I am proud to present the very talented trumpet player, Michael "Patches" Stewart, as the
featured artist in the EWF Spotlight. Patches first recorded with EWF during the 1990 LP Heritage, however, we have been fortunate to hear his soulful sounds on every Earth, Wind and Fire
LP since then, including a performance on the Grammy Nominated "Sunday Morning" from
1993's Millennium.

Patches' career does not begin or end with Earth, Wind and Fire; in fact, he is one of the premier
musicians in recording industry. The first time I saw Patches perform was in 1985 or 1986 at the
Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa, CA, when he was on tour with Al Jarreau. That was and still
is one the best concerts I have ever attended. However, Patches developed his chops in
New Orleans, the birthplace of Jazz, where he came under the tutelage of the music director
at St. Augustine High School.

The talent of Patches provided him an opportunity to receive numerous music scholarships
after high school; however, the recording industry in Los Angeles was his calling. Since then
Patches has recorded or toured with the best of the best in music, including Al Jarreau,
Quincy Jones, David Sanborn, Anita Baker, and George Duke.

In 1997, Patches added the title of 'Front Man" to his resume, when he released his solo
recording "Blue Patches", in May 1997. The debut featured straight-ahead acoustic standards
and was well received by jazz stations across the US; riding the Gavin Jazz Chart through the
summer of 1997. Jazziz favorably reviewed Blue Patches and Jazz Times included a feature on
Patches in the September 1997 issue.

Patches has completed his follow-up CD "Penetration", now available in the US, Europe and
Japan, and he is still keeping to a busy recording and touring schedule. In September 1998,
Patches performed with George Duke at the 18th and Vine Jazz Festival in Kansas City, MO.
For those of you who do not know, the historic 18th and Vine district in Kansas City, MO, is
the home of modern jazz and birthplace of the Bird, Charlie Parker. The festival is also important
to me, because I was a member of the planning committee for the festival from 1996 to 1998.

Recently, Patches provided me with some very interesting insights into his work with Earth,
Wind, and Fire, as well as other topics concerning the intricacies of making records. I hope
you enjoy it.

1. It seems during the 90's that you have become the 4th member of the EWF horn section.
How did you get your first gig with the group?

Wow, the 4th member! I guess that's true in the studio at least. I first met the current horn
section when we did a session for Bobby Lyle's first CD. We liked the way the section sounded,
and from time to time, we would do other sessions together around LA. Eventually I got the call
for my first Earth Wind & Fire session--which was for "Heritage".

2. Many fans of EWF felt that because of the horn work, the "Millennium" LP began the groups
return to the classic EWF sound, and that last year's "In The Name of Love" finally was IT. As
a horn player, was there much of a difference in recording the horn parts?

I agree the Millennium CD sounds more like the earlier EW&F. I think that is because they went
back and used some of the old arrangers, such as Tom Tom, along with new guys like Billy
Meyers and Jerry Hey. For me, it was my first time working with Tom Tom...he's such a
character. So the difference for me was working with new people.

3. Since you began recording with EWF, I have noticed that you have played on records in
which horn arrangements were done by Butch Stewart, Jerry Hey, Bill Meyers, and
Tom Tom 84 (or Tom Tom 99 these days). For us non-musicians, what exactly is the role of
the horn arranger, what impact does the horn arranger have on a record, and do the arrangers
generally bring in their guys to play a session?

Usually horn arrangers get a rhythm track without vocals, and no lead. Their job is to enhance
the tracks and beef it up with the horn arrangement...with accents, hits, and dynamics. They put
the "icing on the cake" so to speak. As to whether they bring in their own guys, it varies from
arranger to arranger. Jerry Hey, for instance, loves to bring his own guys in for his arrangements.

4. It's been said that Maurice likes to create music in a studio environment-was this the
case in your recording sessions with EWF.

Well, I wasn't there for the whole session, just for the horn section parts. As I see it, Maurice is
a very "hands on" type of guy. He's there from the beginning to the end of the project. He's the
one that gives the OK to the track or tells us to do another take and time after time...he's always
right! And he's very calm and relaxed...he's one of the best producers out there.

5. How long does it take to generally take to record your horn parts, and when you record  your
parts are you playing with the other horn players or were you recording to the tracks?

The horn section records as a group. One song will take maybe three hours.

6. What was the toughest EWF song to record?

For the trumpet, I think the toughest was "Chicago Blues" on the Millennium album, because
the vamp at the end of the song is so long.

7. The first time I ever heard you perform live, you were playing with Al Jarreau at the Pacific
Amphitheater in 1985 or1986. If my memory serves me correctly, Michael Paulo was on sax,
Bobby Lyle was on the Keys, Nathan East was on bass, Alex Acuna on Percussions, and
Steve Gadd was on drums. Although I cannot remember the other people in the band, I just
remember it was an all-star band with an all-star sound. With that in mind, what is like for you
to perform with that kind caliber of musicians on a nightly basis?

Thanks, and your memory is great! When you're working with musicians of that caliber, it
elevates your playing to another level. When those guys play, they do not just play the music;
they bring their voice to the music. By voice, I mean their own sound. That makes me do the
same...it's a very dynamic situation.

8. What is it like working with Maurice White and what impresses you the most about him
as a producer?