Re: Discipline #131

From: pvallado at sdcc5 dot UCSD dot EDU (Paolo Valladolid)
Subject: Re: Discipline #131
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 94 2:54:31 PDT

> On another note, I have to say I'm a bit surprised at the "down your nose"
> look that many of you give the Belew/Levin/Bruford/Fripp version of KC.

I certainly wasn't one of those critics. It was this lineup of Crimson that
attracted me to the band in the first place.

>     I always asked myself if there was any other Bands that did similar things
>   as KC? a band that try to copy or just inovate in the way of KC. If not, too
>   bad!

There are plenty of innovative acts around. You just have to look for them,
that's all. A recent find for me was Dr.Nerve, a band led by
guitarist/computer music researcher Nick Didkovsky. He implemented musical
algorithms designed by composer Iannis Xenakis using HMSL (a programming
language for computer music) and uses the musical scores generated by the
computer as source material for Dr.Nerve music. The result is music that is
fast, furious, and humourous that will appeal to both Zappa fans and
Crimson fans (has that angry dissonant quality to it). Of related interest
is a CD called _The Nerve Events Project_. You see, at the end of
Dr.Nerve's _Beta 14 OK_ album is 44 tracks of 1-2 second "slices" of
Dr. Nerve music (called Nerve Events). The liner notes invite the listener
to act as an active composer by combining the Nerve Events in any order he
or she wishes. For _The Nerve Events Project_, Didkovsky invited other
composers to submit work using the Nerve Events. One of the contributors
used a recording of assembled Nerve Events to excite a metal
sculpture. Others performed digital signal processing tricks on them. The
pieces on this CD range from outrageously outlandish to surprisingly
beautiful in nature.

Anyway, Dr.Nerve's work can be ordered from Wayside. Its amazing how this
band can perform such complicated lines at impossible tempos.  Nick
Didkovsky is a fantastic guitarist; he mostly just plays the
near-impossible lines the computer has generated for him to play but when
he does take a solo, he reminds me of Fripp; not so much in playing style
as in angry intensity and virtuoso chops.

> From: wcsanil at ccs dot carleton dot ca (Anil Prasad)
> Date: Mon, 11 Apr 94 21:52:03 EDT
> Subject: HOT CRIMSON NEWS!
>
> and the newest member...
>
> Pat Mastalotto - Drums
>
> Mastalotto played on the Sylvian/Fripp tour, as well as on Trey Gunn's
> last solo release (1,000 years). He's also a founding member of
> Mr. Mister (everyone's allowed one major blemish on their musical
> resume right?).

Mr.Mister was a very very good pop band. Their last album _Go On_ was an
artistic breakthrough for them; there they had expanded their horizons
beyond those evident on their first two albums; from the gospel-tinged
"Healing Waters" and "Man of a Thousand Dances" (backed by a choir on both)
to the avant-weirdness on one track (apparently about watching TV) with
Steve George's Zawinul-esque backwards keyboard solo and Steve Farris's
Frippian demented guitar solo. If they had stayed together long enough,
they would have become a very good progressive band; all the members,
including Mr.  Mastelotto, had the chops for it. Mr. Mister doesn't deserve
a bad rap just because their first album was so awful (_I Wear The Face_).

> This is gonna be a monster of a KC line-up. Think about the potential
> of this group, particularly live... two drummers? two guitarists?
> two stick players?!?!??!

Don't forget the two guitar players both augment their sonic arsenals with
sophisticated MIDI-driven synthesizers and effects processing equipment to
achieve a breathtaking panorama of sonic possibilities beyond the typical
guitar sound. Also, the other band members are also likely to be similarly
equipped with electronic equipment. The range of sounds KC was able to
achieve in 1984 was amazing considering the state of technology at the
time; imagine what they could do with the technology of 1993...

Of course I would be interested in those sort of things, considering
my .sig below ;-)
--
Paolo Valladolid
pvallado at sdcc5 dot ucsd dot edu

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