Nels Cline Singers

[jff]

Coming out April 13.

 

From Nels' website:

 

http://www.nelscline.com/news.html

 

THE NELS CLINE SINGERS - "Initiate" (Cryptogramophone 2 CD set)

 

Recorded in Berkeley (Fantasy Studios) and San Francisco (Cafe Du Nord), this is a heapin' helpin' of The Singers: a studio and a 'live' disc. The studio disc sees us moving into some decidedly different terrain. I actually use my voice (wordlessly) on some tracks, Devin plays bass guitar... All hell has broken loose! Produced by David Breskin and recorded and mixed by Ron St. Germain, this is either the most friendly Singers recording to date or the most antisocial, dependeding on who you are and what you expect. The package features beautiful photographs of the Large Hadron Collider at Cern by Simon Norfolk throughout (as well as some 'live' shots from the Cafe Du Nord gig by Peak), so all in all you know this is another Cryptogramophone production of visionary packaging excellence. And you might like the music, too.

[Three dollars and 63 cents]

I'm very excited about this. In that same post, Nels mentions the Singers are planning a tour in South America this summer, and are hopefully going to Japan at some point, too. I'm reallllllly hoping for some U.S. shows, too, since South America is a little too long of a drive, even for me, even for a Singers tour

[calvino]

Just noticed that Devin Hoff will be playing Elastic tonight. Shame, no chance of Cline sitting in. The quartet he will be playing with though are all great players.

 

 

DEVIN HOFF During his years in the Bay Area, bassist Devin Hoff developed into a key player not only in jazz and improvised-music groups around the country—among his notable collaborators are clarinetist Ben Goldberg and trumpeter Steven Bernstein—but also in adventurous rock bands like Xiu Xiu and Carla Bozulich's Evangelista. He's probably best known for his ongoing work with guitarist Nels Cline, but no matter what the project he's functioned as a rhythmic and harmonic anchor, getting the job done forcefully and without fuss. A couple years ago he self-released Solo Bass, a collection of concise pieces—some spontaneous, some composed—where he vividly demonstrates his facility with thematic improvisation, elaborating on nubby riffs and knotty, warmly lyrical phrases with muscular pizzicato and kaleidoscopic bow technique. He can be restrained or even abstract, using extended silences and ghostly harmonics, but what really commands attention is the way he loads each performance with a strong narrative arc and inventive melodic variation. Last fall Hoff moved to Chicago, and this performance is his unofficial coming-out party. He'll open with a solo set, then join a quartet with drummer John Herndon, reedist Dave Rempis, and bass clarinetist Jason Stein. 10 PM, Elastic, 2830 N. Milwaukee, second floor, 773-772-3616, $8 suggested donation. —Peter Margasak

[jff]

John Herndon.

 

That guy is an incredible drummer.

[Three dollars and 63 cents]

Devin is amazing. Definitely go if you have the chance. I've been enjoying the new album by his drum and bass duo with Ches Smith, Good for Cows.

 

Speaking of Devin and Nels, I've been meaning to post this. Friday, March 19, at the Stone in New York (corner of East 2nd Street and Avenue C), Devin's trio with Ava Mendoza and Weasel Walter, QUOK, will be playing the 8 p.m. set and Nels's new(ish) duo with Yuka Honda, Fig, will be playing the 10 p.m. set. This is looking to be Nels's only east coast non-Wilco show for the next few months, so I'm really looking forward to it.

 

A lot more on the new Singers album here: http://www.downbeast.com/2010/01/new_nels_cline_singers_cd_info.shtml I shot the video of "Thurston County" they have as part of the post

[Holdin on to black metal]

Nels Cline Singer at High Sierra Music Festival, Quincy, CA, July 1-4. http://www.highsierramusic.com/lineup/artist-info/index.php

Wonder what this means for a Wilco Summer tour with Nels doing this gig and probably others... Way stoked to see Nels at HSMF though, amazing festival...check it out!

[mountain bed]

Living just north of India-no-place we don't get to see a lot of stuff like the Singers' jazz stylings around here, but like I've said many times here and other places the show I saw in Summer '08 was one of the best things I've seen in a LONG time. Truly a fantastic band. As an added bonus I got to meet the lovely Maggie at that show.

 

I'm looking forward to this release - April can't get here soon enough!

[Three dollars and 63 cents]

Some good news posted on Nels' Twitter: "Entire studio CD of our new 2-CD set Initiate (Cryptogramophone) will stream on NPR's First Listen Series 4/5-13." Streaming on NPR will be a huge publicity boost for them!

 

last.fm is listing a Singers show in Buenos Aires June 10. Nels mentions in his last update to his website that they're planning to tour South America in the summer, so that's probably when that tour will happen. If the new album is as good as I'm hoping it will be and that festival in California is their only U.S. show this summer, they may force me to embark on the longest road trip ever. mb, you're more than welcome to come along!

