Customer Reviews

Prezens (Ocrd)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

To roughly paraphrase an axiom: one's judgments about something say as much about you as about the thing being judged.

If you buy this CD expecting jazz, you might be disappointed. This doesn't adhere to most concepts of jazz. Even the most crucial element of jazz - improvisation - has been mediated by Torn's production and manipulation.

Torn is no longer simply a guitarist on this album. His guitar playing is not always the foreground, and varies between texture and soloing; his blowing chops here are largely in the 'rock' idiom. Here he is the producer and auteur; besides playing the guitar, he 'plays' loopers, samplers, the mixing board, and lots of electronic devices. The band tracks on the disc have been edited, chopped, mangled, distorted, looped, etc., to suit Torn's compositional sense. Teo Macero did a similar thing to Miles' Bitches Brew sessions; that end result was as much Teo's as Miles'. (Apparently, reading the reviews here, Prezens shares a little of Brew's ability to provoke, as well.)

There is little in the way of conventional form here; Torn's choices of juxtapositions and assembly will require a lot of digestion on the part of the listener. There is also little in the way of conventional melody or harmony, but there is a detectable flow of events. In many places it's hard to discern the original source playing from Torn's production. If I have a gripe about it (so far), it would be in allowing more of the individual playing, and less of Torn's assembly. But that would change everything. (That, and sometimes I wanted to hear more clarity and detail in the drum sound.)

Let me approach it Rumsfeld-style:
Is it jazz? In my opinion, not really. But I can't think of any label that fits it.
Is the playing good? Yes.
Is it fun to listen to? For me, yes.
Is it rich, fulfilling, satisfying? So far, for me, yes - there is a lot of content here to take in, and it won't all be revealed in two or six hearings.

David Torn is a sound painter similar to Steve Tibbetts. What attracted me to "Prezens" is David's specialized abilities to provide music as he sees it in his mind. As a listener we are forced to try to figure out what was on David's mind at the time of the recording. On the other hand, what David has created is 110 percent original and originality is what I personally like.

I didn't have any specific expectations of what I should hear as this is David's first ECM recording in over 20 years. I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised to hear how wonderful this music is, its expansive mood and sound.

The album contains a series of sound morphing and natural improvised playing. He mixes elements of hard rock, jazz funk, electronic music, and an overall jazz metaphore. This is an adventurous and atmospheric album.

I highly recommend "Prezens"

"Definitions have vanished"

That's what the unidentified speaking voice repeats in the second track, "Rest & Unrest" (along with other phrases from the "Faith Mind Sutra"), and that line perfectly describes the music throughout this album.

Until recently I was unfamiliar with David Torn. I bought this CD on somewhat of a lark, after it popped up as an Amazon recommendation, and it's my best discovery in a long time. It has been on heavy rotation on my stereo since.

Trying to pidgeon-hole this one into any category or style is impossible. The music moves through all kinds of styles (and simultaneous mixes thereof), sometimes gradually and seamlessly, sometimes with very abrupt transitions. He'll go from ethereal Frippertronics to a grinding Black Sabbath-like metal fuzztone before you know what hit you. Melodic jazz, rock, electronica and minimalist elements meld with noises and sound effects into one. A couple of the tracks are short and focus on one or two main ideas, whereas the longer tracks really are like journeys through an ever-changing landscape. He doesn't necessarily sound like them , but fans of guitarists with a "no boundaries" attitude like Robert Fripp, Nels Cline, Elliott Sharpe, and Fred Frith should definitely check this out.

Ahhh, some good explorative jazz!
This album can do many things...
1. Unintentionally scare my girlfriend.
2. Make me stop and space out to those ethreal soft sections.
3. Clinch my teeth and sway to Torn's explosive solos on a couple of the tracks.
4. Knock the Wax out you ears.
5. Make the dog look at you funny.

Torn's "Cloud About Mercury" is pure Musical Zazen to me.
Prezens is even more out there, but for fans of this genre it should be sheer joy...and at least several Minutes of Pure Entertainment.

This Torn recording is closer to the likes of his ECM 1978 solo recording. If you are familiar with his work with Bowie and are expecting that, YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED! David Torn is a musician's musician. This recording is often distorted in a free style kind of way... but it is not a grossly improvisational album. When I bought this album, I did not know what to expect. From his early days with ECM to his mid-eighties almost pop period to his exceptional studio work, I have come to appreciate Torn's "Unpredictability". From a technical perspective, this record is amazing and I do give it am overall 5 star rating. At times the sound is distorted guitars with a free style interplay amoungst the players. It often borders on the Avant-Guard yet the style almost bites you at times!
Not for the bubble gum crowd but AN EXCELLENT SPIN!

I am going to give this one time to sink in. In the liner notes it states that the album was recorded March 2005. I am presuming Torn's permutations of the recorded material must have been well thought out given the time interval between recording, manipulation, and release. Allow this work to evolve over time, and I am confident that you will be rewarded.

For the few assembled here there seems still to be some confusion about whether music is sound and whether sound is music. (No apologies or allusions extended to Julie Andrews or the fantasy of Austria in Wartime). Folks, the issue was settled many, many years ago. If you still need the assurances of the transitional work of players like Frisell, stay away. If you comprehend the well-beyond this work of players like Leo Abrahams, come on in. But whatever you do, don't pretend there's some controversy at work. Torn does a fantastic job of reeling in the outer reaches of exploratory musics and placing the figurative and abstract within reach of the still traditional notions people seem to think they comprehend about music. So, listen a little above your head, and learn something. Prezens is as good a place to start as many other.

'Prezens' is a gem of an experimental piece of eclectic, avant-garde jazz.

David integrates studio technique & real time playing with sampling and surgically precise electronic manipulation. I can understand why someone would not appreciate the apparent lack of f-l-o-w to the compositions...

...BUT I would also say that THAT crowd should play it safe and listen to Elton John or Billy Joel: safe, predictable and totally boring.

I played trumpet for 12 years and can improvise a bit myself. I say that because the ability to listen intensely to what's going on behind the music is a skill needed for Torn's latest offering. I've enjoyed and, mathematically, followed the flow of each Avant-Garde musical structure contained on Prezens via headphone as well as in my car. In fact, I took the long, meandering way home from work last week, in order to listen to 3 of the tracks again: 'Neck Deep...', 'Ever More Other' & 'Ring for Endless Travel'.

If you dig the likes of Ornette Coleman's 'Song X', Bill Frisell's 'Unspeakable'. Medeski-Martin & Woods 'Friday Afternoon...' or edgier stuff by Triosk or Jan Jelinek, then this disc is for you. If not, again, stick to more "traditional" fare.

As for me, I'm gonna' give it another listen right NOW!

David Torn's Prezens is my all time favorite avant garde recording. I have always enjoyed his work, but I was totally blown away when I first played this CD. Is it Jazz? is it Metal? is it Fusion? Is it Blues? It is all of these things and none of these things. Torn is a master and with the help of Tim Berne(alto sax),Craig Taborn(Fender Rhodes,Hammond B3,Mellotron) Tom Rainey(Drums) plus a little(oh who am I kidding) alot of Mr. Torn's beautiful sound manipulation, he has created his greatest work.

Incredulous that this could be called a 'failure' by anyone's measure! I'm listening to it now and it's brilliant.