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the big nOte files - december 2003 |
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the big nOte files - december 2003 |
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- updated 2003/12/22
| ZZZZZ | concerts, radio broadcasts and more |
| ZZZZZ | zappa album by the ensemble modern |
| ZZZZZ | zappa surf album - the update |
| ZZZZZ | the latest captain beefheart release: dichotomy |
| ZZZZZ | chris opperman's "klavierstücke" |
| ZZZZZ | the chris opperman update |
| ZZZZZ | the bugs beddow band recorded frank zappa's 'i'm the slime' |
| ZZZZZ | the return of chris opperman |
| ZZZZZ | the wrong object recorded various frank zappa compositions |
| ZZZZZ | the reinecke trio recorded a barkin' pumkin suite, all zappa stuff |
| ZZZZZ | another zappa coverversion uncovered: the manic monday compilation |
| ZZZZZ | a modern bog cover compilation |
| ZZZZZ | german a capella band maybebop recorded zappa's 'dancin' fool' |
| ZZZZZ | the ensemble ambrosius will be touring |
| ZZZZZ | the london sinfonietta will be performing zappa's 'jazz from hell' |
| ZZZZZ | another zappa piece covered on album |
| ZZZZZ | grandmothers tourdates - updated & corrected |
| ZZZZZ | french zappa sites in the picture |
| ZZZZZ | the nasal retentive orchestra unfolds its plans for 2004 |
| ZZZZZ | project object member side projects |
| ZZZZZ | ICE-Z: International Conference of Esemplastic Zappology |
| Let's kick off with some chronological stuff: concerts, radio broadcasts and more... | |
| King Crimson 2003/07/12 concert "north sea jazz festival", 'paul acket paviljoen', den haag, the netherlands |
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2003/07/12, King Crimson played at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland. The biggest part of the concert was broadcast on dutch Radio 2. The broadcast started somewhere during the fourth song. I didn't see the show live, but the concert sure sounds very impressive. Adrian Belew was in great shape.
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| Voice Of Cheez 2003/11/03 concert buffalo, ny, usa |
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The Voice Of Cheez did a Zappa tribute set on 2003/11/03. The set-list:
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| Cuccurullo Brillo
Brullo 2003/11/22 concert 'de tavenu', waalwijk, the netherlands |
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Opening for the Muffin Men, Cuccurullo Brillo Brullo did a nice job. The audience wasn't too big, neither too responsive, but the band played a fine set and was enjoying it. I had a nice time.
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The Muffin Men |
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And the Muffin Men were headlining. Despite everyone being ill (flu), they played a very impressive show. Voice-troubled Jimmy Carl Black only sang a couple of songs, resulting in an instrumental 'Willie The Pimp', but it was good to see and hear him again. After the show, Roddey presented Guus Veldhuis with the Green Muffin award. See picture on the right. Nice show, proud Guus, memorable night. The Muffin Men are still touring. Somewhere in Germany. Try to catch them. And if you live in the States, you won't have an excuse either, 'cause the Liverpoolian Lads will cross the ocean to play a Zappa festival in the u.s. of a. somewhere in 2004. Guus took a bunch of pictures during the evening. Check them out at: http://www.dse.nl/~guus/muf/ |
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| 2003/11/30 radio show "classic rock", radio 21, belgian nationale radio station | |
Belgian radio station Radio 21 did a 3 hour Zappa special on 2003/11/30, Sunday morning. They played various tracks from the Zappa discography (in chronological order) and commented on the tracks, also getting into what was happening in the world of music around the same time that the Zappa record came out. Nice |
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| 2003/12/01 radio show "cucamonga", vrt radio 1, belgian national radio station | |
"Cucamonga" paid hommage to Frank Zappa as well. The 2003/12/01 show aired parts of Zappa's first and last Belgian concert. (not taking Amougies into account): Brussels 1970 and Ghent 1988. |
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The Maha-Vista Philharmonic 2003/12/04 radio show "jazz on 3", bbc3 radio, uk |
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"Frank Zappa Anniversary Session" "Jazz on 3" presented a specially recorded studio session from some of the players that were instrumental in creating Zappa's music. Commissioned by the BBC, the ex-zappa sidemen called themselves The Maha-Visa Philharmonic. Recorded in Los Angeles, November 2003:
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Sinfonie Orchester Wuppertal 2003/12/04 concert 'historische stadthalle', wuppertal, germany |
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"Zappa & Rubinstein" As a part of the "Die 3. ART" festival
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The Asko Ensemble 2003/12/04 concert 'paradiso', amsterdam, the netherlands and 2003/12/06 concert 'enschede muziekcentrum', enschede, the netherlands |
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I was at the Amsterdam gig and, boy, was I blown away. The Asko Ensemble did an excellent performance. The played G-Spot as an encore.
