Episode 130: Stewart Prosser – Honorary Councillor – The Style Council – Brass musician and arranger…

I am delighted to be joined by Brass Musician and Arranger, Stewart Prosser on this 130th edition of The Paul Weller Fan Podcast for what was a hugely enjoyable chat.

Stewart is such a talent – a fabulous trumpet and flugelhorn player, and brass arranger, who played a key role in The Style Council‘s early years. He joined the band as an Honorary Councillor in 1984 for the Council Meeting Part 1 Tour, and stayed all the way up to the Wembley Showbiz gigs at the end of 1985.

Throughout his career, he has created music in a wide range of styles – jazz, classical, rock, pop and it was a delight to dig in to his memories. From his time as principal player of the Hampshire Youth Concert Band to the band Rye and The Quarter Boys and those special years with The Style Council.

He was a huge part of that live sound – together with Billy Chapman on sax and Chris Lawrence on trombone. Sadly Chris is no longer with us, but it was so nice to hear Stewart’s memories of his friendship with Chris in out chat.

Stewart also played on studio recordings for the number one album Our Favourite Shop – performng trumpet on album opener Homebreakers and album closer Walls Come Tumbling Down, along with Flugelhorn on A Man of Great Promise. He also played trumpet on Big Boss Groove for the Groovin’ single EP.

We also chat about his time touring with the band across the UK, Europe, Japan and Australia – friendships made, life on the road and how his live solo came about for Le Départ (see the video below!)

Stay tuned for a lovely exclusive on upcoming new music from Stewart and somebody else with a special connection to the band too!.

Plus we chat about his ongoing project Walk Upon England which was created with his friend, the composer Damian Montagu. Their first album, In A South Downs Way, created with their pal, the actor Hugh Bonneville, was released in 2016 and swiftly went to Number One on the Classical Album chart!
Listen out for a lovely story about a live performance of the album at a theatre in Chichester. It’s a moment that tells so much about the magic of The Style Council experience.

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My Playlist of some selections of music with Stewart Prosser…

GoldDiggers – Stewart’s first gig with The Style Council

The Style Council – ‘Big Boss Groove’ on ‘Ear Say’ in 1080p

The Style Council – full concert from Japan 1984 REMASTERED in 1080p

Showbiz – Stewart’s final gig with The Style Council

Walk Upon England

The WALK UPON ENGLAND project is a celebration of the countryside as a source of creativity in music and spoken word. At its heart are suites of music composed by England’s rural living musicians and writers who find their inspiration from walking within the beauty and scale of the country’s unspoiled panoramas.
The first album of the project was titled ‘In A South Downs Way’, composed by Damian Montagu and arranged and recorded in his Sussex studio with trumpet player and Honorary Style Councillor, Stewart Prosser.
The actor Hugh Bonneville contributed and narrated written reflections.

You can buy the first album In a South Downs Way on digital download here or on CD here.

The second album, A Walk Into Reverie, was released in January 2020.
The 11 compositions are led by Damian with strings performed by the Tippet Quartet and piano by Rob Sword with brass arrangements and performances from Stewart, who again co-produced the album.
You can buy A Walk Into Reverie on CD or Digital download here.

Extra Info

Stewart is also an experienced corporate affairs advisor and communications leadership mentor.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and an Associate Fellow at the Said Business School, University of Oxford. He has 25 years of corporate, financial, reputation, brand and culture communications experience gained in a number of high profile roles for organisations including Lehman Brothers, AXA, The Royal Bank of Scotland and JPMorgan Chase.

Stewart established Prosser Associates 13 years ago to put this practical expertise to work helping companies use planned and holistic communications to influence their reputations and bring their strategies to life. In that time, the consultancy has acted for a number of blue-chip brands, including Permira, Workspace, Scottish Widows, PwC, QBE, BAE, Lehman Brothers and NCB Capital and Saudi Hollandi Bank of Saudi Arabia. Engagements have impacted a range of communications, stakeholder, branding and functional structuring issues, working for these and other clients in the UK, Europe, US, the Middle East and Asia.

Additionally, Stewart is still an active brass musician and arranger and is involved in youth music education.

Thanks

As always, my thanks for the support in research for this episode of the podcast from the people behind the fabulous resources that are Mr Cools Dream / 1984 publication = Iain Munn and the Soul Deep Team…
Find out more here