In my yesterday mail is a letter, and two books, from Professor Bill Martin. Some Visitors are probably familiar with his two recent music books - on Yes and Progressive Rock.
Upstairs my wife is currently on BBC TV1's "Songs Of Praise"; down here I'm completing office work. This is from the letter just written:
`To Adrian, Bill, Pat, Tony, Trey & Richard:
Dear Team,
ProjeKct Four will have played in Boulder twice by this time next week, and at the end of that tour we'll have a better idea of the next step for The Greater Crim.
Currently, I'm not sure of the details of how, when, where the ProjeKcts might be working in the first half of next year.
Bill is busy until the end of September 1999, other than perhaps finding a few days for rehearsals / recording.
Richard and Neal Warnock are looking at the possibiity of P2, or Px, doing some festivals in Europe next July 1999. I have recently committed P2 to Buenos Aires is April 1999 (as per discussions with Ade and Trey). Depending upon other developments, this can be expanded if useful or necessary.
My main concern is to generate new repertoire for the six-piece King Crimson, which will involve some dedicated rehearsals - probably in Nashville and maybe Austin. Adrian and I are committed to me visiting Chez Belewbeloid for songwriting sessions.
Adrian's idea, of recording the next album in steps and stages, strikes me as a good one. There is some excellent, definitive music with the aroma of King Crimson wafting by, but this needs maturing and cooking to brew into Crim Soup. My recent experience with surround-sound suggests that new repertoire take this into account: very exciting!
NB: In addition to January, and the launch of the DVD, please keep your calendars open for October 1999. I am continuing to plan for a major Double Trio presentation, focusing on the Mid West; perhaps a residency at the Park West, Chicago, with some gigs leading up to that.
I accept that currently Bill is not interested in electronics; so I have to accept that the group as a whole isn't convinced by my notion of the next Crim live being powered by 2 or 3 electronic drum kits. Within the next year perhaps that sonic picture will have been addressed within a ProjeKct, perhaps dropped as unworkable, perhaps addressed in another context.
The future is close and beckoning, and I'm open to whatever form it needs to take: I have no problem in dropping all my current ideas and following the beckoning of the Muse.
I encourage everyone to initiate ProjeKcts of their choice, and open to King Crimson working without me. So, if anyone has a particular seeing of the future - let's go for it!
Meanwhile, as a point of focus rather than a limiting weight, I suggest we put next October in our calendars.
There has been a lot of recent posting to ET on the future of Crimson, notably a "Brufordless Crimson". This commentary is notable for its carelessness and does not reflect my own thinking, which is posted on the DGM Website. The future - present Crimson is a flexible creature; there are no sinecures, including myself. There are probably several authentic Crimsons which we can present from the six members. Nevertheless, my own plans continue to include all six members. The Double Trio formation has only just begun to shake hands: perhaps it's time to move to the clinches?
Yo! Dudes ...'
"Just below the surface of our everyday world lie riches."
