Trevor Dunn’s Trio-Convulsant ‘Séances’ | Album Premiere | Interview
Exclusive album premiere of Trevor Dunn’s Trio-Convulsant ‘Séances’, out today via Pyroclastic Records.
Bassist/Composer Trevor Dunn reconvenes and expands his genre-blurring Trio-Convulsant for the first time in 18 years with a startlingly inventive new album.
Following up the Surrealism-inspired trio’s obscure 1998 debut ‘Debutantes & Centipedes’ with Sister Phantom Owl Fish, Dunn had reconfigured Trio-Convulsant with a pair of promising but then relatively unknown new voices: guitarist Mary Halvorson and drummer/percussionist Ches Smith. In the 18 years since, Halvorson and Smith have established themselves as two of the most innovative and acclaimed figures in modern jazz and creative music, while Dunn has embarked on a stunning array of venturesome projects, including a recent reunion of Mr. Bungle, membership in bands including Endangered Blood, SpermChurch, Dan Weiss’ Starebaby, and the Nels Cline Singers, stints in weirdo-rock outfits Fantômas (with Bungle co-founder Mike Patton, the Melvins’ Buzz Osborne, and Slayer’s Dave Lombardo), Tomahawk and the Melvins; and collaborations with the likes of John Zorn, Wendy Eisenberg, Kris Davis, Jamie Saft, Shelley Burgon, Roswell Rudd and Erik Friedlander, among others.
With Trio-Convulsant’s long-awaited follow-up, ‘Séances,’ Dunn draws together those various threads into his most ambitious and deliriously inventive work to date.
“I was stubborn about pursuing the concept”
It’s really fantastic to have you, how are you doing in this post pandemic, middle of the war period? Do you think the music industry will adapt to it?
Trevor Dunn: Musicians have been adapting to all kinds of obstacles for a long time. I’m reminded of Messiaen composing Quartet For The End Of Time with the four instruments he had at his disposal while being a prisoner of war. I think it’s also important to say that musicians are not the industry. The industry is another entity. In the digital age we, as musicians, are sometimes forced to play the industry game but even then it is a means to survival. I am personally doing well and have a lot of gratitude as to why. Anyway, regardless of how sales go, how marketing proceeds or who is deemed important this or that week, music will continue to flourish in the crevices where it always has.
‘Séances’ is hard to describe. A jazz metal album inspired by tales of an 18th-century French religious sect. Would you mind elaborate on the concept behind it? What initiated the original idea?
I take it as a compliment that it’s hard to describe. I’ll never understand why some think of this album in terms of metal. It has zero to do with metal, and frankly, very little to do with jazz. Both genres inform much of what I do, but the outcome is its own thing. I don’t think it’s really worth describing. The only way to know it is to listen to it. The extensive liner notes included in the CD explain the concept of religious hysteria that prompted my vague narrative.
“The best bandleaders allow for objectivity”
You have a stellar lineup of musicians featuring Mary Halvorson, Ches Smith, Anna Webber, Carla Kihlstedt, Mariel Roberts and Oscar Noriega, what was the energy between you in the studio?
I had worked with almost everyone before, as they had with each other, so as often is the case with adept and open-minded musicians, the energy is collaborative, supportive and inspiring. I did my best to be a band leader while giving everyone the opportunity to express themselves musically. The best bandleaders allow for objectivity.
Can you share some further details on how it was recorded?
We spent a total of three days in the studio. The quartet was situated together in the main room while the bass, drums and guitar were isolated. We had rehearsed a couple times beforehand, but as you pointed out, this is a stellar lineup, so we managed to get what we needed with only a few takes. I did some minor editing then spent a week mixing it.
The album is very complex. Was it difficult to get all the material together?
I sometimes find it difficult to get two notes together. Other times material just falls out of me. This particular project nagged at me for several years before it started to show itself. I was stubborn about pursuing the concept despite the reluctance of the muse, if you will. Aside from that, I still hand write my charts, so that is time-consuming, but also fun, and a part of the entire process.
How do you usually approach music making and was it this time any different?
Sometimes I have to book myself the time to write — literally schedule it in my calendar and stick to a regiment, turn down gigs, turn off my phone, et cetera. Other times I’ll be practicing classical technique on upright bass and suddenly an interesting bass part will manifest. I also make sure to write on different instruments such as guitar or keyboard, to get away from my own muscle memory and habits. This time was no different and included all of the above.
How come it took some many years to restart Trevor Dunn’s Trio-Convulsant?
I guess you could say I’ve been busy. Since the last record in 2004, ‘Sister Phantom Owl Fish,’ I’ve been involved in over 50 recordings including my rock band MadLove, some film music, a collection of chamber music and the reconfiguration of Mr. Bungle. I also play music as my livelihood and frankly, my own personal projects tend to not be lucrative. That’s just the standard for many musicians.
Looking back, who influenced your playing the most and did influences change during the years?
I can’t begin to list influences. Suffice it to say, I am influence by everything, including bad music, art that I don’t like, human behavior, literature about suicide, bad social choices, noise, medieval chant, hiking, vows of silence and drunken texts. Scott LaFaro and Ray Brown were big influences on my upright playing. Jaco and Paul Jackson for electric. Those never change. I’m always learning.
What other musical activities have you undertaken lately?
I started a micro DIY label called Riverworm Records and have recently put out a few things that I’ve done lately including SpermChurch (featuring electronic musician Sannety), a duo with Buzz Osborne, a duo with Phillip Greenlief and a trio record with the band Ahleuchatistas. I’ve also been playing in Sally Gates’ band Titan To Tachyons, and working on more film music as well as a singer/songwriter album which will see the light of day in 2023.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
Here’s a list of things I’ve been digging: Buke and Gase, Liederkreis (Judith Berkson), Puce Mary, François Couperin, Grischa Lichtenberger, Rebecca Saunders, Rozalie Hirs, FKA Twigs, Senyawa, Konono Nr. 1, Sae Hashimoto, Brandon Lopez, Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, and a lot of gospel music from Alabama.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: @genmonrophotography
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