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Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was born on 21 December 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. His parents were second-generation Sicilian Greeks, the family had arabian and french origins too. His father played "strolling crooner" guitar. At the age of 12 Frank, who had relocated to California with his family, became interested in drums, learning orchestral percussion at summer school in Monterey. In high school he had some more harmony training because he was an unruly senior, and was given permission to take some harmony classes "to occupy his mind with". In fact, he found the training very boring. The first time he had any of his music performed was at Mount St. Mary's College in 1962 - an "all oddball, textured weirdo stuff", that "didn't sound at all like music is supposed to sound"; still, "the thing was actually taped and broadcast by KPFK".
Zappa played drums in a local R&B band called The Ramblers, and after moving to Lancaster formed the racially-integrated Blackouts. Early exposure to a record of Ionisation by avant garde classical composer Edgard Varèse instilled an interest in advanced rhythmic experimentation that never left him. The electric guitar also became a fascination, and he began collecting R&B records that featured guitar solos: Howlin' Wolf with Hubert Sumlin, Muddy Waters, Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown were special favourites. A school friend, Don Vliet (later to become Captain Beefheart), shared his interest.
In 1964 Zappa, who had been working in a local studio, recording spoof doo-wop singles and composing scores for b-movies, joined a local R&B outfit called The Soul Giants, whose line-up included vocalist Ray Collins (b. 19 November 1937, USA), bass player Roy Estrada (b. 17 April 1943, USA), and drummer Jimmy Carl Black (b. 1 February 1938, El Paso, Texas, USA). Zappa changed their name to The Mothers, but "Of Invention" was later added at the insistence of their label, Verve Records. A string of guitarists came and went, including Alice Stuart and Henry Vestine, before Elliot Ingber was added to the line-up. Produced by Tom Wilson in 1966, the late black producer whose credits included Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane and Bob Dylan, the Mothers Of Invention's Freak Out! was a stunning debut, a two-record set complete with a whole side of wild percussion, a vitriolic protest song, "Trouble Every Day", and the kind of minute detail (sleeve-notes, in-jokes, parodies) that generate instant cult appeal. They made great play of their hair and ugliness, becoming the perfect counter-cultural icons. Unlike the east coast band the Fugs, the Mothers were also musically skilled, a refined instrument for Zappa's eclectic and imaginative ideas. Ingber left to form the Fraternity Of Man before the recording of the band's second album, Absolutely Free. He was replaced for a short period by Jim Fielder, before Zappa chose to expand the Mothers Of Invention with the addition of second drummer Billy Mundi, keyboardist Don Preston (b. 21 September 1932, USA), and horn players Bunk Gardner and Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood.
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Apostrophe (') 50th Anniversary Edition
by Mario Calvitti
Come era stato ampiamente previsto, facendo seguito a Over-Nite Sensation anche l'album immediatamente successivo nella discografia ufficiale di Frank Zappa, Apostrophe('), riceve il trattamento speciale della 50th Anniversary Edition, con l'uscita di un cofanetto contenente oltre all'album originale vario materiale aggiuntivo in studio e live distribuito su 5 CD, oltre a un Blu-ray Disc con le versioni dell'album originale in audio Hi-Res e surround (compresa la versione originale quadrifonica del 1974 realizzata dallo stesso Zappa). Apostrophe(') è stato ...
Continue ReadingFrank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention: Whisky A Go Go 1968
by Mario Calvitti
Lo sfruttamento dell'immenso, e apparentemente inesauribile, archivio zappiano procede al ritmo di 3-4 pubblicazioni all'anno, alternando riedizioni di album storici (le 50th anniversary edition" arricchite di nuovi contenuti) e dischi contenenti materiale inedito dal vivo o in studio, recuperato tra gli innumerevoli nastri accumulati da Frank Zappa durante gli anni di attività. Questa volta tocca a un reperto d'annata, una registrazione dal vivo dei Mothers of Invention del 1968, finora piuttosto trascurati dalle pubblicazioni postume; solo Road ...
