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Doc Stewart
Chris “Doc” Stewart is a retired ER doctor from the Mayo Clinic who now performs regularly with the his own group as well as several other local groups in the Phoenix area. A multi-instrumentalist, he plays saxophone, flute, and clarinet in a variety of musical genres. His chart-topping recordings include “Phoenix” (2005) and “Code Blue” (2016). Jazz critic Leonard Feather wrote: “The lead alto saxophonist, Dr. Chris Stewart, practices emergency medicine for a living, but leads the reed team flawlessly.” Doc Stewart has recorded with groups and artists such as Louis Bellson, Woody Herman, Wayne Bergeron, Toni Tennille, Matt Catingub, the Phoenix Symphony, and many others. He is also the author of several music books on Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, and Cannonball Adderley.
Gear
Yamaha Zepher alto saxophone; Cannonball curved soprano saxophone; Yamaha YFL-697 flute; Roy Seman piccolo classic; Buffett R-13 clarinet
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Doc Stewart Big Band Resuscitation: Code Blue!
by Jack Bowers
"Doc" is much more than a nickname to Chris Stewart: it's a profession. And straight-ahead jazz is far more than a pastime: it's a passion. For the past sixteen years, Doc Stewart's day gig has been ER physician at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Scottsdale, AZ. Long before that, however, Stewart was a working musician who played alto sax with a number of big bands including those led by Tom Kubis, Ladd McIntosh, Matt Catingub, Louie Bellson, Toshiko Akiyoshi / ...
Continue ReadingDoc Stewart and Big Band Resuscitation: Code Blue!
by Edward Blanco
Those who subscribe to the notion that big band music is a dying musical art form, are obviously unaware of Chris Doc Stewart and his star-studded Resuscitation big band that have just given the genre a shot in the arm, a jolt of electricity and some life-saving musical medicine with the amazing Code Blue! An alto saxophonist by passion and pleasure, Stewart is actually an emergency room doctor with the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ, practicing the trade for ...
Continue ReadingDoc Stewart's Code Blue! Big Band
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Chris Doc Stewart
The concept of Code Blue originally came from an idea to follow‐up my 2005 CD Phoenix: A Tribute to Cannonball Adderley. That CD debuted on the independent jazz new releases at number one. It continued to do well reaching number 13 on the jazz charts. I attribute this fluke to a very good CD and, based on the reviews and interviews, the whole doctor‐jazz musician thing. Therefore the follow‐up CD would have a bent towards medicine and in particular emergency ...
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Chris "Doc" Stewart, prominent ER Doctor for the Mayo Clinic Hospital, is also a world class technician on the alto saxophone. Having said that, Stewart could well be one of the best jazz saxophonists you will ever hear. Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1960, and raised on a farm in Rockford, Stewart was the sixth of nine musical children; everybody in the family played aninstrument. Stewart picked up his lifetime instrument, the alto saxophone, when he was just ten. In eighth grade, his family moved to Anaheim, California just three doors down from his future wife. While in high school, Stewart received jazz and classical awards on both the flute and saxophone. Winning a talent contest at Disneyland, gave Stewart the opportunity to be a part of the then vibrant music scene at the Magic Kingdom.