Guitar Craft
Fripp was offered a teaching position at the American Society for Continuous Education (ASCE) in Claymont Court, West Virginia in 1984. He had been involved with the ASCE since 1978, eventually serving on its board of directors, and had long been considering the idea of teaching guitar. His course, Guitar Craft, was begun in 1985, one of the results of which was a performance group, "The League of Crafty Guitarists," which has released several albums. In 1986, he released the first of two collaborations with his wife, Toyah Willcox. The members of the California Guitar Trio are former members of The League of Crafty Guitarists, and Gitbox Rebellion includes several former Guitar Craft students.
"From the opening cascade of harmonics that greet the listener in "Invocation", to the Fripp leads that soon follow, Robert Fripp and the League of Crafty Guitarists' first release, "Live!", immediately confirms Mr Fripp's commitment during this period of his life to the craft of guitar. While occasionally recalling bits of his works with Andy Summers, this release primarily marks new ground in Mr Fripp's recording career.
""Tight Muscle Party ..." weaves simple, fast patterns with several guitars; "The Chords That Bind" manages to convey a lovely, Asian influence in its peacful setting while in fact being--a chord study. It is followed by the precision playing of the appropriately titled "Eye of the Needle", the even more demanding "All or Nothing II", and the beautiful "Aspiration", which begins with more harmonic work, and then showcases a slow, extended solo.
"The second half of the recording begins with another version of "All or Nothing", in which the close listener will hear Fripp count off before the playing begins. "Circulation" is obviously influenced by a scale, but rather than simply run through the scales, the players play the notes in an order and with a timing that creates a truly "musical" effect. "A Fearful Symmetry" is, comparably, more chaotic, as the Crafties (who are given co-writing credit with Fripp) are allowed to stretch out just a small bit.
"What is particularly impressive about this recording is that, as noted several times above, these pieces are primarily tools with which one learns the craft of guitar. Yet those who enjoy Mr Fripp's solo playing will find this recording well worth listening to for its own musical merits.
"But with all due respect to the Crafties, the high point for enthusiasts of Mr Fripp's guitar playing will still be his solo showcase, "The New World". This track is among the most beautiful and fulfilling Frippertronic works on record. The basic track is a combination of short bleeps and long notes, over which he plays melodic leads with his signiture style. As enjoyable as it is to have some extended recordings of "acoustic Fripp", this track shows him at his best: Fripp the experimental electric guitarist.
""Crafty March", the only obviously "live" track by the way, brings this enjoyable recording to an appropriately upbeat close."
I bought this CD when it came out and still listen to it 3-4 times a year. The large guitar ensamble sounds great. The arrangements are simple, and that's appropriate for the unique recording situation -- not only was the recording a surprise but the concert itself. As a result, there's an urgency to the recording that keeps it fresh. Using a guitar class to render a cycle of songs was a risky move that allowed Fripp to also demonstrate the technique and tuning he developed and was advocating.
Track Listing:
"The New World" features only Fripp on frippertronics and overdubbed solo guitar.
5'18 Guitar Craft Theme I: Invocation (Fripp)
1'22 Tight Muscle Party At Love Beach (Essex)
1'43 The Chords That Bind (Fripp)
2'20 Guitar Craft Theme III: Eye of the Needle (Fripp)
3'59 All Or Nothing II (Fripp)
3'58 Guitar Craft Theme II: Aspiration (Fripp)
4'44 All Or Nothing I (Fripp)
3'54 Circulation (Fripp)
3'24 A Fearful Symmetry (Fripp, LGC)
9'55 The New World (Fripp)
3'15 Crafty March (Fripp, LGC)
Personnel:
Robert Fripp (guitar)
Crafty Guitarists: Terry Blankenship, Roy Capellaro, Jon Diaz, John Durso, Andrew Essex, Tony Geballe, Claude Gillet, Curt Golden, Mike Gorman, Trey Gunn, Brian Helm, James Hines III, Danny Howes, David Mazza, John Miley, John Novak and Mark Tomacci (more guitars)
