Quincy Stewart Quintet

Quincy began playing music several years ago, starting off in dance bands, funk groups and rhythm and blues bands playing guitar, trumpet and piano.

During the late 1970's to the early eighties, Quincy played organ, bass and trumpet and sang in gospel groups.

Not until 1983 did Quincy begin playing jazz forming his own group, the Ujima Jazz Ensemble, first winning the prestigious Eastern Michigan Jazz Competition in 1983. All the songs were written by Stewart.

The following year, Quincy's group played in the Montreux International Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland with excellent reviews in several European trade papers.

The group went on to open for Spyra Gyra, The Count Basie Orchestra and Donald Byrd to name a few.

After twelve years Ujima split up and Quincy began production on an urban contemporary album entitled "Pathological" completed in 1995 selling nearly 4,000 copies.

After a brief lull following the touring of the album, Quincy returned to playing jazz music in 1999 with saxophonist Danny Carthane, winner of that year's Detroit Pepsi Jazz Challenge, playing at many jazz spots in and around Detroit.

In 2006, Quincy began studies for his Instrumental Music Education degree at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

During that year he also began work on his new CD entitled, "In My Mind", due out this summer on QPON Records.

Quincy's road to this point has been an interesting one and now maturing as a jazz instrumentalist, Quincy's future looks bright having discovered his own very personal sound and open approach to playing music as a whole. "It takes many years to learn to play in an authentic way and not be a clone of somebody else," Stewart said. "Jazz is about honesty, just as it is in speaking your own mind".

Quincy has opened for Stanley Clarke, Issac Hayes, Will Downing, Wayman Tisdale, The Isley Brothers, Larry Carlton, Najee, Howard Hewitt, Angie Stone and Billy Cobham.

Quincy has also played with the Oakland University Jazz Band and the Oakland Symphonic Band. (classical)