King Crimson Songbook, Vol. 1

King Crimson Songbook, Vol. 1

ASIN: B000B865DM

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Very, very few players have covered King Crimson repertoire and no-one of prominence (other than The Schizoid Band and Andrew Keeling's orchestral arrangements) has attempted more than one or two pieces. There have been honourable renditions & representations but, until now, without significantly adding to my understanding of Crimson material.

The CJ3 have respectfully & irreverently taken 8 Crimson classics, repositioned them in the musical spectrum, and delivered their first Songbook with superb musicianship in service to wit & invention. I have heard, as if for the first time, Schizoid, TOAPP, Catfood, Starless, Ladies Of The Road, I Talk To The Wind, Red & Matte Kudasai.

Ian Wallace provides personal hotline & Crimson-juice authority to the Trio, although anyone unfamiliar with Ian's jazz passion & experience may be surprised by what is going on here. O for a shabby & smoke-free jazz club to sit back & savour The CJ3 in living sonic colour. O for someone to persuade Ian, Jody Nardone & Tim Landers to climb into the back of a van and travel.

Tracks:

21st Century Schizoid Man
Three Of A Perfect Pair
Catfood
Starless
Ladies Of The Road
I Talk To The Wind
Red
Matte Kudasai

Album Description

Very, very few players have covered King Crimson repertoire and no-one of prominence (other than The Schizoid Band and Andrew Keeling's orchestral arrangements) has attempted more than one or two pieces. There have been honourable renditions & representations but, until now, without significantly adding to my understanding of Crimson material.

Album Description

CJ3 have respectfully & irreverently taken 8 Crimson classics, repositioned them in the musical spectrum and delivered their first Songbook with superb musicianship in service to wit & invention. Featuring well known King Crimson members Ian Wallace and Mel Collins. Sleeve notes by Robert Fripp.Voiceprint. 2005.

Album Details

Very, Very Few Players have Covered King Crimson Repertoire and No-one of Prominence (Other Than the Schizoid Band and Andrew Keeling's Orchestral Arrangements) Has Attempted More Than One Or Two Pieces. There have Been Honourable Renditions and Representations But, Until Now, Without Significantly Adding to My Understanding of Crimson Material. The Cj3 have Respectfully and Irreverently Taken Eight Crimson Classics, Repositioned them in the Musical Spectrum, and Delivered their First Songbook with Superb Musicianship in Service to Wit and Invention. I have Heard, as If for the First Time, Schizoid, Toapp, Catfood, Starless, Ladies of the Road, I Talk to the Wind, Red and Matte Kudasai. Ian Wallace Provides Personal Hotline and Crimson-juice Authority to the Trio, Although Anyone Unfamiliar with Ian's Jazz Passion and Experience May Be Surprised by What is Going on Here.

Customer Reviews:

interesting first listen, but do you want to hear this again?.......2006-08-09

Being a big fan of the King Crimson material chosen for this disc and of good jazz piano (Evans, Jarrett, Tyner, Charlap, Gustavsen,....), I had high hopes. Sadly, this just doesn't work for me.

Faster tempo sections lack grit or aggression, and the quieter passages frequently descend into a Hilton lounge vibe.

Do the guys have musical chops? Certainly. And drummer Ian Wallace brings Crimson bandmate experience to the plate (the drums are the highlight of this set). I would have preferred an acoustic bass instead of the "front of the mix" electric that was chosen, but ability and instrumentation are not the problem. Soul and innovation are.

Despite an ever-changing band line up (sans Fripp, the only always-present member), King Crimson was always filled with musicians who had a lot to say and the ability to say it (even if you didn't didn't necessarily enjoy every incarnation or album).

Sadly, this CD doesn't live up to its concept. Great Crimson "standards" were chosen, but (unlike a great jazz trio tackling a stanard tune and building something new and exciting) these interpretations don't go very far.

I DO recommend checking this disc out. It's interesting to hear these pieces in a different context. The question will be whether or not you would like to hear them more than once.

Muzak for Aging Proggers.......2006-03-19

A few years ago, following the dubious success of "The Orchestral Tubular Bells" we were treated to a rapidly-descending series of lugubrious orchestrations of the music of Jethro Tull, Yes, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd (Oh, the humanity!) and several other Baby Boomer favorites. Thankfully, the trend died out as fast as it arose and elevators all over the world have gone back to "Tiny Bubbles" and "Raindrops."