Continue ReadingFrank Zappa: cofanetto "Over-Nite Sensation"
by Mario Calvitti
Frank Zappa Over-Nite Sensation --50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition Zappa Records 1973/2023 La ricchissima discografia di Frank Zappa si arricchisce di un nuovo titolo con l'edizione del cinquantesimo anniversario di uno dei suoi album di maggior successo commerciale, Over-nite Sensation, originariamente pubblicato nel Settembre del 1973. Le vendite furono tali da procurargli il secondo disco d'oro della sua carriera, preceduto nel raggiungimento di questo status dall'album immediatamente successivo Apostrophe(') il cui successo di vendite fu ...
Continue ReadingFunky Nothingness
by Mario Calvitti
A quasi trent'anni dalla scomparsa e dopo il passaggio dell'intero catalogo alla Universal, prosegue al ritmo di quattro titoli all'anno la pubblicazione di album inediti di Frank Zappa. Dopo l'uscita di Mudd Club/Munich 1980, album francamente non imprescindibile a meno di essere appassionati del periodo centrato sull'album Sheik Yerbouti, ma comunque gratificato da numerosi eccellenti assoli di chitarra che basterebbero a giustificarne l'acquisto, arriva finalmente quello che per molti fan rappresenta il Santo Graal degli inediti zappiani. ...
Continue ReadingFrank Zappa: Funky Nothingness
by Ken Dryden
Long after his death at the age of 52 in December 1993, Frank Zappa remains one of the most fascinating musicians and composers of his generation. Zappa was a rare individual who was equally skilled playing and writing in a number of different genres and styles, Funky Nothingness represents the brief era of a band which deserved to last longer than it did. Early on, Zappa realized the importance of recording whenever possible, as an impromptu studio jam or concert ...
Continue ReadingZJM Big Band Plays Zappa for International Jazz Day
by Nenad Georgievski
ZJM Big Band Ibni Pajko Park International Jazz Day Skopje, Macedonia April 30, 2023 Composer, guitarist, and producer Frank Zappa was an artist known for his unrelenting creativity, eclectic musical style, and irreverent humor. Throughout his career, Zappa displayed an omnivorous appetite for music, drawing from a diverse range of influences and genres to create a sound that was uniquely his own. Zappa's music was characterized by its experimental nature, blending elements of ...
Continue ReadingFrank Zappa: Waka/Wazoo
by Mario Calvitti
Il programma dela pubblicazione di inediti zappiani in occasione del loro cinquantesimo anniversario, iniziato con il box set The Hot Rats Session e proseguito con i cofanetti dedicati alle Mothers del 1970 e 1971 e alla colonna sonora del film 200 Motels, prosegue ora con quello che probabilmente è il titolo più atteso, da tempo annunciato e ora finalmente disponibile. Il nuovo cofanetto Waka/Wazoo contenente 4 CD di materiale inedito e un Blu-Ray celebra i 50 anni dalla pubblicazione di ...
Continue ReadingFrank Zappa's Incredibly Rare Recordings, Believed To Have Been Planned For A Potential Sequel To His Iconic 'Hot Rats' Album, Have Been Unearthed From The Vault And Compiled As New Collection, 'Funky Nothingness'
Source:
Michael Ricci
FEATURES 25 UNRELEASED AND RARE TRACKS AND MORE THAN THREE AND A HALF HOURS OF NEVER-BEFORE-HEARD COMPOSITIONS, COVERS, AND JAMS FROM 1970 WITH CORE GROUP OF AYNSLEY DUNBAR, DON “SUGARCANE” HARRIS, IAN UNDERWOOD, AND MAX BENNETT In 1969, after The Mothers of Invention disbanded, Frank Zappa released his groundbreaking solo debut, Hot Rats. Fusing jazz and rock, the innovative album became one of the artist’s bestselling releases, thanks to classic tracks like “Peaches En Regalia” and “Willie the Pimp.” Over ...
