Il est temps de faire un Zapping!
In response to some excellent recent posts on Freeman and Taxi Driver, here is a brief channel-surf (un zapping en français) across some of the many aspects of the work of Frank Zappa. Not comprehensive, not expert opinions, just some channel surfing.
It surprises me how often Frank Zappa is still dismissed as some kind of novelty minstrel, despite an unaparalelled recorded output (60 albums?) that spanned rock, doo-wop, jazz and contemporary classical compositions. Zappa's orchestral work stands up to scrutiny against any modern ensemble writing from the last 60 years, and proves robust when reinterpreted in a variety of formats. Check out this snippet of The Black Page #2, arranged for "drums percussion and interactive system" by Canadian composer Bruce Pennycook.
Blair McKay, Julien Gregoire - The Black Page #2
Recorded live in Montreal in 1995 by Radio-Canada
It is also worth listening (in glorious streaming mp3 stereo) to composer Nicolas Slonimsky discuss his relationship and work with Frank Zappa - it is clear that Slonimsky regarded Zappa as a musician and composer of the first degree.
If you want to be thoroughly confused by an overly obsessed and possibly misguided Zappologist, don't miss The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play by Ben Watson. In this 700 page book, Watson deconstructs Zappa's lyrics almost to the point of parody. Overlong and overblown, it is still entertaining, and may be the Gregory Peccary of Zappa fan-books.
And finally, if anyone still needs further proof of greatness, here's Zappa live 1975 in El Paso, Texas. Yes, it's a bootleg taken off the sound desk. Musicians include Frank Zappa (gt), Captain Beefheart (stuff), George Duke (keyb), Terry Bozzio (d), Tom Fowler (b), Bruce Fowler (tb) and Napoleon Murphy Brock (sax).
Frank Zappa - A Pound for a Brown on the Bus Medley
Frank Zappa - Strange Thing
From Bongo Fury in El Paso [Bootleg] Recorded May 23rd, 1975, El Paso, TX
Check out also Djdurutti's post on Architecture in Helsinki. Naturally, they're from Australia, but with a band name like that, you KNOW they're going to be good.
It surprises me how often Frank Zappa is still dismissed as some kind of novelty minstrel, despite an unaparalelled recorded output (60 albums?) that spanned rock, doo-wop, jazz and contemporary classical compositions. Zappa's orchestral work stands up to scrutiny against any modern ensemble writing from the last 60 years, and proves robust when reinterpreted in a variety of formats. Check out this snippet of The Black Page #2, arranged for "drums percussion and interactive system" by Canadian composer Bruce Pennycook.
Blair McKay, Julien Gregoire - The Black Page #2
Recorded live in Montreal in 1995 by Radio-Canada
It is also worth listening (in glorious streaming mp3 stereo) to composer Nicolas Slonimsky discuss his relationship and work with Frank Zappa - it is clear that Slonimsky regarded Zappa as a musician and composer of the first degree.
If you want to be thoroughly confused by an overly obsessed and possibly misguided Zappologist, don't miss The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play by Ben Watson. In this 700 page book, Watson deconstructs Zappa's lyrics almost to the point of parody. Overlong and overblown, it is still entertaining, and may be the Gregory Peccary of Zappa fan-books.
And finally, if anyone still needs further proof of greatness, here's Zappa live 1975 in El Paso, Texas. Yes, it's a bootleg taken off the sound desk. Musicians include Frank Zappa (gt), Captain Beefheart (stuff), George Duke (keyb), Terry Bozzio (d), Tom Fowler (b), Bruce Fowler (tb) and Napoleon Murphy Brock (sax).
Frank Zappa - A Pound for a Brown on the Bus Medley
Frank Zappa - Strange Thing
From Bongo Fury in El Paso [Bootleg] Recorded May 23rd, 1975, El Paso, TX
Check out also Djdurutti's post on Architecture in Helsinki. Naturally, they're from Australia, but with a band name like that, you KNOW they're going to be good.
posted by etnobofin @ 19:22
4 Comments:
At 5:34 PM,
DJ durutti said…
my thumbs up as well! oh man, the pound for brown on bus bootleg is great (haven't heard the other yet). i saw Zappa live in 1988. Great show, but from mid '70s on i think he did less and less jazz and avant stuff at gigs. Not that his weird rock stuff wasn't great, but . . . Would've been great to see Mothers live in late '60 or early'70s!
-- great job! guess its my turn next for Zappa post -- perhaps early next week.
p.s. thanks for the AiH shout out!!
At 6:40 PM,
etnobofin said…
Man, I wish I could have been old enough (and in America/Europe enough) to have seen Zappa live. A pity there aren't more live DVDs available... That 1988 band was a mother (Make a Jazz Noise Here/The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life), but you're right - catching the Mothers in the late 60s or early 70s would have been something else.
Looking forward to the Philly Exp. post!
Peace ;-)
At 9:06 PM,
freeman said…
Great stuff. I never had the chance to see many of my musical heroes in person, with Zappa being one of them.
Speaking of Zappa tributes, I have a link for you if you're familiar with downloading via bit torrent. There is currently a recording of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra with The Band From Utopia and The Persuasions performing the music of Frank Zappa being offered for download at this link.
At 9:44 PM,
etnobofin said…
Cool, thanks ;-)
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