Trevor Dunn
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Trevor Roy Dunn (born January 30, 1968) is an American composer, bass guitarist, and double bassist. He came to prominence in the 1990s with the experimental band
Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California, in 1985. The band is known for its eclecticism, cycling through several musical genres, often within the course of a single song, including heavy metal, avant-garde ...
. While performing with Mr. Bungle, he would dress similar to the St. Pauli Girl. He has since worked in an array of musical styles, including with saxophonist/composer
John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...
,
Secret Chiefs 3 Secret Chiefs 3 (or SC3) is an American experimental rock group led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance (of Mr. Bungle and formerly, Faith No More). Their studio recordings and tours have featured different lineups, as the group performs a wide ...
and with his own
avant-garde jazz Avant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz, experimental jazz, or "new thing") is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. It originated in the early 1950s and developed through the late 1 ...
/rock ensemble Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant. He is also a member of the bands
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
and
Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Native Americans in the United States, Indian peoples and nations of North America, traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. Etymology The name comes from Powhatan langu ...
.


Career

After four years of studying the
clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...
, Dunn began playing electric bass at the age of 13. His earliest musical influences included the
Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by thei ...
, Blondie,
Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...
, and
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
. In 1998, Dunn formed his Trio-Convulsant. Their first release, '' Debutantes & Centipedes'', features Dunn on bass, Adam Levy on guitar, and Kenny Wollesen on drums. The album '' Sister Phantom Owl Fish'' on Ipecac (2004) includes
Ches Smith Ches Smith is an American musician, whose primary instruments are drums, percussion, and vibraphone. He recorded and performed an album of his own solo percussion pieces entitled ''Congs for Brums'' (2006). In 2010 he released ''Noise to Men''. ...
on percussion and
Mary Halvorson Mary Halvorson (born October 16, 1980) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and guitarist from Brookline, Massachusetts. Among her many collaborations, she has: led a trio with and Ches Smith, and a quintet with the addition of Jon Iraba ...
on guitar. Dunn has participated in dozens of other recordings, both as a main collaborator and a guest musician. He is part of Mike Pride's MPThree, David Krakauer's Klezmer Madness, and the Nels Cline Singers. He has contributed to or played with: Afro-Mystic, Ben Goldberg, Brian "Head" Welch, Graham Connah's Sour Note Seven, Jess Jones Quartet, Junk Genius, Laplante/Dunn/Smith, John Zorn's Electric Masada,
Matisyahu Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his stage name Matisyahu (; ), is an American singer, rapper, beatboxer, and musician. Known for blending spiritual themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing sounds, Matisyahu's 2005 sin ...
, Rova Saxophone Quartet,
Sean Lennon is a British-American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and half-brother to Julian Lennon. Over the course of his career, he has been a member of the bands Cibo Matto, the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tige ...
, Suit of Lights, Rob Price Quartet, Tin Hat Trio, and Tipsy.


Bass guitars

*1975 Fender P-Bass (his primary electric bass tuned to B-E-A-D for Fantômas) *1950s Czech Contrabass used with Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant, occasionally with Mr. Bungle and with King Buzzo *1991
Alembic An alembic (from , originating from , 'cup, beaker') is an alchemical still consisting of two vessels connected by a tube, used for distillation of liquids. Description The complete distilling apparatus consists of three parts: * the "" ...
5-string Europa * Ken Lawrence 5-string fretless * Guild Ashbory *1966
Guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...
Starfire


Discography


As leader or co-leader

* 1996 ''Phillip Greenlief/Trevor Dunn'' with Phillip Greenlief (Evander) * 1998 Trio-Convulsant's '' Debutantes & Centipedes'' with
Ches Smith Ches Smith is an American musician, whose primary instruments are drums, percussion, and vibraphone. He recorded and performed an album of his own solo percussion pieces entitled ''Congs for Brums'' (2006). In 2010 he released ''Noise to Men''. ...
&
Mary Halvorson Mary Halvorson (born October 16, 1980) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and guitarist from Brookline, Massachusetts. Among her many collaborations, she has: led a trio with and Ches Smith, and a quintet with the addition of Jon Iraba ...
( Buzz) * 2004 Trio-Convulsant's '' Sister Phantom Owl Fish'' with
Ches Smith Ches Smith is an American musician, whose primary instruments are drums, percussion, and vibraphone. He recorded and performed an album of his own solo percussion pieces entitled ''Congs for Brums'' (2006). In 2010 he released ''Noise to Men''. ...
&
Mary Halvorson Mary Halvorson (born October 16, 1980) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and guitarist from Brookline, Massachusetts. Among her many collaborations, she has: led a trio with and Ches Smith, and a quintet with the addition of Jon Iraba ...
(
Ipecac Syrup of ipecac (), or simply ipecac, is a drug that was once widely used as an expectorant (in low doses) and a rapid-acting emetic (in higher doses). It is obtained from the dried rhizome and roots of the ipecacuanha plant ('' Carapichea ipe ...
) * 2005 ''untitled'' with Shelley Burgon (self-released) * 2005 ''At Blim'' with Shelley Burgon (Audiobot) * 2007 Baltimore with Shelley Burgon ( Skirl) * 2008 ''Four Films'' (
Tzadik Tzadik ( ''ṣaddīq'' , "righteous ne; also ''zadik'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadīqīm'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ...
) * 2008 ''White with Foam'' (Ipecac) * 2016 '' Strength & Power'' with
Roswell Rudd Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer. Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...
,
Jamie Saft Jamie Saft is an American keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist and composer. He was born in New York City and raised a Conservative Judaism, Conservative Jew, and studied at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory, New England Conserva ...
, and Balázs Pándi ( RareNoiseRecords) * 2019 ''Nocturnes'' (Tzadik) * 2022 Trio-Convulsant avec Folie à Quatre's ''Séances'' with
Ches Smith Ches Smith is an American musician, whose primary instruments are drums, percussion, and vibraphone. He recorded and performed an album of his own solo percussion pieces entitled ''Congs for Brums'' (2006). In 2010 he released ''Noise to Men''. ...
,
Mary Halvorson Mary Halvorson (born October 16, 1980) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and guitarist from Brookline, Massachusetts. Among her many collaborations, she has: led a trio with and Ches Smith, and a quintet with the addition of Jon Iraba ...
, Carla Kihlstedt, Anna Webber, Oscar Noriega & Mariel Roberts (Pyroclastic)


