The Nels Cline 4: Currents, Constellations

Lou Reed’s 1978 musical theorem that “You can’t beat guitars, bass, drum” is proved by The Nels Cline 4 on their debut outing for Blue Note, Currents, Constellations. Cline and fellow guitar-slinger Julian Lage recorded the well-received duo CD Room in late 2013, and toured in that format. The widely-experienced Cline was particularly enthusiastic about playing with Lage, leading to this band with Scott Colley on bass, who played with Lage in The New Gary Burton Quartet, and drummer Tom Rainey, who collaborated with Cline in a trio with Andrea Parkins. That gives the group a combustible blend of new associations combined with musical familiarity. Tom Rainey kicks off Furtive, the first of seven Cline originals, and we’re off. It’s a four-way conversation with bits of rock and funk music, a touch of surf music, and a jazzy rhythmic flow that conjures the right atmosphere for these joyously dueling guitars. The bittersweet Swing Ghost ‘59 features a potent Scott Colley solo, with Cline and Lage trading licks throughout over the energized drumming of Rainey. From the swaggering big beat of Imperfect 10 to the atmospheric haze of As Close As That, the radical stop-and-start structure of Amenette, and the broad sweep of the optimistic-sounding River Mouth, Cline’s songs give the quartet plenty of varied material to excite their imaginations and guide the beautifully meshed improvisations. The sole cover is Temporarily, a very early Carla Bley composition that was played by the 1961 edition of the Jimmy Giuffre trio. The quartet’s version is sparsely arranged, with plenty of space for each bass note or touch of a cymbal to stand out. Closing out the disc is the brief and disarmingly tender For Each, A Flower, the perfect ending for this very fine outing by Cline, Lage and friends. Cheerfully recommended.
Blue Note B002811702; Nels Cline, Julian Lage (g) Scott Colley (b) Tom Rainey (d); Brooklyn, May & October 2017; Furtive/ Swing Ghost '59/ Imperfect 10/ As Close As That/ Amenette/ Temporarily/ River Mouth (Parts 1 & 2)/ For Each, A Flower; 44:19. www.bluenote.com