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Subject: Elephant Talk Digest #488


               E L E P H A N T    T A L K

        The Internet newsletter for Robert Fripp
              and King Crimson enthusiasts

                        Number 488

                 Wednesday, 22 April 1998

Today's Topics:

   NEWS: WLYK / The End

   GIG BIZ: Columbus Projekct Show...How Do I get Tickets???? HELP
   GIG BIZ: A company for Projeckt 2 show in Washington DC

   It just came to me
   Re: What's an instrument worth
   RE: Exiles and Covers
   Audience at Sound Checks
   RFSQ
   Tony Levin on various albums
   Space Groove
   P2, BLUE -- wow!
   BLUE cybercast - What about a ProjeKct cybercast?
   question
   Re: Lyrics to LTA pt I
   Re: Levin (the Morphmaster)
   Re: Speakers, headphones,...
   Linda McCartney Tribute
   BLUE,CotIM,Tony

   GIG REVIEW: B.L.U.E./Birchmere 4/15/98
   GIG REVIEW: BLUE at the House of Blues, 4/19
   GIG REVIEW: Eighty Minutes of Pure Entertainment - B.L.U.E. at the Knitting 
   GIG REVIEW: Orion Studios, 4/17
   GIG REVIEW:  ProjeKt_2__Ronnie_Scotts_Birmingham_Sunday_19.04.98

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------------------ A I V I R T S I N I M D A ---------------------


Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 07:56:09 +0100
From: Darren Woolsey <darren dot woolsey at virgin dot net>
Subject: NEWS: WLYK / The End

This may come as a huge shock (to some, not to others) but
WLYK issue 8 is going to be the last issue. If I owe you
subscription, I'll send the money back, or we can sort
something out in terms of a trade.  The reason?: It's been a
good 2 years but it had to come to an end at some point.
Also, my work situation is going to be changing soon, which
would make it difficult to carry on. Finally, not enough
input from readers alas!

To those kind enough to read over the last 2 years, thanks

Darren

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 21:44:33 -0400
From: Jon Swinghammer <swinghammer at mindspring dot com>
Subject: GIG BIZ: Columbus Projekct Show...How Do I get Tickets???? HELP

I just got the Space Groove cd and I flipped.  Great
music!!! And now I want to go see them but I need to know
how to get tickets.  As a king crimson fan who is now of the
age to be able to go to concerts I've been listening since
the cds were released when i was 9 but I haven't seen them
live...this is almost as good but that's not the point.  I
need to know how to acquire tickets.  Is ticketmaster
handling them?  I doubt it considering who we're discussing
but still.  I know I should contact King Crimson management
but that isn't really a good thing for me since I want to
have this taken care of sometime in advance...what method
did you guys go about to get tickets?  This information is
vital so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You in advance,

Jon

* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think sometimes it hurts you when you stay too long in school...
	I think sometimes it hurts you when you're afraid to be called a fool
		- Lou Reed and John Cale "The Trouble with Classicists"
* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 17:54:20 +0000
From: ossi at icelandair dot is
Subject: GIG BIZ: A company for Projeckt 2 show in Washington DC

Hi

I will be working in Columbia/Baltimore in the week prior to
May 1st.  I plan to take the opportunity and go to the
Projeckt 2 show in Washington on friday evening (May the
1st) (My lucky week !)

Is there anyone driving from from my area (Symphony Woods
Rd/Columbia) to the show willing to offer me a lift. This is
a great opportunity meet an ETer from a foreign country
(Iceland).

Please e-mail me at

ossi at icelandair dot is

Orn Orrason
Nework manager
Icelandair

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 16:42:37 -0400
From: "Cambra, Robert" <Robert dot Cambra at harpercollins dot com>
Subject: It just came to me

Larry D'ambrosa wrote:"I've been thinking about this for a
while.  Fripp has stated that the idea for the double trio
just "came to him".  What if the idea for King Crimson to
play a couple of cover tunes also "came to him".  What do
you think they would be?"JUNGLE BOOGIEWell, this just came
to --me-- a few weeks ago while I was reading Eric Tamm's
book on Robert Fripp. JUNGLE BOOGIE came on the radio and I
started to hear a Fripp solo all over it. It sounded so wild
I started to imagine each part as it might be interpreted by
the members of the double trio. It killed.It's not likely
King Crimson would cover JUNGLE BOOGIE, I don't expect it,
but I sure would welcome it.

Robert

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 13:49:17 -0700
From: Jason Thornton <jthornton at ucsd dot edu>
Subject: Re: What's an instrument worth

At 02:25 PM 4/17/98 GMT, you wrote:

>> A few issues ago, I posed an interesting (to me) question
>> to my fellow E-Talkers: What, if anything, would a
>> musical instrument previously owned by a member of King
>> Crimson be worth?
>
>I dunno about a Chapman Stick, but when John Bradley was
>renovating my Mellotron M400 he replaced one of the
>(perished) pinch rollers with a replacement from a genuine
>'Larks Tongues' King Crimson Mellotron.

