New Chat With Dave Stewart

[Sean]

Hi, all!

I had a great chat with Canterbury keys legend Dave Stewart this week I think many of you will enjoy. It's a long one, so pack a lunch!

Also, he and Barb are playing live in London in about a month. I suggest our readers in the area check it out. I would if I was close enough!



For Episode #110 we caught up with legendary Canterbury prog keyboardist, Dave Stewart. We discuss a wide variety of topics, including his work with seminal prog-fusion groups like Bruford, National Health, Egg and more. We take a close look at his work with Barbara Gaskin and their most recent album, Star Clocks which features King Crimson / Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison. We chat about how he came to know Barbara and their writing process and dynamic. His work Harrison, Bruford and Allan Holdsworth are discussed as well. There's a segment about the evolution of keyboards and a segment on harmony. Also, towards the end we discuss his musical writings via his books- Introducing The Dots and The Musician's Guide to Reading and Writing Music. + Much more!

[chalkpie]

Wow! Probably the most interesting guest for me personally. Can't wait to check 'er out. Cheers Sean.

[Bytor]

45 minutes in and it's a goodie Sean. I'm surprised that he's talking quite much about the old days. From what I heard, he doesn't like to do it that much (although he wrote some cool liner notes through the years). Maybe I'm wrong? Bruford wanted to put a National Health track on his new career spanning box and said that Dave never got back to him. Great interview Sean

[Steve F.]

Maybe I'm wrong?

You're not wrong.

[Dave (in MA)]

You're not wrong.

[Paulrus]

Awesome!

[calyx]

Quite a coup, Sean ! Congrats. Very surprised that he'd agree to do a recorded interview like this, I think it's probably the first I'm aware of outside of an interview with a Japanese journalist from the 1980s that's on YouTube. Can't listen to it right now but will ASAP, with great anticipation.

[pb2015]

I'm surprised that he's talking quite much about the old days. From what I heard, he doesn't like to do it that much (although he wrote some cool liner notes through the years).

He used to have a column in Keyboard Magazine (circa early 90's) where he wrote sometimes about his old groups, although with a note of trying to distance himself.

[Sean]

I had heard the same thing so I was rather surprised when he started talking about the past. I didn't plan to go there, but once he did, why not? Although I was really more interested in what hes been up to in the last 5 years.

[mozo-pg]

Nice Catch Sean!

[StarThrower]

Listening now. Love that anecdote about Holdsworth and his four telephone book size stacks of notes from the Slonimsky book.

[Piskie]

Fascinating. Thanks for posting.

[happytheman]

Hi, all!

I had a great chat with Canterbury keys legend Dave Stewart this week I think many of you will enjoy. It's a long one, so pack a lunch!

About half way thru.. great interview.. he's one of my favorite keyboardist..

[markwoll]

Thanks Sean. Great interview. So much name dropping with great anecdotes.
I had no idea he worked with Wilson.
Kept my attention for over two hours. No mean feat.

[Baribrotzer]

Although I was really more interested in what he's been up to in the last 5 years.

Maybe that's why he talked about the past - you were genuinely interested in the present, so he didn't think that you'd slight everything he's done for the last 35 years in favor of stuff he did back in his twenties and thirties.

[Kcrimso]

I have listened about half so far. Good stuff! Thanks Sean!

[interbellum]

Also, he and Barb are playing live in London in about a month. I suggest our readers in the area check it out. I would if I was close enough!

Tickets and information on https://www.davebarb.com/

[Kcrimso]

Finished listening this. Really inspiring stuff. I need to dig up my Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin CD's for a re-listen. I really like the song "New Jerusalem" that Stewart mentioned few times.

[Steve983]

Thanks for this Sean, such a talented and interesting guy.

[Trane]

Great stuff, Sean. I'll be investigating his solo/duo (with BG) projects ASAIC

Had to listen to it over two days, though.

[Zeuhlmate]

Who is the guitarist he is talking about?

[interbellum]

Beren Matthews
He also played on Star Clocks, the latest album by the duo: https://burningshed.com/dave-stewart...star-clocks_cd

[Zeuhlmate]

Beren Matthews
He also played on Star Clocks, the latest album by the duo: https://burningshed.com/dave-stewart...star-clocks_cd

Thanks.

[alanterrill]

Thanks for that -a great interview. Dave is an intelligent speaker and the conversation flowed naturally, mainly I think, because you didn't ask anything he might take umbrage at and because your questions were well informed and he could see you'd done your homework and were more than capable of understanding his observations on musicians and recording techniques. It's easy to think he gave up on intricate and complicated music when he went in for pop songs instead of long instrumentals, but from his perspective he is still delving into obscure corners of musical notation and form, it's just that he's applying it to pop songs, and for me at least this makes his music less than interesting. Maybe I should listen to his latest album -I tried with the Big Idea but was never convinced so I gave up on him.

[Zeuhlmate]

Thanks for that -a great interview. Dave is an intelligent speaker and the conversation flowed naturally, mainly I think, because you didn't ask anything he might take umbrage at and because your questions were well informed and he could see you'd done your homework and were more than capable of understanding his observations on musicians and recording techniques. It's easy to think he gave up on intricate and complicated music when he went in for pop songs instead of long instrumentals, but from his perspective he is still delving into obscure corners of musical notation and form, it's just that he's applying it to pop songs, and for me at least this makes his music less than interesting. Maybe I should listen to his latest album -I tried with the Big Idea but was never convinced so I gave up on him.

It is good, but 'easy listening' with an extra layer.
Music I can spin when I have visitors who doesn't want to be challenged too much.