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Ossi Duri 2003/12/06 concert turin, italy |
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Ossi Duri celebrated Frank Zappa on december 6. They also released a new album called "X" (ten years of
Ossi Duri), that features lots of Zappa alumni: Ike Willis,
Napoleon Murphy Brock and Mike Keneally. More info soon, I
hope. |
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Corrie van Binsbergen 2003/12/06 concert ‘park 3’, harderwijk, the netherlands |
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Harderwijk presented a double bill on saturday 2003/12/06. First up was Corrie van Binsbergen. I was still impressed by her 'The Magic Sock' composition, performed by the Asko Ensemble a couple of days earlier. Corrie rocked ! Or Jazzed, or Zapped, or whatever one should call it. This was absolutely great. It made my week.
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The Foolz 2003/12/06 concert ‘park 3’, harderwijk, the netherlands |
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The Foolz played the second concert at 'Park 3' in Harderwijk. They played an impressive set and gave the audience a good time. Playing after Corrie van Binsbergen isn't the easiest thing to do, but The Foolz didn't care about such things. They had fun. And so had we.
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Wrong Object 2003/12/08 radio show "cucamonga", vrt radio 1, belgian national radio station |
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One week after their Zappa tribute, the "Cucamonga" radio show surprised me with Wrong Object. Wrong Object is a Belgian jazz ensemble from Liège & Brussels. Zjakki had mailed me their website address, but before I could check it out, "Cucamonga" aired 'Five-Five-Five (Frank Zappa) as performed by Wrong Object. It sounded great. Wrong Object has a couple of albums out, one of which includes some
Zappa compositions. http://membres.lycos.fr/wrongobject/
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THE ENSEMBLE MODERN * THE ENSEMBLE MODERN * THE ENSEMBLE MODERN |
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THE ZAPPA SURF ALBUM * THE ZAPPA SURF ALBUM |
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The "Surf Instrumental cover versions of tunes by Frank Zappa" project Alan Jenkins says: "Cordelia Records are currently inviting submissions for a various artists CD. If you would like to be on this album you have to record a tune written by Frank Zappa and it has to be a surf instrumental. Instrumental guitar music that isn't strictly surf music, such as the kind of thing The Ventures or The Shadows do, would also be perfectly acceptable. Other kinds of instrumentals might possibly be ok too, if in doubt drop us an email at cordelia@stayfree.co.uk. But surf instrumentals are best. If you play in an actual surf band and you record a Frank Zappa tune you're almost certainly welcome, at least at this early stage." more info at: http://homepages.stayfree.co.uk/cordelia/Pages/Zappa%20Surf.htm deadline = January 2004 - Info: Alan Jenkins |
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CAPTAIN BEEFHEART * CAPTAIN BEEFHEART * CAPTAIN BEEFHEART * CAPTAIN BEEFHEART |
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CHRIS OPPERMAN * CHRIS OPPERMAN * CHRIS OPPERMAN * CHRIS OPPERMAN |
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more CHRIS OPPERMAN * CHRIS OPPERMAN * CHRIS OPPERMAN * CHRIS OPPERMAN |
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[Chris Opperman Mailing List - November 26th, 2003] Episode # 14: Pardon THIS, you Turkey! Contents: Links of Interest Birthday Bash Aftermath/New MP3's! First and foremost, I'd like to thank everyone for all of the birthday wishes that got sent my way last week, as well as everyone who came out to my birthday party. What a fun night of music that was! Definitely the best birthday I've had since moving to LA in 2000. The audience was fantastic and all of the musicians and acts involved did a great job. Let's face it, there was a whole lotta music going on. Hooray. So thank you so much, everyone, for making that party such a huge success. This weekend I'll be working on putting together a couple MP3's from the show for our friends across the rest of the US and overseas who were unable to attend the concert. The first will be a group improvisation we did called "Sad Teenager Wars" that was pretty inspiring. Extra props to Jen Kuhn on electric cello for that piece since she was the one who set the tone of it. The second MP3 will be the song that Kat Parsons sang with us, "To Return to You," which was also composed by Kat. That came out even better than I imagined it would. The recording quality is pretty mediocre unfortunately, but I honestly feel that the performance of that song was so exciting and vibrant that it transcends any issues with the actual audio. Anyway, if you check the downloads section of oppymusic.com on Monday, the new MP3's should be up. Upcoming Performances California Fire Victims Benefit Concert For those of you still in town this Sunday, this concert will be featuring solo performances by a lot of people whose first names mostly begin with either a "C" or an "A." Chris Scott, Cleo Antonelli, Adam Lopez, Angela C. Stone, Steven Lomas, Adam Austin, Devin Wallace, and myself. Tempest/Acoustic Playhouse I'm not really sure why the
cover is only $3, but I'm not in charge of making those decisions.
