Todd Stewart - Drums with Brad Turner

Todd played jazz drums as a sub with the Brad Turner Quartet on December 15, 2021 at Numbers Cabaret. He talks about it.

Todd Stewart - Drums with Brad Turner
Todd Stewart contributed the original photo for this episode.

On the Rhythm Changes Podcast, Todd Stewart talks about playing drums as a sub for Jazz at Numbers gigs, including with the Brad Turner Quartet.

We talked about:

  • How Todd came to Capilano University, with an assist from an event, Dave Robbins, and Kristian Braathen
  • The Pat’s Pub jam and his recent time sitting in with David Sikula there
  • The 2nd Floor Gastown’s key role in the jazz scene through the pandemic
  • How Todd got his gigs at Numbers with Chris Davis and Brad Turner, subbing on drums for their groups
  • The things that can make a gig tricky for a sub
  • Tim Reinert’s positive impact on the scene, and the videos he posts on social media
  • Making voice memo recordings of your own gigs to help your studies
  • What John Lee taught Todd about playing jazz drums at a high level
  • Why Todd thinks Brad hired him for the gig
  • Todd’s style as a bandleader and composer
  • How bandleaders can plan solos to make the audience happier
  • Playing at Tyrant Studios with Dan Howard, Feven Kidane, and Noah Franche-Nolan
  • Being grateful for the time to work on yourself
  • Our shared love of cats
  • A bit of pandemic talk and the psychology of getting together in-person these days
  • Venue struggles, but also our gratitude for how exciting this fall has been for live Vancouver jazz
  • The winning attitude of Atley King
  • The social importance of student gigs
  • Bringing more gigs to the suburbs
  • Todd’s quick take on Jazz at Presentation House
  • What he submitted to the 2022 Vancouver International Jazz Festival
  • Whether or not Todd will drop an album in 2022
  • Ardeshir Pourkeramati’s new skill and how he’s applying it to the community