INSTRUMENTALS

Nels Cline is a gifted Jazz guitarist who has been recording music since the early eighties. Just under his name alone he's released well over 40 studio albums. Sometimes it's under his name, sometimes it's the Nels Cline Trio, or like here, it's The Nels Cline Singers. This is the first release he did under the Nels Cline Singers moniker, and no we don't have any singing. He almost always works in a trio with bass and drums like here. His music is usually listed under Avant Jazz.

Going over the bandmates he's had over the years I did recognize the one bass player from his 1992 album "Silencer". Mark London Sims who I have on that "Tamna Voda" record by DARK from 1988. "Instrumentals" is a long one at almost 77 minutes with nine tracks. It doesn't exactly start off well for me as the first two songs are my least favourites on this record. I really get annoyed with the avant jazz guitar on those. It's not until that fifth track "Lowered Boom" that I'm into the music. It's a top three but I'm still not all in at this point as it's all about the guitar here.

"Lucia" is way too mellow for my tastes but "Ghost Of Pinata" is my second top three and I like the guitar here along with the rhythm section. Like "Lucia" I find that closer too mellow and it's eight minutes long. The one before it though "Blood Drawing" is my final top three and this is a beast at almost 15 1/2 minutes. We get pretty much over 7 minutes of experimental music to start on this one before it starts to build with the guitar leading, and by 9 1/2 minutes we get some high energy stuff to the end.

There's not much for me to enjoy here, and he's not the first guitarist who's style I'm just not into, but I'm so glad that I at least got to hear Nels and his unique playing.