I imagine that theren would be an even smaller market for
Mellotrons, or Mellotron pinch rollers, than there is for
used Sticks.  :)

While on the subject - I visited Stick Enterprises this
weekend, and Emmett Chapman let me try out another of Tony
Levin's old Sticks, this one an older Ironwood model -
possibly the King Crimson Stick - that the current owner had
sent in for a "tune up."  Perhaps your Mellotron is a bit
more "unique" than my Levin-Stick.

;)

Cheers!

* --------------------------------------------------------------
       Jason R. Thornton || Chapman Stick, Silver #2125
* --------------------------------------------------------------
   "Only the few know the sweetness of the twisted apples."
                     - Sherwood Anderson
* --------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 16:25:31 -0700
From: tanigawa at cadence dot com (Michael Tanigawa)
Subject: RE: Exiles and Covers

I bought "Exiles" a few weeks after its US release,
expecting great things.  I don't think it was actually BAD,
but it was somewhat of a disappointment.

Regrettably the once-majestic title track, one of my 2 or 3
favorite KC tunes, is now suitable only as theme music for a
1980's Golan-Globus film.  I thought that the other song
Wetton sings on, "This is Your Life", was better.

Cross might also have been more considerate and made some
adjustments to accomodate Wetton's vocal range.  I saw him
at ProgFest and he was in fine voice.  But he is not 25
years old any more.

I can't stand to listen to the song on which Peter Hammill
sings.  I like his singing even less than Dave Lawson's (of
Greenslade).  Puking one's insides out is NOT an acceptable
substitute for singing!

It is possible that I will like "Exiles" better 20 years
from now.  It was the case with "LTiA".  I thought that
nothing could stand up to the original KC, but the 1972-74
band is now unquestionably my favorite.

Mike Tanigawa

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 20:21:22 -0500 (CDT)
From: flaherty michael w <z946128 at rice dot farm dot niu dot edu>
Subject: Audience at Sound Checks

I can well imagine that musicians do not care to have an
audience at their sound checks: when I am writing I don't
want anyone to look at my early drafts.  But in defence of
the "ernest young man" at the P2 sound check, we must
remember that he was invited by the staff at the venue.  If
anyone is at fault it is this staff person who took it upon
himself to invite these fans into the sound check--obviously
without Mr. Fripp's (who perhaps should have realised that
SOMEONE must have invited them in) permission.

Consider: how many of us can honestly say we would turn away
a chance to hear the sound check if offered the opportunity
to do so?  So often these unfortunate "confrontations"
between Fripp and his enthusiasts seem to be a matter of
communication ... .

Michael Flaherty

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 01:05:17 -0400 (EDT)
From: Andrew Dietrick Miller <ytsejam at UDel dot Edu>
Subject: RFSQ

robert fripp string quintet.....I just bought the video last
friday.  Man why do these things only last an hour.
Eventhough fripp soundscaped during the video for the most
part he still managed to blow me away.  It makes me upset
everytime I think about the fact I missed him solo in
Philly.  Just watching the man rolls dials and touch petals
with his feet is exciting.  The video almost made you think
that Trey Gunn was the leader of the band, he controled the
tempo throughout most of the songs.  They play about five
from the cd, and about five that were new or improvised,
they do leave a couple songs from the cd out of the live
set.  Trey showed me a lot with his stick playing, much more
like a gutiarist then a bass player.  Watching Tony Levin
and John Myung (dream theater) play stick I am use to
someone attcking the thing (which can be a very good
thing-case in point last Tuesday at the BLUE show 10 feet
from Tony:) but when Trey plays the stick it is much more
delicate and precise.  The California Guitar Trio just
continues to amaze, three guys, all in perfect unsion, so
Fast!, and all so -again- delicate.  Man it's like these are
the five perfect men to play guitar together.  I can't wait
to get the CGT's cds.  Possible Productions/Discipline
records contines to impress, their catalog is so diverse,
yet so easy for me to like.  This video is a must for any
Fripp nut---- It kind of shows fripp while showing off 4
other great musicians.

Andrew Miller			I can never be you
ytsejam at Udel dot Edu		I'll smile and learn to pretend
				I'll never be open again
        			I'll have no more dreams to defend
  		                I'll never be open again

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 15:06:27 +0100 (BST)
From: dinosaur <jwb2 at ukc dot ac dot uk>
Subject: Tony Levin on various albums

In the last ET, someone was talking about how Tony Levin has
played on so many albums with different artists, and has his
own style, but also 'morphs' to the needs of each session.

One of the things that I was most suprised (and pleased) to
discover was that he provided the bass line to the Paul
Simon classic '50 Ways to Leave Your Lover'. I always liked
the bass part to that track, long before I'd ever heard of
King Crimson or Tony for that matter. It was only a couple
of years ago when I bought the album that I saw the credits.

By the way, I did know that Tony was playing on Paula Cole's
album 'This Fire', but that's 'cos he mentioned it on his
web site before the album had been released! I think if you
hear the track 'Mississippi' then you can't mistake his
stick sound.

