Article Reprint from the September 2001 BluesNotes
By Rose Allen
During several phone conversations held in an effort to coordinate an actual
meeting with Ashbolt, I realized it was necessary to accept an
invitation to his home in order to discover Ashbolt Stewart more
fully. I discovered a man with an incredibly wide variety of drumming
interests and a lengthy resume of various band experience, from Jazz, Reggae,
Blues, World Music, Dixie and Big Band sounds.
Ash has built a music studio in the 1880 Victorian he purchased three years ago. It is here that he teaches drums and conga classes and rehearses on his various musical projects. He shared with me his collection of unusual percussion instruments.
One of my first questions was the origin of the very unique name, Ashbolt. Born near Detroit, Michigan, Thomas Ashbolt Stewart received his first drum set at the age of six, in an effort to relieve the typical constant drumming of fingers on the dinner table. An uncle who also played drums served as the initial musical inspiration. Alter dropping "Thomas," he became known as Ashbolt, which was his mother's maiden name. A portion of his musical influence was provided by his mother, who played a variety of Jazz and Blues records, and also sang in a band. One particular tune Ash recalls hearing regularly was "Every Day I Have The Blues", performed by Joe Williams with Count Basie. The encouragement from both parents was helpful. Other early popular influences were found in Van Morrison, Them and The Stones. Ashbolt mentions perfect attendance in school, despite his interest in the "bad boys" of the music scene at that time. He recalled his first Blues-playing experience in the basement of his boyhood home jamming on "When The Saints Go Marching In" on the snare drum, with two trumpets, at age 10.
Having lived and played in the Midwest, Florida, San Francisco, Hawaii, and
other areas, Ash has also performed professionally in a variety of
countries over the past 30-plus years. He moved to Portland roughly 10 years ago
and feels at a point where he is truly connecting with the musical scene here.
It was no surprise to me when Ash admitted falling in love with
Oregon at the Oregon Country Fair, for he seems to have this real lack of
inhibition. In fact, he even mentions somehow finding himself minus clothing on
stage an occasion or two.
He has studied vibes and piano at PCC and helped teach the history of Jazz with a 14-piece band to school children in California. Recently, he completed teaching two groups of at-risk teens through Ethos, Inc. He also serves as a bodywork therapist and art model. But, Ash has always made his living as a musician and brings his very own brand of passion to his music - this sense of a healing life force.
In celebration of Ash's recent 50th birthday, he produced and released the title, "Fifty Trips Around the Sun". It showcases his versatility in playing drums and percussion with four different bands in one evening. The liner notes describe in detail his various band experience, along with his introduction to Muddy Waters and Sam Lay in Chicago. He opened three shows for Muddy in 1975, and also has opened for Taj Mahal, Jerry Garcia and others; quite impressive at such youth. The city of Chicago, era 1974, saw the creation of his very first Blues band, Palmer House.
He has performed with various Portland Blues bands: three and a half years on
drums and percussion with the Gary Small Band, gigs with J.
C. Rico, Renato Caranto's AMA, Margo Tufo and Yo & de Cats.
At this point, he primarily performs with the Norman Sylvester Band,
which he has been with since 1995.
Ashbolt's current pet project is the ASAP Blues Band, which features Ash on drums and vocals. his partner Susie Q on bass, Adam Zwig on guitar and Philip Guttman on guitar, vocals and harp. ASAP has been in the woodshed for the past couple of months and is now ready to add its uniqueness to the burgeoning Portland Blues scene. Ashbolt is enjoying singing more lead and having a good deal of creative input into ASAP's form and content. Having had the opportunity to experience an ASAP performance at a backyard groove recently, I would advise you to keep your eyes on the Bandstand section of the BluesNotes for this coming attraction.
Enjoying the creative end of things, Ash is also currently involved with the creation of different bands, one of which is a steel drum band, Pan Gypsys. He prefers the Jazz approach to music in that he feels the musicians play more of an equal role. His band, MAJOBOLT, is a vehicle for the more tribal / Jazz / creative side of Ash, with a CD ready to be released.
Ashbolt would like to see continued promotion of local musicians and encourages us to support local live music. Norman Sylvester, with whom Ash has been performing regularly for six years now, describes Ashbolt as a renaissance kind of guy, who can play drums for everyone from belly dancers to Jazz musicians, in addition to all of Ash's other nonmusical interests. He feels that Ash is a true, dedicated professional, living the life of music. To The Norman Sylvester Band, Ash brings a very firm rhythm percussion to the groove. Norman also portrays Ash as having "big ears"; he both listens and creates at the same time. Currently, you have the opportunity of seeing them play at the Tillicum on Tuesdays and at the Candlelight each Thursday. (Check your BluesNotes Calendar!) If a fill-in is needed, Ash occasionally plays with other bands. And, I would bet on additional opportunities to see him perform in the future in one of his various band evolutions. Ashbolt revealed that his main thrill in life is to play live and provide the pulse that moves listeners onto the dance floor... and that he does! Our best wishes to this creative artist.
You can contact him via e-mail or inquire about his latest CD: ashboltstewart@yahoo.com
Photos by the CBA Webmaster
© 2001 Cascade Blues Association