walking upstream…
King Crimson
photo: ted potters · public domain ↗King Crimson
Formed in London in 1968 around guitarist Robert Fripp, King Crimson fused jazz improvisation, modern classical dissonance, and heavy psychedelic rock into a sound that essentially invented progressive rock on its own terms. Fripp's famous ambition to combine the sonic violence of Jimi Hendrix with the astringent modernism of Béla Bartók gave their 1969 debut, In the Court of the Crimson King, a sense of scale and menace that few rock records had attempted before.
the sound in question
1969
The Court of the Crimson KingKing Crimson
walk the tributaries ↓
The Jimi Hendrix Experience1960s · Psychedelic rock / Blues rock
Robert Fripp has described his guiding question in forming King Crimson's sound as 'What would Hendrix sound like playing the Bartók String Quartets?' — a self-described fusion of Hendrix's guitar violence with modern classical dissonance.
listen: upstream & here
1967
Purple HazeThe Jimi Hendrix Experience
1969
21st Century Schizoid ManKing Crimson
listen forPlay the squalling, distorted guitar chaos of Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze' and then King Crimson's '21st Century Schizoid Man' — listen for the same heavily distorted, aggressive guitar tone pushed to the edge of noise.
Duke Ellington1930s–40s · Jazz / Big band
Fripp has cited seeing the Duke Ellington Orchestra live in 1965 as a formative early experience, and King Crimson's debut folds the spacious, arranged quality of big-band jazz in alongside its rock and classical elements.
listen: upstream & here
1941
Take the "A" TrainDuke Ellington
1969
MoonchildKing Crimson
listen forListen to the cool, spacious swing of Duke Ellington's 'Take the "A" Train,' then King Crimson's hushed, atmospheric 'Moonchild' — listen for the same patient sense of space and quiet ensemble interplay, even as the rock elements take over elsewhere on the album.
Charlie Parker1940s · Bebop / Jazz
Fripp's early listening included bebop pioneers like Charlie Parker, whose rapid, harmonically dense improvisation fed his appetite for intricate, fast-moving instrumental passages later heard in King Crimson.
listen: upstream & here
1945
Ko-KoCharlie Parker
1969
EpitaphKing Crimson
listen forCue Charlie Parker's blistering bebop showcase 'Ko-Ko' and then King Crimson's 'Epitaph' — listen for the same quicksilver, tightly interlocking instrumental runs, even as Crimson's version unfolds at a more stately, orchestral pace.