Showing posts with label Stew Cutler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stew Cutler. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Stew Cutler - Insignia

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:19
Size: 144.9 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[ 7:35] 1. Whisper
[ 2:34] 2. QT
[ 5:30] 3. Lovely Mary
[ 6:51] 4. Left Behind
[ 4:13] 5. East River Delta
[ 4:46] 6. Saudades On 8th Avenue
[ 4:35] 7. Coles Mountain
[ 8:13] 8. Elizabeth
[ 4:58] 9. Left Alone
[13:59] 10. Insignia

Stew Cutler's electric guitar sound borrows from very few discernible sources, and as such is difficult to pigeonhole. There's a leanness to his style that is not enhanced or processed by electronics, though he occasionally does leap out with elements extracted from pedals or effects. Using a spare trio of electric bass guitar and drums, Cutler is just barely on the cutting edge of modern mainstream, contemporary, and even fusion jazz, but hints at it rather than pronounce its glory. On this program of all original music, Cutler plays pleasant swing jazz on "Whisper," utilizes a bluesy slide guitar on "East River Delta," trims a spare modal but intricate line in alternating bars of seven and five during "Saudades on 8th Avenue," and uses loops and effects in an insular self-examination during "Left Alone." "Left Behind" is dissimilar, using a steel-edged rock sound, with beats courtesy of drummer Garry Bruer, that reflects the British fusion of Allan Holdsworth, while a fun and funky "Elizabeth" playfully hops around courtesy of bassist Booker King and "Q.T." is perhaps the most innovative track, with a swirling repeat melody as a prelude to a tick-tock chorus and another bluesy refrain. While Cutler does have moments of languidness, sluggishness, or sentimentality, the music is generally hopeful. The 14-minute title track discourses from slow funk to more upbeat moments, letting the guitarist cut loose a bit. While not yet a distinctive voice, Cutler is quite literate, enjoyable, and witty in an internal manner. His music requires close listening to hear the flowers blooming in very rich soil. ~Michael G. Nastos

Insignia mc
Insignia zippy

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Stew Cutler - After Hours

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:40
Size: 93.1 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:43] 1. No Greater Love
[7:11] 2. Just My Imagination
[5:23] 3. Bambou
[4:34] 4. Au Privave
[6:39] 5. Recluse
[4:00] 6. Lukewarm
[5:10] 7. C.C
[2:57] 8. Them That Got

The centerpiece of New York City based Jazz and Blues guitarist and songwriter Stew Cutler’s new album After Hours is his instrumental interpretation of The Temptations’ classic song “Just My Imagination.” In addition to Stew Cutler’s beautifully played guitar, the cast of musicians on this recording are better than good, with organist Chip Crawford shining on this tune, drummer Skoota Warner masterfully and elegantly keeping the beat and acoustic bassist Booker King laying down a strong, but subtle foundation. This song is so beautifully performed and so expertly mixed that one forgets that normally you hear a singer too.

The album After Hours, has a “live” feel to the music and much of that credit can go to the fact that most of the music was recorded with minimal takes on one day, yet the production quality is excellent.

After Hours