Bathurst Street Theatre
As one follows the step-by-step creation of loops, there’s something rather calming to be lost in a reverie as the circular maze that Frippertronics elegantly creates. Time and again, these concerts show how the patterns connect with each other and then, on top of that, another layer of free expression bursts forth. The contrasting worlds between the tight but gently shifting harmonic framework set in motion with the unalloyed intensity erupting from the fretboard that makes such concerts so compelling. It’s easy to understand that for many who were present in the room as they were created, the experience could be life-changing.
The undulating solo during Toronto August 12 fizzes with activity, the notes seemingly burrowing upwards until eventually reaching the light and off into the stratosphere, leaving behind the glacial ebb and flow of the loop’s topography. With Fripp clearly in the zone, the following variation on God Save The Queen reaches far beyond and into the unknown. In a series of concerts brimming with so many jewels, this particular moment seems richer than most.