BIOGRAPHY                        

Jamie Stewardson (Guitar) - Jamie started playing guitar at fifteen and, like many teenagers, hoped that he might one day become a rock star. As his musical horizons expanded he began listening to John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, discovered the recordings of Return to Forever-vintage Chick Corea, and found himself inexorably drawn into what would become a lifelong affair with jazz.

 After high school he headed off to pursue music studies at the University of Northern Colorado in jazz and classical guitar, participating in master classes with Manuel Barrueco. He moved to Boston in 1984 to study at the Berklee College of Music (BM, Performance Studies) but bounced back out west for studies with John Abercrombie at the Banff Jazz Workshop. Later he returned to Boston to complete his Masters in Jazz Composition at the New England Conservatory, studying with Joe Maneri and Mick Goodrick.

Stewardson launched his performing career with a stint aboard a cruise ship, working with assorted pop artists, including The O'Jays, The Temptations, Martha Reeves, Patti Page, Kay Starr and The Drifters. Finished with the pop music business he immersed himself in jazz, eventually playing with such notables as George Russell, Jimmy Guiffre, John Stowell, Matt Maneri, George Schuller and Tony Malaby. Jamie Stewardson is currently a member of the faculty at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. He also plays guitar and bass with The David Zoffer Differential, performs with his own groups, and cites the influences of Geri Allen, Dave Holland and Maria Schneider in his jazz composition efforts.

 “Echoes of serialism and Indian Classical music occasionally surface, but are never allowed to choke what is first and foremost an improviser’s freebop outfit… Stewardson’s unique frame of reference and well-chosen instrumentation give this group a refreshing identity.” — Fred Grand, Jazz Review (UK)

 “Jazz criticism over the past sixty years has maintained that many performances are either too edgy or too smooth.  With the liquid texture of his blues-based guitar performance and the consistent shuffle of his ensemble’s interpretations, Stewardson has come up with an equable solution.” — Jim Santella, All About Jazz