Search - Robert Fripp :: November Suite

Intriguing, but ultimately unrewarding.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 05/18/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"In 1996, Robert Fripp was invited to perform his solo soundscapes at Green Park Station, evidentally a decomissioned railroad station now fronting a supermarket and a series of shops. The performances were long and over several days, and this CD was culled from those shows. While the music on here is not my favorite of his soundscape works, it is amazing to see the growth that occured in his music since the live performances of the previous year.



For those unfamiliar, soundscapes are the digital version of Frippertronics (Frippertronics being a series of tape loops through which Fripp could loop and play over his own playing). The guitarist, in these cases unaccompanied, would then set forth on a series of improvisation, often centered on a mood, an idea, a thought, or some other stimulation. Whereas the performances on 1994's "1999" and the 1995 soundscapes series relied largely on an abstract, synthy, orchestral sound that was readily identifiable with Fripp, these performances utilize a great variety of sounds, from synthesized voices, pads, pianos, and percussion to horn sounds and even something that sounds occasionally like a guitar.



And yet remarkably, this variety of sound somehow seems to cause a lack of expressiveness in the playing-- it could be that he was largely not reflecting on a given moment, and thus his playing was unfocused, or it could be that utilizing a greater variety of sounds caused the music to lose some of its element. Either way, I find this set far less engaging than much of the earlier soundscapes work.



Still, it shows quite a bit of bravery and growth as Fripp begins to assume new techniques and styles into his soundscaping. Worth a listen, but not the classic that "A Blessing of Tears" is."