(7d Media)

 www.treygunn.com

Multi-instrumentalist Trey Gunn's time spent swinging unique instruments like the Chapman Stick and the Warr "touch" guitar alongside Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew in King Crimson has served the artist well. The experience has honed his already considerable instrumental chops, and expanded Gunn's admittedly ambitious musical palette. Although often pigeonholed as a progressive rock artist, or maybe even as "avant-garde," the truth may be that Gunn is just adventuresome. As likely to incorporate elements of Eastern or African percussion alongside jazz-fusion and Eno-esque ambient landscapes in creating his unique sound, as a listener you never know where Gunn is headed until you arrive.  

Gunn's Music For Pictures is an inspired collection of 29 miniature scores created by Gunn for various multi-media projects, including film and video work; few of these imaginative pieces run much longer than a minute or two in length, and most are instrumental compositions. Featuring percussion courtesy of drummers Matt Chamberlin (Bill Frisell, Tori Amos) and Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson, XTC) and, of course, Gunn's stringed arsenal, the songs on Music For Pictures are intriguing in spite of their varied styles and brevity.

For instance, "Bridge Over a Red Sky" is an infectious, percussion-driven mecha-rocker with wiry, Fripp-styled fretwork, while "Nausicaa" is a claustrophobic dreamscape with vaguely metallic tones and a symphonic heart. The longest track by a mile, "The Ghosts Listen" is a slow-to-roll 21-minute portrait of sonic manipulation and incredibly delicate beauty. Gunn and friends manage to knit it all together into a single, cohesive, and entirely mesmerizing listening experience that yields fresh nuances with every spin.

Standout Tracks: "Bridge Over a Red Sky," "Spirit of Flight." REV. KEITH A. GORDON