As a sideman, Cline is no less adventurous. His guitar snakes through the opening silence of Daniele Cavallanti’s Smoke Inside, before the leader’s smoky tenor gives chase. “Cline’s Line” is a fusion anthem, complete with spacey Rhodes, electric bass and pulsing rock beat. After the band enters, Cline cuts a jagged course, sparring briefly with Cavallanti before taking the lead all the way to the finish. Smoke Inside “is electric jazz: pre-fusion… pre-crappy,” says Cline of Cavallanti’s “Electric Unit”. The vibe is old school, but the playing is distinctly modern. Cavallanti positively burns on “Moods for Dewey”, driven by Cline and the relentless groove of drummer Pacho. The intensity rarely wanes through the album’s six tracks and Cavallanti’s “Electric Unit” shows the potential of jazz-rock in capable hands.
Matthew Miller