photos by Greg Cristman

Robert Fripp, the man behind "Frippertronics" and the brain behind progressive kingpins King Crimson, played four shows at the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center in NYC on 12/3 and 12/4. Each day he played at 12:30pm - especially convenient for the downtown lunch crowd on Friday, and again at 7:30pm. The shows were billed as "Soundscapes", "site-specific, often done in majestic spaces, and always created in the spirit of the moment..."

"Fripp played his sunburst colored Les Paul as he sat next to a rack of devices and floor pedals. The tone was clear and went through different loops and sound delay. There are no hard riffs or arpeggios, but instead light orchestral spacey phrases occasionally punctuated with some minimalistic soloing. The closest thing to compare soundscapes to for the uninitiated is probably film soundtrack music. The relaxing calm of the music appeared to comment on, but not be interrupted by the holiday noise of shoppers and tourists that came in and out of the atrium. The music works as something that you can sample and walk away from by design, take from it what you will. The only identifiable familiar part of the almost hour long set was a brief quotation from the 1974 King Crimson album Red from the song "Starless."" [Mark's Music Loft]

Continue reading "Robert Fripp played 'Soundscapes' @ the Winter Garden (pics)"

"Robert Fripp, the famed English guitarist, composer, and founder of the prog-rock band, King Crimson, takes up a brief residency in the Winter Garden to perform his solo Soundscapes. Based on his Frippertronics explorations of the '70s, Fripp now creates lush sonic tapestries with electric guitar and digital effects. Each performance of Soundscapes is site-specific, often done in majestic spaces, and always created in the spirit of the moment.

This performance is part of New Sounds Live, curated by John Schaefer, host and producer of WNYC Radio's popular shows New Sounds and Soundcheck"

King Crimson crowd @ Central Park - July 1, 1974

"So what you also need to know about Robert Fripp is that he is one peculiar little English prick." [a review of the Philly show]

by Black Bubblegum

King Crimson sleeveface (Affective Ideologeme)

Prog legends King Crimson have announced a mini tour of multiple nights in Chicago, Philly and NYC. Tickets for "The Return Of The Beast Celebration Shows" go on sale Saturday 3/29 at 10AM for Chicago, Friday 3/28 at 10AM for Philadelphia, and Friday 4/4 at 12PM for NYC - all here.

The current King Crimson line-up is Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto and Gavin Harrison (also of Porcupine Tree). All dates below....

Continue reading "King Crimson - 2008 Tour Dates (Chicago/Philly/NYC)"

"There’s a world of cross-references in Dirty Projectors’ music: stuttering modal riffs from Mali, the meandering melodies of opera or modern music theater, pygmy antiphonal vocals, Captain Beefheart, Zimbabwean and Congolese rock, King Crimson, Talking Heads, Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks. Usually Mr. Longstreth sustained a sweetly androgynous croon as the music jittered all around him, but in “Police Story” — set to slow tom-tom thumps, steady guitar chords and a descant from the women’s voices — he followed his winding, leaping melody up to a yelping crescendo of desperation." [NY Times]

More on the Bowery show HERE.