Cline Singers, The Nels

Initiate [2 CDs]

Label: Cryptogramophone Country: USA

"Initiate is the fourth recording by The Nels Cline Singers and Cline's seventh release as a leader on Cryptogramophone. Initiate documents a remarkable three-day recording session at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley and The Singers' first live concert recording at Cafe du Nord in San Francisco. Throughout the beautifully designed Digipak are six photographs of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, by photographer Simon Norfolk, striking visual representations of the power of Initiate. 1.18 trillion electron volts and counting.

Nels Cline is one of the most versatile, imaginative and original guitarists active today. Combining breathtaking technique with an informed musical intelligence, Cline displays a mastery of guitar expression that encompasses delicate lyricism, sonic abstractions, and skull-crunching flights of fancy, inspiring Jazz Times to call him "The World's Most Dangerous Guitarist."

The new double album "Initiate" by The Nels Cline Singers (with Devin Hoff on bass and Scott Amendola on drums, percussion, and electronics) documents a remarkable three-day recording session at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, and The Singers' first live concert recording at Cafe du Nord in San Francisco. Initiate is a double album - one studio recording, one live recording. Three members of Deerhoof play percussion on the live album.

In addition to being a musical and sonic triumph, Initiate advances the Crypto tradition of brilliant packaging, with a beautiful double digipak that includes six spectacular photographs of the Large Hadron Collider by photographer Simon Norfolk which has been featured in the news lately. It's the largest machine in the world, and it's dedicated to unraveling some of the mysteries of the cosmos." -Cryptogramophone