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the big nOte files - october 2008 |
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the big nOte files - october 2008 |
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| updated october 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 14, 18, 19, 24, 30 & 31, 2008 | ||
| please send additions & corrections to bignOte@yucom.be |
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| ---
Let's make it clear to the ZFT that we don't agree with how they're dealing with zappa devoted websites, bands that play zappa's music and festivals where they play zappa's music.
We endorse the Aggressive Action by the Zappa Family Trust Petition to Zappa Family Trust. Read the Aggressive Action by the Zappa Family Trust Petition --- |
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- 2008/08/15 - 2008/08/17 concert "Zappanale", Bad Doberan Germany
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--- latest news on the ZFT's lawsuit against the Arf Society &
Zappanale ---
from http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,573478,00.html The Legal Battle for Rock Legacy By Sebastian Knauer The Zappa Family Trust may be willing to compromise in
its legal battle against the annual Frank Zappa festival Zappanale in
northern Germany. And when it comes to battling Bach, the rock legend's
heirs have changed course. It was an unlikely spot for music history to be
written. The scene was room 157 of a state courthouse in the Western
German town of Düsseldorf on Wednesday. There, lawyers for the two sides were asked to present
their sides of the story -- a story which pitted the Zappa Family Trust
against the annual German music festival Zappanale. It
is far from the first courtroom appearance for the Los Angeles-based Zappa
Family Trust (ZFT), which is headed up by rock legend Frank Zappa's widow
Gail. Indeed, the group has set its German and American lawyers on all
manner of different bands and cover groups that have dedicated themselves
to Zappa's musical legacy. The case against the founders of Zappanale (more at http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,546288,00.html
), which takes place every year in the north-eastern German town of Bad
Doberan, is more complicated. It is a case about trademark rights and
copyright -- of Zappa songs, of Zappa products, and of the famous Zappa
moustache, a slightly altered version of which the not-for-profit
Zappanale uses in its promotional materials. The Düsseldorf legal
practice of Reimann, Osterrieth, Köhler, Haft argues on behalf of the
Zappa Family Trust that the Zappanale should not be allowed to use the
Zappa name on any of the T-shirts or CD's sold at the festival. Indeed,
the lawyers argue, the festival shouldn't be able to use the Zappa name at
all. 'Hurdles
in Our Path' In
November, the plaintiffs demanded that the organizers of the Zappanale be
forced to pay a €250,000 penalty or be sent to jail for two years should
the festival or the related "Arf-Society" refuse to comply.
Despite the threat, 18 bands took to the stage in the 19th annual
Zappanale last weekend. Following the Wednesday arguments in Düsseldorf, it is
now up to the court to find an adequate solution -- one that weighs both
the interests of Zappa's legacy and that of the Zappanale -- the
"biggest Zappa festival in the world," the organizers claim. The
Zappanale people also claim that Frank Zappa himself gave his backing to
the festival during a meeting in the 1990s in Amsterdam. Some in Zappa's
family will deny the meeting ever took place, but Wolfhard Kutz, the
Zappanale treasurer, says it is time for Gail Zappa to give up. "His
widow should finally stop putting hurdles in our path and help us further
promote this fantastic music," he says. Kutz, who grew up in East
Germany, was even persecuted by the East German secret police, the Stasi,
for being a Zappa fan. In his file, which SPIEGEL has seen, it says that
Kutz "knows how to influence the youth with Zappa." Such
moral arguments, though, carry little weight in the courtroom. But the
Zappanale may not need them. Early on in the proceedings, the defendants
pointed out that the Zappa Family Trust trademark may not still be valid
in Germany. The ZFT only sells its products online and buyers may only pay
in US dollars. There is no ZFT office anywhere in Europe. "That
makes things interesting," says Zappanale spokesman Thomas Dippel.
Dippel is also president of the Arf Society, which is intimately involved
in organizing the Zappanale. He and his lawyers have now filed a
counter-claim asking the court to declare the Zappa trademark to have
expired, retroactive to August 1, 2007. If trademarks aren't used for five
years, they are lost, and Zappanale argues that the Zappa Family Trust has
not been using the trademark in Germany. Were the court to agree, Zappa's
moustache would become the property of Zappanale. ZFT lawyers have
responded by asking for another hearing, one which Gail Zappa herself
might fly in for. 'We
Are Zappa Fans' The
two sides now have some six weeks to come up with an out-of-court
settlement. And the Zappa Family Trust may be willing to compromise. ZFT
lawyers now say that the Zappanale can use the Zappa name if they brand
the festival as "Zappa music and more." Johannes Vogel, a lawyer
for Zappanale, isn't convinced. "They want to see money. That's
it," he told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Dippel
and Kutz, for their part, insist that they are not interested in denying
Gail Zappa's right to protect the Zappa legacy from abuse. The festival
pays the requisite fees for each and every song performed in Bad Doberan.
Organizers also make sure that all taxes are covered for the international
numbers that fly in for the party, many coming from as far away as the US,
South America and Asia. Indeed, each year the Zappanale doesn't lose money
is considered a success. "We haven't become millionaires so
far," says Dippel. "We are Zappa fans." The festival has, however, begun looking beyond the
site in Bad Doberan. Last week, Zappanale organizers put on a show at St.
Katharinen church in Hamburg called "Zappa Plays for Bach." Some
600 guests showed up for a performance of variations on the famous
Goldberg Variations. Indeed,
improvisation is one quality Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) shares with
his colleague Frank Zappa (1940-1993). All
proceeds from the concert went to the Hamburg foundation Stiftung Johann
Sebastian, which is trying to raise money to recondition a Barock organ on
which Bach played in 1720. And it was a fantastic show -- with nine
musicians from the Florida group Bogus Pomp playing together with the
former Zappa saxophone player Napoleon Murphy Brock putting on pieces
ranging from "Absolutely Free Medley" to "Chunga's
Revenge" to "Idiot Bastard Son." But
prior to the show, the Stiftung Johann Sebastian also received a letter
from Zappa Family Trust lawyers threatening legal measures if the
performance went ahead. The ZFT mistakenly thought that the church was
planning a performance of Zappa's orchestral work "Yellowshark,"
and the letter warned that Gail Zappa had not given her permission for
such a performance. 'Victory
of Music over Legalese' "It
is always difficult to deal with widows who manage the legacy of their
husbands," says Karsten Jahnke, one of Germany's largest event
organizers. All too often, he says, money becomes the primary goal. Even
Stanley Jackson Zappa, a nephew of Frank Zappa's who played tenor
saxophone at this year's Zappanale finds his aunt's efforts "crazy
and sick." A big band collaboration between a German radio station
and the London conductor Colin Towns likewise had to be torpedoed. The
distribution of a CD with Zappa arrangements was stopped after a legal
challenge. "Bach
and Zappa are gods for me. A combination of the two is a fantastic idea I
think," says experienced concert organizer Fritz Rau, who came to
Hamburg for the show. Rau has had his hand in tours by such big names as
the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan and also helped out with a Frank Zappa
tour once. Rau hopes that the Düsseldorf trial will result in a
"victory of music over legalese."
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Glauvo Venier has a new
album out entitled "Suona Frank Zappa" on which he performs the
music of Frank Zappa. It should be out, as it was announced for the end of
September. * * * There's a new triple vinyl bootleg set out. It's called "Great Wazoo - Advance". It's out on the Hoffman label, and it's limited to 30 copies. It's the Berlin 1972 show. * * * |
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The Sun Ra Arkestra at the WHUS show in Connecticut on Halloween - picture by Pete Brunelli more pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/petebrunelli/sets/72157608556478638/ |
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I got this nice picture in the mail yesterday...
Happy Halloween everybody !! |
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| 2008 10 31 | |||||||||
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October 15, 2008, the FZQ
(frank zappa quartet) performed the music of Frank Zappa in Brno, the
second biggest city of the Czech Republic.
Thanks to Bohous, I was able to add a couple of pictures of this concert. |
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2008 10 29 International "Frank Zappa influenced" band
ZAPPATiKA (UK) will play just ONE show in Holland this year, in Leiden-
which will also be recorded as part of a 2009 DVD release. The band has just released a new studio album , The
Short But Legendary Flight of the Dodo at a launch Concert in Paris, and
this only 2008 Dutch gig ,on Friday 14 November at QBUS in Leiden, will
feature some of those tracks plus many of Zappa's most popular
compositions ! As with all ZAPPATiKA concerts this will be a
"wild and unpredictable affair ,with a LOTS of fun and LOTS of
musical notes !" --
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George Duke has a new
album out since august:
And a couple of his older albums have been refurnished as well:
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2008 10 Warren And Terry Collaborate On New Music Picture this: Cuccurullo & Bozzio back writing
& jamming together in the studio for the first time since 1985. This time they`re doing it for real...pure, 70`s
Miles-inspired improvisations mixed with the ever-widening conceptual
approach of wc. This has turned out to be a huge surprise for all
involved. It`s almost as if they have conjured up the souls of
some of our greatest improvisers, along with Jesus & Lucifer in what
wc calls his new thinkartoonz approach to telling stories with music.
"Every note we play is about love," he says, "even the
notes with the horns!!! santa has spoken. This is the greatest shit we
ever did together; it was like we were playing in Miles` band and Frank`s
at the same time." "Bass was handled by Doug Lunn (who also played
some killer Tyneresque acoustic piano)," Warren says, "and
Giseppe Patane; Alex Alessandroni played acoustic piano, Wurlitzer and
clavinet; Manuel Stagars is our live audio mangler, who also plays synths;
Simone Sello on baritone guitar & guitar synth; and Ben Wendell on
tenor & soprano sax." Playing In Tongues is now in the edit & mix phase
at the Village Recorder in West L.A.. newsflash... “Playing In Tongues” will be out in 2008, on Edel Records
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| 2008 10 30 | |||||||||
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If you have any info on the whereabouts of former Zappa sidemen, why not
drop me a line? And I'd appreciate it if I could do a cut & paste job... :-)
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Check out JazzyClips for a couple of video snippets of the Sun Ra Arkestra
in Tilburg... There's some Zappa plays Zappa as well.
