Trevor Dunn

Trevor Roy Dunn (born January 30, 1968) is an American bassist and composer. He came to prominence in the 1990s with the experimental band Mr. Bungle. While performing with Mr. Bungle, he would dress similar to the St. Pauli Girl. He has since worked in an array of musical styles, including with saxophonist/composer John Zorn, in Mr. Bungle guitarist Trey Spruance's Secret Chiefs 3, and with his own avant-garde jazz/rock ensemble Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant. He is also a member of the bands Fantômas and Tomahawk alongside Mr. Bungle frontman Mike Patton.

Career

After four years of studying the clarinet, Dunn began playing electric bass at the age of thirteen. His earliest musical influences included the Beach Boys, Blondie, Cheap Trick and Kiss. He later studied classical double bass at Humboldt State University.

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) included a new lineup, with Dunn joined by Ches Smith on percussion and Mary Halvorson on guitar. Séances (2022), a concept album inspired by the Convulsionnaires of Saint-Médard and credited to "Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant avec Folie à Quatre", features Halvorson and Smith alongside violinist/violist Carla Kihlstedt, flautist Anna Webber, clarinetist Oscar Noriega, and cellist Mariel Roberts.

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 also 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.

Instruments 1975 Fender Precision Bass (his primary electric bass; tuned to B-E-A-D for Fantômas) 1950s Czech double bass 1991 Alembic Europa 5-string Ken Lawrence 5-string fretless Guild Ashbory 1966 Guild Starfire

Discography

As leader or co-leader 1996 Phillip Greenlief/Trevor Dunn with Phillip Greenlief (Evander) 1998 Trio-Convulsant's Debutantes & Centipedes with Adam Levy & Kenny Wollesen (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) 2026 Nethering with Colin Stetson and Greg Fox (Envision)

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 (bass guitar; double bass for all subsequent releases) 2012 − Freak Puke (Melvins Lite) 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 (Riverworm)

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 Andrew D'Angelo Skadra Degis (Skirl, 2008) Norman (2014)

With Chris Speed Endangered Blood (Skirl, 2010) Endangered Blood: Work Your Magic (Skirl, 2013)

With Curtis Hasselbring The New Mellow Edwards (Skirl, 2006) The New Mellow Edwards: Big Choantza (Skirl, 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 bonus tracks only) 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 − Starlings by Billy Martin 2008 − Save Me from Myself by Head 2008 − Terror Syndrome by Terror Syndrome 2009 − Blackbird's Echo by Niobe