| The Giant Pin | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 14, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | August 24 & 25, 2003 Castle Oaks Studios in Calabasas, CA | |||
| Genre | Rock, jazz | |||
| Length | 73:04 | |||
| Label | Cryptogramophone CG120 | |||
| Producer | Jeff Gauthier | |||
| The Nels Cline Singers chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Giant Pin is the second album by The Nels Cline Singers led by American guitarist Nels Cline which was released in August 2003 on the Cryptogramophone label. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| All About Jazz | [3] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.0/10 [4] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [5] |
The Allmusic review by William Tilland awarded the album 4 stars out of 5, stating "it offers the most dramatic example of Cline's general ability to synthesize beauty, emotion, intellect, technique, and even humor in his playing". [2] Writing for All About Jazz, Alex K. Fong stated "The compositions on The Giant Pin simultaneously evoke traditional jazz, blues, post rock, and free improvisation without any of the awkward deliberateness found on the trio's debut release Instrumentals. That's a testament to the development of Cline's writing and the group's chemistry". [3] Pitchfork Media's Sam Ubl stated "Cline has fused his jazz and rock interests before but The Giant Pin takes both poles to heretofore untouched extremes-- especially at the low-volume end of the spectrum. Stark stylistic and dynamic contrasts pervade the album, yet the transitions are smooth. The record is quieter and more restrained than other The Singers releases, making it a rewarding if slightly less exhilarating final product. Whether Cline will continue to cleave himself from the gigging life remains to be seen, but for now he's handling the balancing act quite nicely". [4] JazzTimes' David R. Adler noted "Cline's music is resolutely left of the dial, a challenge. But its dynamics, rhythmic intensity and frequently searing melodicism are a joy. It's easy to imagine listeners of many stripes cottoning to his sound. (Might he lure Wilco fans toward far-out jazz?)". [6]
All compositions by Nels Cline except as indicated
Gregory E. Stinson, better known as G. E. Stinson, is an American guitarist and founding member of new age/electronic musical group Shadowfax. Inspired by blues masters such as Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, Stinson experimented with blues, jazz and other musical genres before co-founding Shadowfax in 1974. He remained with the band for six albums. He departed Shadowfax after recording The Odd Get Even (1989), entering the Los Angeles underground music community to refine his 'extended technique' and 'frequency manipulation'. Since then he has worked with a number of musicians on various projects, including Napalm Quartet, Splinter Group, Stinkbug, Metalworkers, Alex De Grassi, Devin Sarno and others. In 2000, he collaborated with drummer Gregg Bendian, violinist Jeff Gauthier, and bassist Steuart Liebig on an album of collective improvisational pieces recorded live in the studio, entitled Bone Structure. Released in 2003, it was given four stars by Jim Andrews in DownBeat magazine.
The Nels Cline Singers are an American free jazz trio led by Nels Cline, following his work in the Nels Cline Trio. They have released five albums on Cryptogramophone Records. Despite the name, there are no singers in the group.
Draw Breath is the third album released by The Nels Cline Singers in 2007. It featured both abrasive musical textures and gentler compositions such as "Caved-In Heart Blues" and "The Angel of Angels," the latter of which The New York Times called one of the prettiest works of Nels Cline's career.
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Devin Hoff is an American bassist, composer and arranger. Hoff has collaborated with Julia Holter, Nels Cline, Sharon Van Etten, Shannon Lay, Cibo Matto, Kira Roessler, Good For Cows, Xiu Xiu, and others.
Ben Goldberg is an American clarinet player and composer.
Prowl is a 2006 album by cellist Erik Friedlander performing his compositions with the quartet that previously appeared on Topaz which was released on the Cryptogramophone label.
Macroscope is the fifth album by The Nels Cline Singers led by American guitarist Nels Cline which was released in April 29th 2014 on the Mack Avenue label.
Initiate is the fourth album by The Nels Cline Singers led by American guitarist Nels Cline which was released in April 2010 on the Cryptogramophone label.
Instrumentals is the debut album by The Nels Cline Singers led by American guitarist Nels Cline which was released in March 2002 on the Cryptogramophone label.
The Celestial Septet is an album by The Nels Cline Singers and Rova Saxophone Quartet which was released in March 2010 on the New World label.
New Monastery is an album by American guitarist Nels Cline performing compositions by Andrew Hill which was released in September 2006 on the Cryptogramophone label.
Dirty Baby is an album by American guitarist Nels Cline performing compositions inspired by Edward Ruscha, which was released in October 2010 on the Cryptogramophone label.
Coward is a solo album by American guitarist Nels Cline which was released in October 2009 on the Cryptogramophone label.
Destroy All Nels Cline is an album by American guitarist Nels Cline which was released in April 2001 on the Atavistic label.
The Inkling is an album by American guitarist Nels Cline which was released in May 2000 on the Cryptogramophone label.
Room is an album by guitarists Nels Cline and Julian Lage which was released in November 2014 on the Mack Avenue label.
Lovers is an album by guitarist Nels Cline which was released in August 2016 on the Blue Note label. Cline stated " I hope Lovers offers something of an update of the 'mood music' idea and ideal, while celebrating and challenging our iconic notion of romance".
Steuart Liebig, born July 25, 1956, is an American bassist and composer of modern creative jazz and the free improvisational music. He plays 6-string bass guitars.
