Rory Stuart

Early history

Stuart was born in New York City. He was exposed during his childhood to jazz through records played by his parents and really became enthusiastic about the music in seventh and eighth grade. When he wrote a paper on Rahsaan Roland Kirk, a seventh-grade teacher, who had played many jazz recordings for the class, arranged for Rahsaan to perform for the class (and then discuss the music) one afternoon at the Village Vanguard. In the eighth grade, pianist Jaki Byard made weekly visits to teach the school's music class. In high school, Stuart studied classical guitar with Leonid Bolotine. At Stanford University, he began to play jazz guitar and met fellow student and guitarist Tuck Andress, who was an inspiration and became a lifelong friend. Stuart moved to Colorado where he performed in groups led by Joe Keel (the Action Orchestra), Billy Tolles, Jerry Granelli, Carol Kaye, and he co-led Parameters. In 1981, he moved to New York.

Sideman

Stuart has performed as a sideman or co-leader with numerous artists, including Charlie Rouse, Charles Earland, Brother Jack McDuff, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Ernie Krivda, Larry Coryell, Jeanie Bryson, Bill Doggett, Glenn Wilson, Makanda Ken McIntyre, the Keith Copeland Coalition with John Stubblefield and Joe Locke, Steve Coleman's band with Geri Allen, Graham Haynes, and Cassandra Wilson (Stuart was an early member and contributor to MBASE) and Errol Parker's Tentet In recent years, he has performed in groups with Billy Harper, Sheila Jordan, Reggie Workman, George Garzone, Cecil Bridgewater, Jack Walrath, Jay Clayton, Kevin Hays, Jason Lindner, and John Ellis. He performed and contributed original compositions to Glenn Wilson's recording Blue Porpoise Avenue with Marc Copland, Jay Anderson, and Jeff Hirshfield. His compositions have also been performed on recordings by other artists, including Tuck & Patti.

Educator

Since 1992, Stuart has led and developed the curriculum in rhythm for New School's Department of Jazz & Contemporary Music in New York. His former students lead their own groups and have played with bands led by a wide range of jazz musicians, such as Roy Haynes, Kenny Garrett, Elvin Jones, Pat Metheny, Cecil Taylor, Wynton Marsalis, Richard Bona, Joshua Redman, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Charlie Haden, Terence Blanchard, Charlie Hunter, Anthony Braxton, Jimmy Smith, Eliane Elias, and Lonnie Plaxico. (For a list of some of his former students, see below.)

Guests Stuart has brought to his rhythm classes include Miguel Zenon, Billy Harper, Tim Berne, Vijay Iyer, David Gilmore, Jason Lindner, Ronan Guilfoyle, and Royal Hartigan.

In addition to his New School teaching, Stuart gives private lessons and has done numerous international clinics and workshops in India (2009 Express India, Radio And Music, Kazakhstan (U.S. Embassy News, Kazakhstan, (2008, Israel (2009–2010), Italy (Veneto Jazz in Bassano 2005-2008; also Udine and Vercelli with John Riley's Trio (2006), Austria (2003), Denmark (2008), Switzerland (2003, Brazil (2009, via Skype), Spain (2008), and across the USA (including IAJE in 2001 and 2007). He led and taught at a jazz workshop in Incheon, South Korea (2007–2008). In 2006, he was awarded the New School University Teaching Excellence Award (highest academic honor of the university).

Leader

In 1982, Stuart formed his own quartet, with Keith Copeland, Calvin Hill, and Armen Donelian. Their first recording, Nightwork, received four stars in Down Beat. A subsequent recording, Hurricane, with Copeland, Donelian, and Anthony Cox, was released by Sunnyside Records, also received a four-star Down Beat review. Coda Magazine said about this group: "Rory Stuart is one of the freshest new guitarists in jazz. He has a full sound with a long lean style of playing. His quartet has the energetic flow of the Coltrane quartet. Rory Stuart knows the tradition even while pushing most broadly out from that tradition." With the help of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Stuart performed and recorded with an expanded version of the original quartet, adding Glenn Wilson, Dannie Moore, and John Stubblefield. (National Endowment For The Arts 1992 Annual Report p. 151.)

Since 2000, Stuart has led a group that plays at such venues as New York's Cornelia Street Cafe. This quartet, with Mark Shim, Matt Penman, and Ari Hoenig, released a recording on Smart Cat Music, So Rise Up. (Jazz Times ).

Described in Jazz Times as "perhaps THE most innovative straight-ahead jazz guitarist to emerge in years," Stuart has also led groups and performed with local musicians in the Czech Republic (with Jaromir Honzak ), Switzerland (with Colin Vallon's Trio ), India (with the "godfather" of Indian jazz, Louiz Banks), and in Iceland, as well as special projects, such as a program of new music written for a New York concert featuring his former students Robert Glasper, Matt Penman, John Ellis, Jean Rohe and Becca Stevens joined by Cuban drummer Dafnis Prieto. He continues to perform in New York and around the world.

Another recording, featuring Dan Weiss on tablas and John Ellis on saxophone, is being prepared for release. Other artists who have played in Stuart's groups include Jaleel Shaw, George Garzone, Will Vinson, Marc Copland, Pete Zimmer, Francois Moutin, Chris Tordini, Brandon Owens, Dave Robaire, Chris Smith, Francesca Tanksley, John Lockwood, John B. Riley, Ronnie Burrage, Newman Taylor Baker, Obed Calvaire, and Marcus Gilmore.

Former students

Among the students from around the world who have come through his Advanced Rhythm classes are jazz musicians such as Robert Glasper, Mike Moreno, Marcus Strickland, John Ellis, Gregoire Maret, Mike Rodriguez, Becca Stevens, Matt Penman, Nils Wogram, Jean Rohe, Taylor Ho Bynum, E.J. Strickland, Ali Jackson, Aaron Goldberg, Tigran Hamasyan, Kenyatta Beasley, Gilad Hekselman, John Beaty, Otis Brown III, Chris Tordini, Kenny Grohowski, Carlos Henriquez, Pedro and Joao Moreira, Yotam Silberstein, Yeahwon Shin, Renee Cruz, Dave Robaire, Mary Halvorson, and Wayne Batchelor.