A guy nicknamed "Stew" playing a mellophone may seem the ultimate in cozy, but the changing demands of big-band instrumentation typically required Stuart Stew Pletcher to blast away on trumpet instead. It is in this capacity that he is best remembered, especially the parts he played in a superb extended band put together by vibraphonist Red Norvo in the second half of the '30s. Stew Pletcher so far sits in the middle of a family line with deep commitments to classic jazz. His father, Thomas M. Pletcher, was a leading publisher of piano rolls who distributed works by great keyboardists such as James P. Johnson and Fats Waller. Decades down the line, a stray Frankie Trumbauer side inspired Stew Pletcher's son Tom Pletcher to take up trumpet in the style of Bix Beiderbecke, resulting in more than 50 appearances on recordings since the '70s.

The son's discography is similar in size to his father's, a record pile dominated by the Norvo material in which arrangements were regularly built around the distinctive vocal style of Mildred Bailey. Stew Pletcher's first tour was a European venture with a student band in 1928; within several years he was leading his own group. His commitment to a music career was an on-and-off thing, resulting in gaps during which he became involved in other ventures. He played with Norvo for several years beginning in 1936, then went the dance band route with leader Tony Pastor, finishing the decade with a similar outfit working in Salt Lake City. In the '40s and '50s Pletcher turned up in the bands of both Jack Teagarden and Nappy Lamare, a period that bolstered his reputation with New Orleans jazz fans. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi