David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping.

Background

Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse as

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

k.d. lang Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances. Hits include the s ...

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Ever ...

, Madonna,

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

Bill Bruford William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English former drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972, Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording ...

Tony Levin Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer, specializing in electric bass, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (since 1 ...

Mick Karn Andonis Michaelides (Greek: Αντώνης Μιχαηλίδης; 24 July 1958 – 4 January 2011), better known as Mick Karn, was an English-Cypriot musician and songwriter who rose to fame as the bassist for the art rock/ new wave band Japan. H ...

David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan. The band's androgynous look and increasingly ...

Chocolate Genius Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civi ...

Michael Shrieve Michael Shrieve (born July 6, 1949) is an American drummer, percussionist, and composer. He is best known as the drummer of the rock band Santana, playing on the band's first seven albums from 1969 to 1974. At age 20, Shrieve was the second you ...

, Steve Roach, Patrick O'Hearn, Andy Rinehart,

Matt Chamberlain Matthew Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American session musician, drummer, producer and songwriter. Biography Life and career Chamberlain was born in San Pedro, California on April 17, 1967. He began learning how to play the drums ...

Meshell Ndegeocello Michelle Lynn Johnson, better known as Meshell Ndegeocello (; born August 29, 1968), is a German-born American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on so ...

and

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

. In addition to his composition work, Torn's music has been featured in a wide variety of films, including '' Friday Night Lights'', ''

Velvet Goldmine ''Velvet Goldmine'' is a 1998 musical drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes from a story by Haynes and James Lyons. It is set in Britain during the glam rock days of the early 1970s, and tells the story of fictional bisexual pop star ...

'', ''

Adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

'', ''

The Big Lebowski ''The Big Lebowski'' () is a 1998 crime comedy film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler. He is assaulted as a result of mistaken i ...

'', ''

The Departed ''The Departed'' is a 2006 American epic crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan. It is both a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film ''Infernal Affairs'' and also loosely based on the real-life Boston Winter ...

'', ''

Fur Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...

'', ''

The Hoax ''The Hoax'' is a 2006 American comedy-drama film starring Richard Gere, directed by Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallström. The screenplay by William Wheeler is based on the book of the same title by Clifford Irving. It recounts Irving's elaborate ...

'', ''

Kalifornia ''Kalifornia'' is a 1993 American road thriller film directed by Dominic Sena, in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, and Michelle Forbes. The film tells the story of a journalist (Duchovny) a ...

'', ''

Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

'', '' Reversal of Fortune'', ''Tibet'', and ''

Three Kings The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the ...

.'' He studied with

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

(within the "Music for Young Composers" series), as well as with guitarists John Abercrombie,

Pat Martino Pat Martino (born Patrick Carmen Azzara; August 25, 1944 – November 1, 2021) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Biography Martino was born Patrick Carmen Azzara in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, to father Carmen "Mickey" ...

, Paul Weiss and Arthur Basile. Torn works out of his personal studios, known as ''Cell Labs''; occasionally, he uses the pseudonym "splattercell." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described Torn's 2015 solo release, '' Only Sky'', as " n abstract landscape that isboth immersive and deftly disorienting."

Biography

Torn was born in

Amityville, New York Amityville () is a Political subdivisions of New York State#Village, village near the Babylon (town), New York, Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island, in New Yo ...

, United States, he is married to Linda B. Brecht-Torn (b. 1952), is the son of Lawrence J. Torn (1926-2017) and Rhoda G. Torn (1927-2010), the father of electronic musician Elijah B. Torn (b. 1979) and Cody M. Torn (b. 1983). He is the brother of Marsha Torn and Linda Torn, and he was a cousin of actor Rip Torn (1931-2019), Angelica Torn (b. 1964), and

Ina Garten Ina Rosenberg Garten ( ; born February 2, 1948) is an American author, host of the Food Network program '' Barefoot Contessa'', and a former staff member of the Office of Management and Budget. Among her dishes are ''cœur à la crème'', celery ...

(The

Barefoot Contessa ''Barefoot Contessa'' is an American cooking show that premiered November 30, 2002, on Food Network, and is currently the oldest show on the network's daytime schedule. Hosted by celebrity chef Ina Garten, each episode features Garten assembli ...

