ProjeKcts
The ProjeKcts are a succession of spin-off projects associated with the band King Crimson.
The ProjeKcts were most active from 1997 to 1999, but have performed intermittently since. These earlier ProjeKcts, up to ProjeKct Six in 2006, were devoted to instrumental and heavily improvised music. All of them included King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, who described their purpose as being "research and development" for King Crimson.[1] Two later spin-off projects were of a different nature, but both involving former King Crimson members.
History
FraKctalisation (1997–1999)
ProjeKct One (1997)
(Robert Fripp - Guitar, Trey Gunn - Warr Guitar, Tony Levin - Bass, Bill Bruford - Drums)
ProjeKct One began as a suggestion by Bruford to Robert Fripp that they do some improvisational shows together. Fripp suggested adding Gunn, while Bruford suggested adding Tony Levin — four of the six members of King Crimson were now involved.
Fripp then developed the idea of "fraKctals": multiple different subsets of the band working separately as a way of developing new material for King Crimson, the band having been at something of a compositional impasse.
ProjeKct One performed four consecutive shows at the Jazz Cafe from December 1 through December 4, 1997. All four concerts have been made available for download through DGMLive.[2]
ProjeKct Two (1997–1998)
(Fripp, Gunn, Adrian Belew - V-Drums)
While ProjeKct One was the first of the sub-groups planned, ProjeKct Two actually convened and recorded first. It featured Fripp, Gunn and Adrian Belew on drums rather than guitar (his usual instrument with King Crimson). This configuration was unplanned, but when the group gathered at Belew's home studio to record, he had recently taken possession of the V-drums and Fripp was keen to experiment with their use. The group enjoyed the results enough that it was decided to keep this configuration for the whole course of the project.
They released the studio album Space Groove in 1998. Additionally, they performed thirty-five concerts between February and July 1998. As of May 2, 2011, twenty-six of these shows have been made available for download through DGMLive.[3]
ProjeKct Three (1999, 2003)
(Fripp, Gunn, Pat Mastelotto - drums).
ProjeKct Three (P3) performed five shows from March 21 through March 25, 1999 in Texas. As of April 26, 2011, three of these five shows have been made available for download from DGMLive.[4]
On March 3, 2003, P3 performed instead of King Crimson at the Birchmere in the Washington, DC, area, as Adrian Belew was taken ill that night. Following their impromptu performance, the three band members interacted with the audience in the form of a question and answer session. This is the only other full concert appearance of P3 other than the tour of Texas in March 1999. The performance is available on CD (ProjeKct Three – Live in Alexandria, VA, 2003 [5]), however, the Q&A session on the CD is incomplete. The complete Q&A is available separately as a download at the DGMLive web site.[6]
ProjeKct Four (1998)
(Fripp, Gunn, Levin, Mastelotto)
ProjeKct Four performed a seven-show tour of the United States from October 23 to November 2, 1998. These shows consisted of improvised material, as well as expanded upon material developed by earlier ProjeKcts.
All seven of these shows have been made available for download through DGMLive.[7]
ProjeKct X (2000)
ProjeKct X was not a group as such, but a CD based on material recorded during The ConstruKction of Light sessions and remixed and re-assembled by the band, particularly Mastelotto and Gunn. The resulting album, Heaven and Earth, was released in 2000 alongside The ConstruKction of Light. Additionally, when the 2001-03 group performed improvised pieces during their live shows, they would use the name ProjeKct X to differentiate themselves from the regular King Crimson, thus freeing up their talents to stray beyond the usual repertoire.
ProjeKct Six (2006)
The ProjeKcts were then dormant until 2006, when Fripp on guitar and Belew on drums played live under the name ProjeKct Six. There has been no ProjeKct Five, but in 2006, Fripp mentioned plans for a ProjeKct Five distinct from the then current King Crimson line-up (Fripp, Belew, Levin, Mastelotto).
Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins - A King Crimson ProjeKct (2010–11)
A project including Jakko Jakszyk along with Crimson alumni Fripp and Mel Collins (returning after 40 years),[8] this was ultimately dubbed "A King Crimson ProjeKct," and has been referred to by Fripp as "ProjeKct 7".[9] The album A Scarcity of Miracles features this line-up, along with other Crimson alumni Tony Levin and Gavin Harrison.
Crimson ProjeKct (2012-)
Levin, Mastelotto and Belew organised the "3 of a Perfect Pair Camp" in August 2011, which included the trio performing a set of King Crimson material together, partway through being joined by Julie Slick (bass) and Tobias Ralph (drums) from the Adrian Belew Power Trio. This performance was a preview of the Two of a Perfect Trio tour of the US/Canada in September–October 2011. This saw sets by the Stick Men (Tony Levin on Chapman Stick and vocals; Pat Mastelotto on drums, percussion, vocals; and Markus Reuter on touch-style guitars), the Adrian Belew Power Trio and then a final set by all six musicians (Levin, Mastelotto, Belew, Slick, Ralph and Reuter) or various subsets thereof playing King Crimson material (mainly material from Belew and Levin's periods in the band).
This six-person line-up supported Dream Theater on the band's summer 2012 US tour under the name Crimson ProjeKct.
Discography
- ProjeKct One
- Live at the Jazz Café (1998, Japan-only)
- Jazz Café Suite (2003, King Crimson Collector's Club)
- London, Jazz Café, England – December 4, 1997 (2005, DGM Live)
- ProjeKct Two
- Space Groove (1998)
- Live Groove (1999, Japan-only)
- Live in Northampton, MA (2001, King Crimson Collector's Club)
- I.C. Light Music Tent, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2005, King Crimson Collector's Club)
- Live in Chicago, IL (2006, King Crimson Collector's Club)
- ProjeKct Three
- Masque (1999, Japan-only)
- Live in Austin,TX (2004, King Crimson Collectors' Club)
- Live in Alexandria,VA (2007, King Crimson Collectors' Club)
- ProjeKct Four
- West Coast Live (1999, Japan-only)
- Live in San Francisco/The Roar of P4 (1999, King Crimson Collectors' Club)
- Boxed set
- The ProjeKcts (1999)
- 4CDs, includes all of above Japan-exclusive releases.
- Compilation
- Compilation album from The ProjeKcts box set.
- ProjeKct X
- Heaven and Earth (2000)
- ProjeKct Six
- East Coast Live (2006, DGM Live)
- Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins
- A Scarcity of Miracles (2011)
References
- ↑ For a more comprehensive overview of the history and aesthetics of the ProjeKcts, see the notes for the four CD set The ProjeKcts, 1999, Discipline Records, catalog number DGM9913
- ↑ "ProjeKct One". Discipline Global Mobile (dgmlive.com). Retrieved 2011-04-26.
- ↑ "ProjeKct Two". Discipline Global Mobile (dgmlive.com). Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ↑ "ProjeKct Three". Discipline Global Mobile (dgmlive.com). Retrieved 2011-04-26.
- ↑ "ProjeKct Three – Live in Alexandria, VA, March 3, 2003". Discipline Global Mobile (dgmlive.com). Retrieved 2012-03-23.
- ↑ "Q&A". Discipline Global Mobile (dgmlive.com). Retrieved 2011-04-26.
- ↑ "ProjeKct Four". Discipline Global Mobile (dgmlive.com). Retrieved 2011-07-05.
- ↑ "Burning". Burning Shed (burningshed.com). Retrieved 2011-04-06.
- ↑ "ProjeKct Seven". Discipline Global Mobile (dgmlive.com). Retrieved 2011-04-06.