Stewart, Michael "Patches" - Jazz Trumpeteer
By: Dominick A. Miserandino
DM) What was your first musical experience growing up?
P) If you're wondering why I took up the trumpet, I was in grade school and it was the last days of the school year. The junior high school band came over to perform for us, and one of the pieces they played was "Bugler's Holiday", a piece with three trumpet parts. I remember hearing that piece and I just knew that I wanted to do that, too... play the trumpet.
DM) Is anybody else in your family in music?
P) I have a cousin who, when I was growing up, played the trumpet--but not professionally. Nobody in my immediate family had any interest in music.
DM) Were they encouraging to you in your musical career?
P) My folks were very supportive. They advised me to have something to fall back on, though, which everyone should do, but they never discouraged me. The family always showed up for my gigs, too.
DM) Were you nervous playing with such reputable people at 16 years old?
P) Of course... it was my first session... my first job at that level, so naturally I was nervous. Even today there is a certain degree of nervousness when I'm performing-- whether it's in a club or a stadium.
DM) What are the difference between your first album and this album?
P) Big difference. My first CD, "Blue Patches," was a collection of straight-ahead acoustic jazz standards. We recorded that in about 2-3 days because of our small budget. A lot of people were surprised that I started out with the standards; they were expecting something more like my new CD, "Penetration." This new one is electric and we experimented with some new things, like the jungle beat on "My Funny Valentine." The projects I do in the future will be more along the lines of "Penetration"--but I'm glad I started out with the standards, because that project represented some of the reasons I fell in love with jazz. But I'm not ruling out future acoustic projects, by the way.
DM) Which makes you more nervous, playing in a large stadium where you can't see the stadium, or an intimate show where you can practically count everybody there?
P) Definitely, the intimate club. You're so close to the audience that it's like you're in a fishbowl. At the same time, I think I prefer the club setting, because you do have the opportunity to interact with the audience and hear them respond to your music.
DM) What's the most difficult audience you've had?
P) I can't name one in particular, but there have been shows where the audience hasn't really connected with the music, for one reason or another. Maybe the sound system wasn't mixed right, maybe it was the end of a festival day and they were tired, maybe the band just didn't mesh...there are good shows and bad shows.
DM) What do you do to prepare for a show?
P) I usually find a corner, or some other quiet spot, and warm up a little while I think about what I'm going to play.
DM) What songs do you play when you're fooling around at home?
P) I don't have any particular favorites. When I practice at home, I pretty much stick to lip exercises and scales; then I work in whatever is on my mind that day...I may play some jazz standards, something I heard on the radio or maybe work with an idea I have.
DM) How long do you practice every day?
P) Not enough. I try to get in at least an hour a day.
DM) What kind of music do you do when you practice?
P) The trumpet requires a lot of lip exercise because you only have three valves to work with...so, basically, I play lip trills or lip slurs; these are brass exercises for lip flexibility. And I also do long tones--that's holding a note as long as you can, which helps develop sound. Then I may play along with something in my CD collection, or the jazz station, or some classical music.
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