{"id":6128,"date":"2015-05-21T21:44:05","date_gmt":"2015-05-21T21:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/?p=6128"},"modified":"2015-05-21T22:32:22","modified_gmt":"2015-05-21T22:32:22","slug":"david-torns-far-out-and-far-in-music-comes-to-milwaukee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/?p=6128","title":{"rendered":"Guitarist David Torn\u2019s far-out and far-in music goes on tour, with a new album"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Fb-Button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>
<\/fb:like><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

 <\/p>\n

\"david<\/p>\n

David Torn performing live recently at \u00a0SubCulture in New York City. Photo\u00a0<\/span>\u00a9 Claire Stefani<\/span><\/b>at <\/em><\/p>\n

David Torn plays at the The Jazz Estate in Milwaukee<\/strong><\/p>\n

Few guitarists can make their instrument sound larger more or expansive than David Torn. He\u2019s a self-described \u201cguitarist\/texturalist\u201d and his deeply resonating tones may remind some of Bill Frisell. But Torn\u2019s been doing this a bit longer and he coaxes his instrument into realms that neither Frisell nor any other plectrist can attain.<\/p>\n

But judge for yourself. Torn will perform solo at 8 p.m. Wednesday May 27 at The Jazz Estate, 2423 N. Murray Ave. in Milwaukee (414) 964-9932. http:\/\/jazzestate.com<\/a><\/p>\n

(Torn will also play in Denver on Friday, May 22; Minneapolis on Tuesday, May 26; and Chicago on\u00a0Friday, May 29. See tour list for details and more dates:http:\/\/www.davidtorn.net\/CMS\/news.html\u00a0<\/a><\/span>)<\/span>
\nTorn\u2019s music sounds far out and<\/em> far in. Yes, somewhat spacey but also deep inside —\u00a0 like the sound of your own central nervous system, or your heartbeat, or psyche, or even your soul. Perhaps no other guitarist \u2013 Jeff Beck aside —\u00a0 can conjure such a wealth of sonic wonder, strangeness, intimacy and beauty.<\/p>\n

This is Torn\u2019s first national tour in two decades. He\u2019s played on or composed many film soundtracks, including No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowski, Traffic, The Departed, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, <\/em>and \u00a0Hans and the Real Girl<\/em> and played on recordings by John Legend, David Bowie, Madonna, Tori Amos, k.d. lang, Laurie Anderson, Don Cherry and many others. He also produced Jeff<\/em>, a Grammy-winning album by Jeff Beck (who performs in Milwaukee on Friday, May 22).<\/p>\n

Torn\u2019s solo works include Best Laid Plans<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(1984),Cloud About Mercury<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(1986),\u00a0Door X<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(1990),\u00a0Tripping Over God<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(1995),\u00a0What Means Solid, Traveller?<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(1996), Splattercell<\/strong><\/a>‘s\u00a0Oah<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(2000), and the ECM release\u00a0Prezens<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(2007).<\/p>\n

Torn\u2019s guitar wizardry permeates his new ECM album only sky. <\/em>A tune like \u201cSpoke with Folks\u201d has a dipsy-do lyricism that recalls Frisell somewhat, but Torn radiates a more gleaming, metallic tone and fractures it into shards of varying textures that seem to surge and mutate from your speakers.<\/p>\n

\"David<\/p>\n

CD cover to David Torn’s new release “only sky,” Courtesy ECM Records.<\/em><\/p>\n

He also unfurls shimmering atmospheric backdrops to his guitar phrasing, which surprises with sonic smears of incalculable character at any given moment. Torn consistently seems to develop and unfold his pieces with a composed, if idiosyncratic, sense of purpose and form, though he sometimes rides a jazzy swagger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas a Cave\u2026 There\u201d sounds like a cave that was\u2026opening with echoes of a small tonal explosion, then a sequence of thick, sonic streaks, whirls and echoes that seem to breathe with a shared life force. \u00a0Around the three-minute mark, an enchanting circle of sound begins repeating, counterpointed by a more shaker-like texture. Over this, he finally layers spectral swatches of industrial noise.<\/p>\n

On the tune \u201cReaching Barely, Sparely Fraught,\u201d his broad melodic gestures have a slow, stately elegance that may charm even those who prefer mellow acoustic music.<\/p>\n

So what are some of his secrets? On only sky<\/em> he uses guitars, oud, loops, and effects pedals.<\/p>\n

\"torn<\/p>\n

David Torn, Photo\u00a0<\/span>\u00a9 Claire Stefani<\/span>at<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIn some real ways I don\u2019t think of myself as a \u201creal\u201d guitarist,\u201d he says, but rest assured, Torn can do many things that a \u201creal guitarist\u201d cannot, or wouldn\u2019t even imagine.<\/p>\n

Torn explains that he \u201cregularly abuses the instruments as an excuse, a conduit for creating music based upon summoning often poly sonic (and, polytonal) atmospheres, textures and all manner of moods. And I\u2019ve discovered a pallet that calls for the regular usage of \u2018interrupted devices.\u2019 For example, sampling and\/or processing Tim Berne\u2019s alto sax \u2013 via my guitars pickups and mics (then heard through my amplifier, mixed with the guitar sounds) — while in the midst of a so-called guitar solo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr bad electric guitar noise (like a 60-cycle hum, or a crackling cable, or a sliver of semi-chaotic singing bird feedback) might be folded into a repetitive rhythm guitar part, or included as a distinct component clearly compositional intent\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Torn puts words together a bit like he put sounds together, but his greatest gift is clearly the guitar in his hands. So perhaps it\u2019s best to let his music wash over you, and come away cleansed, yet a bit older and more experienced, in the sense that Jimi Hendrix famously queried about.<\/p>\n

_____________<\/p>\n

This article was originally published in OnMilwaukee.com<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  David Torn performing live recently at \u00a0SubCulture in New York City. Photo\u00a0\u00a9 Claire Stefaniat David Torn plays at the The Jazz Estate in Milwaukee Few guitarists can make their instrument sound larger more or expansive than David Torn. He\u2019s … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-www-kevernacular-com"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2hJWE-1AQ","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6128"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6175,"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6128\/revisions\/6175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}