Jazz Articles about Nels Cline

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Nels Cline/Andrea Parkins/Tom Rainey: Out Trios, Volume 3: Ash & Tabula

by Michael Davis
April 16, 2005

The idea behind Atavistic's Out Trios series appears to be a sound one. Put three compatible improvisers in a room, turn on the machines, and let 'em rip. Now although these particular artists don't play together frequently, they share skills on the highest level. They listen and respond to each other so quickly it's frightening, and they respond spontaneously with complementary colors. What's more, they cross genres as easily as the rest of us cross the street; ...

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Nels Cline and Devin Sarno: Buried on Bunker Hill

by Rex Butters
January 17, 2005

Nels Cline and Devin Sarno celebrate ten years of creating sonic solar flares with Buried on Bunker Hill , their first collaborative sound sculpture to use multi tracks rather than live performance. The fuller sound creates roaring electric soundscapes with cascading loops and rumble, an orchestra of ohms. Their drones tend more toward majestic than tedious, and they show themselves adept at generating momentum within seemingly static musical frameworks.

“Swinging London" journeys through ambient to intense, a hollow roar the ...

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The Nels Cline Singers: The Giant Pin

by Alex K. Fong
November 8, 2004

Los Angeles guitarist Nels Cline surprised some of his longtime fans when he joined the rock band Wilco earlier this year. But he has always been involved with rock and roll in some form throughout his career. He's played with Mike Watt of the Minutemen and various members of Sonic Youth. His own solo career has been defined by his attempt to bridge the gap between rock and improvised music.

Cline's second album with his trio, the Nels Cline Singers, ...

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The Nels Cline Singers: The Giant Pin

by AAJ Staff
October 26, 2004

Whatever your opinion of guitarist Nels Cline, his pointedly iconoclastic style leaves little room for argument. That's especially true with the Nels Cline Singers, now on their second release after the appropriately-named and like-minded Instrumentals (Cryptogramophone, 2002). Clearly literate with the improvised music tradition, Cline demands more. Pay attention, listen closely, and learn: in the fractured zone between punk, progressive rock, jazz, electronica, and neo-tribal futurism lie all sorts of loose ends just waiting to be tied together in unpredictable ...

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The Nels Cline Singers: The Giant Pin

by John Kelman
October 25, 2004

What is jazz? Improvisation is a big part of it, sure, but improvisation can be found in other genres. Is it an innate sense of swing? Maybe, but there are plenty of artists out there who are considered jazz artists and don't swing at all. Is it improvisation in a context where styles are cross-fused? Closer, but there are artists who stick faithfully to one clearly defined sub-genre and are absolutely pure in their approach. Guitarist Nels Cline and his ...

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Nels Cline/Vinny Golia: The Entire Time

by John Kelman
October 20, 2004

The one constant with a new record from guitarist Nels Cline is the element of surprise. From the ambient industrial sound of his recent collaboration with bassist Devin Sarno, Buried on Bunker Hill , to the avant but occasionally groove-centric work with his band, Nels Cline Singers, and their latest, The Giant Pin , to everything from lyrical country-tinged work to serious shredding with Wilco , the one thing that defines Cline is his voracious appetite to try anything, to ...

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Nels Cline: Intrepid Guitarist

by John Kelman
August 19, 2004

Some musicians lead double lives, working in a couple of seemingly disparate contexts that still manage to come together into a cohesive musical vision. Intrepid guitarist Nels Cline has led far more than two, involved in everything from the acoustic Ralph Towner-informed work of Quartet Music to the post-punk of Mike Watt. His own work is equally diverse. Just take a listen to his latest release, The Giant Pin, due out October 26, and you'll hear a guitarist whose influences ...