). Torn began his career with the Ithaca-based jam band Zobo Funn Band in the 1970s, and rose to prominence as a member of The Everyman Band and

Jan Garbarek Jan Garbarek () (born 4 March 1947) is a Norwegian jazz saxophonist, who is also active in classical music and world music. Garbarek was born in Mysen, Østfold, southeastern Norway, the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war, Czesław ...

's quartet in the mid-1980s. He has recorded solo and group recordings for the ECM,

Windham Hill Windham Hill Records was an independent record label that specialized in instrumental acoustic music. It was founded by guitarist William Ackerman and Anne Robinson (née McGilvray) in 1976 and was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The label was ...

, CMP and 75 Ark labels. In the 1990s, Torn was diagnosed with an

acoustic neuroma A vestibular schwannoma (VS), also called acoustic neuroma, is a benign tumor that develops on the vestibulocochlear nerve that passes from the inner ear to the brain. The tumor originates when Schwann cells that form the insulating myelin sheath ...

, in his case, a life-threatening form of brain tumor. The surgery that followed left him deaf in the right ear but he remains able to compose, record, and play. He mixes many widely available recordings himself, although according to him this requires sitting sideways to the studio speakers and "visualising the stereo aspects of sound" in his head rather than experimenting with them by ear. In 2006, Torn's film score for '' Believe in Me'' won the Best Score-award at the Jackson Hole Film Festival. In 2003, his score for the film '' The Order'' was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. In 2007, Torn released '' Prezens'' with

Tim Berne Tim Berne (born October 16, 1954) is an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and record label owner. His primary instruments are the alto and baritone saxophones. Biography Berne was born in Syracuse, New York, United States. He has said that ...

. ''

Jazzwise ''Jazzwise'', launched in 1997, is the UK jazz monthly magazine. ''Jazzwise'' has a broad sub-genre coverage, from jazz, improv, hard bop, and jazz-rock to bebop and classic jazz, and also covers jazz crossover, including jazz-funk, jazz hip-h ...

'' called the album "a vibrating collage full of shimmering sonic shapes, a dark, urban electronic soundscape – a potent mix of jazz, free-form rock and technology that is both demanding and rewarding." In 2013, Torn performed as a guitarist on David Bowie's penultimate album, ''

The Next Day ''The Next Day'' is the 25th studio album by English musician David Bowie, released in March 2013. It was his first studio release in ten years, having retreated from public view after his 2004 heart attack. Co-produced by Bowie and longtime c ...

''—his third collaboration with the artist. The same year, Torn delivered a solo guitar performance and talk at

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...

Caltech 2013: The Brain. The presentation examined his brain tumor diagnosis and recovery.

Instruments and effects

As a session artist, composer, and producer, David Torn has experimented with many effects boxes, amplifiers, and instruments, and he has spoken with amplifier designers and pedal builders about their craft. In an interview with ''

Premier Guitar ''Premier Guitar'' is a media company devoted to guitarists. It is based in Marion, Iowa, and it's staff is focused on creating the best website, videos, podcasts, and print/digital magazine for gearheads around the world. Interviews have include ...

'' magazine following the release of his solo album ''Only Sky'', he shared an extensive list of the instruments and effects he uses. He plays a Ronin Mirari guitar with Foilbucker pickups and also lists a large number of amplifiers such as a Fryette Aether amplifier, and many guitar effects pedals including the

TC Electronic TC Electronic (sometimes stylized as t.c. electronic) is a Danish audio equipment company that designs and imports guitar effects, bass amplification, computer audio interfaces, audio plug-in software, live sound equalisers, studio and post-pr ...

Classic TC XII Phaser, Catalinbread Antichthon, DigiTech Whammy DT, and the Neunaber Stereo Wet Reverb.

Discography

As leader

* '' Best Laid Plans'' with Geoffrey Gordon (ECM, 1985) * ''

Cloud About Mercury ''Cloud About Mercury'' is the second album by guitarist David Torn, supported by Mark Isham, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford. It was recorded in 1986 and released on the ECM label in March 1987.

'' (ECM, 1987) * ''Door X'' (Windham Hill, 1990) * ''Polytown'' with

Terry Bozzio Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missing Perso ...

