''Sister Phantom Owl Fish'' is an album by bassist
Trevor Dunn
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. While performing with Mr. Bungle, Dunn would dress similar to the ...
's band
trio-convulsant which was released in 2004 on the
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 ipecac ...
label.
Reception
On
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
, Sean Westergaard observed "The music they play is not so much a fusion of styles as it is a collision of styles. Almost straight-ahead jazz noodling gives way to hardcore blasts and crunching power chords, then completely devolves into
Derek Bailey territory, but the band is always together. You can tell that some of it is quite composed, and that other sections are most likely entirely improvised. ... If you've been following Trevor Dunn's widely varied career as a player, you know he's got a sense of adventure, and ''Sister Phantom Owl Fish'' will not disappoint".
In
JazzTimes
''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store.
Coverage
After a decade of grow ...
Chris Kelsey wrote "its heavy-metal, jump-cut, rebel-without-a-cause aesthetic just leaves me cold. Bassist Dunn, guitarist Mary Halvorson and drummer Ches Smith are all very accomplished musicians, and I'm sure they feel very strongly about their work. But I can't abide it".
Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
's Chris Gramlich said "''Sister Phantom Owl Fish'' features structured jazz runs, plucked single notes, atonal scratching, noodling lines building to freak-outs, moments of improv, vaguely metal power chording, impressive playing from all three involved".
[Gramlich, C]
Exclaim! Review
December 1, 2004
Track listing
All compositions by Trevor Dunn except where noted.
# "Liver-Colored Dew" – 6:00
# "The Empty Glass Has a Name" – 4:42
# "Specter of Serling" – 6:12
# "Me Susurra un Secreto" – 1:45
# "Dawn's Early Vengeance" – 5:41
# "The Single Petal of a Rose" (
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was ba ...
,
Billy Strayhorn
William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include " Tak ...
) – 6:32
# "The Salamander" – 6:08
# "She Ossifies" – 8:24
# "Styrofoam & Grief" – 6:41
# "I'm Sick" (
André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieve ...
) – 2:50
# "Untitled" – 1:00
Personnel
*
Trevor Dunn
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. While performing with Mr. Bungle, Dunn would dress similar to the ...
–
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gu ...
*
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 Irabag ...
– guitar
*
Ches Smith
Gordon McChesney "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 release ...
– drums
*Shelley Burgon –
harp (track 6)
References
{{Authority control
2004 albums
Trevor Dunn albums
Ipecac Recordings albums