Trevor Dunn

Trevor Dunn
Dunn performing in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Trevor Roy Dunn
Born	(1968-01-30) January 30, 1968 (age 56) Eureka, California, U.S.
Genres	Avant-garde, experimental, Avant-garde jazz, free jazz, free improvisation, heavy metal, alternative rock, punk rock, jazz-rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Bass guitar, double bass, vocals
Years active	1983–present
Labels	Ipecac, Tzadik
Website	trevordunn.net

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 St. Pauli Girl.^[1] He has since worked in an array of musical styles, including with saxophonist/composer John Zorn, Secret Chiefs 3 and with his own avant-garde jazz/rock ensemble Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant. He is also a member of the band Tomahawk.

Biography

Early life and career

After four years of studying the clarinet, Dunn began playing electric bass at the age of 13.^[2] His earliest musical influences included the Beach Boys, Blondie, Cheap Trick, and Kiss.^[3]

Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant

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 on percussion and Mary Halvorson on guitar.^[4]

Other works

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, Rova Saxophone Quartet, Sean Lennon, Suit of Lights, Rob Price Quartet, Tin Hat Trio, and Tipsy.^[5]

Bass guitars

• 1975 Fender P-Bass (his primary electric bass tuned to B-E-A-D for Fantômas)
• 1950's Czech Contrabass used with Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant, occasionally with Mr. Bungle and with King Buzzo
• 1991 Alembic 5-string Europa
• Ken Lawrence 5-string fretless
• Guild Ashbory
• 1966 Guild Starfire^[6]

Discography

As leader or co-leader

• 1996 Phillip Greenlief/Trevor Dunn with Phillip Greenlief (Evander)
• 1998 Trio-Convulsant's Debutantes & Centipedes with Ches Smith & Mary Halvorson (Buzz)
• 2004 Trio-Convulsant's Sister Phantom Owl Fish with Ches Smith & Mary Halvorson (Ipecac)
• 2005 untitled with Shelley Burgon (self-released)
• 2005 At Blim with Shelley Burgon (Audiobot)
• 2007 Baltimore with Shelley Burgon (Skirl)
• 2008 Four Films (Tzadik)
• 2008 White with Foam (Ipecac)
• 2016 Strength & Power with Roswell Rudd, Jamie Saft, and Balázs Pándi (RareNoiseRecords)
• 2019 Nocturnes (Tzadik)
• 2022 Trio-Convulsant avec Folie à Quatre's Séances with Ches Smith, Mary Halvorson, Carla Kihlstedt, Anna Webber, Oscar Noriega & Mariel Roberts (Pyroclastic)

As band member

With Mr. Bungle

• 1991 − Mr. Bungle (Warner Bros.)
• 1995 − Disco Volante (Warner Bros.)
• 1999 − California (Warner Bros.)
• 2020 − The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo (Ipecac)

With Secret Chiefs 3

• 1996 − First Grand Constitution and Bylaws

With Fantômas

• 1999 − Fantômas
• 2001 − The Director's Cut
• 2002 − Millennium Monsterwork 2000 (by The Fantômas Melvins Big Band)
• 2004 − Delìrium Còrdia
• 2005 − Suspended Animation
• 2008 − Live from London 2006 DVD (by The Fantômas Melvins Big Band)

With Melvins (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

• 2013 − Oddfellows
• 2021 – Tonic Immobility

With Ahleuchatistas

• 2023 – Expansion (also on Trevor's label Riverworm Records]

As sideman

With Erik Friedlander

• 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

• The Narrow Garden (Ipecac, 2012)

With Jamie Saft

• 2009 – Black Shabbis

With John Zorn

• 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
• 2008 − The Dreamers with The Dreamers
• 2008 − The Crucible 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
• 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
• 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, Justin Bond and Otomo Yoshihide
• 2004 − Eucademix by Yuka Honda

Guest appearances

• 1994 − Dressing for Pleasure by Jon Hassell & 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 − Starling by Billy Martin
• 2008 − Save Me from Myself by Head
• 2008 − Terror Syndrome by Terror Syndrome
• 2009 − Blackbird's Echo by Niobe

References

External links

• Official site
• Interview