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Zappa Threatening Zappa Over Zappa Plays Zappa
Source:
HypeBot
In this most recent copyright upset, the children of the late Frank Zappa are attempting to take legal action against one of their siblings, the unfortunate Dweezil Zappa, alleging that his attempt to tour under the name Zappa Plays Zappa" is infringing on the rights of the Zappa estate. Guest Post by Mike Masnick on Techdirt Another week, another story about the abuse of intellectual property. This one, like many, involve the estate" of a famous, but deceased, creator. In ...
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Frank Zappa is About to Land on Streaming Services...
Source:
Digital Music News
This means nothing to Gaga and Perry fans, but everything to a sector struggling to win over the artist community. Now, the late Frank Zappa is preparing to land on streaming services like Spotify, Rdio, and Rhapsody, according to details shared with Digital Music News over the weekend. Zappa, who died in 1993, has a fairly massive catalog of about 60 albums (among other works), and it appears that a substantial chunk of that catalog will soon be available for ...
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The Friday Morning Listen: Frank Zappa - We're Only in It for the Money (1968)
Source:
Something Else!
The drama surrounding the whole SOPA and PIPA bills was kind of fun to see play out. It was like the corporate interests legislators who were behind the bills had absolutely no idea that their proposals might have unintended consequences: ones that would generate a firestorm of passion. Between the website blackouts and the avalanche of phone calls and emails that inundated congressional offices, it appears that some eyes have finally been opened. And then, shortly after the day of ...
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Frank Zappa: Carnegie Hall 4-CD Set
Source:
JamBase
ZAPPA FAMILY TRUST TO ISSUE UNRELEASED 4-DISC LIVE ALBUM RECORDED 40 YEARS AGO TODAY AT CARNEGIE HALL Forty years ago today on October 11, 1971, Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention performed two marathon, full-length shows at New York City's famed Carnegie Hall. This is your ticket directly to the Vault, and to four CDs of the music made then. Fans can now have it for the first time since it was first performed live by FZ with Mark ...
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Forgotten Series: Frank Zappa - Trance-Fusion (2006)
Source:
Something Else!
By Tom Johnson Listening to excerpted guitar solos is like viewing abstract art: It's a glimpse of something that doesn't necessarily have to make sense in the general definition of the term. Were we talking about most guitarists, an album of extracted solos would likely be a pretty dreadful proposition, but when it comes to Frank Zappa on Trance-Fusion, it truly is artand it's truly abstract. Few guitarists possess the skill or prowess to make their solos for the same ...
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Ojai's Music Fest is a Tuneful Blend of Old, New and Frank Zappa
Source:
All About Jazz
Don't let the quaint setting fool you. From June 10 to 13, Ojais Libbey Bowla simple band shell with seating for a scant 1,400 listeners on old wooden benches and a lawnwill be the venue for distinguished musicians from all over the world.
They'll be showcasing new, classic and seldom heard works, joining in a legacy that stretches back 64 years and includes Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, John Adams, James Levine, Pierre Boulez, Ravi Shankar, Sir Simon Rattle, Eric Dolphy, ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Frank Zappa
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Frank Zappa's birthday today!
JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE DAY Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was born on 21 December 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. His parents were second-generation Sicilian Greeks, the family had arabian and french origins too. His father played strolling crooner" guitar... more
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The Resurrection of Frank Zappa's Soul
Source:
All About Jazz
Two of the iconic Southern California artist's classic compositions, Lumpy Gravy and We're Only In It for the Money, will get the grand reissue treatment. Fifteen years ago last Thursday, American iconoclast Frank Zappa died at age 52; on December 21, he would have been 68. He left an impressive body of musical work, both on his commercial recordings and on various unreleased media, enough material to keep several people employed for years to come in preserving his legacy. His ...
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Frank Zappa's Widow Protects His Legacy
Source:
Michael Ricci
For Gail Zappa, that means making sure that her late husband 'has the last word in terms of anybody's idea of who he is. And his actual last word is his music.'
WHOEVER devised the slipknot contract clause into perpetuity" hadn't conceived a Gail Zappa. She's made it her job to parse the music industry's dense legalese, close contractual loopholes and, most significantly, end what she sees as its iron grip on an artist's past, present and future.
Let me ...
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