Nels/Glenn Tour

[dgt2n]

I have tickets tonight in Philly, but haven't listened to much of either of their solo stuff. Anyone go last night in NYC? Thoughts? Reviews? Setlist(s)?

[LouieB]

Glenn's new album is great. You will have a good time. They play here in Chicago on Sunday evening.

 

LouieB

[aricandover]

Glenn's new album is great. You will have a good time. They play here in Chicago on Sunday evening.

 

LouieB

 

you going?

[LouieB]

Yea...you?

 

LouieB

[aricandover]

yeah, can't wait.

[LouieB]

I have not seen Nels as a solo, so I am looking forward to it.

 

LouieB

[bböp]

I have tickets tonight in Philly, but haven't listened to much of either of their solo stuff. Anyone go last night in NYC? Thoughts? Reviews? Setlist(s)?

 

I went to the show last night in New York--nice job with the promotion, Ronen, by the way--and it was, as always, an interesting night of music. Elliott Sharp opened the show on guitar and laptop (with Nels sitting in at times), followed by some classical pieces by pianist Jenny Lin. Then Glenn played his set of solo percussion pieces. And then Nels and Glenn did their version of Karen Coltrane by Sonic Youth and then all four players did a couple of longer improv pieces as a group.

 

Obviously Elliott and Jenny won't be in Philly tonight, so what I imagine you'll get is about a half-hour of solo improv by Nels, then 45 minutes of Glenn (he usually plays Mobile Pts. 1, 2 and 3, Monkey Chant, Projections of (What) Might and covers of Joao Gilberto's Undiu and Steve Reich's Music For Pieces of Wood and maybe Where The Wild Things Are). And then Nels will come out and he and Glenn will play a few pieces, probably including Karen Coltrane, maybe a Nels composition and a couple of improv numbers.

 

Those that have a chance to see this tour should take advantage. You won't see two better musicians on their respective instruments, IMHO.

[Dreamin']

Those that have a chance to see this tour should take advantage. You won't see two better musicians on their respective instruments, IMHO.

[LouieB]

Yea and their regular gig is with Wilco so why not???

 

These are two guys who will have (or in Nels case continue to have) great careers with or without Wilco.

(Actually Glenn wasn't doing too badly prior to Wilco either...)

 

LouieB

[wheelco]

Yea and their regular gig is with Wilco so why not???

 

These are two guys who will have (or in Nels case continue to have) great careers with or without Wilco.

(Actually Glenn wasn't doing too badly prior to Wilco either...)

 

LouieB

man I wish I could go on Friday in Columbus, but I'm travelling to DC for a nephew's baptism

 

plus no beer at Mershon/OSU anyway

 

I agree that these 2 are phenomenal musicians who would be critically successful (and have been) though perhaps not monetarily successful on their own

[konev1]

i've never been to first unitarian before in philly, but the church in NYC had great acoustics and it was great hearing them play in that space. there were a few times where the overtones would separate and hit me from all corner of the room. crazy stuff. those guys are fantastic though. as far as improvisation goes, they completely blew me away (so many beautiful ideas and rhythms and so much sound from just 2 people!). enjoy (or by the time of this post, hope you enjoyed!)

[Deaf Ro]

Pics from Monday night

 

http://homepage.mac.com/jlane99/Wordless%20One/

[zach5277]

This is really making me look forward to Friday night. Keep those setlists/reviews coming, those of you who are going to the shows this week!

[CalebMac]

Saw them last night in Philly, they were fantastic! It was a real treat to see them up so close.

Edited September 20, 2006 by CalebMac

[Gobias Industries]

Nels has a red Jazzmaster!!!

[jff]

Nels has a red Jazzmaster!!!

 

And a white one, too.

[Deaf Ro]

I have a few copies left of this silkscreen art print we did as a fundraiser for the first night of the Wordless Music series -- I am selling them for $15 and will throw in free shipping for the first few orders.... the print size is 20" x 26" and they are numbered from an edition of 140.

 

Edited September 21, 2006 by Deaf Ro

[Hodie]

We saw Nels and Glenn at the Black Cat last night in DC, and it was seriously wonderful. I don't know if it was the really low stage or the fact that there wasn't a wall of Wilco equipment between me and them, but it had a more initimately intense feeling than times I'd seen them before. Glenn especially seemed particularly fired up, and his songs have become both tighter and more complex than when I saw him open for Jeff one zillion times last year.

 

If you're on the fence at all about attending any of these shows, I'd definitely encourage you to go. The Nels and Glenn Karen Coltrane on its own is enough to make it worth it.

[remphish1]

Ronen,

 

Sorry I couldn't make the show. Looks like you guys had a great time and turnout! Let me know what other shows you have coming up so we can meet for a beer or something!

 

C

[sam]

i agree, black cat was awesome.

the only way to see those two is from the front row.

 

lambchop kicked ass too.

[Gobias Industries]

how early should i venture to get some damned good spots?

[LouieB]

From the Trib today....

