Reply-To: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk Sender: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk Precedence: bulk From: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk To: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk Subject: Discipline #98 Discipline, Number 98 Monday, 14 June 1993 Today's Topics: NEWSFLASH: FRIPP PLAYS U.K. DATES -- THIS WEEK Fripp's Boogie frippertronics Re: Discipline #97 stomping ground Re: "Improvised" Frippertronics n Yee-haw!!! Robert Fripp [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] NEWSFLASH: FRIPP PLAYS U.K. DATES -- THIS WEEK Thanks to my friends Dave Snowdon and Chris Brand for alerting me to the fact there are 3 U.K. Fripp dates THIS WEEK! 1. Fri 18 June, Robert Fripp and his String quartet are playing 'Zefferellis Restaurant' in Ambleside (05394 33845, #7.50, starts 8.15pm). 2. Sat 19 June, Fripp is giving an afternoon "workshop" in College St., Nottingham, as part of the Nottingham Guitar Festival. Details on 0602 419419, starts 2.30 pm, #5.50. 3. Robert Fripp and his String quartet play the Nottingham Playhouse on Sun 20 June, at 7.30pm, #8.50. (4). There's a major Fripp interview in the latest "Guitarist". I'll precis tomorrow when I've read it. If anyone knows of other dates in the tour, please tell me. I haven't seen ANY advertising for these events at all. The guy at Zefferelli's said they were approached direct by RF, and didn't think there was a tour promoter involved. If anyone is going to any of these events, let me know and we can have a beer maybe. -- Toby [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 13:25:39 -0600 From: David Ewing Subject: Fripp's Boogie In Discipline #97 John M. Relph writes: > But Fripp is always subdued! At least, that is, he doesn't get up and > boogie (I wish they had played "Intergalactic Boogie Express"). I may have related this story to Discipline before (if so, sorry for the redundancy). A friend of mine was attending a Crimso concert during the "Starless and Bible Black" tour when some lout in the audience yelled "Boogie!". Fripp went to the microphone and replied, "We don't play Boojie-Woojie music" (pronounced with a soft g), "We never have played Boojie-Woojie music. But just to show you that we can ..." (looking at Bruford) "... hit it." Whereupon Bruford played a funky beat and Fripp danced! Hard to imagine. I'm not sure why, but Fripp seems to attract a certain element of people who like to yell inanities at him while he's on stage. I was at the Peter Gabriel show at the Roxy in L.A. in 1977 that was broadcast over a local radio station (and subsequently turned up as a bootleg I believe). Fripp, wanting to be as inconspicuous as possible, sat in the dark and was referred to by Gabriel as "Dusty Rhodes". Some bozo sitting in front of me kept yelling "Baby's On Fire, Fripp!!!" throughout the show. It takes all kinds, I guess. *************************************************************************** David A. Ewing Avalanche Development Company david at avalanche dot com Boulder, Colorado *************************************************************************** [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 14:05:57 -0700 From: David A. Craig Subject: frippertronics the frippertronics at the santa cruz show were of quite different personality than at the great american music hall. more involved musically. exquisite beauty. one piece that traversed the space between "the sheltering sky" (i'm thinking of live versions i've heard) and "requiem" amazing. made me glad i got to compare all three shows. david [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 15:02:50 PDT From: "John M. Relph" Subject: Re: Discipline #97 Paolo Valladolid writes more on the Quintet: > >My own observation about the show: Every time the audience clamored for an >encore, Fripp and Co. would return to stage and play songs that they had >played before. I think even the solos were the same! I realized after one or two of these that Mr Fripp &c were actually performing "encores" in the original sense of the word. In Opera, the encore is usually a reprise of an aria from the Opera. I found it quite astounding, actually. >I still thought that the military cadet-like behaviour of the Quintet was a >bit strange I still think that you are reading their lack of excess movement incorrectly. One of the themes of Craft is that of minimising energy waste, that is to say, not wasting energy that one could otherwise use in the service of music. So they don't move much and they are very relaxed. They expend only that energy necessary to produce the music, and very little more. If that makes them all seem stiff and military, well... And lizard man adds: > >* My friend who came along said he thought the CGT were all playing > Ovation acoustic guitars. Definitely true. The "Craft-standard" model. Mr Fripp is pictured with one on the cover of _Robert Fripp and the League of Crafty Guitarists_. A few people in Craft have non-black ones. > It was one of the CGTs, playing EXACTLY in Fripp's > signature style! (Was the Ovation plugged into a rack offstage?) At the San Francisco shows, the CGT had a rack directly behind them. Yes, the Ovations were plugged into this and modifications were made by one or more of the CGT during the performance. > My guitarist friend, who had never seen any of these guys before, > leaned over and whispered, "That guy's a _space alien_." Untrue. You can tell space aliens by their eyes. :-) >* I was somewhat disappointed in Robert for his restraint. . . . > For the most part, he