Professor celebrates Juno nomination

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Michelle Nash

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A Carleton University music professor by day and drummer for an instrumental trio band at night, Jesse Stewart has snared himself a Juno Award nomination.

Stewart was in Toronto for the announcement on Feb. 7 that his band, Stretch Orchestra, has been nominated in the Instrumental Album of the Year category.

"It is a great honour and at some level it is also a validation of the work we've been doing as musicians," said Stewart.

Bandmate and cello performer Matt Brubeck was with Stewart for the announcement. Both immediately phoned country the group's guitarist, Kevin Breit.

The band has been together for six years, forming in 2006 in Guelph, Ont. In 2008 Stewart moved to Nepean to take a position as a music professor at Carleton University, teaching music composition.

The band stayed together, recording the album in their spare time.

"The way it mostly works is we meet at the gig and during sound check, one of us will say, 'Hey I have an idea for a tune,' and it goes from there," Stewart said.

And although the time they have to perform together is now limited, when they do meet, Stewart said it's always a good time.

"I very rarely have as much fun playing music as I do playing with those two guys," Stewart said. "Our friendship and our music grows from that and this album is a great example of that."

The self-titled Stretch Orchestra is the band's first album. Stewart said when he submitted the album for Juno consideration, he was hopeful for a nomination but certainly not expecting it.

"It is a pleasant surprise," Stewart said.

The album was recorded through a grant from the Ontario Arts Council. Most of the recording took place in Toronto and Guelph.

Stretch Orchestra's music can best be described as an eclectic mixture of jazz, blues, rock and folk.

"We all bring something different to the group and that is what makes the band so unusual and great," Stewart added.

And when it comes to teaching, there is a likeness between Stewart's performance with his band and how his performance in the university classroom.

"There is a freshness to the band, we are on the edge of our seats because we don't know where the harmony is going to go and it's an interesting challenge," Stewart said. "And in the classroom, we can plan our lecture, but I personally like to stay open, to see where the lecture will go. It is all about finding the balance between the group and improvisation."

The band has performed twice in Ottawa, the most recent show coming in the fall of 2011 in Old Ottawa South. Stewart will attend the Juno ceremony, which is being held here in Ottawa at Scotiabank Place on April 1 and he is hopeful his bandmates will be there too.




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