The Inkling

The Inkling

The Inkling

ASIN: B00004SVG8

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Though not as familiar a name as Bill Frisell or Elliott Sharp, Nels Cline is undoubtedly among the first rank of guitarists working in the genre-bending arenas of post-free jazz. While much of the frequently abstract post-free jazz can suffer from a similar set of maladies (apparent fear of beauty, fear of emotions, textural tedium, and an avoidance of rhythmic and melodic clichés that risks developing a whole new set of them). Cline and his cohorts here--bassist Mark Dresser, drummer Billy Mintz, and harpist Zeena Parkins--manage to evade these pitfalls at every turn. Through prodigious technique and a wide-ranging tonal palette, Cline is able to bring the listener along on a journey from poignant melodies that never descend into mere prettiness ("Moth Song") to rampaging sheets of sound ("Queen of Angel"). The guitarist's strength is in knowing exactly how far to push the limits of musical tension before allowing the ear a respite. In this band, each player brings a strong sense of composition to the party, allowing them to wrest a kind of terrible beauty from Cline's compositions and some tastefully short group improvisations. Their distinctive personalities permit them to incorporate familiar elements like groove and melody, yet still offer something edgy and new. --Michael Ross

Product Description
In this collection of wiggy compositions and freewheeling improvisations, guitarist Nels Cline collaborates with innovative bassist Mark Dresser, famed jazz drummer Billy Mintz and electric harpist Zeena Parkins. Nels demonstrates his versitility and musicianship on both acoustic and electric guitars, leading this crack ensemble through previously uncharted territories. Nels was named Outstanding Jazz Artist of 1999 by Bam Magazine as well as Best New Genre/Uncategorizable Artist of 1999 at the L.A. Weekly Music Awards.

The Inkling

The Inkling,Nels Cline,Cryptogramophone,Avant-Garde Jazz,Free Improvisation,Jazz,Pop
The Inkling
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • The higher, stranger power of group interaction
  • topnotch
  • The Best Cd Ever
  • Spider-cork weirdo lullaby's from Saturn
  • A Great Place to Start Your Nels Cline Collection!
 The Inkling
Nels Cline
Manufacturer: Cryptogramophone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B00004SVG8
Release Date: 2000-05-30

Tracks:

  1. New Old Hat
  2. Spider Wisdom
  3. Circular
  4. Sunken Song
  5. Shale Bed
  6. Alstromeria
  7. Moth Song
  8. Cork Farm
  9. Queen Of Angels
  10. Lullaby For Ian

Amazon.com

Though not as familiar a name as Bill Frisell or Elliott Sharp, Nels Cline is undoubtedly among the first rank of guitarists working in the genre-bending arenas of post-free jazz. While much of the frequently abstract post-free jazz can suffer from a similar set of maladies (apparent fear of beauty, fear of emotions, textural tedium, and an avoidance of rhythmic and melodic clichés that risks developing a whole new set of them). Cline and his cohorts here--bassist Mark Dresser, drummer Billy Mintz, and harpist Zeena Parkins--manage to evade these pitfalls at every turn. Through prodigious technique and a wide-ranging tonal palette, Cline is able to bring the listener along on a journey from poignant melodies that never descend into mere prettiness ("Moth Song") to rampaging sheets of sound ("Queen of Angel"). The guitarist's strength is in knowing exactly how far to push the limits of musical tension before allowing the ear a respite. In this band, each player brings a strong sense of composition to the party, allowing them to wrest a kind of terrible beauty from Cline's compositions and some tastefully short group improvisations. Their distinctive personalities permit them to incorporate familiar elements like groove and melody, yet still offer something edgy and new. --Michael Ross

Album Description

In this collection of wiggy compositions and freewheeling improvisations, guitarist Nels Cline collaborates with innovative bassist Mark Dresser, famed jazz drummer Billy Mintz and electric harpist Zeena Parkins. Nels demonstrates his versitility and musicianship on both acoustic and electric guitars, leading this crack ensemble through previously uncharted territories. Nels was named Outstanding Jazz Artist of 1999 by Bam Magazine as well as Best New Genre/Uncategorizable Artist of 1999 at the L.A. Weekly Music Awards.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The higher, stranger power of group interaction.......2006-08-10

He may be a walking encyclopedia of idiom and technique, but guitarist Nels Cline is also an incredibly soulful and expressionistic player, capable of yanking new life from traditional jazz, rock, improv, and even neo-classical settings. On "The Inkling," he's tackling all four at once, moving with bandmates Zeena Parkins (harp), Mark Dresser (contrabass) and Billy Mintz (drums) through an incomprehensibly hairy thatch of sound. Given only spare accompaniment by his band members, Cline sounds limitless behind the fretboard: It seems as natural as breathing for him to shift from Henry Kaiser-via-Derek Bailey abstract pieces (the album's majority) to pointillist wigouts ("Sunken Song") to harmonic Twister matches with Dresser and Parkins ("Spider Wisdom"). And though things never get "cooking," per se, "The Inkling"'s deliberately empty spaces and slow tempos give the listener more room to digest the group's brain-boggling interaction.