Or maybe not. Is the Crimson Trio a harbinger of the next wave of bowderlization, where everything sacred is turned into Lounge Jazz this time? Can Nick the Lounge Singer, crooning "Aqualung" in airport lounges to blue-haired travelers, be far behind?

Oh the Trio is tasteful -- Landers is one hell of a bassist and Wallace is underappreciated -- but the first signs of the Apocalypse always are.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

CONTEXT BEING THE THING.......2006-03-11

The equation is pretty simple: The Crimson Jazz Trio is to jazz somewhat less than King Crimson is to rock. But the real import here is a dramatic change of context, one that shifts the rhythmic and melodic components from an often clinical glare into a warm and generous new light. By allowing us to recognize these now familiar pieces in a completely new setting is a great way to demonstrate just how compelling, flexible and open-ended the music of King Crimson is. Even more interesting is the way in which the music of various generations of KC, each with its own distinct stylistic signature and aesthetic preoccupations, adapt to the here "standardized" jazz form.

More than an exercise, the first volume Songbook shows us that no matter what the form, interpretation is a critical aspect of making music. The interpretations here are uniformly worthwhile and exhibit the outcomes of what must have been some difficult decisions. Just consider untying the Gordian Knot that is "Starless", absent of Alexander's sword. Music such as this, with its strictly metered progressions built on razor-fine divisions and subtle, clockwork variations would seem impossible to adapt to the freer shadings of jazz. Yet, the Crimson Jazz trio accomplishes just that, to great effect.

Listening, however, proves to be equally demanding and rewarding, especially when compared to a spate of comparatively onanistic "mash-ups" of the original work. Anyone interested in music and its seemingly infinite pliability and potential should spend time with this Songbook.

Excellent Prog-Rock Interpretations for Jazzy but not Jazz Piano Trio.......2006-03-05

This disc is almost an instant classic, give or take a few minor reservations. Exceeded all my expectations that's for sure.

Landers & Wallace need no introduction but it is the unknown Nardone who is the revelation here. He's unfailingly tasteful in the slower and medium-tempo sections, really catching the immortal spirit of classic KC but he also tends to overplay and overstate and bang on the keyboards and take the song through some sort of climax, unnecessarily ruining his own extended state of grace, apparently thinking he has to do this just because this is the mighty King Crimson after all that they're interpreting and a bit of loudness and 'rocking out' is called for! Not so. By riding out the entire song in a perfect state of understated balance which is what cool jazz is all about and with fresh inventiveness each step of the way, he creates a masterpiece whereas whenever he bangs on the keyboards he creates only annoyance since no piano can match the power of Fripp's guitar.

That criticism aside, the great thing about Nardone is that when he's flying improv he's flying strictly with the 'beyond' feel or 'transcendent' feel of a tune, the mysterious spirit that makes it great and he's all about that 100% and where that takes him and not at all tied into a jazz idiom. In other words, if Keith Jarrett or Chick Corea or Herbie Hancock improvised on these same tunes, it would sound too jazzy and they would take a jazz approach and subordinate the feel of the tune to the jazz approach which tends towards homogeneity. Not Nardone, he takes the improv approach but leaves the jazz patterns or feel out because it would take away from the superior classic KC feel. The Jazz or be-bop derived style of playing with its established patterns of approach has been run down into the ground by hundreds of players over the years so it's great to hear a guy who likes the freedom of improvisation but likes the transcendence prog aims at at its best better than the very different type of transcendence jazz tries for. You could say that this is cool-jazz played with equal parts cool-jazz spirit & prog-rock imagination but without any be-bop dervied stuff thrown in that you hear in all standard jazz albums from Pat Metheny to Keith Jarrett.

Excellent job recording the CD as well, super-thick very nice piano sound, a killer deep electric bass that stands in for an upright and the classic Wallace drum tone.

Great CD! Bring on Volume 2.......2006-03-03

While this is not officially King Crimson, it's definitely a must for any Crimson fan. This is even a great jazz CD for those who aren't (yet) fans of KC. I really enjoy the very melodic fretless bass guitar. I definitely hope they stay together and record a Volume 2. I'd love to hear some more arrangements from the '80s Fripp/Belew/Bruford/Levin line up as well as the '90s Double Trio.

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