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. 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.

Early life and career

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

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.

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.

• 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]] and occasionally with Mr. Bungle
• 1991 Alembic 5-string Europa
• Ken Lawrence 5-string fretless
• Guild Ashbory
• 1966 Guild Starfire

As leader or co-leader

• 1996 Phillip Greenlief/Trevor Dunn with Phillip Greenlief (Evander)
• 1999 Debutantes & Centipedes (Buzz)
• 2004 Sister Phantom Owl Fish (Ipecac)
• 2005 untitled with Shelley Burgon (self-released)
• 2005 At Blim with Shelley Burgon (Audiobot)
• 2007 Baltimorewith Shelley Burgon (Skirl)
• 2008 Four Films (Tzadik)
• 2008 White with Foam (Ipecac)
• 2016 Strength & Power (RareNoiseRecords)
• 2019 Nocturnes (Tzadik)

As band member

With Mr. Bungle

• 1991 − Mr. Bungle (Warner Bros.)
• 1995 − Disco Volante (Warner Bros.)
• 1999 − California (Warner Bros.)

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

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
• 2015 – Pellucidar: A Dreamers Fantabula with The Dreamers

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

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