The Cello Is So Hot Right Now

a.k.a. No longer limited to the symphony hall, the instrument is thriving in the experimental music realm.

The flute is having a moment right now, or at least it was a few months ago. When André 3000 released his rap-free, flute-centric New Blue Sun album back in November, the instrument was suddenly thrust into the spotlight, and regardless of how one feels about the actual LP, there’s no question that it’s at the very least the most discussed flute record of all time.

Will all of that discussion significantly influence the wider music sphere? It’s too soon to tell, although there hasn’t yet been a sudden rush of high-profile artists scrambling to put some flute on their releases. In the experimental realm, MJ Guider did center the flute on her excellent new Youth and Beauty tape, and Jlin’s upcoming Akoma apparently features some guest flute from Björk(!), but New Blue Sun had nothing to do with either of those records. Perhaps I’ll believe that some kind of flute renaissance is underway if there’s a sudden surge of interest in adventurous flautists like Ka Baird or Johanna Orellana, or if artists in that vein start getting calls from major labels, but in the meantime, I’m going to chalk up most of the recent interest in the instrument to the celebrity of André 3000.

That said, the music world, both mainstream and independent, has long been populated with classically trained players seeking to look beyond the limits of the conservatory. Orchestra and symphony life isn’t for everyone, and there does seem to be a growing interest, particularly amongst fans of experimental music, to see what these musicians have to say—even when their chosen instrument isn’t usually thought to be suitable for a lead role. Just look at what’s happened with the harp; often relegated to providing background ambience at fancy parties and in upscale hotel lobbies, it’s now the centerpiece of multiple acclaimed works by artists like Mary Lattimore and Nailah Hunter.

Look hard enough, and there are killer experimental and avant-garde albums rooted in all sorts of classical instruments: violin, viola, oboe, clarinet, tuba, French horn, trumpet… and if the lens is widened beyond the Western canon, that list grows even longer. But if there’s one instrument that really seems to shine in this domain, it’s the cello. (Admittedly, my own preferences come in to play here; aside from really liking how the cello sounds, its association with the late Arthur Russell, who I—and obviously many others—would rate as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, only adds to its appeal.) In recent years, there’s been a veritable flood of sonically adventurous, cello-centric music making its way into the world, to a point where I’ve repeatedly joked to myself, “Damn, the cello is so hot right now.”

Granted, the cello may not be hot enough to generate fawning writeups in seemingly every major music publication in the world—we’ll have to wait until Gucci Mane or some other aging icon decides to take up the instrument—but there are lots of contemporary cellists doing incredible work that has little or nothing to do with the symphony hall. In the interest of bringing them a bit more attention—and underscoring just how much cello is out there—I’ve put together a round-up highlighting some of my favorites.