Home » Jazz Articles » The Jim Cutler Quartet: For Real

The Jim Cutler Quartet: For Real

By Michael P. Gladstone
June 11, 2004
Sign in to view read count

For its second outing, the Jim Cutler Quartet delivers twelve tracks, of which all but one are original compositions—mostly from Cutler, with two from pianist Brian Olendorf and one from bassist Philip Demaree. The personnel for this Seattle-area group is the same as on its 2002 debut, JCQ.

The music presented on For Real is straight down the middle of the fairway. Cutler is a good melody player and his tenor styling is lyrically in the Scott Hamilton mode. The solo time taken by Cutler and largely Olendorf is relatively brief, but there is plenty of time to appreciate their talent on this 68 minute album. Cutler appears most often on tenor sax and does get a soprano reading on "Last Boat to Freedom." The two ballads, "The Schweetie" and "Twilight Dawned," are attractive, as is the mid-tempo groove "Another New Beginning." "Mookie's Secret Revenge" is a funky "Song For My Father"-type riff.

So why is it that the one standard, "You Go To My Head," is the best tune on the album? There is nothing wrong with the eleven originals here, but, for variety's sake, another pair of familiar tunes or jazz standards would have been welcome and would have lifted this session up another notch. This combo plays well, and I have no doubts that it could appeal to a wider national audience.

Track Listing

Second and Blanchard, For Real, Another New Beginning, Last Boat to Freedom, The Schweetie, Norma Jeanne, You Go To My Head, Mookie's Secret Revenge, Alan Weight Speaking, Twilight Dawned, Thumper, Get in the Game.

Personnel

Jim Cutler

saxophone

Jim Cutler, saxophones; Brian Olendorf, piano; Philip Demaree, bass; Chris Monroe, drums.

Album information

Title: For Real | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Pony Boy Records

About Jim Cutler

Instrument: Saxophone

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.