You're probably free to give more money if you want to. All
proceeds are going to The Fire Victims Relief Fund. Anyway, I
figured this was the least I could do for all the poor people who lost
their homes in the CA fires, so that's what I'm doing. I'm not
sure how many songs I'm playing, but I'll probably at least play
"T. Williams," "Melodious Monk," and something else.
Maybe I'll even play "Idaho Potato" since it's kinda
appopriate, but that would mean that I would have to sing, so I'm going
to go with probably not. Special Opps The Cat Club If we get 20 people out to this show, they'll review my band in some local music magazines. I think it might even be Music Connection, but I don't remember. I'll have to ask the promoter. Anyway, this will be the last Special Opps show of the year so although it'll be a relatively short set for us (40 minutes), it would still be really sweet if some or all of you could make it out. We're going to power trio it up with Jen Kuhn on electric cello, Kahlil Sabbagh on drums, and myself on piano. We might invite some friends to come play as well. Who knows? The last time I was at the Cat
Club, I asked some random girl if she'd ever ridden on the
"Highway to Hell." She said no. So guys, take it
from me, that pick-up line does *not* work. Just FYI. Thank You List 2003 Since I'm not sure if I'm going to send out another update this year, I wanted to make sure I gave props to everyone who helped make my 24th year as awesome as it was. This list is presented in alphabetical order and if I somehow forgot to include you although you feel like I really should have, please accept my sincerest apologies. First, I would like to thank my
parents, sister and family. Then I would like to thank Cleo
Antonelli, Aaron Arntz, Bryan Beller, Nancy Braun, Michael & Lisa
Canaan, Scott Chatfield, Johnny Choi, Co de Kloet, Kevin Dooley, Evan
Francis, Clark Freeman, Dann Friedman, James Green, Jurjen Hempel, Kyle
Kirkland, everyone at Jo Ann Kane Music Services (esp. Bonnie), Mike
Keneally, Clint Kenney, Blair Kluberton, Gabi Kochlani, Jen Kuhn, Brent
& AnnaDee Locke, Brian McGinty, Sheena Metal, everyone involved
with the Metropole Orchestra, Melinda Mondrala, everyone at NPS Radio
Holland, Kat Parsons, Michael Petersen, Kahlil Sabbagh, Zach Sinick,
Isaac Slape, Todd Lieberman, Mike Sammis, Anthony Saragueta, Nicki
Scott, Tanya Smith, Cosette Trombino, everyone at Universal Music
Publishing Group that I didn't thank already, Steve Vai, Pieter van
Hoogdalem, J Warner (who came up with "Special Opps"), Wendy
Wilson, and all the rest of my friends for a truly kick-ass year.
