“This is a performance that somehow positions itself outside the time stream,while gently unfolding… an especially reflective performance” thus spake the Frippster of this exceptional concert. Recorded on the fifth day of his visit to Estonia Fripp is in the zone. The guitarist has it absolutely right when he says of the gig “(It) suggests to me that, whatever the press of mundane concerns, there is a timelessness where the mundane has no purchase & is unable to make a demand.”
I don’t know if Robert was betrayed by his boots near the start of Queer Reflection Harmonic Minor or a deliberate reference to past raptures, but the appearance of the old-style “laser beam” tone on Queer Reflection Harmonic Minor provides a startling counterpoint to the more intimate sounds he adopts for this performance. However if you’re yearning for a jaw-drop of the soundscapes variety, it surely has to be the long note marking the transition from this track to the next. Truly, it’s a breath-taking high-wire moment.
Be warned however, the last piece, an encore for the good folks of Tartu cuts off abruptly when John Sinks’ hard drive cuts out. It’s such a jarring end to what was a sublime event but the journey to this point is well worth it.