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I added data for another two Sun Ra releases. Both are recent CD re-issues
of albums that were previously released on Sun Ra's Saturn label almost 40
years ago! Out on Atavistic.
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Guitar player Lionel Loshouarn performed solo at the ICE-Z festival in Paris, 2008/07/05 and 06. He performed a set of Zappa inspired guitar pieces. Some of these pieces can / could be heard at his MySpace site:
http://www.myspace.com/lilosolo Various pieces are / were offered for sale through his MySpace site as well:
The picture on the right was taken at the ICE-Z
festival in Paris, 2008. |
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from Lionel's MySpace site: For those who could not attend the last international Zappa conference held in Paris on July 5th and 6th I just achieved a studio version of my ambiances "à la Zappa" to which I added one personal composition (4th of december), a cover of Watermelon in Easter Hay and a re-mix of my versions of Amnerika and Sleep Dirt already presented a few years ago... At the price of 2 € each, it will hopefully enable me to raise the funds for a real CD edition of my "Zapmospheres". So thank you in advance ! |
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a
message from The Central Scrutinizer / Les Fils de l'Invention:
Un
communiqué des Fils de l'Invention On
n'avait jamais vu ça : en un peu plus de trois semaines, du 1er au 25
novembre, la musique de Frank Zappa sera interprétée quatre fois dans
une salle parisienne ! Noël avant Noël, quoi. Pour
en savoir plus, visitez www.lesfilsdelinvention.net
. Merci de votre attention. Which translates into something like: We've never seen this before: in a total of three weeks, from november 1 until 25, the music of FZ will be interpreted four times in a concert hall in paris. Christmas before christmas, don't you think? More info at www.lesfilsdelinvention.net The actual newsflash at the site: * The Quatuor Renoir performed 'Zomby Woof' and 'The Black Page' on Sunday 2008/10/12 at Radio France's 'Studio 106'. * Peach Noise will be performing Zappa on Saturday 2008/11/01 at 19h at 'Divan du Monde', rue des Martyrs, Paris, France * ARF will be playing at 'the Antipode', a barge on the La Villette canal on 2008/11/13 at 21h. * The Moving Tones will be at the 'Théâtre de la Cité du Refuge' on 2008/11/24 and 2008/11/25 at 20h30
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Quatuor Renoir 2008/10/12
Alexander
von Zemlinski : Quatuor
n°1 en la majeur opus 4 :
Aubert
Lemeland : Quatuor
n°7 opus 226 :
Frank
Zappa :
Led
Zeppelin :
-- info: Cosmikd |
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Corrie
van Binsbergen's Brokken project has moved to the Sunday
afternoon!
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On
14 November the British band ZAPPATiKA will perform for the first time
ever in The Netherlands , performing a set consisting mainly of Frank
Zappa music and some "own material"
from their new studio album The
Short But Legendary Flight of the Dodo, which they launched at their last
concert ,recently in Paris. The
upcoming show (the bands ONLY gig in Holland this year) , will be at QBUS
in Leiden ,Friday 14 November, and will be recorded Live for a current DVD
project the band is making. It is a subsidised show and so the entrance
price is ONLY 2 euros !! The
show will feature lots of the "wackier" Zappa numbers, like
Titties N Beer, Winoman, Cozmik Debris and much, much more ! There
is a limit of 250 people so , be early !
The show starts at 9pm ! --
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a message from WM Recordings: New
on iTunes: Four Dutch pop classics in Happy Elf style! Happy
Elf is one of the most prolific artists on WM Recordings. Not only has he
released five freely downloadable albums, but he has also contributed
tracks to compilations and of course he's the driving force behind
Elfferich Four, who have three albums available on our label. So,
head on over to iTunes to buy Happy
Elf featuring Nina - Dong-dong-di-ki-di-gi-dong Listen
to audio clips here and
don't forget to watch the great YouTube video! New
free downloads:
See
you next time! best
wishes, Marco
Kalnenek |
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Is this the latest Zappa album? Well, yes and no. Yes, as it's "Joe's
Menage" and it was released a little while ago; but No, as there's
already a new album announced, and it's due to be released in a couple of
weeks already.
1975/11/01 concert 'college of william and mary', williamsburg, va, usa frank zappa: guitar and vocals all compositions and arrangements by frank zappa
This is one superb album! I received it a couple of hours ago, and I'm
listening to the 15-minute version of 'Chunga's Revenge' (again). |
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In 1999, comic book / graphic novel artist Dave McKean made a comic book
to promote Buckethead's "Monsters And Robots" release.
The 20-page booklet was entitled "A Comic Book Presentation of the World of Buckethead".
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2008 10 Hello
Everybody, It has been a while since we had something interesting and new to tell about Belgium's most spectacular live sensation "Capt.Cheese-Beard & The 7 Sisters Of Prevention" so it is with great pride and pleasure that we can announce, we've posted some great new live footage online. These live tracks were recorded in Melsele at an open air gig we played two months ago. I am sure that you'll enjoy the great quality of the audio and video. Also
great to read is the following: By the way; we're still looking for a booker and manager in this faded Kingdom so if someone all of the sudden has a sudden moment of enlightenment after seeing these videos, feel free to contact us. Cheerio Jo. - |
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-
The Young Gods - If Six Was Nine - http://www.facebook.com:80/video/video.php?v=8795427218 - |
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you probably read about it over at KUR, or at
Zappateers, or at the idiot bastard's site... so here it is, again: Lumpy Money, a new package from the ZFT |
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- Gary Graff, Detroit The Zappa Family Trust will kick off a comprehensive
campaign to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the late Frank Zappa's
albums next month. "Lumpy Money," a three-CD "audio
documentary" due out Nov. 25, is the first offering in the series --
and, according to Zappa's widow Gail, the most unique. "These two records happen to be Frank's
masterworks," Zappa tells Billboard.com, "so this is the most
ambitious of all the (40th anniversary) projects. The challenge is how to
educate the audience to understand what 'Lumpy Gravy' and 'We're Only in
It for the Money' are, and what they're part of. "So in this particular case we have to be more
about the process than the outtakes. You're going to be listening to how
Frank worked, all the little developments of these pieces as opposed to
just an outtake or another performance of that particular piece. You're
going to hear how he got there from here." The "Lumpy Money" package will feature two
separate mixes of each album, done by Frank himself. It will include
feature the first official release of the instrumental, Igor
Stravinsky-influenced orchestral "ballet" version of "Lumpy
Gravy" that Zappa recorded in 1967 for Capitol Records but decided to
revamp, adding rock musicians and eventually releasing it on MGM/Verve
four months after "We're Only in it For the Money" in 1968. Gail
Zappa says a "sister" project will be released shortly after
"Lumpy Money" that will contain more music from those sessions. Other releases in the series will be treated "more
as individual albums," drawing material from the Sequin Mines vault
underneath the Zappa family home. A new version of "Cruising with
Ruben and the Jets," Frank Zappa's third 1968 release, is also being
prepared, while the Zappa Family Trust is working on other projects such
as a vintage live album from the Roxy in Los Angeles and a set of Zappa's
renditions of the compositions French composer Edgar Varese. "With the 40th anniversary projects, it's not as
much about 'Can we make a date?' as 'Can we make it? Do we have vault
material we can put together for these?'" Gail Zappa explains.
"That's something we have to do if these are going to be worth
anything to people." - |
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Gail
Zappa on Frank's New Reissue, Lumpy Money by
Michael Hogan October
21, 2008 Before
you completely tune out the endless procession of 40th-anniversary
tributes to 1968's rock 'n' roll landmarks (hey, it was a big year),
reserve a little head space for Lumpy Money, a three-CD package honoring
Frank Zappa's historic one-two punch of Lumpy Gravy and We're Only in it
for the Money. The
albums have always been linked, thanks to Zappa himself, who insinuated on
the album covers that they were Phase One and Phase Two of a single work.
(The final phase came decades later, with the posthumous release in 1993
of Civilization Phase III.) Conceived
as Zappa's first solo record, Lumpy Gravy was originally recorded in 1967,
as a 20-minute orchestral work. After a legal tangle with Capitol Records
prevented its release, Zappa, whose prowess with an editing razor was
second to none, chopped up what he had and tossed it with a bunch of crazy
sounds and weird conversations. The result is a 30-minute mindfuck that
blurs the boundaries between rock, classical, and noise. We're
Only in it for the Money, released six months earlier, flirted with those
same boundaries but ultimately cast its lot with rock 'n' roll. The cover
is a crude send-up of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the music
twists familiar genres into sonic pretzels, and the lyrics viciously
ridicule everyone from weekend hippies ("Oh, my hair's getting good
in the back!") to frigid housewives ("You're phony on top,
you're phony underneath/You lay in bed and grit your teeth"). Zappa
was calling out the hypocrites and fakers, no matter which side they were
on. At
least that's how it's always seemed to me. To
get a more authoritative read, I spoke to Frank's widow, Gail Zappa, who
is known for her tireless (some have said extreme) efforts on behalf of
her husband's legacy. She runs Zappa Records and has been overseeing the
40th-anniversary releases. VF
Daily: How would you explain these two albums to
somebody who isn't all that familiar with Frank Zappa? Gail
Zappa: Lumpy Gravy and We're Only in it for the Money are part of what
Frank called his master work. For him, every album was just part of the
same composition and everything was all one big piece of music. But the
three particular pieces that he considered his absolute masterwork were
Lumpy Gravy, We're Only in it for the Money, and Civilization Phase 3, the
last album that he actually finished. They're constructed in a similar
way. Lumpy
Gravy is Frank's first outing on his own as an artist, and We're Only in
it for the Money is his first outing as a producer. It was supposed to
also be his first outing as a rock 'n' roll artist, but the record company
insisted on it being a Mothers album, for marketing reasons. [The Mothers
of Invention were Zappa's band.] But technically these are both Frank's
first ventures as rock 'n' roll artist and also as a classical composer. How
does this fit in with the rest of the re-release series you're working on? We
want to honor all the re-releases in the 40th anniversary. But the
exception is these two, because they are also part of the masterwork.
