generally you should tile around 6" below the top of the range - that should be sufficient.

Thank you to everyone for all the feedback! This has been awesome. Mcps, that looks really great with the glass and tumbled marble combo with the blue pearl. I would not normally think that those would go so well together. They do make small 2 x 2" glass tiles in the same family, although I think just the lightest blue. That light color is actually a very pale blue and not white, although it looks white on the computer screen. If I go with the stainless, I would use them sparingly as we did with accent tile in the half bath. Just need to call Lowe's and find probably 4 more sheets of the glass mosaics. They seem to be very popular. Example of accents in the bath:

I don't have the range yet. I was looking at the GE Profile. The new laminate is in. The problem is that the laminate backsplash is about 1 or 1-1/2" thick and seems that it would look odd with a thin backsplash between the laminate behind the stove. I'm wondering if I should build up something to match thickness. I do really want a backsplash there, not just paint because I do splatter behind the stove. It's the one place that I want a full backsplash. The wavy glass isn't hard to clean, it's big waves and would wipe easily, which is the selling feature for me, besides looking clean and streamlined. I was also considering a sheet metal backsplash, either bronze or stainless. Maybe that would be easier to work around. The alternative to the slide in would be a free standing range with control riser in the back. That's what's currently there, and so there's no issue with the laminate splash on either side. I really don't like that ALL the new ranges have the large burners in the front. I cook lots of big pots of stews and sauces. At least the slide in range with controls in the back would give me a little buffer in keeping the hot stuff away from the children. At least I've realized this before purchasing so I have time to figure things out.

GreenDesign's comment, supplemented by weedmeister's comment is the most succinct. I was imagining using a four-sided duct cover and tiling the entire space including behind it. Then no grout to cover interface is needed. Note that the tile grout will not bond well to the stainless steel, and with different thermal coefficients of expansion, will crack there anyway. Some grout colored silicone would be needed. One could tile to the ceiling or not. Unless the duct cover is kept away from the wall, island hood style, a close fit will avoid having to clean behind it. If the tile stops before the ceiling or soffit, then there will be a gap on the wall side that will be difficult to clean without an air gun. To avoid that the three-sided solution with tile installation last can be used.