Alex Cline: The Percussive Poet of Avant-Garde Jazz
Alex Cline is an American drummer, percussionist, and composer celebrated for his profound contributions to avant-garde and creative jazz. Hailing from Los Angeles, California, his career is defined by a series of critically acclaimed albums and deep collaborations within the experimental music scene.
Early career
Born in 1956 in Los Angeles, Alex Cline began playing drums as a teenager, developing alongside his twin brother, guitarist Nels Cline. His early immersion in the city's vibrant creative music community led to formative work with artists like bassist Eric von Essen and multi-instrumentalist Vinny Golia. By the late 1970s, Cline was recording on seminal albums for the Nine Winds and SST Records labels, establishing his textural and spiritually inclined approach to percussion.
Breakthrough
While consistently active, a significant artistic breakthrough arrived with his 2001 album The Constant Flame, released on the Cryptogramophone label. This ambitious double-CD suite, featuring a large ensemble including his brother, vocalist and violinist Jeff Gauthier, and pianist Myra Melford, received widespread critical praise for its epic, cinematic fusion of jazz, world music, and contemporary composition. It solidified Cline's reputation as a master of large-scale, thematic works in modern creative music.
Key tracks
Nourishing Our Roots — This expansive track from The Constant Flame exemplifies Cline's ability to conduct complex, lyrical ensemble writing.
Subatomic — A driving, intricate piece highlighting Cline's compositional depth and the potent interplay of his longstanding quartet.
Onward In Their Journey — Featured on the 2012 album For People in Sorrow, this work demonstrates his respectful and innovative reinterpretation of spiritual jazz classics.
Steadfast — From the album Continental Rites, this composition showcases his later-period work, blending meditative percussion with rich harmonic landscapes.
Cline's prolific output continued on labels like Cryptogramophone and ESP-Disk', including the acclaimed 2016 album Ocean of Vows. His collaborations form a who's who of avant-garde jazz, including extended work with saxophonist Julius Hemphill, pianist Horace Tapscott, and a decades-long partnership with his brother Nels Cline in various groups. As a first-call percussionist, his playing graces recordings by artists ranging from clarinetist Ben Goldberg to singer-songwriter Carla Bozulich.
Listeners who appreciate the exploratory realms of Nels Cline will find a shared familial language of texture and dynamics. The compositional scope of Myra Melford aligns closely with Cline's own ambitious projects. The spiritual jazz foundations in the work of Horace Tapscott deeply inform Cline's musical philosophy. Furthermore, the ensemble-focused innovation of Julius Hemphill serves as a key reference point for Cline's own group endeavors.
Alex Cline's diverse catalog is a staple on specialty radio programming, featured on avant-garde jazz streams, independent music radio stations, and dedicated creative music channels. His recordings, from early solo percussion works to lush ensemble suites, offer a rich journey for adventurous listeners.
The music of Alex Cline can be heard on radio stations featured on our website. Explore the breadth of avant-garde jazz and discover his influential work by tuning into the radio stations available on onairium.com.
