A Scarcity of Miracles
Encyclopedia
A Scarcity of Miracles is an album by Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins. It unites current/former King Crimson musicians Robert Fripp
and Mel Collins
with singer-songwriter and guitarist Jakko Jakszyk
(himself never formally a King Crimson member, although he had previously fronted, sang for and played guitar in 21st Century Schizoid Band
, a project set up to reunite King Crimson members from the 1960s and 1970s lineups of the band and to play the band's music from that period).
The basis for the album came from guitar improvisations recorded by Jakszyk and Fripp in Wiltshire
, England
with no particular intention of recording an album. With Fripp's agreement, Jakszyk took the resulting recordings and reworked them as songs. Collins (a frequent Jakszyk collaborator) subsequently "heard unplayed sax waiting to be given voice" and joined the developing project. With the majority of music now recast as songs, an album took shape. Two other ongoing King Crimson members - bass guitar/Chapman Stick player Tony Levin and drummer Gavin Harrison - subsequently recorded the rhythm tracks.
A Scarcity of Miracles was released with the subtitle of "A King Crimson
ProjeKct
". This in turn led to speculation that it might be the basis of the next lineup of King Crimson (the main band itself having been on hiatus since 2008, and having used the ProjeKcts as research and development work since 1999). Fripp himself gently denied and clarified this by describing the record as "one of my favourite albums of those where I am a determining element. It has the Crimson gene, but it is not quite KC."
with
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
and Mel Collins
Mel Collins
Mel Collins is a British saxophonist and flautist and session musician.He has worked in a wide variety of contexts ranging from R&B and blues rock to jazz, but is perhaps known for his work in progressive rock, as with King Crimson, Camel and the Alan Parsons Project.-Career:Collins has worked...
with singer-songwriter and guitarist Jakko Jakszyk
Jakko Jakszyk
Jakko M. Jakszyk is an English guitarist, singer-songwriter , multi-instrumentalist and producer...
(himself never formally a King Crimson member, although he had previously fronted, sang for and played guitar in 21st Century Schizoid Band
21st Century Schizoid Band
21st Century Schizoid Band are a King Crimson alumnus group formed in 2002.The name derives from the famous song "21st Century Schizoid Man" from the first King Crimson album, In the Court of the Crimson King...
, a project set up to reunite King Crimson members from the 1960s and 1970s lineups of the band and to play the band's music from that period).
The basis for the album came from guitar improvisations recorded by Jakszyk and Fripp in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with no particular intention of recording an album. With Fripp's agreement, Jakszyk took the resulting recordings and reworked them as songs. Collins (a frequent Jakszyk collaborator) subsequently "heard unplayed sax waiting to be given voice" and joined the developing project. With the majority of music now recast as songs, an album took shape. Two other ongoing King Crimson members - bass guitar/Chapman Stick player Tony Levin and drummer Gavin Harrison - subsequently recorded the rhythm tracks.
A Scarcity of Miracles was released with the subtitle of "A King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
ProjeKct
ProjeKcts
The ProjeKcts are a succession of spin-off projects associated with the band King Crimson.Devoted to instrumental and heavily improvised music, the ProjeKcts were most active from 1997 to 1999, but have performed intermittently since...
". This in turn led to speculation that it might be the basis of the next lineup of King Crimson (the main band itself having been on hiatus since 2008, and having used the ProjeKcts as research and development work since 1999). Fripp himself gently denied and clarified this by describing the record as "one of my favourite albums of those where I am a determining element. It has the Crimson gene, but it is not quite KC."
Title tracks
- A Scarcity of Miracles (7:27)
- The Price We Pay (4:49)
- Secrets (7:48)
- This House (8:37)
- The Other Man (5:59)
- The Light of Day (9:02)
Personnel
- Jakko JakszykJakko JakszykJakko M. Jakszyk is an English guitarist, singer-songwriter , multi-instrumentalist and producer...
– Guitars, Vocals, GuzhengGuzhengThe guzheng or "gu zheng", also called zheng is a Chinese plucked zither. It has 18-23 or more strings and movable bridges....
, Keyboards - Robert FrippRobert FrippRobert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
– Guitars, SoundscapeSoundscapeA soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment. The study of soundscape is the subject of acoustic ecology...
s - Mel CollinsMel CollinsMel Collins is a British saxophonist and flautist and session musician.He has worked in a wide variety of contexts ranging from R&B and blues rock to jazz, but is perhaps known for his work in progressive rock, as with King Crimson, Camel and the Alan Parsons Project.-Career:Collins has worked...
– Alto & Soprano Saxophones, Flute
with
- Tony LevinTony LevinTony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
– Bass Guitars, Chapman StickChapman StickThe Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and has been used on music recordings to play bass lines, melody lines, chords or textures... - Gavin HarrisonGavin HarrisonGavin Harrison is a British drummer and percussionist. He is best known for playing with the British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree which he joined in 2002. As of 2008, he also plays with the band King Crimson....
– Drums & Percussion