 

LouieB

 

 

Kotche, Cline improv for grins

 

 

September 22, 2006

 

In the world of improvisation created by drummer Glenn Kotche and guitarist Nels Cline, most anything's fair game--even facial hair.

 

When the virtuosos moonlighted from their regular Wilco gig a few weeks ago to play a set of largely improvised music in Milwaukee, Kotche was sporting a three-week old mustache. By the time it was done, the percussionist's face was again clean shaven. "I took me three weeks to grow it while I was on tour," Kotche says. Shaving it during the show "was a just a way of lightening the mood."

 

The set marked the first time Kotche and Cline had improvised as a duo, but it won't be the last. A tour brings them to the Black Orchid on Sunday, where they will play solo, then team up for a set of "structured improvisation." Both are coming off excellent solo discs; Kotche's "Mobile" (Nonesuch) blends electronics and percussion into a series of cinematic compositions, with his various homemade instruments assuming the "voices" of various characters. Cline's "New Monastery" (Cryptogramaphone) finds a piano-less seven-piece ensemble interpreting the knotty compositions of jazz pianist Andrew Hill. Between them, the two musicians have worked on 200 recordings that range from avant-garde experiments to Gothic country.

 

They also play in Wilco, which is nearing completion of its first studio album since 2004's "A Ghost is Born." About 20 songs are in the works, Cline and Kotche say, to be ready for release early next year. "There's a lot of really straightforward stuff, but nothing that's particularly predictable as far as structure," Cline says over breakfast at a North Side diner. "Some of the songs have unexpected musical passages that are kind of dramatic."

 

"That's what I like about it," chimes in Kotche. "The songs don't jump out as being a drastic departure. We're doing a lot of writing together and stylistically they're all over the place. We're trying to craft nice songs and not worry about how they fit together. I'm hoping it stays eclectic like that."

 

The two musicians have become fast friends after first playing together as part of an improvisational quartet in 2003, on Halloween at the North Side club Candlestick Maker, months before Cline was invited to join Wilco. Impressionistic pirate costumes were involved, which makes Kotche's recent onstage shaving incident even more understandable.

 

For all the seriousness of their musical backgrounds, Cline and Kotche bring a sense of humor to their music that is often missing from the more academic wing of the improv community. Kotche studied classical percussion at the University of Kentucky, and Cline is steeped in music theory. Yet even at their noisiest or most abstract, the guitarist and drummer are always conscious of structure and melody; even on their wildest journeys, they leave a breadcrumbs along the trail so listeners can follow.

 

"It's just electric guitar, for God's sakes," Cline says with a laugh. "I don't think of it as `avant garde.' It's playing with sound, and I like it to be entertaining for the audience. I'm not trying to push them to the edge and see what they can withstand. I want it to have a nice flow. "

 

Virtuosity is a means, not an end.

 

"Without some quieter and more melodic things, all the other stuff doesn't have an impact," Cline says. "It just becomes a big barrage of nothing. It's not my thing to make a big racket and stand back and be in awe of myself."

 

Kotche says even the most daring moments need a road map: "Playing these solo shows and trying to make a piece of music on a drum set, like [`Mobile's'] `Monkey Chant,' makes me think in terms of telling a story and a narrative through the drums. What are the main voices in the song? The supporting voices? I think about the role each part is playing."

 

For the skill Kotche and Cline have on their instruments, they rarely feel hemmed in playing on more straight-ahead projects that rely less on technical skill and more on feel. Soon after Kotche graduated the University of Kentucky, he took his academic chops into a studio with Paul K and the Weatherman and deconstructed his approach with the help of the album's producer, former Velvet Underground drummer Maureen Tucker.

 

"That was a big lesson for me about reining in flash technical capabilities and keeping the music first and foremost," the drummer says. "It showed me the value of restraint."

 

Cline also enjoys being part of a band where he is not the main focus. "Sometimes I get very sentimental playing in Wilco," he says. "There are times when we play because of the mood of the night or something going on in my life where I become extremely emotional playing the songs, even if I've played them 20 times. It doesn't have to be at the edge of my technique or conceptual imagination to be satisfying."

 

"Mostly," he says with a grin, "I like to rock."

 

Nels Cline and Glenn Kotche

 

When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday

 

Where: Black Orchid, 230 W. North Ave.

 

Price: $20; 312-944-6200

[foolnrain97]

I would say that this was one of the best shows I've seen to date. I know both players are very skilled technically, but I was more impressed with the sounds that were coming from their instruments. Very unconventional on both ends(I own Mobile, so I knew that would happen with Glenn). Nels' pedal work and looping techniques were amazing. Together they played a Sonic Youth cover and an original that Nels will be recording with his group, the Nels Cline singers. I got a chance to briefly talk with Glenn afterwards and that was cool. He mentioned recording sessions for the new album(springtime release?) so I asked about what might be on it and long story short, he said he would be surprised if Impossible Germany didn't make it on to the new album and that all the other new songs they've been playing live(save one) have been recorded. Exciting stuff. I got to talk to him about transcriptions of his music and it's looking more and more like performing one of his pieces on an upcoming recital is a possibility!