(CMP, 1994) * ''Tripping Over God'' (CMP, 1995) * '' What Means Solid, Traveller?'' (CMP, 1996) * '' Gtr Oblq'' with

Vernon Reid Vernon Alphonsus Reid (born 22 August 1958) is an English-born American guitarist and songwriter. Reid is the founder and primary songwriter of the rock band Living Colour, Reid was named No. 66 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's 2003 list of the ...

Elliott Sharp Elliott Sharp (born March 1, 1951) is an American contemporary classical composer, multi-instrumentalist, and performer. A central figure in the avant-garde and experimental music scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released ...

(Knitting Factory, 1998) * ''Oah'' as Spalttercell (CellDivision, 2000) * '' Prezens'' (ECM, 2007) * ''Levin Torn White'' with

& Alan White (Lazy Bones, 2011) * '' Only Sky'' (ECM, 2015) * ''Sun of Goldfinger'' with

& Ches Smith (ECM, 2019) * ''Fur/Torn'' (Screwgun, 2020) With

Everyman Band Everyman Band was an American jazz fusion group active in the early 1980s and featuring Marty Fogel on saxophones, Bruce Yaw on bass, Michael Suchorsky on drums and David Torn on guitar. The band's origins lay in Lou Reed's backing band in the late ...

* ''Everyman Band'' (ECM, 1982) * ''Without Warning'' (ECM, 1985)

As sideman

With

Bruford Levin Upper Extremities Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (B.L.U.E.) was a musical group consisting of drummer Bill Bruford, bassist Tony Levin, guitarist David Torn, and trumpeter Chris Botti. The group's origins can be traced to Torn's ECM Records album ''Cloud About ...

* ''

'' (Papa Bear, 1998) * ''

B.L.U.E. Nights ''B.L.U.E. Nights'' is a live album by Bruford Levin Upper Extremities, recorded on their 1998 tour in the United States, and released on Tony Levin's Papa Bear Records label in 2000. It features bassist Levin, guitarist David Torn, trumpeter Chri ...

'' (Papa Bear 2000) With

* '' Heathen'' (Columbia/ISO, 2002) * ''

Reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...

'' (Columbia/ISO, 2003) * ''

'' (Columbia/ISO, 2013) With

Mark Isham Mark Ware Isham (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician and film composer. A trumpeter and keyboardist, Isham works in a variety of genres, including jazz and electronic. He is also a film composer, having worked on numerous films and ...

* ''

Castalia Castalia ( grc, Κασταλία), in Greek mythology, was a naiad-nymph, a daughter of Achelous who inhabited the Castalian spring in Delphi. In older traditions, Castalian spring already existed by the time Apollo came to Delphi searching f ...

'' (Virgin, 1988) * ''Tibet'' (Windham Hill, 1989) * ''

'' (Virgin, 1990) * ''Reversal of Fortune'' (Milan, 1991) * ''Blue Sun'' (Columbia, 1995) With Patrick O'Hearn * ''Trust'' (Deep Cave, 1995) * ''Metaphor'' (Deep Cave, 1996) * ''So Flows the Current'' (Patrickohearn.com 2001) With

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto i ...

* ''Discord'' (Gut for Life 1997) * ''Cinemage'' (Sony, 1999) * ''Moto.tronic'' (Sony 2003) With

* ''

Secrets of the Beehive ''Secrets of the Beehive'' is a solo album by British singer-songwriter David Sylvian and it was released on 19 October 1987 (in Europe, UK and America). The album peaked at no.37 in the UK album chart. The album was released in Japan on 21 Nove ...

'' (Virgin, 1987) * ''Orpheus'' (Virgin, 1988) * ''Weatherbox'' (Virgin, 1989) * ''Everything and Nothing'' (Virgin, 2000) * ''Camphor'' (Virgin, 2002) With others *

, '' Scarlet's Walk'' (Epic, 2002) *

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

, '' Life on a String'' (Nonesuch, 2001) *

David Baerwald David Francis Baerwald (born July 11, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and musician. Career Baerwald first came to prominence in 1986 as one half of the duo David & David, with David Ricketts. David and David's sole album, ' ...

, ''David Baerwald Presents Hurlyburly'' (Lakeshore, 1999) * Cheryl Bentyne, ''Something Cool'' (Columbia, 1992) *

, '' Incidentals'' (ECM, 2017) * Tim Berne, ''The Sevens'' (New World/CounterCurrents, 2002) *

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disband ...

