Slam Stewart

Born Leroy Eliot Stewart in Englewood, New Jersey, Slam began on violin as a child. He eventually switched to bass and played with local bands before commencing formal studies at Boston Conservatory. There, he was introduced to the idea of singing (or humming) an octave higher, in unison with his bass fiddle (bowed bass). He perfected this technique with the orchestra of Peanuts Holland (1936-37) and subsequently moved to New York to form a hugely successful duo with the composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Slim Gaillard. Their double act, known as 'Slim and Slam', was spotlighted on radio station WNEW and hit its peak with a top-selling jazz track titled 'Flat-Foot Floogie' ('Floogie', being a slang term for 'Floozie'). Incidentally, Stewart acquired his nickname 'Slam' with input from Gaillard and disc jockey Martin Block (also their manager) who agreed it had more of a ring to it than 'Slim & Leroy'. During the 1930's and 40's, Slam worked extensively with small groups led by Benny Goodman, Art Tatum, Tiny Grimes, Don Byas and Lester Young (one of the seminal tracks with this quartet was a December 1943 recording of 'Sometimes I'm Happy'). During some of these sessions, he would employ a slap bass technique to compensate for an absence of drums. The Dizzy Gillespie Sextet (February 1945 session) featured his improvisational solos on several excellent tracks, notably 'Dizzy Atmosphere'. Near the end of the decade, Slam Stewart also fronted his own trio which featured the pianist Erroll Garner whom he subsequently joined on tour in France. On screen, Slam was featured in the cast of the musical Stormy Weather (1943). For much of the 50's, Slam provided rhythmic support to swing pianiste Beryl Booker (1922-78) and pianiste/singer Rose Murphy. The latter parts of his musical career included diversification into classical music (Lincoln String Quartet, 1969), reunions with Benny Goodman (1973-75), teaching music at Binghamton University (New York) and Yale, and appearances on the Today (1952) Show in conjunction with guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. A duo with the saxophonist Don Byas, 'I Got Rhythm' (recorded in 1945), is included in the Classic Jazz collection at the Smithsonian Inbstitute.