Because they belong with Civilization to be seen properly. So in this
particular case what we're going to try to do is to be more focused on the
process on Frank's work, as opposed to [including alternate] versions [of
individual songs]. If you look at a score, sometimes you'll see sketches
of what's going to be in the score before the score is written. That's
kind of what we're going for with this record. Little sketches of it, as
opposed to completely other versions that didn't "make it to the
record." Will
Civilization be sold separately? Yeah.
Although we are going to do a special edition of these three records,
shortly. We didn't announce that because we thought it would be too
confusing. And it already is confusing. I'm going to be really surprised
if I manage to get through this alive. If
you don't like confusion you should probably step away from the Frank
Zappa discography. That's part of the fun of it, don't you think? Confusion
I'm not fond of. But chaos I thrive on. You're
very conscientious about protecting Frank Zappa's legacy. What's the thing
that worries you the most about that legacy and how it's being treated? Identity
theft. I'm glad you asked me. No one has asked that before. And that's
what it is: Identity theft. Because everybody imagines who Frank Zappa is.
And then they go on, some of them, to imagine, I could make some money if
I reinvent Frank Zappa in my own image. Which may suck, by the way. So
people write books and they make records and they do this stuff. So every
day my job is to protect and serve, like the L.A.P.D. Protect the
integrity of the work itself. And serve the intent of the composer. How
does that work out, pragmatically speaking? It's
a lot of squabbling over copyright issues. The real reason why I do this
is because it's just my obligation to Frank Zappa, who really believed in
the Constitution of the United States of America, and one of its
provisions covers copyright. And I don't like people fucking with Frank's
last word, and his last word is his music. I
know that you've had some issues with iTunes, and that you object to the
MP3 format because it requires music files to be so compressed. Do you
ever worry that if people can't get MP3 downloads, you're going to miss a
chance to reach new fans? Well,
you know, I'm of two minds there. First of all, this is a concept that
Frank thought up in 1983 and published a copyrighted document on, that was
filed with the copyright office. The idea was to deliver music over phone
lines. As usual, he's prescient. I don't know how it would be different
had Frank lived. Or how he would necessarily feel about it. But I do know
his intention was that his music should not be massively compressed. And
for that reason he insisted that his masters be sold in a specific format;
anything less than that format was not permitted under the agreement. And
iTunes was way below 16-bit technology [when Rykodisc, which had the
rights to the Zappa catalogue, made it available there]. So I'm not having
an argument with iTunes. I was always having the argument with the
delivery by Ryko of something that they weren't entitled to do, which is
the digital download of less than 16-bit technology. I
don't want to fault delivery systems. Really what is happening with
music-because people steal it more and more, I think they just want to
have it. They don't want to listen to it. Because if they wanted to listen
to it, they wouldn't buy it that way. You
mean compressed? Yeah.
It's like you want a knock-off of something. You just say that you have
it. To appear as if you're hip or cool, whatever it is. You want to hear
the musical idea. But you don't want to hear the music. Frank
makes fun of hippie culture a lot in We're Only in it for the Money. What
do you think he'd be making fun of today? Well,
anybody who takes themselves seriously. Nobody was spared, including
himself. He was certainly relegated to that sort of-it's hard for you to
imagine, because you sound like you're about 12. I'm
33. Very
close, from my perspective. I have a son your age. When these records were
made, everything in the media was about them and not us. We were excluded.
And if we were talked about at all, they pointed the finger: those are
them and they're dangerous. So we were a little separate community,
everybody under the age of 25 in 1965. It's hard to imagine for people
now, especially your age, that your whole country, your parents and
everybody, would be against you if you behaved or looked a certain way.
It's so pervasive now that no one cares anymore. The
mainstream culture has also become very adept at co-opting anything that's
at all creative or "edgy." Absolutely.
That's absolutely true. Frank never intended to be psychedelic or
avant-garde or any of those titles that have been visited upon him by
everybody else in retrospect. That wasn't what he was trying to do at all.
He was just saying, This is what I think about that, and this is how I'm
going to show you what I think. Speaking
of your children, I caught one of Dweezil's performances of the Frank
Zappa catalogue a year or two ago at the Jammies. You
have to see it now! It's nothing like that now. That was when they first
started out. And there was so much pressure for them to have original
members that played in Frank's band. And it was just so heartbreaking for
all of us-especially the family-that we had to do that. Because we just
believe in the music and that it's alive and well, and that it doesn't
need those guys to hold it up anymore. Or to participate in any way. If it
can't be played by people of your generation, then what's the point?
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-- from The Los Angeles Times 2008 09 21 --
Frank
Zappa's widow protects his legacy 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.' By
Lynell George, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer September
21, 2008 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 say it in the simplest way," she lays it out, her full hand on the
table, "My job is to make sure that Frank Zappa has the last word in
terms of anybody's idea of who he is. And his actual last word is his
music." To
that end, Gail Zappa has become a vocal advocate for artists' rights. The
wife of the late musician-composer Frank Zappa, she has been keeping watch
over not just her husband's image and brand but his legacy. Despite what
people might think, her dogged efforts are not about erecting razor-wire
around all things Zappa but protecting his memory. It's
not the first time the Zappas have been in a legal dance: In 1977, Frank
Zappa filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Records and his former manager
citing artistic grievances and questioning certain "creative
accounting practices," Gail says. After an out-of-court settlement
was reached in 1982, the rights to his master recordings reverted to him,
a lucrative boon. December
marks the 15th anniversary of Frank Zappa's passing, but interest in him
and the work continues only to grow. "No two of Frank's shows were
ever the same, which is one of the reasons he was one of the most heavily
bootlegged artists," Gail explains. Tapping
into that interest, in the last few years, the Zappa Family Trust has
begun to release rarities from the Zappa vault. Frank was an obsessive
chronicler, recording both audio and video (in every conceivable format)
of his process. Gail has established two labels -- reconstituting Zappa
and launching Vaulternative -- to showcase that material, which includes
band rehearsals from the '60s and live footage selected by Gail with the
assist of Vaultmeister Joe Travers. This summer, they've issued on DVD the
concert film "The Torture Never Stops" in Frank Zappa's original
edit and "One Shot Deal," a previously unreleased compilation of
guitar-focused music. Reissues of Zappa's first solo album, 1967's
"Lumpy Gravy," and the following year's "We're Only In It
for the Money" are in the offing. Coinciding with all of this is the
very first staging of his 1979 rock opera, "Joe's Garage," at
Hollywood's that, loosely speaking, chronicles the travails of an
imaginary guitarist named Joe. Gail gave the first-time greenlight. "I'm
the front-of-house mixer," Gail Zappa says, settling into a soft
chair near Travers, just to the right of an old console setup in what was
most recently Frank's editing room in their Laurel Canyon home. Gail
usually makes herself available only for the nuts-and-bolts sound bite
related to a release, "but it's not often that I can get into the
grommets and widgets and explain what's behind all of this." Her
position hasn't always made her popular -- she's butted heads at times
with everyone from record execs and label lawyers to fan boards and
tribute bands. "I can't go out and be the rebuttal witness every
minute because I just end up looking like the screaming shrew that I'm
getting the reputation for being." But
she has her reasons, and they're rooted in a promise: "My job is to
make sure that everything is as clean as you can get it. . . . I don't
want anybody standing between the audience and what Frank's intention as a
composer was and still is. [W]hat I've discovered in the process . . .
comes down to one simple thing. Because everybody wants to remake his
image. And they can . . . Well, they can all pound salt!" Fifteen
years gone, and Frank Zappa still casts a long shadow. Gail, like Travers,
often speaks of him in present tense. And though, on this late-summer
afternoon, no one occupies Frank's old console chair, there are all sorts
of winking reminders salted about everywhere. Gold records and old album
covers. A "Nixon for Governor" poster hangs on a far door.
Scores of "Zappa" license plates, gifts from fans from across
the country, frame the old console, and photographs, tucked into
unexpected places, have a fun-house effect: the eyes seem to follow you.
It's not a spirit that hovers but an ethos; standards to be upheld. Gail
Zappa is not custodian of a ghost but of a force that still has power to
prod and provoke. Keeping
watch keeps her busy. There are the cover bands to police, and there is
even the historical narrative of Frank's band The Mothers to keep close
tabs on. It can be all over the map -- tribute bands asserting that they
are "embodying the spirit of Frank Zappa," an old band member
claiming collaborator status. "Do you remember 'Police Woman'?
Pepper?" Gail Zappa asks. "That's me. The ultimate Sgt.
Pepper." One
of the front-burner issues has been the digital music rights for the work
that makes up Frank Zappa's primary catalog. Many recording artists have
expressed their distaste for digital sound, arguing that when their work
is compressed into MP3 files, it can seem flat and thin. What the public
might not know, Gail says, "is that it was Frank's concept to limit
[the sale] to a format so that it was accurately represented, that being
16-bit technology -- CDs. He didn't want it compressed. So we're currently
in a lawsuit over this issue." What's
at stake here is intent: "iTunes has been from the get-go massively
compressed. That's fine perhaps if you're Britney Spears . . . but it's
not fine for Frank Zappa's music, and he was interested in protecting
that." A spokesperson for Rykodisc parent Warner Music had no
comment. Peering
into genius TO
LABEL Frank Zappa an iconoclast would only be rounding the corner of the
neighborhood where he and his imagination reside. There's so much stirring
at every turn and busy intersection: glances of doo-wop, blues,
faux-psychedelia. His music couldn't be fenced-in in terms of genre. In
fact, much of it is an amalgam of styles -- embracing, say, heavy
artillery guitar-rock with nods to composers Igor Stravinsky or Edgard Varèse
-- that reflected his citizen-of-the world sensibilities. Angular
and antic, prescient and political and vamped-up in tricky time
signatures, Zappa was of his time -- as a commentator and a critic -- and
light years ahead of it. "Frank often said," Gail says,
"that his job was to go 'out there' and come back . . . and tell you
what I found out.'" Part
of the idea behind opening the vaults was to chart those travels and to
give audiences an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at the composer's
process. As Vaultmeister, Travers isn't just cataloging the contents, but,
he says "also investigating the possibilities." Since 1995,
Travers, the drummer for a band led by Frank's son Dweezil, Zappa Plays
Zappa, has been sifting through the assets; a wall-to-wall,
floor-to-ceiling audio/video and all-manner of miscellany magic library. Though
every silver film canister, tape box or VHS shell is marked in Frank
Zappa's own hand, "it doesn't mean that you'll find what you think in
there," says Travers, so there is a fair amount of mind-reading and
extrapolating. There is basically every kind of format that music was
archived on from the '50s to the '70s, and Travers has about 40% of it
cataloged both on hard drive and CD. Travers
works closely with Gail, submitting ideas for releases. Ultimately, she
has the final word. "I kind of look at the progression of the
releases, like if we've released a record from a band in 1976, I don't
want to stay in that realm. I want to jump around and try to cover
different areas. . . . I try to prioritize a lot of things that Frank
didn't," Travers says. "There is an album. . . called 'Wazzoo,'
which is a 20-piece band that Frank only did eight shows with but never
released anything from. But we just did." The
Zappa label is dedicated to work wholly produced by Frank Zappa, while
Vaulternative highlights old sessions, rehearsals, sonic threads long
stored away. The Zappa Family Trust has about 40 projects in the works,
Gail says. "We
could easily put out five to eight projects a year and can do that for the
next few years." That would make Zappa almost as prolific as he was
when he was living. "Years
ago my husband said, 'Sell everything and get out of this horrible
business.' Did I listen? No. I tried. I really tried. But I realized early
on that I have to defend his right to have been here in the first
place," Gail says. So
all of this, every choice, weighs heavy. "The best thing that I can
hope is to . . . keep windows open to be able to discover the music. If
[people] get to the original recordings, and even Zappa Plays Zappa and
other groups that respect the intent of the composer then that music is
going to be with them for the rest of their lives. "It is not a causal relationship," she says. "So that's the reason, the whole motivation for what I do what I do. Because I owe it to Frank and what I feel about his music. When it's said and done, I still work for that guy."