Phew. Try saying that all in one breath...or not. Speaking of Turkeys I had to go into work
early this morning to help my boss out. So I went to get a bottle
of water and walked past the living room, which is usually blasting MTV
24/7. However, this morning, maybe just because it was early, there
was this TV preacher screaming on the top of his lungs that all the
other TV preacher "fools" just want more money and that they
aren't really preaching the Gospel. However, this turkey was
going to deliver the "buck-naked Gospel," which I
thought was an utterly bizarre adjective to use. Then he asked for
an "Amen!" and he *got* it! Everyone started screaming
in the aisles! Then the turkey got serious and he exclaimed, "I am going to tell you the truth! FORRRRNICAAAAATIOOOON! FORNICATION IS WRONG! IT IS BAD! IT IS EVIL! IT IS A SIN!" and all these people in the audience were grinning and agreeing and shouting after every exclamation! Then he started ranting about the perils of gay marriage (which I obviously think should be legal), but by then I had gotten my water and knew I didn't want to hear any more of that jive. All I could think about the people in the audience was, "They let these people vote?" Anyway, in closing, I would like to say that I hope that each and every one of you manages to get it on during this festive Holiday weekend. There is *nothing* wrong about it. Just make sure you do it right. Happy Thanksgiving! -- Chris Opperman |
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BUGS BEDDOW RECORDED ZAPPA'S 'I'M THE SLIME' |
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CHRIS OPPERMAN * CHRIS OPPERMAN * CHRIS OPPERMAN * CHRIS OPPERMAN |
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[Chris Opperman Mailing List -
2003/12/04] Episode # 15: The Mother of Invention (Decomposing Composer) Contents: Quick Links Upcoming
Performances With Special Opps This will definitely be our last show of the year! Featuring at least Kahlil Sabbagh on drums, Isaac Slape on electric and upright bass, and myself on piano, although we may have other special guests as well. This could be the last show for awhile, so it would be awesome to see you there. Write it down in your calendar now! Also, hello and thank you to everyone who was at the Cat Club show on Tuesday and who signed up for the mailing list. With Steve Vai/Metropole Orchestra Paradiso So the reason why the Dec. 20th show might be the last Special Opps show for awhile is because I'll be busy, busy, busy assisting Steve with the orchestrations for his premiere orchestral work "The Aching Hunger" as well as performing all the score preparation/music copyist duties, just like I did for Mike Keneally with his orchestral work "The Universe Will Provide" this year. Steve also honored me greatly by asking me to be the pianist for the concerts. There's obviously so much I could say about how I feel about all of this but right now the most intelligible thing I can think of to say is "Wow," so I'm going to go with that. Wow. The Mother of Invention (Decomposing Composer) Today, December 4th, 2003, marks the 10th anniversary of the death of the man whose music inspired me to become a composer, Mr. Frank Zappa. A long time ago I decided that the best way for me to pay tribute to Frank and his memory would be to become a composer myself and go out and play my own music with my own band and do something to keep music exciting, fresh and new. In that regard, so far I feel like I am doing a fairly satisfactory job. Anyway, I realized the other day that there are a lot of you reading this who might not know exactly who Frank Zappa was or why his contributions to the world of music are so important. Since there are numerous sources where one could quickly and accurately learn about his life and political views ("The Real Frank Zappa Book," Frank's autobiography, would be an excellent starting point), today I'm going to concentrate on the music by picking out some of my favorite Zappa albums (out of the 60 released in his lifetime) and talking about them. Hopefully this will inspire you to go out and pick up a Frank Zappa record for your own collection. #1 Freak Out! (1966) - This was the first album from Frank Zappa's first major-label band, The Mothers of Invention (the "of Invention" was added at the insistence of MGM). Produced by Tom Wilson (who was also responsible for producing groundbreaking albums by Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, and the Velvet Underground in the late 60's), this record was a first in many ways: It was the first full double-album in rock, the first concept album (exploring the Freak scene in Los Angeles in the mid-60's), and according to the Rolling Stone Guide to Alternative Music, it was the first "alternative" rock record. Wow. Features "Hungry Freaks, Daddy," "Who Are the Brain Police?" and "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet," which could be considered the world's very first rave. #7 Hot Rats (1969)
- Six albums and three years later saw Frank releasing his second album
sans The Mothers of Invention (the first being #3 "Lumpy
Gravy"). One of the albums that comes closest to being all
instrumental, the only vocal tune is a tune sung by his old high school
friend Captain Beefheart, "Willie the Pimp." This is a
very beautiful record. "Peaches en Regalia" is so
happy and exciting and it has probably one of the greatest
bass lines in rock history. Anyone that plays the bass would do
well to learn the bass line to this song (performed by Shuggie Otis).
"Son of Mr. Green Genes" really displays Frank's
arranging abilities. It really makes me smile. Out of all
the records in this list, I imagine that most of you would probably
like this one the best, especially since it's free of any Zappa's
more satirical/scatalogical work. Everyone should go out and buy
this record today. You'll be so glad you did. I'll
definitely be spinning it today myself (if I can find it in my
apartment). #10 Chunga's Revenge (1970)
- This is one of the Zappa albums that I listened to the most growing up
and I still listen to it pretty often today. I love this
record. Most Zappa fans would definitely not pick this as one
of their favorites, but I think it's underrated. It starts off
with "Transylvania Boogie" which I must have
listened to at least 600 times. It's just so freaking cool.
