''Currents, Constellations'' is an album by The

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

4 that was released in April 2018 by the

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

label.

Reception

The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

review by Thom Jurek stated "In the aftermath of 2014's highly regarded ''

Room In a building or a ship, a room is any enclosed space within a number of walls to which entry is possible only via a door or other dividing structure. The entrance connects it to either a passageway, another room, or the outdoors. The space is ...

'', the acoustic encounter between guitarists Nels Cline and Julian Lage, both men speculated on what adding a rhythm section might sound like ... ''Currents, Constellations'' is virtually free of excess. Instead, it delivers a panoramic approach to group interaction with abundant dynamic and harmonic variety. From jazz to rock to improv, this set is a remarkable illustration of the question Cline and Lage posed about what they would sound like with a rhythm section. Damn fine is the answer". On

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 ...

, Mike Jurkovic said "the pointillist, textured music found on ''Currents, Constellations'' comes as no surprise and great welcome. He and Lage simply play as if of one mind, unglued from any preconceived notions or tight-ass dogma".Jurkovic, M
All About Jazz Review
accessed March 5, 2019 On the same site Mark Sullivan noted " the presence of a rhythm section lends an energy and a more extroverted sound ... The band seems to have inspired Cline the composer; the tunes are striking, some of his most memorable ... ''Currents, Constellations'' is a considerable departure from Cline's 2016 Blue Note debut album, ''Lovers'', with its romantic large ensemble. This is a great new band, and a pointed demonstration of Cline's composing and playing".Sullivan, M
All About Jazz Review
accessed March 5, 2019 In

DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

, Dave Cantor observed "there’s a balance struck between some of the album’s relatively conventional moments and Cline’s clear affinity for avant-garde twists and turns". In

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' was an American print 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 ...

, Mike Joyce wrote "fellow guitarists will marvel at the level of interplay demonstrated here ... Cline never seems at a loss for ideas when it comes time to introduce contrasting tones, textures and dynamics, or deploy whimsical effects".Joyce, M
JazzTimes Review
accessed March 5, 2019

Track listing

All compositions by Nels Cline except where noted # "Furtive" – 4:53 # "Swing Ghost '59" – 5:01 # "Imperfect 10" – 4:23 # "As Close as That" – 6:22 # "Amenette" – 5:31 # "Temporarily" (

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936 – October 17, 2023) was an American jazz composer, pianist, organist, and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she gained acclaim for her jazz opera ''Escalator ...

) – 5:33 # "River Mouth (Parts 1 & 2)" – 9:32 # "For Each, a Flower" – 2:51

Personnel

– electric guitar, acoustic guitar *

Julian Lage Julian Price Lage ( ; born December 25, 1987) is an American guitarist and composer. A child prodigy, Lage performed at the 2000 Grammy Awards at age 12, and at 15 became a faculty member of the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He released his debut a ...

– electric guitar *

Scott Colley Scott Colley (born November 24, 1963) is an American jazz double bassist and composer. As of 2024, he had been nominated for 4 Grammy Awards, including Best Jazz Instrumental Album for '' Guided Tour'' in 2014 and '' Still Dreaming'' in 2019. Duri ...

– bass *

Tom Rainey Tom Rainey (born 1957) is an American jazz drummer. Career After attending Berklee College of Music he moved to New York in 1979. He has played with Tim Berne, Nels Cline, Drew Gress, Mark Helias, Fred Hersch, Tony Malaby, Simon Nabatov, Tom ...

– drums

References

{{Authority control 2018 albums Nels Cline albums Blue Note Records albums