New Monastery

Tribute to Blue Note composer Andrew Hill, played by a (mostly) West-Coast all-star team.

Hill did some classic work in the late '60s, taking the popular Miles/Coltrane jazz of the time and adding layers of complexity and density in the writing. His stuff was sophisticated but not avant-garde, very much work checking out.

Here, Nels Cline celebrates Hill's compositions with much more of an avant-garde twist. You've still got Hill's composing and that familiar old Blue Note sound in some spots, but with free-improv stretches and jumbly group work in others. The unison themes and group action are looser than on Hill's recordings, in a good way. Track 1 is a good opener that lets you know they had a lot of fun doing this.

Nels Cline (guitar), Ben Goldberg (clarinet), Andrea Parkins (accordion, effects), Devin Hoff (bass), Scott Amendola (drums), Alex Cline (percussion on 5 and 7).

1- Sparse but fun: Fast, fluttery, airy. After 3 mins, launches into the theme: quick and jumbly. (6:22)
2- Fast jumbly theme. Slows down for an early bass solo, then some other interesting and out-there solos including Nels. (8:57)
3- Lingering and mysterious. Starts with slow, Euro-cafe accordion; gets eerie and swampy. About 7 minutes in, a slow grand theme that turns into a loud, dark haze (with 11/8 pulse). .... Last 8 minutes: Slow pulsing theme, mysterious sounding. (23:35)
4- Fast and bluesy, w/fun dissonant intro. A go-go feel later, and a brief quiet drop-out. Big fun. (4:52)
5- Slowish, processional theme, into quiet, sensitive solos for guitar and trumpet. (8:06)
6- Straight jazz guitar, mid/fast and relaxed. Easygoing shuffle beat. Second half works off a lush mid/fast theme and gets into some weird accordion in the final minutes. Really nice overall. (10:33)
7- Brisk, fast, w/crazy Nels guitar over jazzy drums, nice and chaotic. Jazzy trumpet solo and knotty clarinet. Great stuff. (11:11)