In memoriam: Al (Alvin) Stewart, 1927-2013

Al (Alvin) Stewart performed with Louis Prima, Benny Goodman, Dizzie Gillespie, Woody Herman and Charlie Barnet, among others, and also played in numerous Broadway Shows.

He worked many radio and TV shows, including Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson, Jackie Gleason and the Jerry Lewis Telethons. Al recently published My View from the Bandstand, which was about his experiences as a musician. In 1973 and 1975, Al recorded two albums for RCA, which featured him on the piccolo trumpet. Al was a true Renaissance man with additional talents in photography and stained glass. His art was sold by Neiman Marcus, Dunhills and Tiffanys, and displayed in the Sarasota area.

Al, 89, died peacefully on Mon. Oct. 17, 2016 at Tidewell Hospice in Sarasota. He is survived by his beloved wife Tandy, of 46 years, and his two beloved children, Leonard (Lydia) of Spain, and Amy of California, as well as his brother Bernie (Rosemary) and 2 nephews, John and David. Born in Brooklyn on February 26, 1927, he was the son of the late Samuel and Anna Goldberg. 

At age 17, Al enlisted in the Navy where he remained until discharge in 1946.

A celebration of life will be held Friday the 21st of October at 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at Toale Brothers Funeral Home, North Orange Avenue, followed by a ceremony at the Sarasota National Cemetery on SR72 at 2:00 pm.

Donations may be made to the American Kidney Foundation (AKF) or Tidewell Hospice, Sarasota, Florida.

Published in Herald Tribune on Oct. 19, 2016

Source and photo source: Herald Tribune, October 19, 2016, courtesy of Allen Pekar

For more information and to see photos from My View from the Bandstand: http://www.bandstandview.com/ The ScreamWBFO website,

interview with Marc Myers on jazzwax.com

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