, '' Somethin Els'' (Esoteri, 2014) *

, ''

Black Music Black music is a sound created, produced, or inspired by black people, people of African descent, including African music traditions and African popular music as well as the music genres of the African diaspora, including Caribbean music, Lati ...

'' (V2, 1998) *

, '' It's OK to Listen to the Gray Voice'' (ECM, 1985) * Gongzilla, ''Thrive'' (Lolo, 1996) *

Happy Rhodes Happy Rhodes (born Kimberley Tyler Rhodes, August 9, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and electronic musician with a four-octave vocal range, releasing 11 albums between 1986 and 2007. Family Rhodes' maternal grand ...

, ''

Building the Colossus ''Building The Colossus'' (1994) is the eighth album by American singer-songwriter Happy Rhodes. Track listing All music, lyrics, voices, instruments and arrangements - Happy Rhodes (except as noted in credits) # "Hold Me" - 4:40 # "Just Like T ...

'' (Aural Gratification, 1994) * Steve Jansen &

Richard Barbieri Richard Barbieri (born 30 November 1957) is an English musician, composer and sound designer. Originally a member of new wave band Japan (and their brief 1989–1991 reincarnation as Rain Tree Crow), more recently he is known as the keyboard ...

, ''Stone to Flesh'' (Medium, 1995) *

Jarboe Jarboe Devereaux, known mononymously as Jarboe (), is an American singer and musician who came to prominence as a member of the New York City experimental rock band Swans in 1985. Jarboe and Michael Gira, the founder of Swans, were the two consta ...

, '' The Men Album'' (Atavistic, 2005) *

, ''Bestial Cluster'' (CMP, 1993) * Mick Karn, ''The Tooth Mother'' (CMP, 1995) *

Manu Katché Manu Katché (born 27 October 1958) is a French drummer and songwriter of Ivorian descent. He has worked extensively as a session musician, notably with Sting and Peter Gabriel, and his solo albums as a bandleader are largely in the jazz fusion ...

, ''

Playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

'', (ECM, 2007) *

Kaki King Kaki King (born Katherine Elizabeth King, August 24, 1979) is an American guitarist and composer. King is known for her percussive and jazz-tinged melodies, energetic live shows, use of multiple tunings on acoustic and lap steel guitar, and he ...

, ''

Legs to Make Us Longer ''Legs to Make Us Longer'' is the second album by American guitarist Kaki King, released in 2004. The songs "Frame" and "Doing the Wrong Thing" were featured in the film '' Into the Wild'' (2007). Reception In his review for Allmusic, critic T ...

'' (Red Ink, 2004) *

, '' Drag'' (Warner Bros., 1997) *

, '' Once Again'' (Sony/Columbia, 2006) *

, '' Waters of Eden'' (Narada/Virgin, 2000) *

Donna Lewis Donna Lewis (born August 1959) is a Welsh singer. She is best known for the 1996 pop hit single "I Love You Always Forever", which peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart, and also peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Aust ...

, ''Brand New Day'' (Palmetto, 2015) *

Mark Nauseef Mark Nauseef (born June 11, 1953), in Cortland, New York, is a drummer and percussionist who has enjoyed a varied career, ranging from rock music during the 1970s with his time as a member of the Ian Gillan Band and, temporarily with Thin Li ...

, ''Sura'' (CMP, 1983) * Mark Nauseef &

Miroslav Tadic Miroslav may refer to: * Miroslav (given name), a Slavic masculine given name * ''Young America'' (clipper) or ''Miroslav'', an Austrian clipper ship in the Transatlantic case oil trade * Miroslav (Znojmo District), a town in the Czech Republic S ...

, ''The Snake Music'' (CMP, 1994) *

, ''

Bitter Bitter may refer to: Common uses * Resentment, negative emotion or attitude, similar to being jaded, cynical or otherwise negatively affected by experience * Bitter (taste), one of the five basic tastes Books * '' Bitter (novel)'', a 2022 nove ...

'' (Maverick, 1999) *

The Pineapple Thief The Pineapple Thief are a British progressive rock band, started by Bruce Soord in 1999 in Somerset, England. History Early years Founder Bruce Soord started The Pineapple Thief as an outlet for his music back in 1999. Soord released the ...

