Nels Cline

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Los Angeles, United States (1978 – present)

Nels Cline (born in Los Angeles in 1956) is an American guitarist and composer. Currently he is the lead guitarist of the rock band Wilco. Nels began to play guitar at age 12 when his twin brother, Alex Cline took up the drums. Cline is not classically trained. This gives him a unique avant-garde style that many other fail to match, due to their probable conventional training. He is noted for his apt use of effects pedals and looping devices, which enhances his style and gives his approach to and music a distinct sound.

Cline is known for his improvisational work and for the diversity of his musical projects. He has played with jazz musicians Charlie Haden, Gregg Bendian, Wadada Leo Smith, Tim Berne, Vinny Golia and the late bassist Eric von Essen, a longtime musical companion in the L.A. jazz group Quartet Music.

Cline has also performed and recorded with punk rock hero Mike Watt in his touring bands The Crew of the Flying Saucer and The Black Gang, as well as with members of Sonic Youth and country music legend Willie Nelson, and in the jazz/punk/improv band Banyan with Watt and ex-Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins. He frequently participates in jazz projects with his twin brother, Alex, however their first actual duo together was in Culver City, California, during their 50th birthday show.

Nels’s first appearance on an album was on Vinny Golia’s 1978 record, Openhearted, and his first work as a bandleader was 1988’s Angelica. In the late 1980s, Cline formed the Nels Cline Trio, which featured his guitar playing complemented by Mark London Sims at bass and Michael Preussner at drums.
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Top Albums

  • Coward
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  • Dirty Baby
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  • Destroy All Nels Cline
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  • The Inkling
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Top Tracks

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  • Ikresusto

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzn0KOLrarw

    December 2011
  • Ikresusto

    Really knows how to use effects.. . (Y)

    December 2011
  • murmler3

    @restinagony & @JohnnyCanuck: Cline didn't ruin Wilco & vice versa. He just loves playing different kinds of music. So hard to understand? Do you listen to just one kind of music (I'll check that out,later :-) No Borders! Greetings from Germany, micha

    December 2011
  • Younghappy

    Nels Cline is a wizard.

    October 2011
  • restinagony

    Whoever thinks that he ruined Wilco needs a reality check, because Wilco ruined Cline.

    October 2011
  • Aero26

    Heavy metal jazz.

    September 2011
  • rod32lop

    Pois é...

    March 2011
  • ArsNovaWorkshop

    On February 22, The Celestial Septet (Nels Cline Singers w/ ROVA) is playing Philadelphia. Sign up here for a free live webcast of the concert: http://arsnova.webillishus.com/

    February 2011
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"DIRTY BABY" out now!

18 Oct 2010 | from blog.myspace.com/nelscline

Nels Cline's latest CD "Dirty Baby" is available NOW!Order now on itunes or at indiejazz.com

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