5 out of 5 stars topnotch.......2005-11-06

This is really a superb CD if you prefer your "jazz" not too hidebound and hung up on where jazz has already been. Nels Cline is a truely forward-moving exponent of the electric guitar, though there are some sublime acoustics explored on "The Inkling" too.

5 out of 5 stars The Best Cd Ever.......2003-03-27

I loved this cd I would buy 100 of them. The music was so creamy and just made me dance! Every time a birthday comes around I get them this CD! Word to the wise BUY THIS CD!!!!!!

4 out of 5 stars Spider-cork weirdo lullaby's from Saturn.......2002-11-02

This is a band from which I would more than welcome another cd. There is just something magical about the electric bond between Nels and Zeena, and Mark and Billy certainly add to that.

With New Old Hat we get acoustic improvisation. Not so much "free jazz"... more like "free Spanish old-world acoustic improvisation". Lovely. Then comes the ominous power of Zeena's electric harp on Spider Wisdom. This track captures the true spacefreak beauty of this band in all it's glory. Queen Of Angels gives us an orchestra of Indy 500 cars as conducted by the mentally unstable while Lullaby For Ian is more like the gentle sounds that NASA hopes they never here with one of their radio telescopes.

Some musicians peak in their 20's and then never again catch the fire. Then there are others, like those on this cd, who continue to grow, learn, and express time after time, album after album. With the warped humpback songs of Mark's arco bass, the freaked-out radio signals of Zeena's electric harp, and the always right-but-new drumming of Billy, Nels couldn't help but pump out some massive, mind-bending group improvisations on this album.

5 out of 5 stars A Great Place to Start Your Nels Cline Collection!.......2001-05-07

This is prbably the best introduction to Cline's sound world. Cline is an extremely gifted guitarist who seems to be much more interested in producing the right sound than showing off his chops. Those chops are definitely strong, though!

On the Inkling, Cline utilizes acoustic a little more than other sessions and Parkins' harp seem to be mostly acoustic. The songs, though many are relatively short, tend to be open ended.

As with all Cline releases, expect the unexpected. Cline never seems to play the notes/chords you'd expect, but they make sense in the end.
Florodora (1899 Original London Cast)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Florodora (1899 Original London Cast)
    Ernest Boyd-Jones , and Paul Rubens
    Manufacturer: Pearl
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
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    GeneralGeneral | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
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    ClassicalClassical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music
    ASIN: B000000WYT
    Release Date: 1993-01-21

    Tracks:

    1. Opening Chorus
    2. He Loves, He Loves Me Not
    3. Galloping
    4. Phrenology
    5. In The Shade Of The Palm
    6. Tact
    7. Tell Me Pretty Maiden
    8. Willie Was A Gay Boy
    9. I've An Inkling
    10. Queen Of The Philippine Islands
    11. I Want To Be A Military Man
    12. Burlesque On 'Pretty Maiden'
    13. Whistling
    14. I Want To Be A Military Man
    15. Queen Of The Philippine Islands
    16. Tell Me Pretty Maiden
    17. Jack And Jill
    18. Little Dolly Daydream - Leslie Stuart
    19. The Cake Walk - Leslie Stuart
    20. The Coon Drum Major - Leslie Stuart
    21. Louisiana Lou - Leslie Stuart
    22. Is Yer Mammy Always Wid Yer? - Leslie Stuart
    Instigator
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Instigator
      Jason Gerard
      Manufacturer: Lunar City Records
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B000CA8NVG
      Release Date: 2005-08-09
      Miscommunication
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Miscommunication
        Inkling
        Manufacturer: Hex Records
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
        Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
        ASIN: B000679N9G
        Release Date: 2001-06-01

        Tracks:

        1. Drawing Conclusions
        2. Jenny
        3. My Advice
        4. The Bad Apple Theory
        5. The Happiest Ending I Can Think Of
        Momentum
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		Momentum
          Stu Carey & X-Tet
          Manufacturer: Stu Carey & X-Tet
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
          ASIN: B000CAFZI0
          Release Date: 2002-09-24

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          1. The Journey
          2. The Last Farewell
          3. The Lionel Hampton Story [Box set]
          4. The Pretty Sound of Joe Wilder/Jazz From "Peter Gunn"
          5. This Is Our Music
          6. Time and Again
          7. Tock Tick [CD-single]
          8. Together
          9. Ultimate Isaac Hayes: Can You Dig It
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