, ''

Dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

'' (Kscope, 2018) * Robert Rich, ''

Seven Veils ''Seven Veils'' (1998) is an album by the United States, U.S. Ambient music, ambient musician Robert Rich (musician), Robert Rich. It is inspired by Arab culture and Arabic music, music. This album has a heightened emphasis on rhythms,Rich, "Seve ...

'' (Hearts of Space, 1998) * Andy Rinehart, ''Jason's Chord'' (CMP, 1993) *

Douglas September Douglas September, (born September 25, 1972, in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian musician. He is known for his poetic lyrics, as well as his innovative musical style that blends folk and blues with a caustic modern commentary. As a compos ...

, ''Ten Bulls'' (Gold Circle, 1998) *

, ''The Leaving Time'' (Novus/RCA 1988) * Michael Shrieve, ''Stiletto'' (Novus/RCA/BMG 1989) * Michael Whalen, ''Mysterious Ways'' (Koch, 2001) * David Wilcox, ''Blaze'' (What Are? 2014)

Film and television

* '' A Dangerous Woman'' – (musician) (1998) * ''

A Knight's Tale ''A Knight's Tale'' is a 2001 American medieval adventure comedy film written, co-produced and directed by Brian Helgeland. The film stars Heath Ledger as William Thatcher, a peasant squire who poses as a knight and competes in tournaments, win ...

'' – (musician) (2001) * ''

'' – (musician) (2002) * ''

Admission Admission may refer to: Arts and media * "Admissions" (''CSI: NY''), an episode of ''CSI: NY'' * ''Admissions'' (film), a 2011 short film starring James Cromwell * ''Admission'' (film), a 2013 comedy film * ''Admission'', a 2019 album by Florida s ...

'' – (musician) (2013) * ''

Airheads ''Airheads'' is a 1994 American comedy film written by Rich Wilkes, directed by Michael Lehmann, and starring Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Ernie Hudson, Michael McKean, Judd Nelson, Michael Richards, Amy Locane and ...

'' – (musician) (1994) * ''

Anvil! The Story of Anvil ''Anvil! The Story of Anvil'' is a 2008 Canadian rockumentary film about the Canadian heavy metal band Anvil. The film is directed by screenwriter Sacha Gervasi, in his directorial debut, and features interviews with other musicians who have be ...

'' – (composer: additional music) (2007) * '' Believe in Me'' – (composer) (2006) * ''

Blood Omen 2 ''Blood Omen 2'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows and GameCube. It is the fourth title in the '' Legacy of Kain'' series and is the sequ ...

'' – (musician) (2002) * '' Drumline: A New Beat'' – (composer) (2014) * '' Everything Must Go'' – (composer) (2011) * ''

Fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

'' – (musician) (1996) * '' Friday Night Lights'' – (composer) (2004) * ''

'' – (musician) (2006) * ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'' – The Power of Madonna (2010) (writer: "What It Feels Like for a Girl" - uncredited) * '' Heist'' – (musician) (2001) * ''

Howl Howl most often refers to: *Howling, an animal vocalization in many canine species *Howl (poem), a 1956 poem by Allen Ginsberg Howl may also refer to: Film * ''The Howl'', a 1970 Italian film * ''Howl'' (2010 film), a 2010 American arthouse b ...

'' – (musician) (2010) * ''

Jesus Henry Christ ''Jesus Henry Christ'' is a 2011 American comedy film based on Dennis Lee's student short film of the same name. It was released on April 20, 2012. The film was directed by Lee, who also penned the screenplay. The film was produced by Joseph Bocc ...

'' – (composer) (2011) * ''

'' – (musician) (1993) * ''

Lars and the Real Girl ''Lars and the Real Girl'' is a 2007 romantic comedy-drama film written by Nancy Oliver and directed by Craig Gillespie. It stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, and Patricia Clarkson. The film follows Lars (Gosling) ...

'' – (composer) (2007) * ''

Love Monkey ''Love Monkey'' is an American comedy-drama television series starring Tom Cavanagh. The series was created by Michael Rauch, based on the book of the same name, by Kyle Smith. It was a co-production of Paramount Television and Sony Pictures Te ...

'' – (composer) (2006) * ''

March of the Penguins ''March of the Penguins'' (French ''La Marche de l'empereur'' ; ) is a 2005 French feature-length nature documentary directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet, and co-produced by Bonne Pioche and the National Geographic Society. The documentary dep ...

