About Stephen Swartz

Stephen SWARTZ is a percussionist, kalimbaist, toyist and vocalist who was raised in New Orleans and Shreveport, Louisiana. Stephen started playing Hugh Tracy treble kalimba in high school. He fell in love with it and wondered why it should not become as universally known/popular as the harmonica. Stephen made it his mission to promulgate this little wooden "melodic magical metal" keyed instrument. He attended the eighth international percussion symposium at North Texas State Univ. and played alongside Roy Haynes in the final night concert in 1979. Throughout the intervening years and with his various bands; he has always used kalimba in a solo instrumental setting (on radio shows), at poetry readings to accompany recited poetry , in the subway and on certain band songs, even doing lead runs on alto G on such songs as, "Margeritaville, Jamaica Farewell,Day-O, Hide you love away" and Nothing else Matters". At a recent "house concert" in Louisiana, he literally brought down the house following his lead work on the Metallica song. In the late seventies, early eighties, he composed two surreal works for small percussion, prominently featuring double and triple tracked Hugh Traceys bridging together the more experimental passages. Favorite kalimba story: Stephen found himself in Veracruz, Mexico with his soon to be French wife. He started playing kalimba in the town plaza when soon after a power outage occured. Once the lights came back on; he was amazed to find 10 people around him pushing pesos in his face. Kalimba power in motion! One of his kalimba compositions "An Eil Glav" is currently featured on the 2nd album (Orin-2005), of prog Breton Celtic rock band TornaoD, based in Paris, where until recently, Stephen handled the percussion duties for eight years.