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New
free album download, available now: Spheriot
- Bekennerschreiben http://www.wmrecordings.com/releases/wm087.htm "Here
we are: Neither young nor innocent or idealistically transfigured any
more. The right time for a "Bekennerschreiben" (claim of
responsibility), to see what a variety of tastes a single ingredient like
myself can provide a selfdestructive cannibal with. If it sounds like
Krautrock-Techno, damned hard rock or a gay songwriter all mashed up in
one indie pop stew, then this is just what I am." Still
available by the same artist: http://www.wmrecordings.com/releases/wm058.htm And yes, it's pure coincidence that our two most recent releases are both by artists from Cologne, Germany ? best
wishes, Marco
Kalnenek - |
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TA's
video from the Bogus Pomp concert with Napoleon Murphy Brost in Hamburg
August 2008 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XtlIEcIA5xI enjoy!!
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2008 10 14 I´ve just seen this video in You Tube : http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=9v8hFC2V7Mo What
a surprise ¡ Regards, Javier.
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Trey Anastasio on Frank Zappa:
An article about the Joe's Garage musical:
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Run:
Friday, September 26 - Saturday, November 22, 2008 The
Open Fist Theatre
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Cucamonga is still alive.
For those of you who don't live in Belgium: Cucamonga was one of the best radio, not to say THE best, radio show we ever had. Check it out at: - |
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- Funny
little promo for our new album..... - |
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from The Residents' blog, about the tour merchandise:
"The merchandise starting in Washington DC will include what is described to me as a “dog tag.” It is some kind of tag that has the classic eyeball on one side and a code on the other that allows one to download the 15 minutes of music from The Bunny Boy intermission. This music is closely related to music that was posted here for the Summer Beach Party." |
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And there's not only this "Bunny Boy Intermission" download, but
the newest Residents release has been announced too. "Postcards from Patmos". Here's a picture of the cover:
-- info & such: Ive Hapers |
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German band Tarentatec performed at the opening party for Zappanale 19, 2008/08/14, in the centre of Bad Doberan, Germany. For the occasion, the band performed a set of Zappa and Hendrix tunes. Christian Döpping guitar, vocals The next month, Tarentatec will, again, be performing some Zappa music: "Tarentatec plays ZAPPA"
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- Tarentatec, live in open air in Bad Doberan on 2008/08/14. Pictures by Wim Hoogland. - |
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Johannes Döpping drums, vocals |
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In 1983, parisian collective La Fondation has recorded a series of 'Residents Jingles'. These jingles were distributed to a number of independant local radio stations. One of these jingles got released on a compilation CD in 2007. All of the jingles have been made available through the collective's website http://www.lafondation-paris.com/
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2008 10 Hello
Y'all Andre'
here, reporting from 2000+ft above sea level, in the beautiful mountains
of .....Asheville NC. Some
of you are local -- if so -- c'mon out TONIGHT (SAT 11OCT) to Stella Blue
(downstairs)-- I'll be performing with DELICIOUS , it's our first gig this
year with a sub-drummer. (our (un)usual drummer Eric Slick is ensconced at
the Belew Compound working on the new setlist and new album!!) We
will tear it up tonite, kind of a farewell gig for me before I hit the
road (sigh, working for someone else's music, grrr) But ya gotta pay the
bills...might as well be with rock n roll. Speaking of which -- I can't
help but recommend my fave new album The Clash"Llive at Shea Stadium,
(just out 7 Oct 2008) finally a great sounding document of the show that
took place during the 1982 tour they did with THE WHO and David Johansen.
Stunning. So fking good, they are....Anyway .....see you tonight, local
peeps....I';ll be channeling Mick and Joe... Delicious
is a heavy/spacey rock trio that brings the goods. Look for us soon in
your hood... Otherwise
in the news for NOVEMBER -- PROJECT/OBJECT will also soon tour, performing
ZAPPA MUSIC -- see below for what the rest of my damn year looks like!!
It's sick but I love it... This
time we will hit the boards for a week or so ..with the legendary Zappa
Band Members IKE WILLIS and ED MANN. We are working on lots of surprise
soon -- so stay tuned...! This run will piss many of you off, I'm sorry,
since it hits the tri-state NY area only.... BUT keep the faith -- we
wanna get out to new places in 2009! Coming
up this week -- Project/Object drummer Eric and I are about to leave for
wonderful spots all around Western Europe..Eric also drums for the
legendary ADRIAN BELEW, his sister Julie rocks the bass in that trio. So
-- if you're in the EU-c'mon out to a show, email me too! PS
- On a sad note - original
Zappa/Mothers drummer JIMMY CARL BLACK is very ill - Please check out his
myspace for details on helping him with donations or just buying a CD....
Jimmy has always been very good to us and we are wishing him well every
day. http://www.myspace.com/inkanishrecords http://myspace.com/jimmycarlblack1 PROJECT/OBJECT
*the
Actual music...with the Actual Alumni* André
Cholmondeley ADRIAN
BELEW POWER TRIO
NOVEMBER
PROJECT/OBJECT
*the
Actual music...with the Actual Alumni* ADRIAN
BELEW POWER TRIO
APRIL
2009 - Midwest USA
Read BelewBlog, Get BelewMusic, Check Belewdates, See BelewNews.
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PROJECT/OBJECT featuring IKE WILLIS & ED MANN the music of Frank Zappa NOVEMBER 2008 - EAST COAST USA
André Cholmondeley Tour Manager/Tech/Assistant Manager/Promotions Adrian Belew Power Trio www.adrianbelew.net ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO FALL 2008 - EUROPE OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO DEC 2008 - AUSTRALIA
APRIL 2009 - Midwest USA
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2008 10 Corrie
van Binsbergen will be omnipresent at the "Robisco Festival"
this week. She'll
be playing a solo concert, two duo concerts (one with percussionist Yonga
Sun and one with harpist Miriam Overlach), and she will be doing a couple
of "Writers in concert" performances with Anne Vegter, Diana
Ozon and Hans Dagelet (who will be reading Toon Tellegen, but who might
also be playing the trumpet) http://www.roodebioscoop.nl/home/
(in dutch)
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thanks to Danny Mathys for the tracklist |
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Due to the abscence of Ed Mann, the Rijkevorsel gig has been cancelled,
but for their Breda gig The Moving Tones will bring Benoit Moerlen along
(brother of the late Pierre Moerlen of Gong fame).
-- info: Danny Mathys |
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2008 10 09 ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA ADDS DATES IN NEW YORK AND THE WEST COAST Hello Friends, I'm happy to announce a few additions to the fall tour
schedule. Toronto and Montreal have sold out so we decided to add an extra
show in each city. During multiple night runs in all cities we are
planning to play a completely different show for all of you. We know many
of you will be attending consecutive shows and it is one more small way
for us to thank you. I'm excited to say that we have "Billy The
Mountain" up and running. It is a whole lot of fun to play. I believe
it was last played live over 30 years ago... crazy! I can't wait to play it for an audience. In the song
"Billy" and his wife "Ethel" decide to go to New York
for a vacation. I thought you'd like to know that we have added 2 more NYC
shows on October 29 and October 30 in case any of you are planning a
vacation. Halloween will likely inspire at least one premiere
tune ... a special treat as opposed to a trick. Los Angeles gets a fourth show at the ROXY on December
13th (My wife's Birthday). A few weeks later - on New Year's Eve - we will
be playing a very special co-headlining show with Les Claypool at the San
Francisco Opera House. On the heels of that auspicious engagement we will make
our way to Portland Seattle and Vancouver. The free downloads will continue on many of these
dates. Please be sure to check our website for updated info about that and
the continuation of the Hagstrom guitar giveaway. Thanks very much for all of your support and enthusiasm
for this ZPZ endeavor. We look forward to seeing you at the next concert. Regards,
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2008 10 09 Meet our NEW BASS PLAYER ! a strange
man who has spent years playing in oddly noizy bands pushing the
outer limits of experimental Rock music ! Recognizable by his enormous
Blue Bass Stack and twisted idea of humour this is THE PRINCE of SODOM ! http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/ZAPPATiKA/?action=view¤t=PrinceofSodom.jpg" The Prince of Sodom will join ZAPPATiKA on stage
in November at the Dutch and UK gigs and he is now working
furiously like a eager little beaver under the merciless regime which he
has gotten himself involved with ! However, if he continues to develop as
he is doing - we may even let him plug in his Bass guitar ! --
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2008 10 11 The Frank Zappa Quartet will play 15.10.2008 in club Leitnerka in Brno and 6.12.2008 in club Stara Pekarna also in Brno, this concert´ll be record Czech TV for January program!!!