 

[Three dollars and 63 cents]

From Scott Amendola's email list:

 

Initiate, the new double CD by the Nels Cline Singers will be released in April on the fabulous Cryptogramophone record label and there will be TOUR DATES! YEAH! We'll be in South America In early to mid June, then U.S. dates in June and July included the High Sierra Music Festival.

 

:dancing :dancing :dancing

[mountain bed]

Dear Nels,

 

Remember how much fun you guys had at the Jazz Kitchen in Indy? Please come back - we need you here!

 

Regards, MB

[Hixter]

Some good news posted on Nels' Twitter: "Entire studio CD of our new 2-CD set Initiate (Cryptogramophone) will stream on NPR's First Listen Series 4/5-13." Streaming on NPR will be a huge publicity boost for them!

 

Both discs are now streaming at NPR:

 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125423842

[jff]

Thanks for the link!

 

I'm hoping to get my pre-ordered cd today or tomorrow...wishful thinking maybe? I'm going to try to wait until I get my cd to listen to all of it, but I listened to two randomly selected tracks (You Noticed & Fly Fly). You Noticed manages to sound like Nels and his guys while also sounding significantly different than anything I've heard on their earlier releases.

 

This cd is going to be badass.

[Three dollars and 63 cents]

I'm surprised they haven't arrived yet. Crypto usually rewards those who pre-order by shipping as soon as they can. My copy of Coward arrived a month before it was officially released. The Crypto-related blog Downbeast is running a four-part "oral history" of the Singers. Part one is already posted here.

 

They'll be in South America for about a week in June, and there are dates confirmed so far at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC July 6 (sets at 7 and 9:30) and in Philadelphia at Johnny Brenda's (sponsored by the Ars Nova Workshop for experimental music) July 7. It sounds like there are a few more shows coming--Scott Amendola mentioned Denver, Washington DC, and Boston as possibilities on Twitter.

 

I know I mentioned this somewhere on here but don't remember where--Nels will also be playing in a band led by Jenny Scheinman and featuring Todd Sickafoose on bass (others TBA) July 13-18 at the Village Vanguard in NYC.

 

I'm going to be really happy and a few hundred dollars poorer come mid-July

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

Oh man, I'd love a DC show. Contemplating going to the July 6th NYC show, but a DC date around then would be much better.

 

Pretty psyched to listen to this album online tonight.

[jff]

The Crypto-related blog Downbeast is running a four-part "oral history" of the Singers. Part one is already posted here.

 

 

 

Best link I've seen in weeks. Can't wait for part 2.

 

Looks like I'm going to have to travel this year for a Singers show. I haven't seen them since they toured for "Instrumentals." Never been to Colorado or Pennsylvania...what better reason to visit?

[Three dollars and 63 cents]

Back in April of 2008, I saw the Singers for the first time at the Jazz Standard in New York, and I've probably never experienced a night of music that changed me more. I'll spare everybody from the long-winded explanation, but I knew by the end of that night I'd be stupid not to see them as many times as I could, so I followed part of both of the tours they did that June and July and saw them eight more times by the end of that summer. I don't regret a penny or a minute of it. In fact, if I weren't completely terrified of flying, I'd be trying to figure out a way to go see them in South America in June.

 

I grew up in PA, and I can definitely say that Philadelphia is one of my favorite cities, probably behind only Chicago. I'm looking forward to heading down there for the Wilco show this weekend (though less thrilled about the Electric Factory). Johnny Brenda's is a venue I've been wanting to visit, too, because they emphasize all of the great PA beers and local ingredients on their menu. I'm guessing if there's a DC show that it would be NYC->Philly->DC three days in a row, so chances are I'll spare myself the aggravations of driving and take trains the whole way.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

Listening to Initiate right now, and it's pretty great. I've never seen Nels at all, outside of Wilco, so I would love to change that.

[keylime]

Dang! I briefly considered going to the NYC show, but I looked at bus fares and I don't think I can pull it off in July. I hope they play Toronto at some point. Or perhaps I will come across a large sum of money. The funny thing is, my current money situation is Wilco's fault.

[lost highway]

NPR has had some great streams lately (Dr. Dog, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Jonsi). So far I prefer the first disc to the second. That disc might be my favorite thing he's done since The Giant Pin.

[jff]

Back in April of 2008, I saw the Singers for the first time at the Jazz Standard in New York, and I've probably never experienced a night of music that changed me more.

 

I can relate. The first time I saw Nels was with Mike Watt, touring in support of "Ball-Hog or Tugboat" with Watt's two drummer lineup (one of which was Michael Preussner, from the Nels Cline Trio). That must've been 1994, or something. I had never seen or heard guitar playing like that. I still haven't. It blew my mind. It even blew my wife's mind, and she is NOT impressed by guitar pyrotechnics. Something about his playing transcends all the wankery and finger gymnastics.

[Three dollars and 63 cents]

Best link I've seen in weeks. Can't wait for part 2.