Also I didn't know until relatively recently that Tony
played bass (in a kind of slap style) on the Dire Straits
track One World from the 'Brothers in Arms' album. Funny old
world eh? Paul Simon/Dire Straits is pretty far removed from
his work with Krimso/Fripp/PROJEkCT 1 etc.

See ya,

James.

+-----------------------------------------------------+
| jAMES http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2511/      |
| bEARD http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/9108/ |
+-----------------------------------------------------+

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 12:14:18 -0400
From: jmooney at bigyellow dot com
Subject: Space Groove

>Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 13:23:39 +1000
>From: "Eric Best" <ebest at melbpc dot org dot au>
>Subject: Space Groove
>
>Greetings all.  Listening to Space Groove, there appears to
>be four instruments playing at the same time in many places:
>
>-drums
>-bass
>-a mid range instrument
>-a higher register instrument
>
>I know that the drums are Adrian and the high instrument is
>Fripp's guitar and I assume that the bass is Trey. Who is
>doing the midrange and how are they doing it without
>overdub?

Remember that the Warr guitar, like a Chapman Stick, is a 2
handed tapping instrument - the bassline could be fingered
with the right hand, one of the two instruments in a higher
register could be played with the left.

Of course, given the amount of digital chicanery Robert and
the boys indulge in, Trey could be playing the two "lead"
voices on the Warr guitar, while Robert plays the drum line
on guitar and Ade drums out the bassline ;-).

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 09:22:57 +1200
From: David MacLennan <David dot Maclennan at MOC dot GOVT dot NZ>
Subject: P2, BLUE -- wow!

A friend (and fellow ETer) has just lent me PROJEkCT TWO's
"Space Groove", the BLUE album and Bruford's "If Summer Had
Its Ghosts", and I'm well impressed with all three, but
particularly the first two.

P2 is some of the best ju-ju space jazz I've heard in a long
time.  Those wailing solos from Mr Fribble on the "Space
Groove" disc recall classic '73 KC without actually sounding
like them, and the "Vector Patrol" disc reminds me of recent
Eno stuff like "Nerve Net".  Both discs are quite different
in character, but both are superb, and I can see myself
giving this album a fair old thrashing.  I eagerly await the
next P2 set (and of course P1!) and I think this bodes well
for the next KC album (if there ever is one).

If I have one misgiving about the album it's that I would
have preferred Bruford on drums.  Belew is a perfectly
adequate drummer, but he's no Bruford (any more than Bruford
is a Belew on guitar, I s'pose).  But this is a very minor
quibble.

BLUE is likewise superb, and I'm surprised how little it
sounds like "Cloud About Mercury", given that the lineup is
almost identical.  In fact, it reminds me of a beefed-up
"World Diary" in some ways (and of early 70s electric Miles
in others).  The playing is exemplary throughout, and the
packaging is lovely too.  There's a lot of variety on this
album, which is always a good point with me.

(In some ways BLUE could almost be considered a bona fide
PROJEkCT in its own right, I think.)

Bruford's solo disc is also very nice, and is a
straight-ahead acoustic jazz album.  Again, lovely playing
throughout, and I've always been a Towner fan.  I played
this disc late last night after listening to the other two,
and it was the perfect chill-out from the other two.

Now all I gotta do is gather together enough shekels to buy my own
copies!

David Maclennan

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 17:25:00 EDT
From: DanKirkd <DanKirkd at aol dot com>
Subject: BLUE cybercast - What about a ProjeKct cybercast?

It was terrific being able to listen to the HOB Boston show
over the Internet last Sunday (4/19).  The sound was clear,
although Tony and Bill were a little harder to hear when
they addressed the crowd.  It was a great show - I hope
there is a live CD forthcoming - the performance was worth
it!

This leads me to a request from DGM: could you please
arrange more of these cybercast for upcoming ProjeKct shows
or for shows of other DGM artists?  I imagine there would be
a lot of people around the world that would love to hear a
gig or two, even if they can't always attend one because the
shows aren't in their neck of the woods.

Anyone wish to second that request?

Dan
ET Web

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 19:13:06 EDT
From: CISUM1324 <CISUM1324 at aol dot com>
Subject: question

What is ProjeKct 2?

[ Private replies only please -- Toby ]

thank you in advance.
Eric Greco

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 22:30:54 -0400
From: C Gribbin <cgrib at gbsias dot com>
Subject: Re: Lyrics to LTA pt I

Recent a recent post: someone asked about the spoken words
toward the end of Larks Tongues I.  Toby - your bracketed
response was to check the archives.

I must admit, the source/meaning/etc of these incantations
has always engendered great speculation among my fellow
Crimson fans and myself.  I have long been curious as to
what anyone thought/knew about these mumblings.  My search
of the archives, using the prescribed search engine and
innumerable permutations of the question, yielded squat.  At
the risk of disinterring a squalid thread, I humbly beseech
the subscribers to share with me their insight regarding
this subject.

