King Crimson may be inching toward new music, but according to their manager David Singleton, fans should manage their expectations for now. While recent comments from vocalist and guitarist Jakko M. Jakszyk seemed to confirm that a new studio album is in progress, Singleton has clarified that things are far less concrete than they may appear.
In a new statement, Singleton addressed the status of recordings by the most recent incarnation of King Crimson. Reflecting on past conversations with the late Bill Rieflin, he shared: “Addressing the idea of some form of studio recording by the last incarnation of King Crimson, Bill Rieflin posed the excellent question ‘why make a studio album? There are excellent live recordings of all the songs out there already.’
“One possible answer would be an album the very sound of which no-one has ever heard before. A sound driven by the three drummers. And those drummers have now recorded studio versions of their parts – separately, so that there is perfect separation.
“So there is the seed of a new recording. Whether it is an album, whether it sees the light of day, whether it is something else is unknown. As is the outcome of any creative process. So yes, recordings have taken place. Getting excited about the possibility of a new album, as has apparently been happening, is somewhat premature. Carts before horses.”
Despite that cautious framing, Jakko M. Jakszyk‘s comments in a recent Goldmine Magazine interview were more straightforward. “As we speak, we’re doing a King Crimson studio album,” he revealed. He explained that the project has come together gradually and only recently received the green light from management. “We’ve been doing it piecemeal, and then a couple of months ago, the management said, ‘Can we?’ So, yeah. I’ve been recording that with a view to it coming out in some format at some point. But who knows when?”
If the project does materialize, it would be King Crimson‘s first full-length studio album since 2003’s The Power to Believe. It’s expected to involve the band’s most recent lineup – an eight-piece ensemble featuring Robert Fripp, Jakszyk, Mel Collins, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison, Jeremy Stacey, and Bill Rieflin, who passed away in 2020. This lineup was widely praised during their extensive tours from 2014 to 2021 for their powerful reinterpretations of classic material and the introduction of several new compositions.
Alongside these new sessions, fans can also look forward to a reissue of A Scarcity of Miracles, the 2011 collaboration between Fripp, Jakszyk, and Levin. The new edition will feature alternate takes, unreleased improvisations, and a wealth of bonus material. Jakszyk also mentioned that there are tentative plans to release archival live footage, though he expressed uncertainty about whether the band will ever return to the stage, especially given Fripp‘s recent health issues.
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