The History of the Crimson King (Part Eleven) - THRAK

 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Ten years had gone by since anyone had made any mention of King Crimson, and the prospect of the band getting back together was quite dim. The former members all kept fairly busy, Tony Levin with his studio work, Adrian Belew with his solo albums, and Robert Fripp with his Guitar Craft teachings. The 1980s were finished. Then, at some point in the early 1990s, Robert Fripp felt that music was stirring up in him that he described as music that “only King Crimson could play.”  Interestingly enough, he talked with front man Belew and who said that he was feeling like it was time to get the band together again, in one form or another. They agreed that the time had come, though it would be a slow process and be awhile until there was material. First they needed to reimagine the band and recruit the right musicians.

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Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert

 - Vancouver, British Columbia - When I was in grade 9, I was part of a live performance called ChaiRiots where myself and three other actors mimed out numerous actions through chairs, and told a basic story of a child and her imagination. We acted this to about ten or so minutes worth of a single piece of music, which always left an impression on my mind. What astounded me was that the piece was improvised, which wasn't something that I was aware musicians could do to that extent at the time. Flash forward to ten years later, the year 2011. I have since studied music and have been reviewing music for many years and learning much along the way. The concept of a musician being so adept at their instrument that they could compose a whole concert on the spot was not foreign to me, though still very impressive. The thing was that I never heard the music past the ten or so minutes that I had done that performance to and I couldn't remember who the artist was. So, I went back to my high school and met with my old drama teacher and asked if he still had the album, which he did, and if I could borrow it, which I could. He handed me The Köln Concert, by Keith Jarrett.

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The History of the Crimson King (Part Eight) - Discipline

 - Vancouver, British Columbia - With the dissolution of King Crimson in 1974, the band members went their separate ways and continued to be active in the music industry with varying levels of success. Having Crimson on their resume was considered a badge of honour as the band was notoriously difficult to work in, both as a test of skill and on a personal level. Bill Bruford and John Wetton were the last members of the band to play with Robert Fripp on their last album Red. The two of them would go on to have success elsewhere in the music industry. Fripp on the other hand, had decided to leave the music world.

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The History of the Crimson King (Part Seven) - Red

 - Vancouver, British Columbia - King Crimson didn't really take a break after their release of Starless and Bible Black in early 1974. In fact, they continued to play live and already started to work on their next studio album. However, things were starting to fall apart for this once enthusiastic group of musicians. It started with the departure of David Cross, leaving the band as a three piece. The details of why he had to leave are still unclear, but in an interview years later, Robert Fripp expressed some displeasure in how the news was brought to Cross. He said that he spent some time mending their relationship because Cross was one of the only band mates that Fripp had come to consider a close and personal friend. As for why he had to leave the band, Fripp only said that it was for “a number of reasons.”

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The History of the Crimson King (Part Six) - Starless and Bible Black

 - Vancouver, British Columbia - King Crimson played on after the departure of Jamie Muir. Not much changed since the release of Larks' Tongues in Aspic. The remaining four members of the band toured extensively through the United States and much of Europe. The shows were not as highly regarded by some as the performances while Muir was still in the band, and occasionally Fripp and company were not content with their work either, but overall, fans were still turning out to see the band and enjoying the loose improvised pieces that came out of the shows.

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