Best,
Chris

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 23:25:54 -0400
From: "David M. Shiflet" <63shiflet at cua dot edu>
Subject: Re: Levin (the Morphmaster)

I do not see what the big deal with Levin playing all these
different styles is.  It really is not that big a deal..
being a musician myself... I know plenty of guys and gals
who go from a classical job in the day to a jazz gig in the
early evening and then go play with a rock band at night....
A true musician is one that can blend in and learn any style
of music... Levin is just a true musician in the best
sense..  it is not that big a deal just a hell of a lot of
practice.  The music industry these days locks people into
the mindset that musicians can only do the style that they
produce records for....  you should be a comprehensive
musician if you are going to be one at all...

now on another note....  does anyone know when Space groove
will be available at DGM's website?

Thanks for listening,
Dave Shiflet

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 09:14:53 +0300
From: "Jarmo Muukka" <jarmo dot muukka at helsoft dot fi>
Subject: Re: Speakers, headphones,...

>Joining my voice to the speakers-vs-headphones debate, the
>person who wrote in saying that binaural recordings are the
>ultimate headphone trip, correctly diagnosed that situation
>correctly.  To those who've just joined the debate this
>issue, "binaural" refers to a recording done with a dummy
>head with mikes in the ears.  Unfortunately, the main reason
>it hasn't caught on is that, on a pair of speakers, it
>sounds like mono.

I disagree with that. The only binaural recording I've ever heard is "From
The Caves Of The Iron Mountain". This one does NOT sound like mono. It is
actually very stereophonic. I can hear places where they play. In "Man
Walking from A to B" Tony plays on the left side, Steve plays on the right
side and Jerry plays on the middle. I can hear Jerry's shakers in several
directions. He wears them in his hands. On other tracks I can hear distances
too.

I have Jamo Concert 8 speakers with one REL Strata II subwoofer. I have a
lot space around speakers and behind listening position. I use triangle
configuration. Thit means that the distance from listening position is same
as distance of speakers.

I've not heard this album using headphones.

Jarmo Muukka
Finland

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 01:28:11 -0700
From: "Stephen P. Goodman" <sgoodman at earthlight dot net>
Subject: Linda McCartney Tribute

In tribute to Linda and the good work she did while here (at
least physically), for the next two Saturdays, The Loop Of
The Week will be dedicated to her.  I prefer to think of the
positive work to be done in the future, and it's in that
sense that I am doing this, at
http://www.earthlight.net/Studios.

In case you didn't know, "The Loop Of The Week" is an
ambient, self-running loop recording, posted also as a
ZIPped archive for other than the Windows/95/NT platform.
Opinions of the Loop have been positive, from me being told
that they were used as audio mantras for meditation, to use
in music therapy of sorts for terminal patients (this from a
nurse in Texas).  Previous tributees via the LOTW are few:
Carl Perkins, and Ewart Abner (the man who originally signed
the Beatles at Vee-Jay Records).

Do drop in if you will, and in return, perhaps a quiet
moment in which to actually think..

Stephen P. Goodman
EarthLight Productions-Studios
http://www.earthlight.net/Studios

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 15:15:40 +0000
From: Martin Bradburn <mgb at heartlab dot com>
Subject: BLUE,CotIM,Tony

Dear KCites, Just a quick note on the TL side. I just
received BLUE and Caves of the Iron Mountain. Both are
wonderful disks and highly recommended.  BLUE is very
dynamic, from in your face, multiple time signatures to some
very soundcape, jazzy intimate interludes. All the players
rip and it's a real ensemble effort. Tony and Bill are the
bomb! The play with the breadth of two virtuoso musicians
who really know each other well. From subtle nuances to
psycho onslaughts, they jam with both precision and reckless
abandonment.  Mr Torn, sound alchemist, tortures twisted
sounds from the strings and loops while Mr Botti adds a
really reflective jazzy tone to the proceedings and some
great counterpoint.
       Caves is a ethereal event, a complete thought that
reflects many ethnic and other influences, and presents them
in a unique recorded setting.  The moods of the pieces
complements the settings presentation and the sparseness in
many of the arrangements amplifies the "clothing of silence
with sound". Tony's NS playing is haunting and the mix of
that, bass, Stick, with Steve Gorn's floating flute work and
some very fine Taos Drum and percussion work by Jerry
Marrotta. I have a tape of him with Sara Lee and the Indigo
Girls, and hear a pleasure to hear and watch. TChad Blake,
what can you say, the man is everywhere! The binaural
recording really makes this disk and on headphone late at
night in the dark absolutely brilliant.
        I got a Papa Bear T-Shirt, also very nice. My only
qualm (sp) is Tony's eco packs, while a great idea, and one
I agree with tend to scratch the disks during insertion and
removal. A slip or sleeve for the disk would eliminate this
minor flaw.
        As to the recent comments as to Tonys' being a "bass
whore". I think this is an insulting term that is extremely
disrespectful. Tony is one of a few very talented musicians
who has the ability to play in almost any genre and does.
Does he do it for money, well he does make a living at it,
but I tend to think if he didn't love it passionately he
could not attain the level of playing and demand that he
has. Merriam-Webester defines whore as 1 : a woman who
engages in sexual acts for money : PROSTITUTE; also : a
promiscuous or immoral woman 2 : a male who engages in
sexual acts for money 3 : a venal or unscrupulous person . I
don't think any of these apply to Tony.  As Buckaroo Banzai
said "Lets not be mean" - Martin Bradburn

PS: ProjeKct II at Toads!!!!!!!!!!! I must rein in my anticipation!