As band member

With
Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California, in 1985. The band is known for its eclecticism, cycling through several musical genres, often within the course of a single song, including heavy metal, avant-garde ...
*1991 − ''
Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California, in 1985. The band is known for its eclecticism, cycling through several musical genres, often within the course of a single song, including heavy metal, avant-garde ...
'' (
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
) *1995 − '' Disco Volante'' (Warner Bros.) *1999 − ''
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
'' (Warner Bros.) *2020 − '' The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo'' (Ipecac) With
Secret Chiefs 3 Secret Chiefs 3 (or SC3) is an American experimental rock group led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance (of Mr. Bungle and formerly, Faith No More). Their studio recordings and tours have featured different lineups, as the group performs a wide ...
*1996 − '' First Grand Constitution and Bylaws'' With
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
*1999 − ''
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
'' *2001 − '' The Director's Cut'' *2002 − '' Millennium Monsterwork 2000'' (by The Fantômas Melvins Big Band) *2004 − '' Delìrium Còrdia'' *2005 − ''
Suspended Animation Suspended animation is the slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. States of suspended animation are common in micro-organisms and some plant tissue, such as seeds. Many animals, including l ...
'' *2008 − '' Live from London 2006'' DVD (by The Fantômas Melvins Big Band) With
Melvins Melvins (sometimes the Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Primarily a trio, they have also performed as a quartet, with eith ...
(Lite) *2006 − '' A Live History of Gluttony and Lust'' (electric bass for this album, double bass for all subsequent releases) *2012 − '' Freak Puke'' *2013 – '' Everybody Loves Sausages'' (on three songs, also sings on "Timothy Leary Lives") *2016 – '' Basses Loaded'' (on "Planet Destructo") With The Nels Cline Singers *'' Macroscope'' (Mack Avenue, 2014) With
Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Native Americans in the United States, Indian peoples and nations of North America, traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. Etymology The name comes from Powhatan langu ...
*2013 − ''Oddfellows'' *2021 – ''
Tonic Immobility Apparent death is a behavior in which animals take on the appearance of being dead. It is an immobile state most often triggered by a predatory attack and can be found in a wide range of animals from insects and crustaceans to mammals, birds, r ...
'' With Ahleuchatistas *2023 – ''Expansion'' (also on Trevor's label Riverworm Records]