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Marc Moulin passed away a couple of weeks ago. He was the man
behind Placebo.
I remember listening to the third (so-called Harvest-album) Placebo album for the first time at my friend Jan's place, some 25 years ago... I've made an entrie for Placebo & pasted the album info. |
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The new Pierre Vervloesem album will be out next month. It will be
called "Not Even Close".
I added info & pictures to the Pierre Vervloesem discography. Well, to his solo albums that is, as he has contributed to a lot more albums.
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2008 10 08 Re:
November ED MANN PROJECT Hi
folks- nice that you are following this ...just so you know ..all the
CONFIRMED dates at this moment are on our Myspace page ,as is the new
album THE SHORT BUT LEGENDARY FLIGHT of the DODO that we launched last
week at the Acoustic FZ Gig in Paris- you can get the album now via Paypal
from our Myspace for the Launch price of only 11 Euros or wait til next
month when its on i-Tunes...but that will cost more ! We
are playing Holland first on the 14th November in Leiden ,then again in
December in Eindhoven. Right now we are busy auditioning a new bassist
- Zomby
Woof
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I added cover & label of the Crazy Backwards Alphabet CD reissue from
1992:
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Don't ask me how, but over at Zappanale 19, during the openingnight at downtown
Bad Doberan, I met this nice Spanish family of Zappa fans. Here are some shots that Wim Hoogland took, while they were talking to none other than Napoleon Murphy Brock. So if you know Pepe (?) and/or his family, be sure to ask them if they had a nice time at Zappanale... |
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2008 10 06 Zappaween info Hi
gang, A
number of people have asked about whether there will be advance ticket
sales like Ticketmaster for the November 1 show. Tickets will be day of
show only except for sponsors which can reserve a spot early. Sponsorships
are $100 and include two tickets with priority seating and two t-shirts.
Most sponsors want the balcony but if someone wanted early entrance to get
in front at the stage that is OK too. If you are interested please contact
me. Money from sponsors is being used 100% to fund advance advertising for
the show. In
addition to Ike Willis on vocals and Dan Campbell on violin, Tommy
Zvoncheck of Blue Oyster Cult has been rehearsing with the group and will
be joining Rick on keyboards. Also,
if anybody has contacts with a hotel that could help with lodging costs
for Ike, the band would be very appreciative. Adding a celebrity is
expensive! I
will be sending a follow-up e-mail with more details about the show later. Fred
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Bunk and Buzz Gardner's
original surname was Guarnera
(and not Guanerra, as their entries said).
-- info: Charles Ulrich |
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New on Lama Recordings Lama
020 Lama
021 Out soon: Phlitman
and Kangaroo's "Purple velvet Rocket" CD http://www.myspace.com/phlitmanandkangaroo - |
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Straight from the Idiot Bastard's message: Mick Pini
can no longer make the JCB benefit gig in London on 9 Nov.
Still, the other attending artists will make it very worth your while. |
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The picture on the right was taken by Kilissa Cissoko at the
Zappanale Festival at 2 a.m., late on Saturday night (or very early on
Sunday morning): Stanley Jason Zappa and Elliott Levin got
on stage for some high enerygy free jazz.
I don't recall if this session was announced, as I had heard about it
only a couple of hours before it took place. |
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Jon Larsen's Zonic Entertainment label is working on two new projects:
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I probably received this picture from the French devision of the FZLAS
(the frank zappa lookalike spotters). Can't remember. Must have been them.
If you recognize yourself, you probably live around Paris... |
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2008 10 05 from zappatika In
the beginning there was a secret word...and the secret word
was......Mudshark ! For
the full half of one hundred years the Mudshark reigned supreme as the
secret word – defying all other denizens of the deep for that top-spot ,
and educating the virginal minds of the masses to look at things from the
other angle , teaching pre-programmed zombies to crush boxes and other
interesting things..........until ,eventually so much time had passed that
the Mudshark began to turn Yellow and he decided to move onward and upward
into the cosmos as a Yellow Shark, thus expounding his influence to a
universal level...... However,
in his wake, there was a void......a world bereft of the musical wit &
experimentation we had come to know from the Mudshark ,.... a world
destined to wear its pants around its knees and to
believe that music is simply a background noize for reality TV
and.......supermarket shopping The
family of the Mudshark tried its best to maintain the powerful legacy left
with the secret word ...but failed to understand its true meaning.....they
remained focused only on the supermarket shopping and became fixed on the
question of whether of not the Fish could also be seen as a Mudshark !
but then, as time moved into another realm and the Mudsharks family became so swollen and self-appreciating that is was unable to focus any more, and then....in a small corner of the world ....first of all very faintly ...but growing ever in stature as a strong tall tree.......there was a new secret word.......and the new secret word was ....... DODO
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could this be Zappatika, live in Paris, doing an acoustic Zappa set? |
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EMP
Project postponed until later date - Due
to one or two unavoidable logistical problems and some pressing
commitments stateside, Ed Mann will not ,unfortunately, be able to tour
Europe this winter with his EMP Project ,as he had planned. Although this will be a disappointment to those who already counted on going to the concerts , rest assured that the EMP plans will be focused upon again as soon as possible in the near future .Hopefully , most of the gigs already confirmed for November will still go ahead as promised featuring the planned bands. (The Moving Tones, The Foolz and Zappatika) - |
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a
video by Tros Dutch TV 2 which includes an interview to FZ at UMRK in 1991. http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=kzclYAW6dB0 http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=vR5lFcW_O5E&feature=related -- info: Javier |
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5 new Cuneiform Releases have been announced:
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2008 10 03 The
Short But Legendary Flight of the Dodo - 16 tracks - 55 minutes : is,in
the words of chief composer ,Mcinnes, a "very badly disguised tribute to
Frank Zappa" and brings a lot of that great Rock composers ideas and
concepts very much into the 21st century - Mcinnes
continues , "The album has a kind of theme in which the Dodo takes on the
role of Music , or the Human Race- depending on how deeply you look- and a lot
of influence has been taken from Franks way of putting an album
together...there are one or two 'commercial' numbers -but essentially the album
will appeal to a quite
'particular' audience " Upon
listening, the Flight of the Dodo is almost intense, and at others light and
relaxing, and then again complex melody or driving dance beat , or funny - truly an interesting listening experience and ,for a debut album, this is an accomplished project . More information and tracks from The Short But Legendary Flight of the Dodo-- - |
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info & reviews taken from the Art Yard website
All four of these albums are just fabulous. Essential Sun Ra material. |
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In the winter of 1977-8, philosopher, pianist and
bandleader Sun Ra was to be found in Italy. He may have made two trips there, or
made one extended stay: at this distance from these events it's difficult to be
sure. January 1978 was a fruitful month for Sun Ra. As well
as days spent in the recording studios in Rome, Ra, played several gigs in Italy
before flyimg back to the US. -- Chris Trent |
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This is the companion to Disco 3000, made on the same
classic Italian quartet tour with John Gilmore, Michael Ray (trumpet) and the
minimal but perfect Luqman Ali (drums). Ra himself plays piano and electronic
keyboards, including the mysterious Crumar Mainman, which Ra describes as 'like
a piano, organ, clavichord, cello, violin and brass instruments' and which also,
importantly, has a facility for pre-programmed bass-lines and electronic
percussion, which Ra uses constantly and to great effect in this small ensemble
setting and seldom, if ever, elsewhere. The best of this collection (most of
CD1) is luminous: very electronic, often rhythmical and melodic, always
economical and making every sound count. These tracks are like no other jazz
ensemble and, although recognisable as Ra - who else could think of, and then
get away with, this - unlike any other Ra ensemble either. Ra makes the machines
do amazing, visionary things while the band exercises restraint, remaining
always in focus. In between, there are piano, saxophone, trumpet and drum
vignettes, fresh and perfectly judged; this real was a fine band. This places
the original vinyl release (and related releases, Sound Mirror and Disco 300)
back into the context of the concerts, from which they were drawn. An important
addition to the Sun Ra canon, since it is a rare document of an unusual Ra
project that produced three classic late '70s LPs. Beautifully packaged and well
annotated. -- Chris Trent. |
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By the late 1970s the Saturn record label had become a musical newspaper, keeping the world abreast of the latest developments in the Sun Ra story, for those people lucky or persistent enough to find the few outlets where the albums were appearing. Sun Ra was releasing more records on his own label than ever before - at least six Saturn LPs document his activities in 1979 alone. This however, is the first reissue of any 1979 Saturn album, and will be widely welcomed - "Sleeping Beauty" instantly became one of Sun Ra's best loved records, and remains so to this day. At this period, compared to previous years, Saturn records tended to document more of Sun Ra's current work rather than older tapes. This was certainly true of one particular group of four albums released simultaneously into Saturn Records' distribution channels within a year of being recorded: "God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be", "Omniverse" and "On Jupiter", and "Sleeping Beauty". These all represented facets of Ra's work during 1979, and between them include everything from piano trio compositions to conducted improvisations to disco music. "Sleeping Beauty" features the funkier end of the Sun Ra spectrum. It is a studio recording featuring at least twenty-eight musicians, an enlarged version of the Arkestra which had just crossed the Atlantic to play the 1979 Moers festival. The line up includes both acoustic and electric bass players, and electric guitarists, and the reed and brass sections are both augmented beyond the core members of the Arkestra. The recording session which produced "Sleeping Beauty" also gave us "Strange Celestial Road", released on the Rounder label. The two albums have a markedly different feel, in spite of the common date - according to vibraphone player Damon Choice, talking to discographer Robert Campbell, the differences perhaps partly stem from later post production, and the addition of vocals, All three tracks on "Sleeping Beauty" have tenor solos by John Gilmore which can count among his finest work. Other musicians' work is also very worthy of note: Vincent Chancey's french horn in particular. The overall textures of the arrangements and also the sound of this particular Arkestra, are unique, found on no other Sun Ra album: listen to the opening to "Door Of The Cosmos", as vocals and keyboards are joined by guitars and bass, and the horn arrangements cut in around Gilmore's solo. There are many fine such moments throughout the album.-- Chris Trent. |