'' – (musician) (2005) * ''

No Country for Old Men ''No Country for Old Men'' is a 2007 American neo-Western crime thriller film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel of the same name. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin, th ...

'' – (musician) (2007) * '' Rosewater'' - (electric guitar) (2015) * ''

S1M0NE ''Simone'' (stylized as ''S1M0̸NE'') is a 2002 American satirical science fiction film written, produced, and directed by Andrew Niccol. It stars Al Pacino, Catherine Keener, Evan Rachel Wood, Rachel Roberts, Jay Mohr, and Winona Ryder. Th ...

'' – (musician) (2003) * ''

Saint John of Las Vegas ''Saint John of Las Vegas'' is a 2009 American comedy-drama film starring Steve Buscemi, Romany Malco, and Sarah Silverman. St. John of Las Vegas was the first film released by IndieVest Pictures, a subsidiary of IndieVest. The film, directed a ...

'' – (composer) (2009) * ''

Smoke Signals The smoke signal is one of the oldest forms of long-distance communication. It is a form of visual communication used over a long distance. In general smoke signals are used to transmit news, signal danger, or to gather people to a common area ...

'' – (musician) (1998) * '' Snake Eyes'' – (musician) (1998) * '' StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm'' - (composer) (2013) * '' Storyville'' - (musician) (1992) * ''

Teenage Paparazzo ''Teenage Paparazzo'' is a 2010 documentary film about the life and times of a 14-year-old Paparazzi photographer named Austin Visschedyk. It was directed by actor Adrian Grenier and produced by Bert Marcus, Adrian Grenier and Matthew Cooke. Film ...

'' – (composer) (2010) * ''

That Awkward Moment ''That Awkward Moment'' (released as ''Are We Officially Dating?'' in Australia, Indonesia, and New Zealand) is a 2014 American bromantic comedy drama film written and directed by Tom Gormican in his directorial debut. The film stars Zac Efron ...

'' – (composer) (2014) * '' The Beatles: Eight Days a Week'' - (original song) (2016) * ''

'' – (musician) (1998) * ''

The Craft (film) ''The Craft'' is a 1996 American teen supernatural horror film directed by Andrew Fleming from a screenplay by Peter Filardi and Fleming and a story by Filardi. The film stars Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True. It follows ...

'' - (musician) (1996) * ''

'' – (musician) (2006) * ''

The Fifth Estate (film) ''The Fifth Estate'' is a 2013 biographical thriller film directed by Bill Condon about the news-leaking website WikiLeaks. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as its editor-in-chief and founder Julian Assange and Daniel Brühl as its former ...

'' - (guitarist) (2013) * ''

The Lincoln Lawyer ''The Lincoln Lawyer'' is a 2005 novel, the 16th by American crime writer Michael Connelly. It introduces Los Angeles attorney Mickey Haller, half-brother of Connelly's mainstay character Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch. It was adapted as ...

'' – (musician) (2011) * '' The Order'' – (composer) (2003) * '' The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn'' – (musician) (2012) * ''

The Wackness ''The Wackness'' is a 2008 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Jonathan Levine and starring Josh Peck, Ben Kingsley, Mary-Kate Olsen, Famke Janssen, and Olivia Thirlby. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classi ...

'' – (composer) (2008) * ''

'' – (musician) (1999) * ''

'' – (musician) (2000) * ''

Twilight Twilight is light produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, when the Sun is below the horizon, which illuminates the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. The word twilight can also refer to the periods of time when this il ...

'' – (musician) (2008) * ''

'' – (musician) (1998) * Wonderstruck - (musician) (2017)

References

External links

Official site
*
short film portrait on David Torn and his work with ECM Records (2020), shot in his Bearsville studio in 2019

''Electronic Musician'' profile (2001)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torn, David 1953 births Living people American male composers 20th-century American composers Avant-garde jazz musicians ECM Records artists Windham Hill Records artists People from Amityville, New York Guitarists from New York (state) American male guitarists American people of Austrian descent American people of German descent American people of Moravian-German descent 20th-century American guitarists Bruford Levin Upper Extremities members 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians

Background

Biography

Instruments and effects

Discography

As leader

As sideman

Film and television

References

Further reading

External links