let the Crafties do all the hard work, > nodding approvingly at the end of a given section. I noticed Mr Fripp nodding when he was ready to begin specific pieces, but not so much in approval but more in readiness. The CGT and Mr Gunn as well would nod or otherwise signal their readiness for the next number. >While the Crafties > (especially the Asian guy..what's his name?) and Trey could pull > off the high-speed, interlocking counterpointed rhythms, and one > of them (and Trey) could make those characteristic soaring sustained > guitar/electronic noises I am so fond of, the only thing Robert seems > to have not passed on is the sense required to build these looped > pieces. Then again, maybe he just wanted to be the only one doing it > onstage. I do believe that Mr Gunn was contributing to these as well, but perhaps it was my ears deceiving me. Perhaps also it is a technique that takes some time to master, and the CGT will only use it when they think they can get it right. By the way, the Crafty's name is Hideyo Moriya. >* Finally, my friend and I also had the distinct impression of a Master/ > student relationship. The Crafties were like monks, sitting in rapt > attention before their Master, while Trey stood in the center, > anchoring the stage. It seemed as though Trey had passed all his > exams, while the CGT were still in-training. Robert would give subtle > encouragements and approvals by simply nodding his head, and was > clearly in control of the entire situation. (What else would I > expect?) I felt it was more a three-part collaboration. Fripp obviously can work alone and has. Mr Gunn is also working a solo act, as shown by the release of his solo album. The California Guitar Trio however are definitely a trio. They work as a unit. Therefore the most logical arrangement of these three units, Fripp, Gunn and the CGT, is to position them separately on the stage, just as we've seen them do in concert. As I said above, I don't believe the relationship between the CGT and Mr Fripp is one as simple as Master and Students. At one time, a few years ago that may have been the case, but the CGT have become a public performance unit, and thereby have changed the nature of the relationship with Mr Fripp. I do believe, however, that the CGT do willingly let Mr Fripp control the situation, inasmuch as he is the senior AND the Master. >In summary, I would say that it was an excellent concert, with incredible >music which could probably be performed by no other ensemble currently in >existence. I agree. > The presence of four people who can emulate Fripp's style so >convincingly disturbs me somewhat, however. I know he will not live >forever, so maybe he is training his successors. They've learned many of his techniques, it is true. They can use those techniques with nearly the proficiency as Mr Fripp. However, I don't think they are emulating Mr Fripp's style consciously. But I do think that since Mr Fripp did start the Craft `school', that his style was one of the strongest influences on the sound of Crafty music. But it is an organic growth, considering that Craft music is an oral tradition. I do think they also being their own style and preferences into the mix, considering that Mr Fripp does not use slide techniques and the CGT does. So the CGT (and Mr Gunn) are not just replacement Fripp carbon units. They have personality of their own. Mr Fripp is training musicians, not successors. -- John [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 16:29:38 -0700 From: David A. Craig Subject: stomping ground last i heard the new release date was yesterday; but "stomping ground live" is nowhere to be found. news? [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 19:59:44 -0400 (EDT) From: Brian Patrick Arnold Subject: Re: "Improvised" Frippertronics I can't admit to paying too close attention (ahem), but I saw three (!) Quintet shows (SF, SF, SC) and can say readily that the Frippertronics pieces were *not* improvised. The first piece was the least recognizable among the shows and is most probably improvised, but the second and third Frippertronics pieces followed the same notes almost to the tee, and match the Quintet video as well. I'd say it's my first notice of "structured" or "composed" looping. The starting notes are identical and the build-ups are (as best I could note) identical in "feel" if not in actual notes. - Brian [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: fuzzbox at world dot std dot com (U.F.Orb) Subject: Yee-haw!!! Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 23:19:58 -0400 (EDT) In the New releases Book By Polygram for the Month of July, I just read that they will be re-releasing "The Cheerful Insanity Of Giles, Giles, and Fripp", with 6 or so bonus tracks on it.... Hopefully it'll have decent mastering worthy of the re-mastered Crimso CDs.... -- Jason Bilsky- fuzzbox at world dot std dot com **AnnoyingBandNameSigAlert!** CrimsOrBandOfSusanSigueSigueSputniKLFionAsiArtOfNoisE.G.DailYello DaisyChainsaWettoNineInchNailSystemSeveNedsAtomicDustbiNewOrder MoodswingSt.EtiennEnigmAdamskInSoConcreteBlondEnOrbital ToriAmoSmithereenSevenSevenSeveNirvana ...Oh, and Fuzzbox..... [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] To join this mailing list or have your thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to Toby Howard at the following address: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk The Discipline archives are available on ftp.uwp.edu, in /pub/music/lists/discipline. The views expressed in Discipline are those of the individual authors only.