Off to see King Crimson at the Beacon Theater tonight. They are a remarkable ensemble, including, among others, two of my favorite drummers, Pat Mastelotto and Gavin Harrison, the great bassist Tony Levin and — sui generis — the Gurdjeffian guitarist and musical innovator Robert Fripp.
I’ve never seen them perform, and I’m happy to be doing so at last.
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Malcolm, enjoy your visit “In the Court of the Crimson King”…you know you can’t stay!
The performance was all you expected?
Robert, it was mind-boggling — one of the most remarkable musical experiences I’ve ever had (and I’ve had plenty). This latest KC ensemble is absolutely extraordinary.
Three drummers, two guitarists, keyboards, bass, and woodwinds. Difficult, soaring, intricate, mesmerizing music, ranging from sweetly melodic to jarringly discordant, intimate to thunderous, playful to intimidating, executed with incomparable precision and power — I can’t think of any other band on earth that is playing at this level right now. A fantastic, unforgettable evening.
I saw KC back in 1995 or 1996 in what was loosely known as the double trio tour with both Pat Mastelotto and Bill Bruford on drums. Trey Gunn and Tony Levin were both on Stick and of course Fripp and Belew on guitars. Mind-boggling is the perfect description.
Knowing that you are a drummer and very likely a fan of Bruford, did you read his auto biography? Much to my surprise, I found it to be a tad bid depressing. In a nutshell, he talked about his insecurities, “stage fright” and his fear of being compared to other rock drummers who had more “chops” than him. In fact, he credits his unique approach to drumming as a way NOT to be compared to someone else. For example, think back to his half acoustic and half electric (Simmons) kit or his wall of Simmons drums where he stood with his back to the audience. According to his book, these things stemmed more from his anxiety rather than musical innovation.
I walked away feeling sorry for Bruford after reading his book, which then made me slightly depressed knowing that some one as talented as he is could be so unhappy with his playing. All I can say is that if I had a fraction of Bill Bruford’s talent, I would feel like I could take on the world.