"Would You Go All the Way?" is really hilarious. I
don't want to spoil the punchline for you, but I think my friends and I
all just about had a cow at the right moment in this song. I
listened to "Rudy Wants to Buy Yez a Drink" about a
million times as well. This is a fun record to sing along to and
it's nowhere near as offensive as the Flo & Eddie version of The
Mothers was about to get on the Fillmore East: Live 1971 album. At
the end of that tour, a deranged fan shoved Frank off the stage because
he thought Frank was making eyes at his girlfirend. Frank fell
into the orchestra pit and broke his neck. That's why the pitch of
his voice suddenly dropped a major 3rd. A week before this, they
were playing and someone threw a roman candle and set the place on fire.
Deep Purple saw the fire in the distance and was inspired to write
"Smoke on the Water." #15 The Grand Wazoo (1973) -
While Frank was recovering from his injuries, he turned his attention
almost entirely to his composing and arranging skills. This is a
really fun record as well. This record features a chamber jazz
orchestra as opposed to a compact rock unit (probably since Frank didn't
have to worry about spending his money on tour support since he was
still wheelchair-bound at this point). "Cletus
Awreetus-Awrightus" has a lot of very cool brass parts and it's
really funny too. "Eat that Question" is great as well.
This album was conceived the same time as "Waka/Jawaka," which
has a song on it called "It Might Just be a One-Shot Deal"
that features Zappa's only country-rock guitar solo in probably the most
unlikely place in the song. It also features some sick trumpet
playing from Sal Marquez. "Hot Rats,"
"Waka/Jawaka," and "The Grand Wazoo" are all
available in a box set called "Threesome No. 2" released by
RykoDisc last year. #16 Overnite Sensation (1973)
- Allmusic.com says "Love it or hate it, Overnite Sensation was a
watershed album for Frank Zappa, the point where his post-60's aesthetic
was truly established; it became his first gold album, and most of these
songs became staples of his live shows for years to come."
Featuring the extraordinarily sexually explicit (and sexy) "Dinah-Moe
Humm" sung in Frank's new low voice, it also feaures one of his
best satirical songs to date, "I'm the Slime" and some very
tight instrumental playing on "Fifty/Fifty," "Zomby
Woof," and "Montana," which features uncredited back-up
vocals by Tina Turner and the Ikettes. Lather (1973 -
1977) - This album, now available in a 3-CD set close to the way the
album was originally conceived, was delivered as a 4-LP set to Warner
Bros. as a way to get Frank out of his record contract with them.
Instead of releasing it the way it was, Warner split it up into
genre-specific pieces. It's much more fun to listen to in it's
original form, hearing Frank jump from hard rock to classical in a split
second or less. There are SO many highlights on this album that
I'm not even going to bother listing them all. But the whole thing
is fantastic and it concentrates more on the arrangements and
compositions than Frank's satirical lyrics (although such songs as
"Broken Hearts are for Assholes" are also included). #24 Sheik Yerbouti (1979)
- One of Frank's most infamous (and most popular) albums, Frank earned
his first Grammy nomination for "Best Male Vocal Performance"
on "Dancin' Fool," a satire about disco. He also earned
a lawsuit for his song "Jewish Princess," which he
refused to apologize for because he insisted that "such creatures
do exist." He responded on his next album, Joe's Garage, by
writing a song called "Catholic Girls" to give everyone an
equal opportunity to squirm. Sheik Yerbouti could very well be
Frank Zappa's funniest album. It's also the most hard-rock Zappa
album. "Bobby Brown Goes Down," a song about gay
S&M, was a #1 single in Europe. And just in case you forgot
that Frank Zappa's guitar prowess is legendary, side 4 of Sheik Yerbouti
ends with "Yo' Mama" which is, well, you just need to hear it
to believe it. It's intense, to say the least. #26/27 Joe's Garage, Acts I, II,
and III (1979) - A musical about a government that makes
music illegal, this album is really amazing. It also features
"Watermelon in Easter Hay," Frank's best guitar composition.
I can't tell you how many times I listened to that solo following along
with my Zappa Guitar Book. It's so beautiful. The marimbas,
the chimes, the guitar tones, the drums, wow, wow, wow. This also
features some of Frank's most hilarious songs although by the time the
3rd act rolls around it concentrates mostly on lengthy guitar solos. #28 - 30 Shut Up 'N Play Yer
Guitar Box (1980) - Frank shuts up and plays his guitar.
