Nels Cline: Jazz Maverick

On Friday, I went to see the Laughing Clowns supported by Nels Cline at The Forum...
I couldn't find anyone else who I thought would like the gig, so I took myself...

It was to be a night of high culture. Part of of The Melbourne Intertanional Jazz Festival.

The plan was:
Finish work, cook me dinner and have a few beers, catch the tram with me into the city and watch Nels Cline (Jazz/Alt-Country Maverick) before seeing the extremely legendary Laughing Clowns (Punk/Freeform Jazz = pretty hard going!) play their first gig in 24 years.

Then hopefully, on an emotional high after the gig I would buy myself some more beers, enjoy my company and engaging sense of humour while get nicely liquored up and take me home, sweet talk myself into bed and then wake up with me in the morning, not feeling a bit guilty, feeling happy, no regrets, like this is the start of something. Then maybe Id cook me breakfast before heading my separate ways for the day, with the promise of doing it again sometime.

So? Who is Nels Cline?
Guitarist from Wilco. The music is rock/country but when he solos. Oh my... Deary me... Beautiful... Listen to this video if you want something that makes you warm inside. It's wilco! it's nels cline at his sensitive best. Jazz tinged flights of free melody and Harmony.

The guitar fireworks start at 2:40

"Impossible Germany" by Wilco from 5ainte on Vimeo.

Anyway, I was expecting a version of that. I had visions of it Nels CLine leadinga jazz trio with some beautifully structured guitar solos. Perfect for a romantic night with me.

Imagine my suprise when i saw 45 minutes of this...

Nels Cline + Devin Sarno - the wulf from ZF FILMS on Vimeo

Clearly I didn't do my homework..

17 Minutes? couldn't last through the video? Don't worry. It's just white noise, a pedal note, some interesting textures, loop stations and pedals.

(side note: vimeo shits on youtube don't it! Great qualty, so easy to use)

It's hard work but not beyond redemption. I think the beauty of this music is that you can listen intently for so long without hearing anything resembling a melody or harmony, just slowly evolving noise waves until you're sick of it. and then... a chord... 1 simple chord... or 1 fragment of melody and all the tension of the past 10 minutes is released, the heavens open and relief floods your brain and senses.

kind of like going for a wee after busting for ages.

It takes patience and skill to play 'music' like that.

I'm not sure about people who really love this music and listen to it at gigs, nodding their head knowlingly the whole time. (I like it sometimes, but i do have genuine concerns that if I dig it too much my head my get lost somewhere up my anus).