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>
<> Martin G. Bradburn         <>-<>-<>-<>      Heartlab Inc       <>
<> Senior Database Engineer      <>-<>         101 Airport Rd     <>
<> mgb at heartlab dot com              <>-<>         Westerly, RI 02891 <>
<> mgb at brainiac dot com(home)     <>-<>-<>-<>     (401) 596-0592 x103 <>
<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>
<>       'Music is the architecture of silence'                   <>
<>         - Guitar Craft Aphorism                                <>
<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 17:55:06 -0700
From: Mark Chapman <mchapman at langley dot edu dot net>
Subject: GIG REVIEW: B.L.U.E./Birchmere 4/15/98

Dear All:

Several of us were able to enjoy the performances of Mssrs.
Bruford, Levin, Torn & Botti on both 4/15/98 in Alexandria,
Virginia and 4/17/98 in Baltimore, Maryland. Following are
some comments from a few of us Wash., D.C.-area Crim fans.

* -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joyce wrote:

Not to gush, but it was one of the most riveting 1-1/2 hours
of performance I've ever had the good fortune to be several
yards away from (thanks to pals who arrived early & saved a
seat up front).  One of the things that made it unique in my
mind was how 4 such independently interesting/innovative
musicians managed to produce such an appealing whole. I get
the feeling this wasn't a foregone conclusion and some
experiments were being performed/chances being taken.  If so
we were the lucky guinea pigs.

At first I struggled with the trumpet/guitar pairing, then
readily accepted and thoroughly enjoyed the juxtaposition of
the twisted and the soothing.

Seeing Torn take full advantage of the live music opportunity was a real
treat; the phrase "never a dull moment" was never so appropriate.  Truly
a multicourse auditory feast.
------------

> From TJ:

A U.S.  B.L.U.E. Tax day 15/4/98

First. At 3:30 pm arrived at B'mere parking lot where my car
battery up and died. I'm awash with ominous feelings. What
vibe lurks here?

A little asphalt frisbee.

Converse with local promoter about a meandering list of
topics including that of P2 and that they were asking for
more than the B'mere wanted to pay.

With my stub #1 (line ticket), flash to the first seat at
the center table. Same seat I was in for Soundscapes. Tony
and David still on stage after lengthy soundcheck.

Tony sadly informs me that the NPR interview has been
canceled. I tell David of my 17-year wait to see him play
and he responds about the pressure that involves. Indeed. I
asked him if he enjoyed Japan and how the jetlag was going.
He admitted that they were all feeling a bit under.

Four guys.  - Strong feelings that, with such a clear view
of Bruford, I was witnessing his playing with Fripp in the
back of his mind. Most impressive. I think he has the
hardest role in this 4tet. Completely up to the challenge.
His drums are just beautiful.

- Botti seemed a bit curious about what and where to go. A
rather sad role to play. He played his parts sweetly.
Although I came hoping he would hold off stage and give
space a chance, there were a few moments that I wanted to
hear a nice trill.

- Tony was wearing a wrinkled new t-shirt with a large
drawing of a baby covered head-to-toe in designed green body
paint. The shirt was well pressed by show's end. Of the
three instruments he played, I liked his stick-playing best.
The toast bass hung from his shoulders, screaming out its
own story that I really couldn't shake. The upright playing
was sweet. He made some errors a few times, but in the
context of all the parts he plays for this tour, he deserves
some slack.

- [WARNING: Confessed long-term Torn fan ahead.] I think he
smiled the most.  I had concerns that some of what he's done
on tape might be difficult to pull off live. Instead he went
beyond what his recordings entail. So many tricks up his
sleeve. One, already mentioned, was the small
microphone-type object he held at varying distances from his
guitar to push/pull sound. He also used portable tape
recorders that he held close to and sometimes on his strings
for strange sound effects. He seemed less clear about
beginnings and ending of songs. His several attempts at eye
contact with others, particularly Bruford, went unanswered
more often than not. His sound at times was to the point of
pain. It was draining and inspiring.

One scheduled improv and a friendly audience.
- I really liked this audience and took the chance to listen to the
opinions of several strangers -- some willing, others a bit put off.

- This is a fairly prepared track set tour. David did open the second
set with a sweet solo on a curiously shaped stringed instrument. I
thought that could have been much longer. The one improv piece near the
end was imo fairly weak on the whole but had interesting parts.

Last.  My battery decided to come back to life after an
inspiring evening.  I left with a bursting smile.  tj

--------------

>From John:

DT had two echoplexes last night and was amazing. I had not
heard Botti before but was impressed, reminds me of
pre-fusion Miles Davis.  Bruford and Levin were brilliant as
usual.  I really enjoyed the show.