'Nuff said. #33 Ship Arriving Too Late to Save
a Drowning Witch (1982) - Frank scored his biggest hit
with this record, the single "Valley Girl" recorded with his
then 14-year-old daughter Moon Unit. It introduced the entire
world to the concept of the Valley girl and to such phrases as "Gag
me with a spoon," and "bag your face."
"Drowning With" is easily Frank's most difficult rock
instrumental composition, but easily one of his most beautiful as well.
"Envelopes" is really amazing and it segues into "Teenage
Prostitute," a song that blends hard rock with opera music and
features some extremely sick guitar work from Steve Vai. #42 Jazz from Hell (1986)
- Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Frank's true love, the Synclavier.
The Synclavier was like the Mercedes-Benz of sequencers (Frank used to
say that lots of rock artist took their millions and stuck it up their
nose, but he took his and stuck it in his ear) and Frank was more than a
little excited about the possibilites that this machine could bring
about. Finally, thanks to the computer, he could hear his music
the way he heard it in his head performed with 100% accuracy.
After London critics complained about the lack of "human
element" on this record, Frank released "London Symphony
Orchestra, Vol. 2" which was riddled with wrong notes and mistakes
and said, "Here's your human element." Frank won his
first (and only, in his lifetime) Grammy for this album, for Best Rock
Instrumental Composition for the song "Jazz from Hell."
Frank was shocked considering that was the most dissonant, out there
piece on the album. This is a very bizarre record in general, but
I love it. #53 The Best Band You Never Heard
in Your Life (1991) - One of three albums culled from
the 15-piece 1988 "Broadway the Hard Way" tour (the other two
being "Broadway the Hard Way" and "Make a Jazz Noise
Here"), this album features, of all things, off-the-wall covers of
songs such as Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" (in which
the entire horn section doubles the original guitar solo), Jimi
Hendrix's "Purple Haze," Cream's "Sunshine of Your
Love," and the "Theme from Bonanza." It also
features big band arrangements of some of Frank's classic songs such as
"Who Needs the Peace Corps?" "Andy," and "Inca
Roads." The playing on this album is so ridiculously tight
that I can't even believe that it's actually live. This tour also
introduced the world to guitarist Mike Keneally. The guitar solo
on "Zomby Woof" is so good that it makes me freak out every
time I listen to it. This was the best live ensemble Frank Zappa
managed to pull together, and is easily one of the best live outfits of
all time. The '88 band knew how to play upwards of 300 songs and
they played them with an enormous amount of skill and finesse. I
can't even tell you how amazing that band was. Wowie zowie, for
sure. #57 You Can't Do That on Stage
Anymore, Vol. 6 (1992) - Disc 1 of this two-disc set is
dedicated to live renditions of all of Frank's songs about sex.
Disc 2 is dedicated to more instrumental affairs and is one of my
favorite Zappa albums to listen to. "Thirteen" is of
particular interest since it features electric violinist L. Shankar and
introduced a 15-year-old me to a world of polymetric time since Frank
explains how to count in 13 at the beginning of the song. Other
highlights include "The Illinois Enema Bandit," "Crew
Slut," and "Black Napkins." #59 The Yellow Shark (1993)
- Released only a month before Frank Zappa passed away from prostate
cancer, the album is culled from the 1992 live performances of Frank's
classical works by the Ensemble Moderne. This is an essential
release. The Ensemble Moderne was the only classical ensemble to
play Frank's music with the kind of accuracy and "eyebrows"
that Frank was looking for. Every song on this album is a
highlight, but I especially love "Outrage at Valdez,"
"The Girl in the Magnesium Dress," "Ruth is
Sleeping," "Food Gathering in Post-Industrial America,
1992," "Welcome to the United States," and "G-Spot
Tornado." There are a million and five things to love about
this record. #60 Civilization: Phaze III (1994)
- The first album to come out after Frank's death, this was the last
album he completed before he died. 99% recorded with the
Synclavier (it also includes some improvisations with the Ensemble
Modern), this piece features dialogue recorded for his first solo album,
"Lumpy Gravy," interspersed with new recordings from 1991.
10 years later and I'm still in awe every time I listen to this record.
It's a very creepy album to listen to because it just reeks of impending
doom and you can almost feel Frank fading away. If you go to
zappa.com today you can read the liner notes and listen to the very last
song on Frank Zappa's very last album, "Waffenspiel."
