New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Jazz-funk drummer and worldwide recording artist
Isaiah Stewart announces the release of his fifth album "Summer Beat," featuring world-renowned jazz trumpeter Randy Brecker.
One of the most respected musicians in the world, Brecker is known for performing and recording with Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Aerosmith,
James Taylor, Frank Zappa, Steely Dan, Lou Reed, Parliament-Funkadelic, Blue Öyster Cult, Dire Straits, Todd Rundgren, Blood Sweat & Tears, Jaco Pastorius,
George Benson, Spyro-Gyra, Charles Mingus and Horace Silver.
Throughout his four-decade career, Brecker has received 18 Grammy Award nominations and won a total of six.
"It is both an honor and dream come true to feature Randy Brecker on my newest album," Stewart says. "Mr. Brecker has personally shaped the sound of jazz, R&B, and rock for over four decades and is a true jazz revolutionary whose phenomenal trumpet playing is respected among luminaries such as Miles Davis. Without Mr. Brecker's contributions, the world's contemporary music scene would likely look a lot differently today."
"Summer Beat" will be available June 25, 2018, at CDBaby, iTunes, Amazon and all other popular online retail and music-streaming services worldwide.
The album also features world-renowned Grammy Award-winning artists Eumir Deodato (Frank Sinatra, Bjork, Kool & The Gang, Earth Wind & Fire) and Tom Scott (Paul McCartney,
George Harrison, Whitney Houston, Steely Dan) as well as popular session guitarist Jamie Glaser (Jean-Luc Ponty, Chick Corea, Bryan Adams,
Gloria Trevi) and bassist Jonni Lightfoot (Air Supply).
Brecker's performances on "Summer Beat" were produced and engineered at HamptonSound Studio in New York by jazz saxophonist Ada Rovatti, who has performed with renowned artists such as Aretha Franklin, Patti Austin, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin and Mike Stern.
Brecker's signature trumpet and flugelhorn playing are featured on three songs: "Summer Girl," "Funky Days," and "Swing City."
"I composed these three songs specifically with Mr. Brecker in mind," Stewart says. "Respectively, they speak to the many different facets of his musical persona. He was a founding member of Blood Sweat & Tears, and 'Summer Girl' is my homage to that wonderful era of classic jazz-rock."
Stewart adds that "Funky Days" was composed to showcase Mr. Brecker's jazz-fusion mastery. "Nobody can jam over a funk groove like Randy," he says, "but I also wanted to explore his renowned mainstream jazz expertise as well, which I accomplished with the prettier, more traditional jazz song 'Swing City.'"
For 18 years listeners around the world have sampled, downloaded and streamed music from Stewart's prior albums more than 7.5 million times. "Summer Beat" is similar in style to past efforts but, according to Stewart, will be more "soulful," "melodic" and "funky" - offering listeners "everything from smooth jazz to old-school funk and jazz-rock fusion."
Since releasing his previous albums: "Thrill Ride" (2015), "Groove Garden" (2010), "Urban Playground" (2005), and "Life Games" (2000), Stewart has maintained a unique worldwide position with listeners throughout more than 170 countries.
Stewart's global popularity as an artist began in late 2001, when "Midtown Funk," a jazz-funk single from his first album "Life Games," charted to 15 on MP3.com's overall worldwide top 40, surpassing songs from popular artists at the time such as Madonna, Eminem, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Linkin Park, The
Offspring and Sum 41.
At the time, MP3.com was the world's number one digital music site, receiving more than 35 million visitors a month, and during that year, the site's jazz top 20 frequently contained all 14 tracks from "Life Games" simultaneously.
"It's stunning when the local papers start calling you up," Stewart says. "I had already achieved some measure of success with jazz radio stations throughout the Intermountain West but obtaining global success came as a complete surprise. Charting higher than Madonna,
Eminem or Mariah is certainly nothing any independent artist ever thinks possible."
Stewart's most recent album "Thrill Ride" charted to number eight worldwide on ReverbNation, the popular global digital music platform that features more than 3.8 million musicians, fans, venues, and labels throughout more than 130 countries worldwide, including popular artists such as Eminem, Rihanna, Rick Ross, P-Diddy,
Judas Priest and Public Enemy.
"Thrill Ride" is Stewart's biggest selling album to date and remained in ReverbNation's top ten worldwide for eight consecutive weeks; the site's top 20 for 19 consecutive weeks; and the site's top 40 for nine consecutive months.
"My last album exposed me to new listeners worldwide and I am hoping to build on that success with this new album," Stewart says. "I am emphasizing melody and including smoother jazz elements along with my trademark funk-styled compositions."
Stewart says the album title, "Summer Beat," refers to his lifelong love of listening to classic jazz and funk albums during the summer months.
"I have always felt that summer shares a lot in common with jazz and funk music," Stewart says. "Like summer, the music is about spontaneity, seizing the moment, taking wholehearted action, and having a lot of fun. Jazz-funk is also exhilarating like a blazing-hot summer sun delivering a burst of light, warmth, and joy that uplifts the soul."
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah,
Isaiah Stewart (ASCAP) is a drummer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and worldwide recording artist who studied contemporary songwriting with the Berklee College of
Music and musical production at the University of Utah. A professional drummer since age 9, Stewart has studied with many of the world's most highly recognized drum artists, including Tony Williams, Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio, Mike Portnoy, Steve Gadd, Billy Cobham, Dave Weckl,
Dennis Chambers, Virgil Donati, Steve Smith,
David Garibaldi and Joe Morello.
Stewart is the son of Utah opera singer Mary Elaine Shewell, who was personally mentored by and regularly performed with world-renowned conductor Maurice Abravanel, who received a Tony Award, the
National Medal of Arts from President
George H.W. Bush, and numerous Grammy nominations for his classical recordings with the Utah Symphony Orchestra that he conducted for more than 30 years.
