The Celestial Septet
To read some of the outstanding reviews of the March 2010 Celestial Septet CD, click here
To read an interview with Larry Ochs mostly about Celestial Septet, click here
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Rova meets up with the Nels Cline Singers, sneaks into a phone booth, and becomes The Celestial Septet. With the great Singers' rhythm section of Trevor Dunn and Scott Amendola pushing everyone majestically, the band performed three concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area in May 2008. The results were so exciting and in some ways unexpected that the septet decided to reconvene in November 2008 for one more live concert followed immediately by 2 days in the studio. The results of that recording session (plus one piece recorded live at Yoshi's San Francisco) have been released by New World Records. Click Here to purchase from Amazon.com. To read the CD liner notes by Derk Richardson, click here
Shows currently include the five pieces that are on the new CD - originals penned by Ochs, Adams, Cline and Amendola - plus other pieces by Raskin and the late great John Coltrane. Nels Cline (the guitar wizard who has breathed new life into alt-rock band Wilco) consistently ignites the stage in collaborations with Rova members, most notably during his many performances with Orkestrova's Electric Ascension (Rova's reworking of the John Coltrane classic Ascension) and the Yo Miles! Fillmore shows of 8 years ago. The septet is always available for festival and large theater appearances, given enough notice. Due to the busy individual schedules involved, extended tours are not currently planned.
The Celestial Septet:
Larry Ochs, Jon Raskin, Steve Adams, Bruce Ackley: saxophones
Nels Cline: guitar
Trevor Dunn: bass
Scott Amendola: percussion/electronics
On Tour February 2011:
2/22 Philadelphia, PA. The International House (produced by Ars Nova)
2/24 Amherst, MA. Bowker Auditorium (produced by Magic Traingle Series)
2/25 Boston, MA. ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art)
2/26 New York, NY. Poisson Rouge
The Nels Cline Singers , ironically, are an all instrumental trio featuring Nels Cline, guitar; Trevor Dunn, bass; and Scott Amendola, drums. They formed seven years ago when Cline, ready to start another trio after the disintegration of his original one, was urged by Amendola to find a way to play more music together. Together they create a raw yet disciplined palette of sounds that draws from a wide range of sources. In this context Nels Cline has successfully reconciled his multi-directional passions into a music that can embrace elegance, wildness, drama, technical poise, and skillfully deployed electric noise. The Singers formidable instrumental mastery drives Cline's spunky and thoughtful compositions with passion and seamless energy, delivering music of rare beauty.