Home » Jazz Musicians » Frank Zappa

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.

Read more

Tags

2
Extended Analysis

Apostrophe (') 50th Anniversary Edition

Read "Apostrophe (') 50th Anniversary Edition" reviewed 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 ...

Album Review

Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention: Whisky A Go Go 1968

Read "Whisky A Go Go 1968" reviewed 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 ...

Building a Jazz Library

Frank Zappa: cofanetto "Over-Nite Sensation"

Read "Frank Zappa: cofanetto "Over-Nite Sensation"" reviewed 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 ...

2
Extended Analysis

Funky Nothingness

Read "Funky Nothingness" reviewed 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. ...

7
Album Review

Frank Zappa: Funky Nothingness

Read "Funky Nothingness" reviewed 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 ...

7
Live Review

ZJM Big Band Plays Zappa for International Jazz Day

Read "ZJM Big Band Plays Zappa for International Jazz Day" reviewed 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 ...

1
Album Review

Frank Zappa: Waka/Wazoo

Read "Waka/Wazoo" reviewed 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 ...

Read more articles
16

Recording

Frank 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'

Frank 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 ...

1

Music Industry

Zappa Threatening Zappa Over Zappa Plays Zappa

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 ...

1

Recording

Frank Zappa is About to Land on Streaming Services...

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 ...

42

Recording

The Friday Morning Listen: Frank Zappa - We're Only in It for the Money (1968)

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 ...

140

Recording

Frank Zappa: Carnegie Hall 4-CD Set

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 ...

191

Recording

Forgotten Series: Frank Zappa - Trance-Fusion (2006)

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 art—and it's truly abstract. Few guitarists possess the skill or prowess to make their solos for the same ...

142

Festival

Ojai's Music Fest is a Tuneful Blend of Old, New and Frank Zappa

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, ...

169

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Frank Zappa

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

Website | Videos | Articles

Join Frank Zappa's fan network

Put AAJ's Musician of the Day box on your website ...

180

Recording

The Resurrection of Frank Zappa's Soul

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 ...

259

Music Industry

Frank Zappa's Widow Protects His Legacy

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 ...

Jason Camelio
trombone
Frank Macchia
composer / conductor
Ed Palermo
saxophone
Rich Willey
cornet
Broken Reed Saxophone Quartet
band / ensemble / orchestra
David Leikam
multi-instrumentalist
Ed Hartman
percussion
Michel Delville
guitar, electric
Collier & Dean
vibraphone
Marco Oppedisano
guitar, electric
Brent Bowman
saxophone, alto
Sohrab Saadat
saxophone, tenor
Andy Page
saxophone
Dave Quick
synthesizer
The Ed Palermo Big Band
band / ensemble / orchestra
Jason Quick
guitar
Anais Drago
violin
KUHN FU
band / ensemble / orchestra
Illya Gomola
keyboards
Kyle MacLeod
keyboards
Hugo Blouin
bass, acoustic
Jonatan Piña Duluc
saxophone, tenor
Denis Krupin
various
Intergalactic Brasstronauts
multi-instrumentalist
Alix Tucou
trombone, bass
Jimmy Layton
keyboards
David Cain
multi-instrumentalist
Christoph Gallio
saxophone, soprano
The Stinkfoot Orchestra
band / ensemble / orchestra
Astrakan
band / ensemble / orchestra

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Whisky A Go Go 1968

Zappa Records
2024

buy

Apostrophe (') 50th...

Zappa Records
2024

buy

Funky Nothingness

Zappa Records
2023

buy

Over-nite Sensation...

Zappa Records
2023

buy

Zappa/Erie

Zappa Records
2022

buy

Zappa '75 Zagreb /...

Zappa Records
2022

buy

Videos

Similar

Jimi Hendrix
guitar, electric
John Zorn
saxophone, alto
Soft Machine
band / ensemble / orchestra
Mahavishnu Orchestra
band / ensemble / orchestra
Umphrey's McGee
band / ensemble / orchestra
Van der Graaf Generator
band / ensemble / orchestra
Gentle Giant
band / ensemble / orchestra

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.