A sedate start to Fripp's 12th gig on the G4 tour with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. The concert is characterised by a sombre mood that ebb and flows, creating an air that is both melancholic and questioning. Though these soundscapes did little to win over the majority of the crowds who'd come to see their guitar heroes engaging in some traditional shredding, they provide some of Fripp’s most rewarding work of the period.
A slow-burning gig content to take its time with a series of slow advances and small regroupings, just as Space Music II appears to reach a climax of sorts, it veers into a moment suspended in time. The effect is stunning.
On the tour Fripp was sometimes joined by other musicians. On this occasion he is then joined by Mike Keneally, best known for his work with Frank Zappa and an eclectic solo career.
The tone Keneally uses evokes a younger Fripp; creating intense, rippling clusters;bending notes, plying them into emotive twists and turns that pull at the head and heart. It's a skillful blending of the two players although there are times when it's akin to listening to the same guitarist thirty years apart.
Keneally is clearly an admirer of Fripp’s work, and it turns out the feeling is mutual. "Mike Keneally was able to solo over [Soundscapes] in a way I have never been able to achieve for myself. He gave me answers to questions I had felt for myself, but never had the courage or capacity to find an answer".
The wonderfully elegiac Terror, Dread and Celebration provides a beautiful, if typically oblique, finish to the concert.
DGM engineer, Alex Mundy notes that Robert has written on the Dat tape from which this concert is taken “This may be the debut of Space Music, as such.” Alex goes on to say “Robert listened to it on 7 Jan 1999, and has given it a red Star (which at the time meant he liked it) and also has written “Yes! Yes!””
A sedate start to Fripp's 12th gig on the G4 tour with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. The concert is characterised by a sombre mood that ebb and flows, creating an air that is both melancholic and questioning. Though these soundscapes did little to win over the majority of the crowds who'd come to see their guitar heroes engaging...
5 stars "Silence is a distant echo of the approach of the Muse."-Robert Fripp Space symphonic music achieved with a processed electric guitar plus loops, played as environmental music between Robert Fripp´s collaborations with other quiet more famous disciples, this being the 12th gig on the G4 tour with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. None of these guys except for Fripp of course, participate in this 2015 "KENEALLY", but Mike Keneally (featured here in PA ) does. Out of ...
5 stars "Silence is a distant echo of the approach of the Muse."-Robert Fripp Space symphonic music achieved with a processed electric guitar plus loops, played as environmental music between Robert Fripp´s collaborations with other quiet more famous disciples, this being the 12th gig on the G4 tour with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. None of these guys except for Fripp of course, participate in this 2015 "KENEALLY", but Mike Keneally (featured here in PA ) does. Out of nowhere, but with extraordinary results. Ok, enough credentials, to where it matters the music itself. Considering the attention, patience and mastery, Fripp has aquired in playing for not that "friendly" or indifferent audiences, somehow it adds up to the miracle of displaying this masterful pieces and achieving such an unidirectional flawless perfection. This live recording compresses Robert Fripp´s best musical ideas transfixed with elegance into space music, which has no real resemblance in the Prog world, not even with the PE category, as to compare with. But for those familiar with this kind of space trips in the classical music field (i.e.Holtz, Mahler, Stockhausen), will find the time and the full-attention it requires to explore this Robert Fripp´s "planets" and "Cosmos" musical concept. Add up a mirror image of a young Robert Fripp in the form of Mike Keneally, playing alongside "old" self Fripp, like a trip through time, as a trip through a very touching and intimate, yet universal and human to the bone space journey. *****5 "MASTERWORK" from A to Z! Review by admireArt Collaborator PSIKE Team for Prog Archives.
Written by Jeremy Keens
Frippertronics meets Soundscpe
One of the many pleasures of this site is finally hearing the 1980s Frippertronics concerts: we had bought GSTQ, UHM and heard the loops & read that there were solos over these. The great work combining Loop&Solo is a boon. What’s that got to do with this? Well, a complaint which could be made about soundscapes, particularly in the 90s was the lack of guitarsounds: you can see why guitar-boys (&girls) at a G3 concert might be discombobulated by a guy sitting at a rack and heari...
One of the many pleasures of this site is finally hearing the 1980s Frippertronics concerts: we had bought GSTQ, UHM and heard the loops & read that there were solos over these. The great work combining Loop&Solo is a boon. What’s that got to do with this? Well, a complaint which could be made about soundscapes, particularly in the 90s was the lack of guitarsounds: you can see why guitar-boys (&girls) at a G3 concert might be discombobulated by a guy sitting at a rack and hearing choirs, percussion, washes but no plucked strings. (I would love a DVD of a soundscape concert - which just focussed on what Mr Fripp was doing). In the latter part of this glorious long form soundscape (it is interesting to see/feel/hear the difference between the long concerts, the mid-lengthers and the short focussed pieces) Mr Fripp is joined by Mr Kennealy and we get a soundscape with a true guitar solo over it. It is gorgeous (there is a disk or special download that could be made I am sure of Fripp duets from this series, as other guests are mentioned). At time it could be Mr Fripp himself, but whoever, it adds a dimension which reaches back to 1979-83.
Written by Charles Stack
Soundscapes with Mike Keneally
I’m VERY pleased to see some archival recordings of Bob Fripp and Mike Keneally from their 1997 tour together! I saw this show in Chicago, and was just stunned to see Mike (who was dressed very oddly, wearing a tall "Cat in the Hat" style hat) jamming alongside RF during the opening "Soundscapes" prelude. I agree completely with Bob that Mike effectively captured the essence of a younger Fripp, who himself inspired Mike in his youth. Mike effectively channeled Bob’s solo techniques of ...
I’m VERY pleased to see some archival recordings of Bob Fripp and Mike Keneally from their 1997 tour together! I saw this show in Chicago, and was just stunned to see Mike (who was dressed very oddly, wearing a tall "Cat in the Hat" style hat) jamming alongside RF during the opening "Soundscapes" prelude. I agree completely with Bob that Mike effectively captured the essence of a younger Fripp, who himself inspired Mike in his youth. Mike effectively channeled Bob’s solo techniques of the early 1970’s, including his use of lush fuzz tone, fretboard slides and caressing vibrato. Soundscapes would make a wonderful musical "platform" for other musicians to jam to, and perhaps this would be a nice way to continue Bob’s musical legacy for years to come! He provides us with a wonderful tapestry upon which we can solo and improvise, whether using guitar, sax, keys or voice. I only wish more of the material from their duet were available. Cheers, Chuck S.
Written by Kevin Letts
Memphis Blues
I too was drawn to this download by the potential thrill of hearing what former "stunt guitarist" Michael Keneally could do in a Soundscape situation. Although his contributions are a little lost in the mix at times, I was not disappointed.However, the whole performance is stunning, one of best Soundscapes I’ve heard in a long time and certainly THE best I’ve heard from a G3 concert. Robert has often stated that Soundscapes are about responding to the environment in which they are performed....
I too was drawn to this download by the potential thrill of hearing what former "stunt guitarist" Michael Keneally could do in a Soundscape situation. Although his contributions are a little lost in the mix at times, I was not disappointed.However, the whole performance is stunning, one of best Soundscapes I’ve heard in a long time and certainly THE best I’ve heard from a G3 concert. Robert has often stated that Soundscapes are about responding to the environment in which they are performed. Thus there is usually a clear difference to be heard between a performance recorded in a church, say, and one in a concert hall.In this case, it amazed me how Mr Fripp was able to produce music of such pastoral beauty in a room full of baying heavy metal fans!
