In the aftermath of 2014's highly regarded Room, the acoustic encounter between guitarists Nels Cline and Julian Lage, both men speculated on what adding a rhythm section might sound like. To that end, Cline asked bassist Scott Colley and drummer Tom Rainey (who played hundreds of shows together as a running rhythm section during the '90s) to accompany the guitarists at a residency at John Zorn's The Stone in 2016. At the time, Colley and Lage were playing in Gary Burton's group when Colley joined the guitarist's trio. Cline, ever the wandering spirit, had previously played with everyone else. The residency went well enough to dictate a proper album. Currents, Constellations is Cline's second Blue Note album. He penned seven of the record's eight tunes; the lone cover is Carla Bley's "Temporarily," a rarity closely associated with the Jimmy Giuffre Three. According to Cline, the point of the group wasn't to feature "sovereign" guitar solos but to facilitate an organic ensemble sound, whether marked by heated collective improvisation or a more delicate and precise approach on more contemplative pieces. The funky, Monk-tinged "Imperfect 10," was released as a preview single, along with a promotional "in-studio" video to offer fans a live-in-studio feel. Hence the Nels Cline 4 moniker.

1		Furtive
2		Swing Ghost '59
3		Imperfect 10
4		As Close As That
5		Amenette
6		Temporarily
7		River Mouth (Parts 1 & 2)
8		For Each, A Flower