It's interesting that Frank chose this as his final composition, since
he sort-of returns to his roots with it. Frank was inspired to be
a composer in his teenage years by Edgard Varese's piece
"Ionization" for 15 percussionists. "Waffenspiel"
is very much a percussion piece since it features mostly gunfire,
chirping birds, and barking dogs. The absence of
"music" from this piece makes it extremely chilling and the
liner notes about the crop-dusting plane coming and spraying toxic
substances on the audience is especially creepy now. Overall,
this is definitely Frank Zappa's master work, wrapping up some of
the themes he began with "Freak Out!" and is a fitting end to
Frank's prolific career as a composer. I'd better get to work now. Hope to see you all on the 20th. -- Christopher |
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THE WRONG OBJECT RECORDED VARIOUS FRANK ZAPPA COMPOSITIONS |
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THE REINECKE TRIO RECORDED FRANK ZAPPA |
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ZAPPA COVERED ON "MANIC MONDAY" COMPILATION |
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A MODERN BOG COVER COMPILATION: GHOSTS ARE VERY STRONG |
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MAYBEBOP COVERED FRANK ZAPPA |
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ENSEMBLE AMBROSIUS * ENSEMBLE AMBROSIUS * ENSEMBLE AMBROSIUS |
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The Ensemble Ambrosius has been mentioned a number of times already. They did a beautiful "The Zappa Album" and played at the Umeå Internationella Kammarmusik Festival a couple of months ago. Now, the good news is that they will be touring ! June 25, they will perform in Brugge, Belgium, at the 'concertgebouw'. the program:
info: Tom Baeten |
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THE LONDON SINFONIETTA * THE LONDON SINFONIETTA * THE LONDON SINFONIETTA |
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The London Sinfonietta is to perform a Frank Zappa composition. March 6, 2004, they will be performing at the 'concertgebouw' in Brugge, Belgium. Together with the FuseLeeds04 festival, the Brugge concertgebouw comissioned Jonny Greenwood (ex-Radiohead) and jazz pianist Django Bates to write and to arrange some pieces for the London Sinfonietta.
London Sinfonietta
the program:
info: Tom Baeten I'm pretty sure that the London Sinfonietta has performed a Zappa
piece before. If anyone has info on that, please let me know. |
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ANOTHER ZAPPA COVER ON RECORD |
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Italian Jazz pianist Stefano Bollani recorded Zappa's 'Let's Move To Cleveland' on his "Smat Smat" album. info: Andrea Iacoponi |
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GRANDMOTHERS ON TOUR |
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There have been some minor changes in the The Grandmothers Re:Invented tour: one extra date and one replacement (Helmond, NL by Weert, NL). Here's the list:
addition info at: http://www.jtc.de |
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FRENCH ZAPPA SITES * FRENCH ZAPPA SITES * FRENCH ZAPPA SITES * FRENCH ZAPPA SITES |
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There are two french Zappa sites where you can find all sorts of info about what's (Z)happening in France: concerts, tributes, books, ... info: Christophe Delbrouck |
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THE NASAL RETENTIVE ORCHESTRA * THE NASAL RETENTIVE ORCHESTRA |
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The Nasal Retentive Orchestra has two albums scheduled for 2004: one live album (recorded at the FZ tribute festival in boradeaux, france) and one album with new material (about Greggery Peccary & some others animals from the FZ imaginary context). info: Christophe Delbrouck |
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PROJECT OBJECT MEMBERS SIDE PROJECTS |
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André Cholmondley says: Hey folks. Here is some info on some
Project-Object members and their shenanigans for DEC 2003..shows are in
NYC, NY... New Hope, PA...Red Bank NJ SAT December 20 @ John and Peters. New Hope, PA
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ICE-Z: International Conference of Esemplastic Zappology |
