David Torn Prezens

David Torn Prezens (2007)

David Torn (Guitars, live-sampling and manipulation)
Tim Berne (Alto saxophone)
Craig Taborn (Fender Rhodes, Hammond b3, mellotron, bent circuits)
Tom Rainey (Drums)

Review

This is a pretty unique album. One can hear influences of Bill Frisell, hard-core, and electronic music. A lot of the affect of the album I assume comes from Torn and Taborn, considering they are the ones using electronics. It’s vary interesting to see how jazz musicians are embracing technologies in their pursuit of noises. Some of the electronic elements stand out in tunes like “Them Buried Standing” (David Torn) which has a nice groove that Tortoise fans will love. Also Torn uses live sampling quite a bit on tracks like “Rest & Unrest” (Torn) and “Sink” (Torn, Berne, Taborn, Rainey) which include affected drum kits and even moments when what you make think is a mad playing skips. “Sink” uses this technique towards the beginning, but then erupts into every player being fast loud and abrasive. The track “Rest and Unrest” uses the sampling more like The Books, repeating a melody and including sound bits of people talking. Another influence present in the album is Indian music, found in the track “Miss Place, The Mist…” (Torn, Chamberlin). The track opens with beautiful yet dark string opening, and then moves into a repeating sitar like idea. When the strings come back in, over the sitar, and also a highly affected drumbeat, the album hits one of its most innovative points. There are even some funk like moments in the albums opener “AK” (Torn, Berne, Taborn, Rainey) so it is hard to pinpoint one overarching influences for these musicians. I really think this album could potentially pull a lot of electronic music fans into the jazz scene, and I recommended it to anyone who can stand abrasive noise.

Points of Interest

David Torn plays guitar on David Bowie's albums Heathen, Reality, and Slow Burn

Craig Taborn's Junk Magic will be playing at the 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival

Tom Rainey play's with Wilco's Nels Cline on Ash and Tabula (2004)