As sideman

With
Erik Friedlander Erik Friedlander is an American cellist and composer based in New York City. A veteran of New York City's experimental downtown scene, Friedlander has worked in many contexts, but is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with sax ...
*'' Grains of Paradise'' (Tzadik, 2001) *'' Broken Arm Trio'' (Skipstone, 2008) *'' 50 Miniatures for Improvising Quintet'' (Skipstone, 2010) *'' Bonebridge'' (Skipstone, 2011) *'' Nighthawks'' (Skipstone, 2014) *'' Oscalypso'' (Skipstone, 2015) With
Eyvind Kang Eyvindur Y. Kang (born 23 June 1971) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. His primary instrument is viola, but has also performed on violin, tuba, keyboard instruments, keyboards and others. In addition to his solo work, Kang has w ...
*'' The Narrow Garden'' (Ipecac, 2012) With
Jamie Saft Jamie Saft is an American keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist and composer. He was born in New York City and raised a Conservative Judaism, Conservative Jew, and studied at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory, New England Conserva ...
*2009 – '' Black Shabbis'' With
John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...
*2000 − ''The Big Gundown'' – 15th Anniversary Special Edition *2001 − '' The Gift'' *2002 − '' Cobra: John Zorn's Game Pieces Volume 2'' *2002 − '' Filmworks XII: Three Documentaries'' *2002 − '' Filmworks XIII: Invitation to a Suicide'' *2003 − '' Filmworks XIV: Hiding and Seeking'' *2004 − '' 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 4'' with Electric Masada *2005 − '' Electric Masada: At the Mountains of Madness'' with Electric Masada *2005 − ''Filmworks Anthology – 20 Years of Soundtrack Music'' *2006 − '' Moonchild: Songs Without Words'' with Moonchild *2006 − '' Astronome'' with Moonchild *2007 − '' Six Litanies for Heliogabalus'' with Moonchild *2007 − '' Asmodeus: Book of Angels Volume 7'' with
Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, Rock music, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notab ...
*2008 − '' The Dreamers'' with The Dreamers *2008 − ''
The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...
'' with Moonchild *2009 − '' O'o'' with The Dreamers *2010 − '' Ipos: Book of Angels Volume 14'' with The Dreamers *2010 − '' Ipsissimus'' with Moonchild *2010 − '' Interzone'' *2010 − '' Filmworks XXIV: The Nobel Prizewinner'' *2010 − '' The Goddess – Music for the Ancient of Days'' *2011 − '' Nova Express'' with the Nova Quartet *2011 − '' At the Gates of Paradise'' *2011 − '' A Dreamers Christmas'' with The Dreamers *2012 − '' Templars: In Sacred Blood'' with Moonchild *2012 − '' Enigmata'' *2012 − '' Rimbaud'' *2012 − '' A Vision in Blakelight'' *2012 − ''
The Concealed ''The Concealed'' (subtitled ''Esoteric Secrets and Hidden Traditions of the East'') is an album composed by John Zorn. The album was released on Zorn's own label, Tzadik Records, in November 2012.
'' *2013 − '' Dreamachines'' with the Nova Quartet *2014 – '' On Leaves of Grass'' with the Nova Quartet *2014 – ''Valentine's Day'' *2014 − ''The Last Judgment'' *2015 – '' Pellucidar: A Dreamers Fantabula'' with The Dreamers *2015 − ''The True Discoveries of Witches and Demons'' *2015 − ''The Song Project Live at Le Poisson Rouge'' *2017 − ''The Garden of Earthly Delights'' *2018 − ''Insurrection'' *2018 − ''Salem, 1692'' *2019 − ''The Hierophant'' *2020 – ''Calculus'' With Jozef Dumoulin Trio *2011 − ''Rainbow Body'' with Jozef Dumoulin (Rhodes) and Eric Thielemans (drums) With the Rob Price Quartet *2004 − ''At Sunset'' with Ellery Eskelin and
Joey Baron Bernard Joseph Baron (born June 26, 1955 in Richmond, Virginia) is an American drummer best-known for working in avant-garde jazz with Bill Frisell and John Zorn. Music career Baron, who is of Jewish heritage, was born on June 26, 1955, in Ric ...
*2007 − ''I Really Do Not See the Signal'' with Jim Black replacing Baron With King Buzzo *2020 − ''Gift of Sacrifice'' (Ipecac)


Album collaborations

*1999 − ''PantyChrist'' by
Bob Ostertag Robert "Bob" Ostertag (born April 19, 1957) is an American musician, writer, and political activist based in San Francisco. He has published seven books, one feature film, a DVD, twenty-six albums, and collaborated with numerous musicians. Mus ...
, Justin Bond and Otomo Yoshihide *2004 − '' Eucademix'' by Yuka Honda


Guest appearances

*1994 − '' Dressing for Pleasure'' by
Jon Hassell Jon Hassell (March 22, 1937 – June 26, 2021) was an American trumpet player and composer. He was best known for developing the concept of "Fourth World" music, which describes a "unified primitive/futurist sound" combining elements of various w ...
& Bluescreen (on the songs "Villa Narco" and "Mati") *1996 − ''In These Great Times'' by John Schott *1996 − ''Trip Tease'' by Tipsy *1999 − ''Memory Is an Elephant'' by Tin Hat Trio *2000 − ''Helium'' by Tin Hat Trio *2002 − ''The Rabbi's Lover'' by Jenny Scheinman *2003 − ''Dimly Lit: Collected Soundtracks 1996–2002'' by Doug Wieselman *2004 − '' Eucademix ''by Yuka Honda *2004 − ''Shalagaster'' by Jenny Scheinman *2005 − ''Nihm'' by Okkyung Lee *2006 − ''Starlings'' by Billy Martin *2008 − '' Save Me from Myself'' by
Head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...
*2008 − '' Terror Syndrome'' by Terror Syndrome *2009 − ''Blackbird's Echo'' by Niobe


References


External links


Official website


on allaboutjazz.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Trevor 1968 births 20th-century American bass guitarists American experimental musicians American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American rock double-bassists American male double-bassists Avant-garde jazz musicians Guitarists from California Living people People from Eureka, California Singers from California Tzadik Records artists Fantômas (band) members Melvins members Mr. Bungle members Tomahawk (band) members 21st-century American double-bassists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant members The Nels Cline Singers members