Later,
John
-----------

>From Mark:

TJ and I arrived quite early for the Birchmere show, as we
are wont to do. We know that early arrival at the Birchmere
basically guarantees good seats (via an assigned line number
system) without having to wait in line once the outer doors
open up.

Despite TJ's anxiety over his car dying in the parking lot
(at least he got there!), we proceeded to enjoy a nice
frisbee session and chat with the guy who books the shows at
the Birchmere. Although Tony's page says that he has checked
with all venues, and will allow photography at all shows,
the Birchmere has adopted yet another 'house rule' that no
cameras are allowed. I was able to only take shots of the
colorful indoor and outdoor marquees. Hopefully we will post
one or more of these to TJ's D.C. ET'ers page.

TJ & I gained entrance, along with just five or eight other
early arrivers, when the outer doors opened at 5:00. Having
secured line numbers #1 & #2, TJ & I were happy campers, and
now we could go enjoy a frothy, cold one at TJ's expense.

After chatting with several strangers and friends for a
while, we were allowed into the music room (which I believe
holds in the vicinity of 500 people) at between 6:30 and
6:45. We were told that the show was nearly sold out ~ a
very favorable sign for our heroes, I would think!  No Papa
Bear/B.L.U.E. items for sale were made available until right
before the show began. We heard that Tony only has three
people on tour with the band to help run things, so that
would explain the last-minute vendor table. If you check out
Tony's page, you'll read about the kinds of headaches
they've had to deal with. There was a long line after the
show for buying stuff...and we heard on Friday that
Bill/Tony/David/Chris did remain for autographs (which they
seem to be doing for most of the shows).

TJ, John, and I did our best super-fan imitations and got
the table dead-center in front of the stage. At various
times during the evening, Chris would be standing at
stage-edge and he coulda dripped trumpet saliva onto my
feet. (Fortunately there was no actual spitting involved.) I
was directly in front of Mr. Drums hisself. You can't ask
for much more than to have a 10-foot viewing distance from
BB.

It was both a pleasure and almost frustrating to be sitting
dead adjacent to the stage, as it was a marvel being so
close to four such talented musicians, and having such a
hard time following what each was doing simultaneously. When
Tony was laying down a hard groove, BB was invariably (or I
should more accurately say 'variably') trying to destroy
Tony's concentration with amazing polyrhythms. I have
accused Mr. Bruford in the past of being an unemotional,
highly technical drummer. I'm not sure that I'm 100% wrong
about this (maybe 95%)...but now I have a new and true
appreciation of his talents, having experienced them from
such close proximity. Some rock drummers are judged by their
ability to approximate human metronomes. Well, BB is like
eight metronomes playing at once (or at least one with seven
in the background, warmed up). It was marvelous watching
him.

The songs varied between adventurous, hard-edged progressive
stuff and jazzy, new-age stuff. For those not familiar with
Chris's sound, at times he does sound like Miles, and at
other times, like Mark Isham. I do not mean to get into the
topic of whether he intentionally copies other musicians,
because frankly, those discussions make me nauseous (well, a
little). Although I sported earplugs much of the night, I
really enjoyed the purity of Chris's sound. I think it's a
great component of this group.

Torn was wild. I've never seen him before, and while I have
several of his recordings, I've never appreciated his music
so fully. On stage he's like a cross between a mischievous
little gnome and a rock guitar god.  He gets these little
sparkles in his eyes like he's saying at one time, 'God,
this a lot of fun!' and at other times, 'Oh yeah, Tony?
Watch this!!' I thought the boys had a very nice rapport. It
seemed to me that all four were having a lot of fun and
enjoyed creating this music together. It is satisfying to me
that all four were on this album and are touring together.
(The only exception to this one-to-one correspondence is
that they played '3 Minutes of Pure Entertainment(?)'  from
Torn's Cloud About Mercury (as an encore), with Chris taking
Mark Isham's role.

Tony's just great fun to watch. I enjoyed him on all three
instruments he played (although I do find his stick-playing
the most compelling, from a non-musician's point-of-view). I
just love the sound of this instrument. I can attest to the
fact that Tony and Bill are 'decent blokes' as they both
offerred very friendly conversation at the in-store signing
at Chris Lamka's Of Sound Mind progressive music shop
outside of Baltimore on Friday.

This was a great evening of music, and the crowd seemed
quite pleased with it all.

Comments on the Baltimore shows arriving separately...

Cheers,
Joyce, TJ, John & Mark

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 21:45:21 -0700
From: Peter Shindler <shindler at erols dot com>
Subject: GIG REVIEW: BLUE at the House of Blues, 4/19

Ok, I've had a full day to calm down and come up with some
objective comments about the final show of Bruford Levin
Upper Extremities' "grueling" (Bruford's description) 5-date
East Coast tour, in Boston on 4/19.

