jericsmith.com
ProjeKct Two
Copyright 1998, J. Eric Smith
Originally appeared in Metroland
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ProjeKct Two Valentine's, May 8, 1998 "OK, now we've played everything
we don't know,so we can play something that we actually do know," announced
electronic drummer Adrian Belew at the end of ProjeKct Two's second all-instrumental, all-improvised
set. Belew, 10-string Warr
guitarist Trey Gunn and electric six-string guitarist Robert Fripp then encored with King Crimson's "Vrooom," an angular number originally created by Fripp, Belew, Gunn and their
Crimson bandmates Tony Levin, Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto. As nice as it was to hear "Vrooom," the true value of the encore was to place the
evening's improvisational extravaganza in context by providing a single
sample of how ProjeKct Two sounded when tackling a
fully developed and structured instrumental piece. Frankly speaking, the
encore paled in comparison to the 90 minutes of music preceding it, as its
rehearsed complexities and nuances were nowhere near as impressive as the
knotty, towering sound collages that ProjeKct Two
created on the fly as the rapt audience watched and listened. Fripp, Belew and Gunn were
watching and listening to each other as well, and much of the thrill of this
concert came from witnessing the interactions between these deeply talented
musicians who have played together long enough to anticipate each other's
thoughts, sometimes before they eve realize that they've had them. Belew or Fripp typically opened
each number with a drum or guitar pattern that the other musicians would would investigate, mount and ride, sometimes to loud and
uplifting summits, sometimes to quiet, scary grottoes, sometimes back to the
point at which they started. It was actually harrowing to experience in many
cases, as the trio careened just on this side of control as they rode, the
looks on their faces indicating that it was just as thrilling (and
frightening) for them as it was their audience. As important as technical
prowess was to the concert's success, mention must also be made of ProjeKct Two's technological proficiancy.
Belew was playing the latest generation of Roland
virtual drums, allowing him to create a seemingly infinite number of sonic
assaults as he clattered and rattled along with a look-Ma-I've-got drums grin
on his face. (Understandable, given that he's normally a guitarist.) Gunn
matched Belew's rhythmic and textural intensity as
he tapped, stroked and and beat the touchboard of his Warr guitar. Fripp spun out any number of his trademark spine-tingling
sustained guitar lines but also used the treatment technology he has
developed over the years via his Soundscape and Frippertronic performance experiments to create a wealth
of tones and intonations. At times, the bands' sounds were so far skewed from
what your eyes were reporting to your brain that it was almost
psychologically easier to look at the floor and imagine that Fripp was playing cluster chords on some beaten-up
jazz-hall piano while Gunn blew on a baritone sax and Belew
kept time by tapping on whisky bottles and ashtrays. Crazy, man, crazy. All told, ProjeKct Two's concert was a magnificent one, and I must
confess to feeling great relief in being able to report that. Why? Because
Robert Fripp's written and recorded works have done
more to shape both how I listen to and how I think about music than have any
other artist's over the last two decades, although I never actually stood in
the same space with Fripp until last Friday. So
imagine the potential for debilitating disappointment at this show, and then
imagine the transcendent relief and joy when it didn't come to pass. It
literally moved me to tears. And how often can a wordless concert do that? --J. Eric Smith |