Stew Cutler

Stew Cutler is an in-demand guitarist, bandleader, composer, and producer based in New York. His unique sound combines R&B, jazz, blues, pop, and noise. Cutler was born and raised in New York City. He picked up the guitar early by listening to records and by age 19 was on the road with bluesman Z.Z. Hill. Shortly thereafter, he began expanding his musical palette by working with Bobby Previte and Elliott Sharp. From 1990 through 2006, he worked live and in-studio with a number of downtown N.Y. artists and affiliated ones, including Robin Holcomb, Phillip Johnson, and Previte, as well as with Wayne Horvitz's band the President. He later moved to Woodstock, New York and worked with bassist Harvey Brooks. As a live guitarist, Cutler has backed everyone from Percy Sledge, Eddie Floyd, and Wilson Pickett to Fontella Bass, Earl King, and Jimmy Castor. Cutler was invited to perform the last European tour of Queen Esther Marrow & the Harlem Gospel Singers. He has also worked live and in-studio with many jazzmen including David Sanborn, Bill Frisell, Lester Bowie, and Charlie Hunter, and pop musicians such as Meatloaf, Jeb Loy Nichols, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. His debut solo offering, Trio Music, was issued by Fountainbleu in 2000 and was followed by Insignia on the Naim label the following year. It was on these recordings that Cutler began working out his idiosyncratic yet utterly appealing sound. His 2004 release, So Many Streams (Fountainbleu), showcased a different side of his playing as it delved deep into blues, roots rock, and swamp pop. Trio Live followed in 2007. Working on the road so much, Cutler found precious little time to go into the studio himself. He didn't release another recording under his own name until 2011's After Hours, which reflected his original love of late-night jazz, sultry blues, and soul. Again, studio and live work with other artists claimed much of his time over the next five years. Every Sunday Night, issued in 2017, featured his concert band -- Bobby Harden, vocals; Nick Semrad and Jullian Pollack, organ; Bill McClellan, drums; Chulo Gatewood, bass, and J.T. Bowen, vocals -- live in the studio capturing the kinetic raw energy of a performance. Innovative improvisation is juxtaposed against formal rock, blues, and jazz styles in a series of original compositions. The title reflected his band's long-held Sunday night residency at Arthur's Tavern in Greenwich Village.
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