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"On Jupiter" is near ideal as an introduction
to the musical worlds of Sun Ra. It has a magical mix of colours from Sun Ra's
varied palette. Beneath its compelling surface lie many layers of musical
detail, and numerous hints as to where Sun Ra was coming from and where he was
heading. It combines real depth with beauty and hits you the first time you hear
it. "On Jupiter" represents Sun Ra's closest encounter with the world
of disco. In the late 1970s he made other albums which also gesture in this
direction - "Lanquidity" has a jazz-rock feel while remaining firmly
part of the Ra omniverse, this is true too of "Disco 3000" despite its
title,"On Jupiter" really has only one track which fits the 'disco'
tag - "UFO" - but this piece is such a strong statement that it
becomes the centre of gravity of the album.This has meant that the other tracks
here have been somewhat overlooked. "Seductive Fantasy" is a fine performance, with a rare chance to hear James Jacson's bassoon in both its opening and closing stages. "Seductive Fantasy" has an ensemble theme stated twice during the performance, featuring John Gilmore, who also offers a very fine tenor solo. Before this there is a fine understated solo by a baritone saxophonist, as well as contributions from Marshall Allen on oboe, electric guitars and bass. There is a cameo for Eloe Omoe's bass clarinet, and towards the end of the piece unidentified arco string players make an appearance. There is much excellent Sun Ra piano to be heard throughout the whole of "Seductive Fantasy".The title track, "On Jupiter", features Marshall Allen's oboe and Sun Ra's piano, along with guitars and bass and multi-layered percussion. This is the first appearance on record of this piece, afterwards to remain a frequently performed item in the Arkestra's book. "UFO" bursts into life with the full Arkestra in disco mode, and contains solos from John Gilmore, Taylor Richardson and Michael Ray. "UFO" is one of those pieces which Sun Ra seems to have added to the band's book only for a short time, after which he left it alone. This is its second known appearance, the only others being from a few concerts, all within a few months of each other in mid 1979. This studio recording was made around May 1979, according to drummer Samarai Celestial, who identifies it as predating his tenure with the Arkestra - he plays on the other two pieces on the album, recorded in October that year. Sun Ra would reportedly rehearse his band to the point of exhaustion, but in the studio his was usually a one-take approach, close to a concert performance. This did not necessarily mean that every album appeared in the form it was recorded. "On Jupiter", like "Lanquidity" (but unlike "Disco 3000", essentially a live recording) owes a lot of its final sound to post-production. The album was mixed by Michael Ray, who layered in prerecorded material with that produced in the studio - Sun Ra sent Ray back to the Arkestra base during the mixing session, and Ray returned with "a handful of tapes". Close listening would suggest that some of the guitar and percussion and possibly some vocals were added in this way. -- Chris Trent. |
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A
message from Rock Music Memorabilia: Over
at Rock Music Memorabilia, the
Frank Zappa commemorative set that you can see at the right, may be purchased
in instalments. After the first payment of £29.99 plus postage the set is sent
and the following payment of £29.99 is not due until four weeks afterwards. FRANK
ZAPPA 1970 BATH AND 1978 KNEBWORTH COMBINED COMMEMORATIVE SET INCLUDING A FREE GIFT OF JUST DISCOVERED CDs FROM THE RAINBOW, LONDON 1971, THE OVAL, LONDON 1972, EMPIRE POOL WEMBLEY 1973 AND ODEON HAMMERSMITH 1978 PLUS THE 1970 BATH AND 1978 KNEBWORTH FESTIVALS
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The
Bath and Knebworth Frank Zappa commemorative set has been produced in a limited
signed edition of only 200. It is priced at £59.99 but maybe purchased
on instalments and comes with a free gift of 6 live CDs from Bath and
Knebworth, including the very rare live Bath CDs and a Knebworth DVD and
includes the following:
Also
included a 50 mins DVD of various Knebworth festivals between 1974 - 1979,
including The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin and Genesis. - |
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Next in the corsaga comes Joe's Menage, recorded in concert at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA on 1 November 1975. It features FZ (guitar and vocals), Norma Jean Bell (alto saxophone and vocals), Napoleon Murphy Brock (tenor saxophone and vocals), Andre Lewis (keyboards and vocals), Roy Estrada (bass and vocals), Terry Bozzio (drums). Track list: Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?/The Illinois Enema Bandit/Carolina Hard-core Ecstasy/Lonely Little Girl/Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance/What's The Ugliest Part of Your Body?/Chunga's Revenge/Zoot Allures. The album first germinated when Frank gave fan Ole Lysgaard several cassette tapes, including this one, in 1978. In 2004, Lysgaard sent the tapes to Gail and she decided to release the 1975 music, which was restored and mastered by John Polito. "A thrilling example from a less documented line-up," she says.
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are CRAM. Their CD will be released / presented during the 'Melkweg' concert in Amsterdam, NL
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- A little while ago a new bootleg title turned up: "Missing Ritz Tracks" (aka Toxic Shock 4). It was a limited run of 30 copies of a testpressing (on black vinyl). A couple of weeks later a set of 5 colours of this "Missing Ritz Tracks" was presented. Also on the Hoffman label. And more recently, a new Hoffman release, a 4LP Toxic Shock Boxset got announced. This being a re-issued volume 1 up to 3, plus "The Missing Ritz Tracks". Limited to 50 copies. - |
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Here's
a little video of the commercial that uses FZ's Sleeping In A Jar http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=sc6QBui6JYE
-- info: Javier |
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Follow
the link to purchase tickets: Get
them early! And
here's a link to The Open Fist Theater's website. - |
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2008 09 16, a message from Fred
Hi
Gang, Please
see the following e-mail from Jerry: Fred,
Now
that we are back from Germany, Bogus Pomp is preparing for Zappaween 13.
Germany was incredible and we hope to return again next year for the 20th
anniversary of the Zappanale festival as well as some other shows too. For
Zappaween 13 we are having the legendary vocals of the one and only Ike Willis
and the incredible electric fiddle of Dan Campbell. This is going to be a very
special show indeed. As always, the best dressed freak gets a new Dean guitar.
Come hear the legendary voice that made some of Frank's greatest records so
special. The original Thingfish is back!! Dan Campbell will smoke your doors
off with his fiddle too!!! for
a donation of $100 you will receive two tickets to Zappaween 13 and two
T-shirts as well as reserved seating in the balcony. I
just bought Ike and Dan's plane tickets and I'm in serious need of some funds
to promote this show. Please help if you can. See
you all there!! Jerry
Outlaw If
you are interested in the donation please send me a check payable to Bogus Pomp
Fund and I will take care of the details. Just getting to sit up front in the
balcony is worth the premium plus it will help the band with much needed
advertising dollars. And Ike doesn't work for free so they need a good turnout
to cover his costs. You can send a check to me at: Fred
Hemmer Let
me know if you have any questions. Fred
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2008
09 19 L.A.
Weekly - 2008 09 18
(http://www.laweekly.com/2008-09-18/stage/racy-against-time/) FRANK
ZAPPA'S JOE'S GARAGE GETS ITS PREMIERE 29 YEARS ON Rock
opera, like its revered creator, was ahead of its time BY
STEVEN LEIGH MORRIS Pictures
by Ted Soqui Published
on September 18, 2008 Some people can just see things coming. In 1979, one year before Ronald Reagan was elected president, Frank Zappa wrote a rock opera called Joe's Garage. It's a "stupid story," said Zappa, a fantasia about a garage-band singer who finds himself at odds with an increasingly religious, controlling society in which music is eventually banned for its destructive effects on society. |
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| Jason Paige's Joe: Solipsistic bliss in his garage, relishing an art form about to be banned |
L.A. Weekly |
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Six
years after Zappa completed it, the U.S. Senate held hearings on a
proposal by Tipper Gore's Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) to put
warning labels on rock-music CDs and videos. Gore had been offended by
the lyrics in the Prince song "Darling Nikki": "I met her
in a hotel lobby, masturbating with a magazine . ..." Children,
said the PMRC, needed to be protected from sexually provocative lyrics. Not
surprisingly, Zappa, a satirist, celebrity rock musician and respected
avant-garde composer, testified as an opposition witness (with John
Denver and Twisted Sister's Dee Snider), describing the PMRC proposal as
"an ill-conceived piece of nonsense, which fails to deliver any
real benefits to children [and] infringes on the civil liberties of
people who are not children." The
next year, 1986, Zappa appeared on CNN's Crossfire, with so-called
leftist journalist Tom Braden (a former employee of the CIA's
International Organizations Division), conservative columnist Robert
Novak and John Lofton of the right-leaning Washington Times. In a
contentious conversation, Zappa revealed the prescience that makes Joe's
Garage as relevant as the day it was written: Lofton:
Do you support records that promote incest as just another kind of sex,
or in some instances it might even be preferable? Do you agree with
that? Zappa:
No I don't agree with it. I don't have any interest in incest ... but I
didn't realize that incest was such a terrible problem in the United
States that we suddenly need government intervention ... Lofton:
Does the government have any purpose, Frank? Zappa:
Yeah, it has a number of purposes ... how about national defense? Lofton:
I consider this national defense, pal! Our families are under attack by
people like you, with these lyrics. Braden:
John, you don't have to buy them. Zappa:
Can I make a statement about national defense? The biggest threat to
America today is not communism, it's moving America toward a fascist
theocracy, and everything that's happened during the Reagan
administration is steering us right down that pipe. Novak:
... Do you really think ... in this country, with the permissiveness,
that we are moving toward a fascist theocracy? Zappa:
You bet we are, buddy. [Lofton
and Novak laugh derisively.] Braden:
One example of a fascist theocracy? Zappa:
When you have a government that prefers a certain moral code derived
from a certain religion, and that moral code turns into legislation to
suit one certain religious point of view, and if that code happens to be
very, very right wing, almost toward Attila the Hun ... Lofton:
Then you are an anarchist. Every form of civil government is based on
some kind of morality, Frank. Zappa:
Morality in terms of behavior, not in terms of theology. The
ideas in this debate form the crux of the ribald cultural satire in
Joe's Garage, which will have its world premiere on September 26 at the
Open Fist Theater. The play opens with an Orwellian "Central
Scrutinizer," a large robotic puppet who speaks through a megaphone
and whose job is to enforce laws "that haven't yet been
passed." A local policeman counsels Joe to drop his music and
engage in more church activities, but Joe's sweet Catholic girlfriend,
named Mary (of course), abandons him for a backstage pass to see another
band. After following that band on tour and after being used as a sex
toy by the band's roadies, the exhausted Mary is dumped in Miami, where
she enters a wet-T-shirt contest to raise enough money to get home. When
Joe learns of her plight, he goes into a funk of depression, contracts
venereal disease, and seeks religion - at the door of L. Ron Hoover and
his First Church of Appliantology - to pull him back up. Membership in
the church costs Joe his life's savings, and he is ordered "into
the closet" in order to find salvation by having sex with home
appliances - so much more safe and titillating than with human beings.
