Imani Tafari-Ama | Stephen Stewart pays tribute to Rev Dr Carmen Stewart

We keep our loved ones in our memories. It is by recalling the cherished experiences shared with those who have passed on that we make them immortal. In a recent conversation, stellar pianist, songwriter, arranger and studio engineer Stephen Stewart confessed that this truism has become especially meaningful for him in the past two years since his mother, the late Reverend Dr Carmen Stewart, former custos of Kingston, became an ancestor.

Particularly poignant for Stephen is the fact that his mother made her transition on March 8, 2020, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later, he cannot contemplate celebrating International Women’s Day without remembering the tremendous impact this woman of substance, and many firsts, made on his life and the cultural landscape of Jamaica.

UNSUNG HEROES

I met Stephen and Custos Stewart almost four decades ago, when we shared a backyard fence in east Kingston. Because of our geographical proximity, I was a double fan of both Stephen and his mother, who I saw as unsung heroes; their contributions in their fields have outstripped any awards they have received for their efforts. As Black History, Reggae and Woman History months are proximal (February and March), it is fitting to spotlight this mother-son memory scape in tribute to the power of positive parenting.

Stephen recalls reeling from his first significant emotional shock when his father, Rev Wilbert Stewart, died of cancer. He was just eight years old. After that, his mother assumed the double role of sensitive supporter and strict disciplinarian. In her public life, not only was Rev Dr Stewart a quasi-political leader, she was also a preacher. Her message was consistently conciliatory, rather than resorting to the fire-and-brimstone type of rant. Within the church, her vocal authority was a major challenge for patriarchs, who thought that women should be silent and submissive in relation with God and man. Although he was a devoted church member, Stephen got some flack, too, for piano phrasings in jazz and soul. Back in the day, the more pious Pentecostals would complain that he was straying too far from the straight and narrow path of playing church hymns. Stephen is also very close to his sister, Dr Carolyn Stewart, who is a senior administrator in the Broward County school system in South Florida.

He remembers how moved he felt when, surprisingly, his mother turned up in the audience as he played at a Jamaica School of Music concert. On this occasion, Stephen was featured playing a Duke Ellington solo. He was thrilled when he realised that his mother was applauding him the longest and loudest. So, although he could depend on her to impose severe boundaries on his movements and manage his love of music to leverage his compliance, deep in his heart he was comforted because he knew she had his back.

Despite her relative youthfulness when his father died, his mother did not display any romantic interest in other men and devoted herself to educating and raising her children to the best of her ability. Reverend Stewart was passionate that women should avail themselves of educational opportunities to overcome the barriers imposed by race, class and gender, and led by example. Stephen said she was a proud black woman who always wore her hair natural, in keeping with her God-given beauty.

“She was a queen in her own right,” declared the renowned musician. “Everything she did, she performed that role with grace.”

REMAINED IN HER COMMUNITY

Custos Stewart insisted on remaining in her community, even while she held high office. This decision defined her as a woman who shrugged off the limitations imposed by socio-economic circumstances. She demonstrated, instead, the capacity of the human spirit to soar above stereotypical notions about political correctness. She always said that excellence was a product of one’s mental and spiritual efforts. Stephen recalls with a laugh how impressive it was when the government-assigned security detail would be on guard around their house, as a feature of her role as custos and when she was acting deputy Governor General. Known as ‘Sister Carmen’ in her community, the matriarch who lived to the ripe age of 95 was respected for her accessibility to anyone who needed her.

Stephen started playing the piano when his maternal grandmother, Mrs Lena Robinson, recognised his talent. However, he was turned off by her teaching approach, which included slapping him on his knuckles whenever he made a mistake. He contrived multiple excuses not to turn up to her scheduled lessons, becoming excellent at keeping his room tidy, because that was one of his ready reasons for not attending. In secret, he taught himself to play and became an easy pick for the school band at Excelsior High School. This is where he met Godfrey Taylor, who provided the key to open his love for music. This mentor inspired him to play the bass, piano and guitar. At school, he also became fast friends with Cleveland ‘Clevie’ Browne, one of the Browne brothers. They both emerged as musical prodigies. And the rest, as they say, is history.

With an affinity for the technical as well as the creative sounds of music, Stephen set up his own home studio and honed his arranging skills. He then moved to Harry J’s Studio, resulting in his mixing skills being featured on many major albums during this period. He acquired the defunct Harry J Studio after it was devastated by a hurricane and transformed it into a state-of-the-art musical Mecca, attracting artistes from home and abroad. He got a bit dewy-eyed remembering the sounds he filtered for winning artistes, including Burning Spear, Toots Hibbert, Tanya Stephens, Third World and Bob Marley. He operated Grove Music, owned by Carl Young, whose affiliate company, Grove Broadcasting, became IRIE FM. As Chairman of the Jamaica Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers (JACAP) and founding board Member of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JARIA), Stephen has a burden for the artistes who lost their livelihoods due to the COVID-19 crisis. He anticipates that the authorities will do the right thing by them.

“COVID-19 has had a devastating impact,” Stephen said. “It took away the artistes’ performance platform. People were depending on shows and recording music to make a living, and then bam! We could not perform, and people could not gather, so that was a big blow. Now, it is time to build back.”

Stewart concluded on an optimistic note, saying, “I hope that in short order, the entertainment industry can get rolling, so that artistes can get back on their feet.”

Like a homing pigeon, Stephen Stewart attributes his reputation for meticulous excellence to his amazing mother, who always encouraged him to burnish even his best efforts to a shinier register.

Dr Imani Tafari-Ama is a research fellow at The Institute for Gender and Development Studies, Regional Coordinating Office (IGDS-RCO), at The University of the West Indies. Send feedback to imani.tafariama@uwimona.edu.jm.