Fripp’s performances in NYC have been the subject of some commentary. First up is from DGMLive’s very own Eric Anderson, whose photographs are used in this news entry. You can see the full set here. Meanwhile, Eric had this observation to share.
“It's good to hear 'scapes live again. It's been too long. I'm definitely going to soak it all in over the next 30 hours. P@ was in attendance. With Bill in town it's obvious that the three Crim-buddies are planning a secret ProjeKct performance somewhere in town. I'll find out and report back. :)
Overall very tender thoughtful music that lasted a little under an hour. Some pieces very quiet and subdued. The third piece was actually quite loud, comparatively, and I thought might send people running. But I think I was buried in among the faithful and none of them were going to flee. It will be interesting to move around the space over the next couple of performances and experience the music from different vantage points.
Fun overheard of the afternoon: I was standing near the promotional booth for WNYC drinking a coffee after the show and three construction workers walked by the booth. One of them pointed to the photo of RF and said in a thick New Jersey accent to his buddies, "Hey, you know who that is? That's the guitarist from King Crimson. Remember them from way back in the day?"
Meanwhile over on the guestbook, Otohiko was at both sets but seems particularly taken with the second.
“With the red lights behind the stage and the atrium dark, Robert took charge from the beginning, launching into what was really one of the weightiest, soloing-oriented pieces I’d heard in soundscapes period. The first part of this performance was beautiful and quite heavy. The second part was more understated, until I caught on to the fact that Robert was actually playing what can only be described as Starless Fantasia! Indeed, the classic solo appeared ‘in person’, but Robert had cleverly worked it backwards and forwards, preserving and modulating the harmonic intervals integral to that piece, while taking cautious steps this way and that in improvising, yet never really settling. This middle part was uncertain, understated, but in some way also playful. There was one note which I’m pretty sure was an equipment glitch or something of the sort (one of those extremely short, feedback-like tones that popped up during slow soundscape-building), but Robert had somehow managed to incorporate it into the background soundscape and work with it.
Then came the concluding, which mirrored and spoke back to the opening of the second set, and once again had Robert powerfully taking charge of the space and soloing extensively over the loops. At the very end of it, an echo of the Starless solo again returned, followed by a minute of very appropriate silence.”
Also on the guestbook, Mudshark22 saw the first show and his entry makes an interesting observation about how what we bring with us to a performance affects our perception.
“I was so bent. My boss kept me late at a meeting...so I had to rush over and missed the first 15 minutes or so. Found a seat with ’okay’ sound; but could not relax to properly give the music the attention it deserved.
Instinctively, I know that it was a good performance as there were moments when the music broke through my stress and agitation. Coupled with the hustle and bustle of a commercial space, I was disappointed not at the playing but the experience.
However, at the end of the performance (about 55 minutes total) as the audience clapped, Fripp applauded the audience from stage right, center, and left (and actually smiled). I was actually surprised when his apparent enjoyment of the moment somewhat "resolved" my own disappointment of the experience. And I finally smiled too.”
In a similar vein, Mike Lord sent me a link to his blog which discusses the emotions evoked by the music. “Putting my own feelings on the table, I had had a full month. My grandmother died on this past Halloween, and some of the melodies, in their feelings of melancholy, loss, and reflection, I could not help but think about the life of my grandmother, and the loss that I have felt.
But while it could be sad and maudlin to use music in that way, the soundscapes, for me, seem to have a feel of hope and redemption about them. Some do have a slightly darker feel, but even those have some feel of light about them. And, when reflecting on the life of someone close to you, it is good to have that feeling of being able to say goodbye, through music.”
Finally, here's some of the preview pieces that have appeared in the press. First up is Time Out, followed by Brooklyn Vegan, and Jersey Arts. If you're in New York today don't miss the final two performances of this short residency.
“It's good to hear 'scapes live again. It's been too long. I'm definitely going to soak it all in over the next 30 hours. P@ was in attendance. With Bill in town it's obvious that the three Crim-buddies are planning a secret ProjeKct performance somewhere in town. I'll find out and report back. :)
Overall very tender thoughtful music that lasted a little under an hour. Some pieces very quiet and subdued. The third piece was actually quite loud, comparatively, and I thought might send people running. But I think I was buried in among the faithful and none of them were going to flee. It will be interesting to move around the space over the next couple of performances and experience the music from different vantage points.
Fun overheard of the afternoon: I was standing near the promotional booth for WNYC drinking a coffee after the show and three construction workers walked by the booth. One of them pointed to the photo of RF and said in a thick New Jersey accent to his buddies, "Hey, you know who that is? That's the guitarist from King Crimson. Remember them from way back in the day?"
Meanwhile over on the guestbook, Otohiko was at both sets but seems particularly taken with the second.
“With the red lights behind the stage and the atrium dark, Robert took charge from the beginning, launching into what was really one of the weightiest, soloing-oriented pieces I’d heard in soundscapes period. The first part of this performance was beautiful and quite heavy. The second part was more understated, until I caught on to the fact that Robert was actually playing what can only be described as Starless Fantasia! Indeed, the classic solo appeared ‘in person’, but Robert had cleverly worked it backwards and forwards, preserving and modulating the harmonic intervals integral to that piece, while taking cautious steps this way and that in improvising, yet never really settling. This middle part was uncertain, understated, but in some way also playful. There was one note which I’m pretty sure was an equipment glitch or something of the sort (one of those extremely short, feedback-like tones that popped up during slow soundscape-building), but Robert had somehow managed to incorporate it into the background soundscape and work with it.
Then came the concluding, which mirrored and spoke back to the opening of the second set, and once again had Robert powerfully taking charge of the space and soloing extensively over the loops. At the very end of it, an echo of the Starless solo again returned, followed by a minute of very appropriate silence.”
Also on the guestbook, Mudshark22 saw the first show and his entry makes an interesting observation about how what we bring with us to a performance affects our perception.
“I was so bent. My boss kept me late at a meeting...so I had to rush over and missed the first 15 minutes or so. Found a seat with ’okay’ sound; but could not relax to properly give the music the attention it deserved.
Instinctively, I know that it was a good performance as there were moments when the music broke through my stress and agitation. Coupled with the hustle and bustle of a commercial space, I was disappointed not at the playing but the experience.
However, at the end of the performance (about 55 minutes total) as the audience clapped, Fripp applauded the audience from stage right, center, and left (and actually smiled). I was actually surprised when his apparent enjoyment of the moment somewhat "resolved" my own disappointment of the experience. And I finally smiled too.”
In a similar vein, Mike Lord sent me a link to his blog which discusses the emotions evoked by the music. “Putting my own feelings on the table, I had had a full month. My grandmother died on this past Halloween, and some of the melodies, in their feelings of melancholy, loss, and reflection, I could not help but think about the life of my grandmother, and the loss that I have felt.
But while it could be sad and maudlin to use music in that way, the soundscapes, for me, seem to have a feel of hope and redemption about them. Some do have a slightly darker feel, but even those have some feel of light about them. And, when reflecting on the life of someone close to you, it is good to have that feeling of being able to say goodbye, through music.”
Finally, here's some of the preview pieces that have appeared in the press. First up is Time Out, followed by Brooklyn Vegan, and Jersey Arts. If you're in New York today don't miss the final two performances of this short residency.