There's a three-way orgy between Joe, an appliance named Sy Borg and a
"modified Gay Bob Doll"; Joe accidentally destroys Sy Borg's
circuitry during a golden shower episode and is imprisoned for being
unable to pay for Sy's repair. In prison, Joe is gang-raped by record
executives and other riffraff. He eventually emerges into a new world,
where music has been banned, but he does land a good job in a muffin
factory. Among L.A.'s small theaters, Open Fist is comparatively spacious. Situated within a former warehouse, it has an expansive, freshly painted lobby, tall ceilings and audience seating on a wide bank of risers. On August 18 - one month to the day before the first preview of Joe's Garage - the stage is lit by overhanging fluorescents, because the lighting plot hasn't yet been installed; instruments hang from pipes, with cords dangling, waiting to be focused and plugged in.
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| At 7 p.m., Anthony Sandoval leads warm-up exercises with the ensemble of 12 Joe's Garage actors - four of them from Open Fist's resident company. Sandoval is an invited guest instructor and student of Japanese director Tadashi Suzuki, with whom Sandoval studied at the University of Delaware and, later, in Japan. Sandoval is taking the company through Suzuki movement exercises for balance and breathing, which appear like a blend of martial arts and U.S. Army drills. They are, by design, tortuous tests of mental discipline and physical stamina. |
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Choreographer Jennifer Lettelleir front and center, with (left to right) Lindsay Loesel, Glen Anthony Vaughan and Nicole Disson |
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The
company forms two lines of six. They're dressed in leotards and sweats;
some wear kneepads. Each actor crosses toward the opposite line of
actors, walking pigeon-toed, stepping on a beat that Sandoval claps out
with his hands. Among the goals is to sink into each step, to complete
the gesture, regardless of its contortion, and to do it on time. This is
a warm-up for the brutal choreography that's to come. Now
they're in a circle. Keeping their torsos erect, they're to dip with
their knees and then return up on eight counts that are clapped out,
then 10 counts - dipping slowly is more stressful. Now they execute a
clean jump, a quick turn and an exclamation of "ha!" - which
releases the accrued stress. After
a 10-minute break, director Patrick Towne and choreographer Jennifer
Lettelleir take over. Towne's co-writer/producer, Michael Franco,
crosses the front of the stage, speaking into a flashing Bluetooth cell
phone in his ear. Jason
Paige portrays musician Joe, and the cast is rehearsing a scene from his
suburban garage, where the solipsistic bliss of his music is interrupted
by a police squad responding to an excessive-noise complaint. Herbert
Russell, a gifted, roly-poly comedian, leads the squad, which strides
in, with mimed weapons drawn. But this isn't an episode of Law &
Order - it's closer to the Keystone Cops. As
they drag Joe away, Towne is concerned that the police exit is too
realistic and too sloppy. "Stride,
stride," he barks at the cops while pacing in the risers.
"Stride till the thighs hurt." Now
they're working on the song "Catholic Girls," featuring Joe's
girlfriend, Mary, played by wide-eyed Becky Wahlstrom with heartbreaking
naiveté. David
Castellani, as Mary's priest, Father Riley, repeats with exaggerated
nasality the one-line refrain "Catholic girls" - between which
the chorus of singer-dancers toss in one-line commentaries:
"Catholic girls/With a tiny little mustache/Do you know how they
go? In the rectory basement/Father Riley's a fairy/But it don't bother
Mary." Choreographer
Lettelleir is working on jazzy moves for the chorus, trying to capture
the blend of perkiness and perversion at the heart of Joe's Garage. They
work through the moves with house accompanist Scott Nagatani, and then
with both the piano and CD playing simultaneously. Joe
croons, "When they learn how to blow" - answered by Father
Riley, "They're learning to blow/All the Catholic boys!" Lettelleir
jumps in to choreograph stylized fellatio - considerably larger than
life - to a chorus line of young women on their knees, mouths gaping
open like hungry carp. They bear animated expressions of disgust and
alarm, bobbing necks accompanied by fake gagging and spitting that
Lettelleir is working to coordinate. Wahlstrom, also on her knees with
her back to the audience, sways her head to and fro. One of her wrists
flings away some imagined goo, right on the song's beat, then the other
wrist. A few measures later, all will repeat. It's clear that the
musical's point of view is carried largely by the choreography, which
depicts porn's generic eroticism as part of a numbing machine. Towne
says he's lost a couple of actors due to religious conflicts with the
play. "'Why are there so many blowjobs, so much sexuality?' they
asked. So we had a meeting, I tried to explain the satire. 'I don't
think Frank is celebrating this stuff,' I told the cast, 'there are some
people who will walk in here and will think solely that it's obscene.
You've got to be ready for that and take responsibility for it.'" Lettelleir
keeps sharpening the choreography, until Wahlstrom complains, "This
is a 10-hour BJ!" "The
Suzuki work is really paying off," says Towne without a trace of
irony. He's right. The fellatio has moved beyond titillation through
parody into an ugly and allegorical grinder, shredding whatever it means
to be human. For
almost 30 years, the rights to a stage production of Joe's Garage were
tied up by the Zappa Family Trust. Along the way, however, in 1995,
Towne cast Moon Unit Zappa (one of Zappa and second wife Gail's four
children) as Bianca Jagger in a local production of a play called
Waiting for Studio 54. Gail Zappa oversees the trust and therefore
controls the rights to Joe's Garage. Towne, who'd come to L.A. from
Chicago after working there with the sketch-comedy company Annoyance
Theatre, says he had a long-standing desire to direct a production of
the musical. Finally, after Gail attended the show to see her daughter
perform, Towne and his producing partner, Franco, drafted a formal
proposal for a pitch meeting with Gail. Franco says the deal was
eventually sealed with a handshake and that Gail was relieved they
weren't "pushing papers in her face" like so many applicants
who had come before. Franco has worked as a pitchman on TV, and it shows. He's a fast-talking, product-oriented guy who has produced a number of shows in L.A. - some independently, and some (Nosferatu, Pathe X and The Master and Margarita) with the company Zoo District. Franco became the focal point of a philosophical conflict within that company, a conflict with possible reverberations for the Open Fist production of Joe's Garage. Though the opposing Zoo District camp was led by director Jon Kellam, most of those who backed him were women, revealing a gender divide within the Zoo District troupe. Franco and the men were advocates of the "let's find a script and do it now" approach to putting on plays - a view in stark contrast to Kellam and the women's desire to concentrate the company's resources on actor training and play development. Franco describes the division as the "product-versus-process debate." The women's view translated into the time-consuming idea of giving new plays readings and workshops in order to repair weak ligaments and prime the plays for a professional debut, with the highest standards possible.
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| Co-writer/producers Michael Franco (left) and Patrick Towne have brought Zappa back to Santa Monica Boulevard. | The world bearing down on Joe | ||||||||
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"I'm
50 years old," Franco says in the Open Fist lobby during a
rehearsal. "I don't have four years to spend telling one story.
There are too many other stories I still want to tell." This
attitude reflects Franco's damn-the- torpedos insistence on presenting
this Joe's Garage not as a workshop but as a full production - a
cavalier choice that's perplexed and bemused some people associated with
the production. Franco and Towne drafted a script from the libretto and
liner notes enclosed in the CD of Joe's Garage, a studio recording of
the opera made in 1979, and the project now has a budget of $70,000 to
$90,000. Open Fist (of which Franco is a member) is contributing the
venue, some actors, equipment, staff support, operating costs and a
small percentage of the overall budget. But almost anywhere else in the
country, a work of this scale - blending a new script, choreography,
video design, puppetry and the sound-mixing challenges that come with a
live band - would at least be tried out as a smaller-scale workshop.
