Bill Stewart was probably destined to be a musician, but he found his way to the percussion section rather than the low brass.

Born William Harris Stewart on Oct. 18, 1966, in Des Moines, Iowa, his first and middle names were his father’s homage to a great jazz trombonist, Bill Harris. Stewart’s father was a trombonist himself, but the son began teaching himself the drums at age 7. His education mostly came from listening to his father’s record collection, since Iowa in the 1970s wasn’t much of a hotbed for jazz music.

By the time he was in high school, Stewart was playing not only in the school orchestra, but also in a Top 40 cover band. One summer he traveled to music camp at the Stanford Jazz Workshop. There, he met legendary jazz bandleader Dizzy Gillespie.

After high school, Stewart enrolled at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. He played in the jazz and marching bands, and the university orchestra, but later broke away from the Midwest and changed his locale considerably by transferring to William Paterson College in New Jersey, close to the New York City music scene. While still in college, he met jazz bandleader Joe Lovano, who later would hire him for a band. And Stewart also appeared on his first recordings, with sax player Scott Kreitzer and pianist Armen Donelian.

After finishing college, Stewart rapidly built a reputation around New York City as a solid percussionist, scoring gigs with John Scofield’s quartet and playing in a trio with pianist Larry Goldings and guitarist Peter Bernstein, the latter being his longest-lived collaboration. Stewart began playing with Goldings and Bernstein in 1989 and continues to perform with them today, albeit not always with regularity.

Stewart’s background in jazz was expanded when he met funk sax legend Maceo Parker, who saw him playing alongside Goldings at a club in Manhattan. Stewart worked with Parker only two years, from 1990 to 1991, but joined the saxophonist on tour and appeared on three albums with him in that short time.

His association with Parker led to a meeting and memorable performance with legendary performer James Brown. Surprised by Parker’s drumming – and his background -- the Godfather of Soul exclaimed, there “ain’t no funk in Iowa!”

Stewart has gone on to perform with other notable musicians, including saxophonists Lee Konitz and Michael Brecker and jazz/fusion guitarist Pat Metheny.

Stewart’s drumming has been characterized as “melodic,” a quality not always found in percussion. His improvisations are more layered and nuanced than simply focused on raw energy or technical prowess. His drumming influences include Max Roach, Art blakey, Jack DeJohnette, Al Foster, Tony Williams and Roy Haynes.

Stewart has been prolific as a bandleader, as well, releasing a number of albums recorded by groups with a varied and changing cast of players.