 

Part 2 is up. And is hilarious.

[jff]

Part 2 is up. And is hilarious.

 

Thanks!

 

I apologize if it's not permissable to copy/paste, or if the following is sort of a spoiler, but this passage is so, so great!

 

SCOTT: "We were playing a gig, with another guitar player who shall remain nameless, and this guy was conducting the gig. And for the whole night, anytime we started anything, he would just kill it. Just as it started getting good, this guy would cut it off! It was really weird, and everybody started to get frustrated. So it's getting towards the end of the gig, and Nels and I start getting into it; it's just going. And then this guys moves to cut it off, but Nels turns on him and goes, 'F--- YOU! KEEP PLAYING! F--- YOU!' And we kept playing! The man's a genius." (All About Jazz, 2/13/06)

[jff]

Still waiting on my pre-order. Hopefully I'll get it sooner than the release date.

 

In the meantime, here's a review of Initiate from this week's Downtown Music Gallery newsletter:

 

 

NELS CLINE SINGERS With DEVIN HOFF/SCOTT AMENDOLA - Initiate:

Studio/Live [2 CD set] (Cryptogramophone 143; USA) Featuring Nels

Cline on electric & acoustic guitars & effects, Devin Hoff on

contrabass & bass guitar and Scott Amendola on drums, percussion,

mbira & electronics. Our good friend and fave guitar hero, Nels

Cline, is on a roll with three fabulous discs in the past month

(April of 2010)! As I type this up, Nels is currently on tour with

Wilco, playing in NJ very soon. The Nels Cline Singers are/is Nels'

other main band and this is their fourth disc. This ambitious double

disc set contains one studio and one live CD. Nels & the rest of the

trio wrote all but two songs, with a Carla Bley & and Joe Zawinul

cover. Besides being one the best jazz/rock guitarists, Nels is also

a master of effects, which he utilizes to stunning effect throughout

these discs. The first disc starts with some great, cerebral effects

before we are launched off into a dynamite jazz/funk groove. The

first guitar solo is just killin' and that is the first of many. For

"Divining" the trio lays back and plays a stunning, dreamy piece

which builds to a mesmerizing conclusion. What I first noticed about

this disc is that every song has something special, a memorable

melody and/ or groove or some sort of compelling device. "Red Line to

Greenland" reminds me of the glory days of progressive jazz/rock with

some cosmic noise/spice added at just the right place(s). The Singers

both embrace diversity and ignore categories by drawing from so many

varied sources and styles. "Mercy (Supplication)" features some

sublime acoustic guitar and superb contrabass and seems to come from

a folky vibe. It made me want to sing along with just wordless or

invented vocal sounds. Oddly enough, "Inkblot Nebula" reminds me of

one of those great early Santana instrumentals and it is just as

seductive. From one extreme to the next, somber to explosive,

everything on this disc fits just right. The live disc is even

longer (71+ minutes) and is even more intense and well-balanced. This

is where we find great versions of Carla Bley's "And Now the Queen"

and Weather Report's "Boogie Woogie Waltz". Without any doubt, this

is the incredible guitar trio effort of the year! - Bruce Lee

Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

2 CD set for $16

[jewess_jeans]

My first Wilco show was last week in Montclair, it was also my first time ever hearing Wilco at all (my friend's a big fan, so I agreed to go with her). I was blown away, not only by Wilco as a whole (I went online & bought 4 or 5 of their albums right away), but by Nels and his amazingly groundbreaking way of playing. I literally could not take my eyes off of him. He is one of the best players I have ever heard in my life, and he has such a crazy range of techniques!

 

My friend & I wound up driving to Philly to see last night's show, and we were right in front of Nels...what a show he puts on just by himself. And, now that I've become familiar w/Wilco's music (both before and after Nels), you can tell that he's brought them to a whole new creative level. I feel so lucky to have not only found a great "new" (to me) band to listen to, but also to become familiar with one of the greatest guitar players I've ever heard, and, in my opinion, the best guitar player of my time (ie - not Pete Townshend, Jimmy Page, etc.) I can't wait to see him solo in July!

 

I can relate. The first time I saw Nels was with Mike Watt, touring in support of "Ball-Hog or Tugboat" with Watt's two drummer lineup (one of which was Michael Preussner, from the Nels Cline Trio). That must've been 1994, or something. I had never seen or heard guitar playing like that. I still haven't. It blew my mind. It even blew my wife's mind, and she is NOT impressed by guitar pyrotechnics. Something about his playing transcends all the wankery and finger gymnastics.

[jff]

Initiate arrived in my mailbox Saturday. I haven't had a chance to listen to the live disc yet, but the studio disc is incredible, as expected. My first impression is that this is the most accessible and straight-forward recording he's released. To paraphrase Nels, it's his "most friendly, or antisocial, recording depending on your expectations." There are no 10+ minute improvs or ear pummeling noise blowouts. What there is is a bunch of focused wailing.