Don Stewart had known Miles Black for a while.
But it was at an engagement that Black was playing at when his wife nudged Stewart. “You guys have got to do something together,” she suggested.
The next time the soul singer met up with the jazz pianist and composer, Black had an original tune called Be With Me; Stewart was asked to put lyrics to it.
The rest, they say, is history.
Over the past four years or so, the Vancouver musicians have produced two CDs and a third is on the way this fall. Their last CD, called Tender Lies, was released in 2013.
It’s a match made in heaven, they say. “We are coming up with stuff all the time,” Stewart said during a phone interview with The Tri-City News last week. “When we sit down to do anything, we both seem to go to the same place. We know exactly what we’re looking for…. It’s almost like I’m thinking about something and he starts playing and and vice versa.”
Stewart added, “There’s a real love of energy and I find it kind of magical in many ways.”
Black said he enjoys reinventing older material with Stewart. “He’s very open to my wild, jazz-inspired conceptions,” Black said, “and we’re both admirers of classic soul, funk and R&B so it’s been easy working together.”
On Saturday, the pair will meet up at Coquitlam’s Evergreen Cultural Centre for the second show of the Music on the Grill summer series, presented by Aaargon Dental Centre.
Both musicians promise to showcase their original tunes and some fresh takes on classic material with Buff Allen, Miles Foxx Hill and Dave Say backing.
Tri-City theatre-goers may remember Stewart from the last time he performed at the Evergreen in 2011, in a tribute act to Nat King Cole with Cayla Brooke as Peggy Lee.
The “King” was a big influence in Stewart’s life while growing up in Ontario, where his minister father founded four churches. The family often listened to Motown and R&B. “A lot of my inspiration for songwriting comes from my earlier days,” Stewart said. “I can hear in my songs and music some of the lines my father and mother used to say and sing to me.”
Black, on the other hand, grew up on Vancouver Island but he also holds strong jazz and R&B roots. Since moving to Vancouver in 1987, Black has gained a solid reputation and collaborated with many established artists — most notably singer Glenda Rae.
But Saturday night’s Music on the Grill show will have an eclectic mix, also featuring a young artist emerging on the Canadian music scene.
Opening for Stewart and Black will be Kiérah, a Celtic fiddler who has gained acclaim for her folk CD Stonemason’s Daughter. She’ll be joined by Andy Hillhouse, who is best known for his work with the Celtic funk band Mad Pudding. A Juno award winner with his other group, The McDades, Hillhouse is also known for his partnerships, namely with Canadian fiddle legend Pierre Schryer and Irish piper Paddy Keenan.
• Tickets for Music on the Grill with Don Stewart and Miles Black headlining are $55 for the dinner and concert, or $35 for the show only. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. with the concert at 8 p.m. in the Evergreen Cultural Centre theatre (1205 Pinetree Way). Call the box office at 604-927-6555 or visit online at evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
