Slam Stewart
b. Leroy Stewart, 21 September 1914, Englewood, New Jersey, USA, d. 10 December 1987. He studied bass at Boston Conservatory, having earlier played violin. Almost from the start of his career Stewart was experimenting with his distinctive style in which he bowed the bass while humming in unison, an octave higher. John Chilton suggests that the concept was originally violinist Ray Perry's but certainly Stewart developed this technique into a fine art. In New York in 1937, Stewart met Slim Gaillard and together they became hugely popular on radio and records, their Flat Foot Floogie being an enormous hit. During the late '30s and through the '40s he worked mostly in small groups, accompanying Gaillard, Art Tatum, Lester Young, Benny Goodman and others. In the '50s he played with Tatum, Roy Eldridge and also became a regular accompanist to singer Rose Murphy. In the '60s he added classical music to his repertoire. He continued to tour extensively in the '70s and '80s, playing with a wide range of artists, mostly in the mainstream of jazz. Stewart consistently displayed a comprehensive technique yet always played in an intensely rhythmic manner which he was never afraid to temper with wit.