Continuation

iTunes Review

Percussionist Alex Cline — like his brother, the guitarist Nels Cline — has been part of the Los Angeles jazz and improv scene since the ‘70s. He’s an excellent drummer whose work has been influenced by Asian culture and music, the spiritual jazz associated with John Coltrane, and Modern Composition. On the superb 2009 release, Continuation, Cline leads a group of highly sympathetic players: violinist Jeff Gauthier, cellist Peggy Lee, bassist Scott Walton, and pianist Myra Melford. The meditative opener, “Nourishing Our Roots,” finds Cline subtly creating a sea of percussion for his bandmates to swim in: the players artfully state and expand on a figure that repeats again and again. After a spare bass solo, “Clearing Our Streams” launches into a midtempo groove that serves as a launching pad for Melford’s harmonium solo and Chinese-flavored fiddle playing. Two cuts, “SubMerge” (dedicated to the dance team of Eiko & Koma) and “On the Bones of the Homegoing Thunder” (inspired by the Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton), each run more than 18 minutes, and both compel throughout. The exquisitely restrained “Open Hands (Receive, Release)” closes the album.