The legacy of Robert Fripp and King Crimson is carried on with a new generation of musicians, although anchored with alumni of the previous Court. Here are a handful of recent declarations from the kingdom…
Guitarist Mark Wingfield brings in Crimson graduate Tony Levin/b along with Percy Jones/b, Asaf Sirkis/dr and Mahavishnu member Gary Husband/p-synth/dr on a Decalogue of originals. Wingield’s tone is sinewy and slithering, crying out on “The Lost Room” and textured on ”The Corkscrew Tower” Rich images with bas and guitar get Yes-ish on “Joyney Home” and the drums simmer with Husband’s piano on “The Listening Trees”. Palpable forms.
The “Diminished Quartet” includes the guitars of Ehsan sadighand Markus Reuter’s patented soundscapes, still with Tony Levin and including Mazyar Younesi/p-voc, Rouzbeh Fadavi/dr and Soheil Peyghambari/ss-bcl for a 25 minute four part “Dearand” and a trio of more concise pieces. The mix of guitars and bass make for dark ambience and almost dripping stalactite tones for the Suite, with effects, soundscapes and hovering tones predominant on the static “Tehran II” and the reeds intertwining on the narrow walls of “Mirror Side”. Long night shadows.
Playing electric guitar, Spanish guitar, acoustic piano and violin, Beleo teams up with Jorge Pardo/fl-ts, Carles Benavent/b, Asaf Sirkis/dr and guests Gary Husband/key and Ramon Echegary/perc for some rich Latin flavored progressions. Pardo’s flute is a major plus here, haunting on the pretty “Djelem Djelem” getting funky on the rich “Es P rohibeix Glasefemar” and his tenor adding to the spacey groove of “Candombesque”. The Team jams on the rocking “Rodeados” with the leader getting deep on “Rauleando” whele going dramatic with SIrkis for “Flotando En El Vacio”. Eurasian fusion.
Most fascinating of all is Luca Clabrese playing his pocket trumpet in the company of four guitarists (or “touch guitarist” if you insist) in Nguyen Le, Markus Reuter, Mark WIngfiled and Alexander Dowrk. On muted horn, there are haunting echoes with the strings on “A New Reality” and hints of Monument Valley with howling coyotes on the sunset-toned “Heart To Heart Mind To Mind” as the mix of strums and picks get fascinating. Otherworldly voices meld with hovering tones on “Magnetic Soul” and Middle Easter tons veer through string created stars and orbits on “Appointment With The Truth”. Dream weavers.