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Message from Militant Esthetix Dear all This should be of some interest to you in one way or another..... PLEASE WILL YOU COME AND TAKE PART IN THIS EVENT! KINDLY!! As announced in The Wire for January 2004 ... ******************************************************** ICE-Z: International Conference of Esemplastic Zappology ******************************************************** will take place on Friday, 16 January 2004, 10.00-5.30 at Theatro Technis, 26 Crowndale Road, London NW1 1TT Nearest London Underground station: Mornington Crescent. (Also close, King Cross.) EXPECT: PAPERS.....DISCUSSIONS.....QUIZ......LIVE MUSIC....TAPED MUSIC.....TABLEAU VIVANT...MOUSTACHE SCULPTURE...WANDA THE VACUUM CLEANER.....JOKES.... ********************************************************** Admission: 3 Pounds Sterling or 4 Euros ********************************************************** Drawing its speakers from Vancouver, Rome, Leipzig, Paris, Cambridge and Manchester and London, ICE-Z is a summit meeting for theorists and activists who believe an entertaining, scabrous and CRITICAL popular culture is both possible and necessary. We are Marxists who take seriously Brecht's comment about the proximity of dialectics to laughter. The event is suitable for Zappa fans, Zappa detractors, radical philosophers, anti-capitalists, musicologists, adornoites & pop-studies victims everywhere. It is TOTALLY unfunded by any commercial or academic institutions. Please SPREAD THE WORD!!! United Mutations & Intercontinental Absurdities Inc are today REBORN (and let's not forget the Everpopular Intercontinental Lentil) ... ***************************************************** Er, Where Were We? ***************************************************** The pressure of competition forces cultural producers to niche-market their wares to specific layers of the social totality, thus - whatever their "ostensible politics" - confirming capitalism's division of labour. Yet currently the image of "global unity" has never been so widely invoked, both in politics (the Don't Attack Iraq demonstrations of 15 February 2003) and pop music (an international market). What would a GENUINE UNIVERSAL MUSIC sound like, and could we bear to listen to it? Frank Zappa's rebarbative cocktail of Dada, Avant, Shock Rock and Rhythm'n'Blues still obsesses those of us who demand mass art gives us experience rather than identity. This is the first time these off-piste cultural irritants have collected together, but it won't be the last. Come and stick your oar in while the water's fresh. ********************************************************* Papers (some academic, some, er, less so ...) include: Marco Maurizi (Rome) on Theodor Adorno's piano compositions for children, pigs & ponies, Zappa's principle of structural interruption. Kiki Benzon (Vancouver) on Frank Zappa & Felix Guattari. Simon Prentis (Hampstead) on "The Torture Never Stops". Stu Calton (Levenshulme) "Water Melon In Easter Hay: the Poverty of the Individual Spirit". Sean Bonney (Vauxhall) on the poetics of Trout Mask Replica. Gamma (Kentish Town) on Snorks, Shopping Bags & Madness. Keston Sutherland (Cambridge) on Zappa's Prosody. Dominique Jeunot (Paris) on Animals & Dogs in Zappa's Oeuvre. Esther Leslie/Ben Watson (Somers Town) "Some Reflections on Zappology as Gnomic Ritual". Jürgen Gispert (Leipzig) on The Conservatism of Easy Rider: Zappa's Critique of "Freedom". Richard Hemmings (Leicester) on Randomness in Zappa's Oeuvre. Paul Sutton (St Mary's) on Iain Sinclair, Zappa, Para-Science & Alchemy. Francesco Gentile (Rome) "Xenoarrangements, or, Insane Grafts Day-Dreamed by a Zappa hardcore Fanatic not inclined to exit his Monomaniacal World". Les Fils de L'Invention (Paris) Tableau Vivant concerning the baroque composer and cellist Francesco Zappa (fl. 1763-88). Eleanor Crook (Cheshunt) moustache installation. ************************************************** In the evening (7.00pm) Evil Dick & the Banned Members will play their fiendish glitz-rock randomness'n' tunes at the College Arms on Crowndale Road. DJs. Quiz. Prizes. Sandwiches. ************************************************* Did someone say Fast 'n Bulbous? What you see damp, Parasitic! ************************************************* e-details from <www.militantesthetix.co.uk> press Entree and then click on "ICE-Z: International Conference of Esemplastic Zappology", or, if you prefer, try <www.esemplasm.co.uk> and choose the ICE-Z option ***************************************************** This conference has been organised by Ben Watson, who communicates best via telephone (020) 7388 8679 and meetings in the Halfway House pub in Camden Town ... ************************************* This Xmas is ugly and it wants to die !!! !!! !!! !!! |
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STEVE VAI * STEVE VAI * STEVE VAI * STEVE VAI * STEVE VAI * STEVE VAI * STEVE VAI |
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Steve Vai / Metropole Orkest in May 2004 Check www.4fm.nl or read Chris Opperman's update above.
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NEW ZAPPA BOOTLEG |
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the concert calendar * the concert calendar |
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