Crimson & Cover

 

 
Doc Severinsen - The Court of the Crimson King

As promised, I am here again with the rejoinder to yesterday's Eno extravaganza, featuring his sometimes partner-in-crime who was born two years (minus a day) before he was.

What is it with these Taureans? They are like bulls in the china shop of musical orthodoxy, aren't they?

Jimi Hendrix once approached this guy, after the guy's 9th ever public performance, and told him to shake his left hand, because it was nearer to his heart.

The people at the Hendrix table were, as the story goes, treated to loud exclamations by Jimi, that the band onstage -- which wouldn't have a record out for another six months -- was "the best band in the world".

When the record finally came out, it was hard to argue with the Hendrix assessment.

That LP, as well as some of the ensuing ones, turned out to be some of the most influential records that will ever be waxed by anyone, ever.

Perhaps the first rock musician to draw away from the Blues and upon the dissonant tonalities of 20th century composers like Bartok and Stravinsky, his stature over the 5+ decades since In the Court of the Crimson King debuted has only elevated.

Composer, frighteningly skillful guitarist, theorist, teacher... he wears all the hats as soon as his cold morning shower is over, doesn't he?

Oh yeah, he claims he takes only cold showers because he "wants the body to know who is in charge".

Well, since 1969 -- when King Crimson burst, fully formed and with a brand new genre of music to espouse, onto the scene -- he's been firmly in charge of some of the most challenging and revered sounds in the history of the species.

I figured since he and Brian Eno have together produced a good portion of those sounds, let's follow one with the other on back-to-back birthdays and honor Robert Fripp's 77th trip around The Sun.

So here's this wild and super jazzy comp I made for my phone, with a plethora of unusual interpretations of the music of King Crimson.

To Satisfy the Hoax
Jazz & Instrumental Interpretations of King Crimson

01 True Voices Saxophone Quartet - 21st Century Schizoid Man

02 White Knight Instrumental - Book of Saturday

03 Crimson Jazz Trio - Cat Food

04 Superdog - Indoor Games

05 Bebo Ferra, Paolino Dalla Porta & Fabrizio Sferra - I Talk to the Wind

06 Either/Orchestra - Red

07 Pierrejean Gaucher - Dinosaur

08 Stick Men + David Cross - Sartori in Tangier

09 Gwilym Simcock & Delta Saxophone Quartet - Two Hands

10 Médéric Collignon & Jus de Bocse - Intrudicsion (Indiscipline)

11 21st Century Schizoid Band - Sailor's Tale

12 Hans Annéllsson - Fracture

13 Emerson, Lake & Powell - Mars, the Bringer of War (Merday Morn's rehearsal edit)

14 Controlled Bleeding - The Talking Drum

15 Joel Baer Quartet - Matte Kudesai

16 Tuner - Industry

17 Stefano Bollani - Frame By Frame

18 Esther Flückiger & John Wolf Brennan - Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Pt. Two

19 Maya Beiser - Epitaph

20 Doc Severinsen - The Court of the Crimson King

21 Fernando Perdomo - Prince Rupert Awakes

22 Torino Guitar Quartet - Discipline

23 Petra Haden - The Sheltering Sky

24 Kamera Quintet - Song of the Gulls

25 Psychonoesis - Starless

Total time: 2:38:32

disc break goes after Track 13

EN-assembled compilation of various odd interpretations of the music of King Crimson

966 MB FLAC/direct link

I'm gonna take off for awhile now, because I have a big movie to make that you'll probably enjoy, but which is gonna take a lotta effort to make happen.

But before I trundle off to assemble that Journey into insanity, I thought I'd devote these two days to two intertwined musos, whose careers seem inextricably linked somehow, even though one claims to not be able to play anything and there's nothing today's birthday guy can't play!--J.