thread is a collection of nine improvised pieces by Theo Travis (alto flute, soprano sax) and Robert Fripp (guitar, soundscapes). It was recorded at DGM Soundworld by David Singleton, with later editing/mixing and mastering courtesy of Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree).
The collaboration has yielded a very beautiful sequence of recordings that neatly avoid many of the clichés routinely associated with terms such as “ambient” and “improvised”, while encompassing the core elements of both forms of music. In common with the best such meeting points between musicians and musical styles, the resulting hybrid defies easy categorisation or pigeon-holing content instead to occupy its own musical space.
The improvisational core of the music gives the performances space to breathe allowing for a sense of movement and change often lacking in the glut of pre-programmed ambient music in the marketplace. The strength of the duo as players and listeners never allows the improvisational base to sound “insular”; the overall sound is expansive and inviting for the listener, the passion and commitment of the players audible from the first moments. Unfashionably, perhaps, in an era where music is often portrayed as ephemeral or disposable, it is an album that rewards repeated listening, revealing new depths with each play.
Theo Travis is a London based saxophonist, flautist and composer who has made a number of recordings under his own name. He tours regularly with his own jazz quartet and composes and records with his experimental ambient band Cipher. He is also a member of Soft Machine Legacy and Gong. Additionally, Theo has performed and/or recorded with a diverse group of musicians including: Harold Budd, John Foxx, Anja Garbarek, Hatfield & the North, Bill Nelson, Porcupine Tree, David Sylvian and Jah Wobble.
Robert Fripp is a guitarist, composer and founding member of seminal rock band King Crimson with whom he continues to perform. He has issued a number of solo albums and collaborated and recorded with (among others) Blondie, David Bowie, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Daryl Hall, The Orb, Porcupine Tree, Andy Summers, David Sylvian, and Tool. He holds Guitar Craft classes in a number of countries, is regularly cited as a key influence by a number of guitarists and his writings on the record industry – particularly on the subject of creator rights have won widespread admiration from fellow musicians.
