Stews Bio

Although he studied violin and flute while still in his single digit years, sang in various choirs until adolescence, and even threatened to learn trombone, it wasn’t until high school that Stew first picked up an electric bass and found his voice. Within a month of his first lesson he was called to play with a band. As more and more people requested his fledgling services in rhythm sections, he re-geared his instruction toward learning the more pragmatic and functional aspects of music theory.

It was about this time that the recordings of Jimmy Haslip and Jimmy Johnson found their way to Mr. McKinsey’s stereo and the amazing low notes of their 5-string instruments changed the way the young bass student heard and thought of music. Imagination whirring, Stew devoured everything he could find having anything to do with his chosen instrument or how to play it. He took every gig he could find, which only fueled his hunger to be a better musician. Before long he was college bound, there to study harmony, theory, and counterpoint. He also encountered a whole new pool of players, expanding even further his scope of styles.

With access to a bonafide jazz club, D.C.’s Blues Alley, Stew saw performers like Astrid Gilberto, John McLaughlin, Herbie Mann, Johnny Griffin, Tony Williams, Buddy Rich, Les McCann, and most importantly Jaco Pastorius. Exposed to musicians of this caliber, Stew realized that he would always be a student and devoted himself to always learning, always growing artistically. He headed to the Musicians Institute and studied with Jeff Berlin, Gary Willis, Jim Lacefield, Steve Bailey, Tim Bogert, and Alexis Sklarevski. He met and became friends with monsters like Roberto Vally, Steuart Liebig, and Michael Manring. While these associations were humbling, they were eye opening because Stew was able to see firsthand how their lessons were applied in ‘real world’ situations.

He realized that he could expand the range of his bass higher as well as lower and moved to the 6-string. The first hour he played it, the idea for an 8-string which went both lower and higher than any bass around came to him. It took more than a decade to find the luthier who would make the instrument, but he has never looked back. In fact it was in 2003 that Stew had this same artist craftsman, Bill Conklin, build a 10-string which will expand both extremes of his range!

Contact Information: You can find me on the web in a few places. Most of what I'm up to is posted at the Yahoo Group: SubContraBassist or on The IIB's ERB Forum.

Stewart McKinsey
E-Mail: [email protected]

		Biography Although he studied violin and flute while still in his single digit years, sang in various choirs until adolescence, and even threatened to learn trombone, it wasn’t until high school that Stew first picked up an electric bass and found his voice. Within a month of his first lesson he was called to play with a band. As more and more people requested his fledgling services in rhythm sections, he re-geared his instruction toward learning the more pragmatic and functional aspects of music theory. It was about this time that the recordings of Jimmy Haslip and Jimmy Johnson found their way to Mr. McKinsey’s stereo and the amazing low notes of their 5-string instruments changed the way the young bass student heard and thought of music. Imagination whirring, Stew devoured everything he could find having anything to do with his chosen instrument or how to play it. He took every gig he could find, which only fueled his hunger to be a better musician. Before long he was college bound, there to study harmony, theory, and counterpoint. He also encountered a whole new pool of players, expanding even further his scope of styles. With access to a bonafide jazz club, D.C.’s Blues Alley, Stew saw performers like Astrid Gilberto, John McLaughlin, Herbie Mann, Johnny Griffin, Tony Williams, Buddy Rich, Les McCann, and most importantly Jaco Pastorius. Exposed to musicians of this caliber, Stew realized that he would always be a student and devoted himself to always learning, always growing artistically. He headed to the Musicians Institute and studied with Jeff Berlin, Gary Willis, Jim Lacefield, Steve Bailey, Tim Bogert, and Alexis Sklarevski. He met and became friends with monsters like Roberto Vally, Steuart Liebig, and Michael Manring. While these associations were humbling, they were eye opening because Stew was able to see firsthand how their lessons were applied in ‘real world’ situations. He realized that he could expand the range of his bass higher as well as lower and moved to the 6-string. The first hour he played it, the idea for an 8-string which went both lower and higher than any bass around came to him. It took more than a decade to find the luthier who would make the instrument, but he has never looked back. In fact it was in 2003 that Stew had this same artist craftsman, Bill Conklin, build a 10-string which will expand both extremes of his range! Contact Information: You can find me on the web in a few places. Most of what I'm up to is posted at the Yahoo Group: SubContraBassist or on The IIB's ERB Forum. Stewart McKinsey E-Mail: [email protected]