Up to the mid-2000s, guitarist Nels Cline was probably best-known for his work in the group Quartet Music and other projects in the jazz, rock, improv, and avant-garde idioms. But in 2004, he opened up a much larger audience for a jazz guitarist than is typical, joining the alt-country and experimental-pop act Wilco. Cline is a figure with global influence, whether he's playing the music of other jazzmen such as Andrew Hill (New Monastery), recording a score to accompany the touring retrospective of painter Ed Ruscha (Dirty Baby), collaborating with guitarist Julian Lage, jamming and recording with Medeski, Martin & Wood, or rocking with White Out. In 2016, he issued Lovers, his Blue Note debut, featuring the guitarist leading his own group and a chamber orchestra.