Trey Gunn & David Forlano - 2025 - Select Habits of Invertebrates

(49:00; 7d Media)






















I have long been a fan of Trey Gunn  and his 10-string touch guitar, as he been challenging the boundaries of what is possible with the likes of Fripp, Reuter and others in bands such as King Crimson and Tu-Ner. His inventiveness appears to know no bounds, and he is always looking for new people to work with and assist him in his quest and here we find him with David Forlano who provides electronics, EWI, alto saxophone, wood flute and bells. Forlano is a new name to me, but apparently he used to often team up with percussionist Toshi Makihara for improvisational performances, but in 2005 he took a 10-year sabbatical from all performance and sound work, coming back to it with renewed enthusiasm.

Recorded live in Santa Fe in two sessions towards the end of 2024, there is definitely a coming together of two very different minds, each taking the lead when the time is right, but given the way they are composing live, and then adding additional layers, one never knows where the music is going to lead, as neither does those performing it. I have been listening far more to this style of music in recent years, and it is definitely something which a newcomer will not appreciate as there is often a lack of repetition or standard structure, sometimes no real melody. However, for those prepared to sit and listen this becomes something quite unworldly, like an art installation for the ears, and one can certainly imagine this being played in a gallery like the Tate Modern.

It is dramatic, and when played on headphones it is all encompassing as we embrace the unknown, willing to be take on a journey, even if there is no knowledge of the final destination or how we will get there. This is a compelling piece of work, and I can only hope we hear more from these sound painters in the near future. 

Kev Rowland, January 2026

Links:
http://www.treygunn.com/
https://7dmedia.com/

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