stewart, Barney Bigard
Jazz - Released by RCA Bluebird on 15 Apr 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1934 - 1946
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 29 Jun 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Vintage Jazz No. 91 - EP: Paris 1939
Jazz - Released by Vintage Music on 4 Apr 1955
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1949
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 29 Jun 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anthology: The Definitive Collection (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Master Tape Records on 17 Sep 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Happy Jazz Of Rex Stewart
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Chatter Jazz: The Talkative Horns of Rex Stewart and Dickie Wells (Stereo)
Jazz - Released by The Digital Gramophone on 15 Nov 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Presenting Rex Stewart
Jazz - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on 8 Jul 1944
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rex Stewart: Trumpet In Spades - His 48 Finest 1930-1959
Jazz - Released by Retrospective on 5 May 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I Want to Be Happy
Jazz - Released by Vintage Music on 12 Apr 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1948 - 1949
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 29 Jun 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shady Side of the Street
Jazz - Released by Werner Last's Favourites Jazz on 1 Jan 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rex Stewart Selected Hits Vol. 2
Jazz - Released by Charly Records on 12 Jun 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Favorites
Fletcher Henderson, Rex Stewart
Jazz - Released by Stardust Records on 1 Dec 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jam Sessions Vol. 10 (1957)
Jazz - Released by Documents on 1 Sep 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo