''Instrumentals'' is the debut album by

The Nels Cline Singers The Nels Cline Singers are an American free jazz trio led by Nels Cline, following his work in the Nels Cline Trio. They have released five albums on Cryptogramophone Records. Despite the name, there are no singers in the group. Studio albums * ...

led by American guitarist

Nels Cline Nels Courtney Cline (born January 4, 1956) is an American guitarist and composer. He has been the guitarist for the band Wilco since 2004. In the 1980s he played jazz, often in collaboration with his twin brother Alex Cline, Alex, a percussionis ...

which was released in March 2002 on the Cryptogramophone label.

Reception

The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars out of 5, stating "This is one of Cline's strongest and most innovative efforts".

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

stated "Jazz fans without an ear open to rock rhythms, energy music, or punk sensibility will almost certainly fail to appreciate what the Nels Cline Singers have done on ''Instrumentals''. But Cline doesn't really care about that. His music is a defining statement of identity, a cry from the heart without pretense or ambiguity. For the open-minded, this record will stack up as one of the very best of the year. It's deep, exciting, and viscerally satisfying".

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

's Sam Ubl stated "While ''Instrumentals'' suffers a bit in comparison to Cline's previous studio work with the huge '' Destroy All Nels Cline'' ensemble, it's mostly because the three-piece lineup curtails some of the wild tonal exploration done on that record. Don't fret, though, these folks still have an awful lot going for them".

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

' Ron Wynn noted "There's certainly a lot to admire about what Nels Cline is doing on much of ''Instrumentals'', but there's just too much chaos during those segments that don't work".Wynn, R.
JazzTimes review
July/August 2002

Track listing

''All compositions by Nels Cline'' # " A Mug Like Mine" - 9:03 # "Cause for Concern" - 4:22 # "Suspended Head" - 6:42 # "Harbor Child" - 6:11 # "Lowered Boom" - 6:47 # "Lucia" - 12:38 # "Ghost of the Piñata" - 7:47 # "Blood Drawing" - 15:27 # "Slipped Away" - 7:52

Personnel

;The Nels Cline Singers *

– electric guitar, electric 12 string guitar, baritone guitar *

Devin Hoff Devin Hoff is an American bassist, composer and arranger. Hoff has collaborated with Julia Holter, Nels Cline, Sharon Van Etten, Shannon Lay, Cibo Matto, Kira Roessler, Good For Cows, Xiu Xiu, and others. Hoff has also released three albums ...

– contrabass *

Scott Amendola Scott Amendola (born February 6, 1969) is an American drummer from the San Francisco Bay Area. His styles include jazz, blues, groove, and rock.Andrew Gilbert"Exploring New Degrees In Drumming" ''sfgate.com'', October 3, 2004. Amendola is origi ...

– drums, percussion, effects, loops

References

{{Authority control 2002 albums Nels Cline Singers albums Cryptogramophone Records albums