2011-12-16
Stew Cutler has worked with Bill Frisell, Wilson Pickett and David Sanborn, to name a few…and is described as a musician from the Hendrix school of guitar. Born and raised in New York City, Stew learned to play the guitar at an early age and played his first gig at age 19 with blues legend Z.Z. Hill. Stew’s honey-toned guitar and keyboard free jazz treatment of standard “No Greater Love” by Isham Jones is a great beginning to this album. “Just My Imagination” is a straightforward cover without much improvisation. Track 7 is a rambling tune that defies a beginning and an end; the song doesn’t start to cook until almost 4 minutes. The addition of organist Chip Crawford helps turn up the heat. “Them That Got” is a Ray Charles cover as sung by Paul Saax which features soft guitar fretwork in the background. As the title implies, After Hours is a mellow jazz album that conveys Stew Cutler’s nuance for free jazz and avant garde. - Pam VandeKerkhoffThe opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.