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Stu's StoryHaving spent 21 years and attaining worldwide recognition as a founding member and drummer/percussionist for the group Shadowfax, Stu Nevitt has enjoyed a very long and rewarding career. Grammy Award winners in 1988 and nominees in 1992, the band reached sales figures of 250,000 on several of their albums. Their tours found them headlining such venues as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Red Rocks and The Montreux Jazz Festival. Due to the untimely passing of Chuck Greenberg, the group stopped recording and touring in 1995. Stu is currently working on his first solo CD, "The Sisters", to be released in 2001. Born and raised in Union County, New Jersey in 1953, Stu studied privately with Gene Thaler for over 12 years. Among Gene's other students was Max Weinberg (Bruce Springsteen). The first half of 1974 saw Stu at the University of Miami, Florida, monitoring several music courses, with an eye toward enrolling in the fall. During this time he jammed with such stellar musicians as Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs), Mark Egan and Danny Gottlieb (Pat Metheny), Hiram Bullock (Dave Sanborn) and Bruce Malament (Common, Barry White). June of 1974 brought about a complete change of plans. On the recommendation of keyboardist Doug Maluchnik, he was called to Chicago to audition for what was to become Shadowfax. The Shadowfax Story:
From the beginning, the group incorporated elements of musical styles from a wide variety of cultures before world music became a distinct genre. Shadowfax celebrated its first album release, Watercourse Way, on ABC's Passport Records in 1976. The musical style reflected the fusion of the period, like Return To Forever and Weather Report, with a raw energy that appeals to this day. This strong effort served as a launching pad for the group's later successes, and two songs were even re-recorded for a later album. Personnel at this time included Chuck Greenberg (lyricon, winds), Phil Maggini (bass), Doug Maluchnik (keyboards), Stuart Nevitt (drums), and Greg Stinson (guitar). In 1981, Chuck Greenberg played his lyricon on Alex de Grassi's album Clockwork, which was released on the fledgling Windham Hill label. Chuck's distinctive sound and performance impressed label founder William Ackerman, who soon signed the band. Windham Hill's approach to instrumental music was unique and innovative at the time. The first Shadowfax release on the label, self-titled album in 1982, represented a significant departure from the band's previous work. The earlier raw energy gave way to a more refined approach and the attention to high quality recordings that would become a hallmark of Shadowfax albums. The new style was appropriate for the label that would soon be synonymous with New Age music. The second release on Windham Hill, Shadowdance in 1983, reflected a powerful melding of the divergent approaches of the revious two efforts. This tremendously successful album made Shadowfax a widely known name, and many still regard it as the goup's best effort. Two of the songs were actually re-recorded versions originally released on the first album. The band released two more albums on Windham Hill, The Dreams Of Children (1985) and Too Far To Whisper (1986), and the label reissued Watercourse Way in 1985. Selections from the four original albums on the label were later compiled on What Goes Around - The Best Of Shadowfax (1991), renamed with a new cover in the following year as A Windham Hill Retrospective. Shadowfax released several more albums on a succession of labels after the Windham Hill years. Folksongs For A Nuclear Village (1988), which earned a Grammy award, was followed by The Odd Get Even (1990). Esperanto (1992) was nominated for a Grammy award. Magic Theater (1994) was the last studio album. The group released the album and video Live in 1995, which covered most of the group's career and ironically turned out to be the final effort. The group effectively disbanded when co-founder Chuck Greenberg passed away in September 1995. Chuck Greenberg took part in every album, as did Stu Nevitt and Phil Maggini , and produced many of them as well. GE Stinson was involved through about 1990, then launched the GE Stinson Group. Over the years, many other performers recorded with the group as part of the band or as guest musicians. Chuck also recorded the solo album From A Blue Planet (1991). The music of Shadowfax is often classified as New Age due to the Windham Hill association, but in modern terms it would be called World Jazz. In any category, Shadowfax was an innovative force that leaves behind a substantial legacy of recorded work. And a great name.
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| ©2oo5 Stu Nevitt All Rights Reserved |
Upon hearing the name Shadowfax, the first thing many people say to me is "what a great name for a band"! During the 20 yeears of the group's existence, the "great name" pioneered new musical paths on nine studio albums, a live album, and a compilation. Chuck Greenberg's development and mastery of the lyricon, an electronic wind instrument, Stu Nevitt's world percussion and drumming, and all other members contributed to a unique sound that helped fuel the band's success.