ONLY SKY

My first encounter with David Torn was also an ECM album - Cloud About Mercury. I actually found it used sometime shortly after it's release in 1986. I didn't know who David Torn was but was well aware of his fellow bandmates - Mark Isham, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford. He might be better know by some as a gueest musician. He's worked with Tori Amos, Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, Happy Rhodes, Jeff Beck, and David Sylvian to name a few. Also had a more prominent role in Bruford Levin Upper Extremeties; Levin Torn White; as well as leading up Torn, Karn, and Bozzio.

For those who are acquainted with Torn as a guest musician he does have a fairly trademark style that once you get to know you will recognise even if you don't already know he's on as a guest musician.

As far as I know this is his only true solo project to date. He plays guitar and an electric oud (a guitar like instrument used in middle eastern and mediterranean music). No credit is given to whatever he's using for his loops.

The music is played solo without overdubs as near as I can tell. It's very ambient and should certainly be of interest to people who like Robert Fripp's solo guitar works.

3.5 stars. I'm really on the fence with this one as far as the rating. It's a long one at over 76 minutes, and it's David Torn doing it all. So we get electric guitar and some electric oud and that's it. But this is Torn and when I say "...and that's it" well he is more than enough being the soundscape master. It's also very ambient but with some powerful sections here and there. No drums or bass but there is that one track "I Could Almost See The Room" where he generates a beat and that is the most interesting track on here. Experimental at times and hey some upfront guitar late which is appreciated.

As much as I already appreciated Torn's solo albums "Cloud About Mercury" and "Prezens" along with BRUFORD LEVIN UPPER EXTREMITIES, it was really his work with SONAR that put him on the map for me. Stephan Thelen and the ultra talented musicians that take part in that band have really opened up a whole world of music for me. Moving me to pick up a lot of music that many of these guys are on that I wouldn't have done previous. "Only Sky" was released in 2015 and I like the photo that is the cover art. Living on a beach where I have spent countless hours hanging out over the years is my connection to it.

So we get nine tracks, and really four of them standout including the one I already mentioned, so lets talk about the other three songs. The opener "At Least There Was Nothing" features waves of sound until after 5 1/2 minutes we get a guitar melody but not for long as those waves return at 6 minutes. A beautiful opener. "Was A Cave, There..." at almost 13 minutes has some powerful guitar sounds and is quite experimental. This might be my favourite. Headphone music. Lastly "Reaching Barely, Sparsely Fraught" at 13 1/2 minutes is another powerful piece with gorgeous sounding guitar with depth.

I much prefer "Prezens" that he did with a band that also features lots of soundscape music. Still, there's so much about this record that draws me into Torn's unique musical world.