Louis Stewart's 1982 recording of Joyce Notes set for March release

The late Louis Stewart's jazz suite Joyce Notes is set to drop Friday, March 27 via Livia Records. Recorded live at the 1982 Cork Jazz Festival, the composition has never before been released.

Joyce Notes, composed by Stewart, is a six-part suite based on James Joyce's Ulysses. Each Joyce Notes composition pays tribute to a character or plot point from Joyce's iconic novel. The recording features narration from the novel by Eamon Morrissey.

Stewart was an esteemed Irish jazz guitarist who gained fame abroad. Born in Waterford in 1944, his award-winning debut performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival led to collaborations with Benny Goodman, George Shearing, and Tubby Hayes, among others. Stewart received an honorary doctorate from Trinity College in 1998 and an Aosdána membership in 2009.

Livia Records, Ireland's first jazz label, was founded in 1977 specifically to record Stewart's work. Stewart appeared on over 70 albums before his death in 2016.

Joyce Notes was originally conceived to celebrate the centenary of Joyce's birth. It was only performed twice after its 1982 Cork Opera House premiere, once in Oslo with a Norwegian narration, and once in Dublin.

Other performers on Joyce Notes include Jim Doherty (piano), Brian Dunning (flute), Steve LaSpina (bass), Richie Buckley (tenor saxophone), Len McCarthy (alto saxophone), Bobby Rosengarden (drums), and Peter Ainscough (percussion). The album will be available via Livia Records' webstore.

Read the tracklist for Joyce Notes below:

1. Bronze by Gold

2. Gerty McDowell

3. Nighttown

4. Stephen

5. W.B. Murphy

6. Molly