The receptive listener is likely to credit Torn with seeking novel means of guitaristic expression: He employs plenty of contemporary technology, is untrammellled by conventional notions of technique and tunefulness, and treats both guitar and music with brash irreverence; at times he sounds as if he’s throttling the instrument rather than playing it.
On the other hand, the informed guitar specialist will be aware of a number of precedents which make Torn’s music seem familiar. At times, he uses what appears to be a guitar synthesiser to sound like Bill Frisell, while on other occasions one is reminded of Allan Holdsworth. Removable Tongue displays elements of Rowe-ish/Bailey-ish ‘under the strings’ playing, with much overdriven guitar being used to produce what sounds like a cross between a deranged morse-code signal, Jimi Hendrix and the theme from The Lone Ranger. The title track features shades of baroque. The overall result is a bizarre variety of moods, ranging from the eerily impressionistic to the pugilistic and atonal.
Gordon’s role in the music is not so clear. Sometimes, as on The Hum, he holds a fairly regular pulse, but more often than not, he opts for a mobile commentary on Torn’s escapades. In parts, the guitarist appears to overdub some counterpoint, but frequently the listener has to use his imagination and supply his own. Unfortunately, the same sense of incompleteness tends to apply to the record as whole: It evokes moods and images, but doesn’t offer a complete and lucid picture.
Discography
Before The Bitter Wind; Best Laid Plans; The Hum Of Its Parts; Removable Tongue (20.00) – In The Fifth Direction; Two-Face Flash; Angle Of Incidents (21.40)
David Torn (g); Geoffrey Gordon (pc). Recorded in Oslo, July 1984.
(ECM 1284)