The show was set for 9:30.  We arrived at 8:30, picked up
our tickets, and went back outside to wait in line.  Since
everyone there was either a Berklee student or a Crimson
freak, eavesdropping on conversations was fun, though the
number of anecdotes involving Greg Lake was surprisingly
high.  We were let in around 9:20, mercifully just before
the concert began; if you've not been to the Cambridge HOB,
let me just say that the ultra-high density supposedly found
in the vicinity of a black hole has nothing on how tightly-
packed you are in this joint!  There's >one< door to get in
or out, at the opposite side of the room from the stage,
which is incidentally no more than a foot off the ground,
meaning that unless you're right up front, you see nothing.

I don't have the BLUE album (yet!) so I can't give specific
titles except the ones they actually introduced, so here
goes.  Everyone entered together and began playing together
(Botti's solo may have come a bit into the first song, but I
belive he was onstage from the get-go).  There were several
moments of incredible group improvisation where all four
musicians were TOTALLY tuned into each other.  Tony Levin's
parents were in the audience (I stood about two feet away
from them) and he introduced them before going into
"Cerulean Sea," which he was proud to be singing for his
mother, even if it did only have one sung part, which
consisted of one note, which wasn't even a bona fide word.
Both Levin and Bruford addressed the audience a few times,
and nearly everything they said cracked everyone up,
especially Bruford's comments about the "grueling, endless
5-date tour" they were wrapping up.

-Tony Levin played most of the performance on his Chapman
Stick and NS upright.  He only used the electric bass on the
opener and on "Cerulean Sea."  He seemed to be having a
great time.  As a rookie Stickist, I found his playing
inspirational; I've seen lots of Stick players who did stuff
that was a lot more complicated and technically challenging;
most of what he was doing was actually pretty simple, but it
was always exactly what the piece called for.

-Bruford was nuts as usual, turning every drum fill into a
mini-solo which nobody on earth could possibly keep up with,
except these guys (and Fripp, Belew, Gunn, Mastellotto,
Wetton, Cross, etc.).  He had a huge shit-eatin' grin from
start to finish.  With all the recent discussion about
Projekct 2 and the deep musical understanding that Fripp and
Gunn have (almost a sort of telepathy), I think Levin and
Bruford have the same thing.  They were always looking at
each other, listening intently to what the other was doing
and responding instantly.  My friend Luke, a drummer, was
with me, and as this was his first exposure to anything
KC-related, he spent most of the night mouth agape at what
he was hearing.

-David Torn was way cool; you absolutely never knew what
sort of noises he would make next.  Halfway through, he
played a bit on a Lebanese oud, which he ended by looping a
single repeated note, then speeding it up, slowing it down,
and all sorts of other manipulations.  He also messed with
Levin's voice and I could swear he was screwing with Botti's
trumpet sounds at a few instances, though I may be wrong.
In the last song, he whipped out a handheld tape recorder
and played an Arabic muezzin's call into his guitar pickup,
which he was then able to play with.  Very cool.  As has
been noted before, he was probably only "playing" for about
half the show, and manipulating his loops the rest.  This
didn't bother me at all (I do a lot of that stuff with my
playing, on a much smaller scale), but I could sense that
some of the audience members were turned off by it.  This
guy is GOOD, though; I'd put him up there with Fripp, both
in terms of his technical abilities and his knob-turning.

-Chris Botti (introduced by Bruford as a "young man with a
bright future, who voluntarily agreed to perform with us.")
had the impossible task of playing trumpet against Torn's
noise guitar loops and the Bruford/Levin polyrhymthic
nightmare, and not only did he not utterly fail, he actually
stole the show whenever he played!  His playing was dead on
(reminiscent of Miles' fusion-era playing; lots of space)
and his sound cut right through everything.  And it was
strange how, no matter where he was, it always felt like he
was looking right at >you<.

A wonderful night.  Too bad it's all over except listening
to the CD over and over...

Peter

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 21:15:43 -0400 (EDT)
From: Andy Acunzo <AACUNZO at xray3 dot chem dot sunysb dot edu>
Subject: GIG REVIEW: Eighty Minutes of Pure Entertainment - B.L.U.E. at the Knitting Factory

Hello ET,

I still haven't fully recovered from the Bruford Levin Upper
Extremities show at the Knitting Factory in NYC this past
Saturday.  My friends and I had tickets for the early show,
arrived extra early, and stood at the stage in front of Tony
Levin.

The show opened with Bruford coming out and playing a drum
solo.  He was eventually joined by Levin, Torn, and Botti.
Soon they were off and running.  At some point a familiar
groove emerged from the improv, and they were playing a tune
from BLUE, I think Etude Revisited.

Although this wasn't billed as a KC Projekct, Bill announced
that we were in for an evening of research and development
("...But most of us have been doing research and development
for most of our lives, so, nothing new there.")  All the
pieces they played were stretched out and improvised on, and
watching them read each others' faces and movements was a
blast.  I'll never tire of watching Bruford play; the guy is
so creative and obviously having so much fun doing what he
does.  There were a few points where the Indiscipline thing
happened - Levin attempting (and succeeding) to hold down a
groove while Bruford tries his darndest to throw him off.
The fun these guys have is infectious.

The band played about half of the BLUE album, including
Cracking the Midnight Glass, Cerulean Sea, A Palace of
Pearls (I thought this was a little too rock-sounding in the
middle; not as spacious as the album version), and Fin de
Siecle.  Other than that little complaint about A Palace of
Pearls, I thought everything else sounded better live.  They
ended the main set with Three Minutes of Pure Entertainment
from CLOUD ABOUT MERCURY.  (Have they played the DrumBass at
any shows?)

Torn looked like a crazed old wizard with his arsenal of
toys, creating storms of sound with his effects, effects,
more effects, and guitar.  Botti was the only mobile one on
stage, and he roamed about (as much as he could on such a
tiny stage) alternately playing at the other band members
and members of the audience, often giving melodic focus to
the proceedings.

One thing I should note is how good the sound was.  So often
at concerts there's just a wall of noise.  The sound at this
show was loud, clear, and powerful, but not overpowering.
Everything could be distinguished in the mix (from where I
stood anyway).  That made a great show even better.

I don't know if there's that much else I can say.  It was an
evening of incredible music played by world class musicians
who were obviously enjoying themselves, and I was standing
right in front of them taking it all in.  All this for only
$16.  If I had one complaint, it would be that I wish it
could have been longer, but they did have to do another show
that night.  (Were the one-show-a-night gigs longer than
this one (80 minutes)?)  Guess I shouldn't be too greedy,
though. :)

Next up: P2 in Huntington...

ttyl,
Andy Acunzo
aacunzo at sbchem dot sunysb dot edu

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 19:26:55 -0400
From: "dumela" <dumela at nicom dot com>
Subject: GIG REVIEW: Orion Studios, 4/17

4/17/98 - Orion Studios, two shows

The signing at Of Sound Mind (full of interesting music) in
the afternoon was with Tony and Bill. It was short and
sweet. Two video cameras were running.

Spent a few hours hanging out in the Orion studios parking
lot. The sound check, which seemed to be more than just
that, included a few bars of Three Blind Mice with Tony and
Bill playing. Botti did scales in a separate room. I found
out that all shows are being recorded to 24 track. I
wouldn't mind a mixed live release of this at all.

We all stuffed into the Studio when the door opens. This was
standing room only but during the first song the owner of
Orion came up and had us sit on the concrete floor. Now I
for one don't sit too well on this kind of surface. So with
every note of inspiration some degree of pain was the
accompaniment. A strange mix so I chose all the way back for
the second show and was able to dance some.

I thought that Bill was paying much closer attention to the
sounds that David was making. Bill told the audience that he
recognized a few of us from the Birchmere show (a few yahs)
and asked who was staying for the second show (many
affirmed). He then told us that we were bound to hear a few
different notes with David on the stage. He was perfectly
correct.

All four seemed a bit more at ease in the surrounding of a
studio and a mere 150 or so people.  With a two show evening
they just did one long set and an encore for each.

David kept surprising himself with new loops which seems
inherent.  He cast long skipping stones into electronica a
few times in both shows and this sounded wonderful. He
beamed.

What really ripped me open was an electric upright solo that
Tony did during the second show. He would play a few sweet
lovely bars of joy and then contrast this with a thrashing
bow across the strings that just ripped. I can't recall
seeing him do this before. I thought it

was a nice break out for him for what is often times a
steady role in each tune. My guess is that the atmosphere
and/or what David or Bill was up to that got him going. It
was the best playing I've seen from him. GO GET IT TONY!

I earlier asked Mike, the owner of Orion, what he got out of
all the work he put into this and he laughingly replied,
"Are you kidding the world's best musicians playing in my
own living room?" Touche.  This IS a place to play.  tj

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 23:12:15 +0100
From: "Andrew Luckman" <ana at intecc dot co dot uk>
Subject: GIG REVIEW:  ProjeKt_2__Ronnie_Scotts_Birmingham_Sunday_19.04.98

ProjeKt 2  Ronnie Scotts Birmingham Sunday 19.04.98

Well, I was looking forward to an evening with P2 as the
last time I saw KC was at the Albert Hall some 3.1/2 years
ago. And now with another baby its hard to get out dont you
know. Insanely I must be one of the few fans of both KC and
Toyah, I have some of her albums form the punk years. (Does
anyone remember the band London what a hi energy sound they
created?)

Anyway, my good lady wife and I arrived at Ronnie Scotts
Birmingham at 7.30 p.m. and had excellent grub. At 8.30
p.m. the band came on and I didnt know what the line-up
would be Robert, Trey and Adrian (on electronic percussion)
turned up to play. But for me, the evening was not a success
if only because the in-house overhead speakers were not up
to the job, when the bass note was delivered from Trey or
Adrian the sound was hopelessly muddled, and Roberts playing
was lost in a sea of distortion. I feel that some of the
blame must lie at the feet of the musicians to make sure the
sound reproduction is as true as possible before the
performance starts.  Main salvation of the evening was a
copy of 3 of a perfect pair video well youve got to keep the
old girl happy !!!!!

Andrew Luckman :-(

------------------------------

End of Elephant-Talk Digest #488
********************************