Among the many purposes of such workshops is to attract potential
investors for future productions. Franco is having none of it, and says
he's happy to spend up to $25,000 of his own money to offset whatever
funds he can't raise from outside sources. It wouldn't be the first time
he's drawn down his mutual funds for a theater project, and it sounds
like it won't be his last. "There
are a lot of Zappa fans out there, and they're already reserving
tickets," he says when asked what plans he has for transferring
this production. "I'll just have to see who turns up, and how it
turns out." On
the evening of August 19, Gail Zappa floats into the lobby of the Open
Fist Theatre, delighted and surprised to find daughter Diva and son
Ahmet also there. A vocalist herself, Gail has the beautiful, round face
of an ageless hippie, with kind, world-weary eyes. Behind her candor and
gentle veneer percolates some muted frustration. "It's not easy
working for a dead guy," she says in the theater office while the
cast is doing their Suzuki warm-up. "The simple answer and the
horrifying answer is that my future is my husband's past. And I'm just
trying to keep it as unfiltered as possible by everybody who would like
to have it reflect their image." She
makes no mention of the lawsuit she threatened to file last year against
Arf-Society, the German musicians society and fan club that helped to
organize the renaming of a Berlin street after Frank Zappa. The Zappa
family failed to respond to invites from Arf-Society for its
endorsement, so the the club proceeded anyway. The club also supports
the kind of Frank Zappa tribute bands that arouse Gail's ire. She
doesn't cite them by name, but the target of her anger is clear enough:
"People who misinterpret Frank, or miscast him, somebody who plays
his music, somebody who writes a book, taking a very large footprint and
shrinking it down to a minuscule size that's not recognizable by
anybody. It's really grand theft identity. I can imagine, but I can't
prove that I'd be right about what Frank would want." Who
could possibly know more about what a man would want than the woman who
bore his four children? "You can't imagine how many people would
disagree with that," she says. "I've had a lot of experience
with absurdity." Many
people had approached her for the rights to produce Joe's Garage, but it
never felt right, she says, until Towne came along. "The ones that have shown up ... I didn't want to get involved with. And the ones you would hope would show up have issues of their own. What I've been told is, 'Joe's too blue for the stage.' I don't know anybody who talks like that in any generation." |
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| Becky Wahlstrom's fallen virgin, Mary | Levity in the chorus: Nicole Disson | ||||||||
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"Pat
directed it. It was very small and totally cheesy," she says,
clearly pleased. (Frank Zappa described Joe's Garage as "a really
cheap kind of high school play.") "I
felt, 'Oh why not? Why not take a chance?' ... I think of it as, I'm
doing the best I can with the tools I've got. You hope for the best, you
expect the worst, and if you come out somewhere between, that's a good
thing." Unlike
Towne, however, Gail plays down the importance of the story, because
most of what Frank Zappa did is musical. His playfulness and
gregariousness, "it's all in the music. It doesn't have anything to
do with words. So that's the legacy." The
three Zappas in attendance for the rehearsal sit in the same row. Ahmet,
in a suit and tie, rests his elbows on his knees. Diva sits knitting,
smiling, preparing for a September exhibition of her knitting designs in
New York. Towne and Lettelleir are restaging "Catholic Girls"
- refining all that fellatio. Gail Zappa watches, beaming. "I
love this energy," she says. On
September 2, the full band - two keyboardists, two guitarists, a drummer
and a couple of horn players - makes its first appearance for a
rehearsal with the ensemble. The theater is awash in activity, with
actors practicing routines in the lobby as equipment is hauled in around
them. The theater's huge backstage door hangs open. A table saw stands
on one side of the stage. Two platforms that have been constructed on
the stage now give the actors points of elevation. "All
singers gather 'round. This is going to be a funky night,
obviously," Towne bellows. "A couple of people we have
wireless mikes for are Joe and Father Riley - everyone who has a solo,
go over to the standing mike so we can hear what you sound like against
the band." The
plan is to just sing through the whole show without choreography, so
sound designer Tim Labor can get a clearer idea of how the music needs
to be mixed. "This
outdoes anything I've ever done," says Towne, smoking on the
sidewalk during a break. "We're going to make it flashy and put in
lots of lights, but the music is key and has been the hardest to get
down." One
part of a song has a 19/16 count per measure, and then it shifts to
21/16, "So you've got these weird Frank time signatures - and then,
even in the easier songs, there's a funky dissonant harmony the men
have, and I'm thinking, 'Am I hearing this right?' - because if you're a
little flat on a dissonant chord, it's all over." Onstage,
the drummer clacks his sticks together, setting the beat, and the full
band blasts out the title cut, "Joe's Garage." Lanky Ben
Thomas approaches a standing mike, and apes Zappa's vocal cadences:
"We could jam in Joe's Garage/His mama was screamin'/His dad was
mad/We was playin' the same old song/In the afternoon 'n' sometimes we
would/Play it all night long/It was all we knew 'n' easy too/So we
wouldn't get it wrong ...'" The
music envelops the room. The ensemble on stage sneak glances at each
other, as though they never imagined this could sound so good. Some
break into irrepressible grins and begin swaying to the music. With
two weeks until the first preview, only a fraction of the theatrical
elements is in play, but the interactions in the hall are so cordial and
cooperative, you can't help but feel that Franco's grandiose and
possibly reckless approach to producing a new musical might just fly -
or, at least, that enough of it will leave the ground to give this show
a future. Joe's
Garage, presented by Open Fist Theatre Company, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd.,
Hollywood. Currently in previews; opens September 26 and plays Fridays
through Sundays through November 22. For information, call (323)
882-6912 or visit openfist.org. |
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announced Sun Ra Arkestra albums by Transparency for october - january:
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2008 09 22 THE JIMMY CARL BLACK STORY Jon LARSEN'S sequel to STRANGE NEWS FROM MARS!
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- THE JIMMY CARL BLACK STORY is double: CD one is
"The Rockumentary" - an 80 minutes documentary about the "Indian
of the group", where the old, native American (Cheyenne) tells his life
story. We hear about the start at the reservation, via The Soul Giants, Frank
Zappa, The Mothers of Invention, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, mafia connections,
and years of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll, but also moving stories from a long,
and unusual life in music. Jimmy Carl Black is the born storyteller. Does
humour belong is music? Listen for yourself. The other CD is "The surrealistic Space
Odyssey" - one hour of music inspired by Jimmy Carl Black's life story.
The music is groove based R&B, laidback spacerock, and zappaesque
jazz/rock, and even with some
glimpses of Django. Here is also the 20 minutes adventure of Capt. Zurcon and
his crew onboard the Spaceship BigEar III, on their way to the red planet Mars,
and their problems with the sexually frustrated Martian (the Guacamole Queen),
the mutant fromage, and a lurking whale (depicted on the cover, enclosed). Jimmy Carl Black is legendary not only for his
drumming, but also known as one of the greatest absurdists in rock, starting
with his film debut together with Ringo Starr in Zappa's 200 Motels. This is
evident on the very last track on the CD, recorded in April this year, with the
Indian of the group, reduced by the intensive cancer treatment, on the phone
directly from his hospital bed! On The surrealistic Space Odyssey CD you'll also hear
marvelous soli by jazz musicians Knut Reiersrud (guitar/harmonica), Ola
Kvernberg (violin - like you've never heard it before), Rob Waring (marimba),
Jon Larsen (guitar) and Tommy Mars (keyboards). THE JIMMY CARL BLACK CD is not an ordinary CD. The
music, the adventure and the long documentary is a part of the conceptual
continuity, and tell a different story - THE JIMMY CARL BLACK STORY. THE JIMMY CARL BLACK STORY is the second release on the
new label ZONIC ENTERTAINMENT / HOT CLUB RECORDS. www.myspace.com/jonlarsenguitar --------------- Check out Jon Larsen's entry for
more info, or go to his MySpace corner to listen to some samples ! |
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another day, another blog
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a message from Les Fils de l'Invention This
is the CENTRAL SCRUTINIZER... again. Hi!... It's me again, the CENTRAL
SCRUTINIZER... La soirée Zappatika du vendredi 26 septembre chez Aris est confirmée et s'enrichit d'un set acoustique dédié à la musique de Zappa. Le répertoire devrait grosso modo être le suivant The
Zappatika night next Friday, September 26, at Aris has been confirmed and
will contain a set of acoustic music, dedicated to the music of Frank
Zappa. The setlist might look something like this:
Tentant,
non ? A partir de 20h, 115 rue Oberkampf From 20h on, at 115 rue Oberkamf in Paris, France. |
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- OK, so why has it been so quiet over at UM? It was a great experience. If you want to catch a glimpse of what you've missed, check out: http://zaterdagavond.radio6.nl/2008/09/21/sun-ra-arkestra-live-op-radio-6/ I don't know how long this will be up, so make sure to give it a listen soon... |
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About a week ago, I received an mp3 of Zappatika's 'Finally Got It Right'. Previously entitled 'Boris the Jazz Dog', 'Finally Got It Right', is laid-back, jazzy guitar tune. M. adds: "Sorry if you
don't like it.... But this is the way I have always heard it...errmm...
it's not what you expect... but I guess it's still Jazzzzzz |
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Here's the link with all the info concerning the concert for Jimmy Carl
Black.
It's over at Andrew's www.idiotbastard.com and it will be updated regularly!! Just click the picture on the right. (I also put it on the UM home-page) |
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2008 09 04 Drumbo release date / sound clips http://www.proper-records.co.uk/artists.php?action=alview&alid=2116
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City
Of Refuge
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RELEASED 10th NOVEMBER 2008 Here's the paradox of John "Drumbo" French:
his influence has been sizable and significant, while remaining largely
invisible. As the drummer and music director for revered iconoclasts
Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band, Drumbo made central contributions to
a handful of LPs - notably 1969's mind-altering, revered masterpiece
"Trout Mask Replica," on which French first acquired the antic
stage-name "Drumbo" - that vastly expanded the parameters of
contemporary music. Yet while the group earned droves of ultra-impassioned
admirers, its music was too unusual and idiosyncratic to spawn many direct
descendants. The same is true of Drumbo himself. While his hugely
energetic, exceptionally disciplined playing told us new things about the
drums and their possibilities, it was too personal, and context-specific,
to be taken up by many other players. But what Drumbo did - memorably,
gorgeously - was to provide a model for musical invention. After exposure
to Drumbo's extraordinary reinvention of his instrument, a generation of
drummers responsive to innovation felt liberated to go their own ways.
French sired not so much a school of playing as a possibility of freedom. - |
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2008 09 04 URR FALL UPDATE Ugly
Radio Rebellion performs the music of Frank Zappa... We
finally have new audio on the site from the Summer 08 'Non-Dramatic' tour
with Ike Willis!!! Let us know what you think?!?! Upcoming
shows with Ike... Franksgiving
Tour 08 11/26
- 11/30 FZ
Birthday Tour 08 12/17
- 12/23 Thanks
to everyone for all your support!!! www.myspace.com/uglyradiorebellion - |
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Ed Mann & The Moving Tones will be performing
in a jazz club in Rijkevorsel, Belgium on November 21. Rijkevorsel is in Belgium, near Antwerp, and close to the dutch border.
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2008
08 15 FROM:
JIMMY CARL BLACK (posted on Mike Keneally's MySpace site) I
am going in the hospital and having an operation on my lung on the 20th
and that is what is happening. It isn't a cancerous tumor which is good. I
am not sure what they are going to do except operate on me. I hope
everything is OK. I am a little worried. I don't like operations anyway.
Please let the fans on Inkanish Records site know that I really need help
money wise and any contributions would be appreciated. I really don't like
charity but I am strapped for funds to help pay the hospital and my bills.
I am willing to sell the fans CDs and that way it isn't charity. They get
some good music and I get some much needed funds. Thanks, JCB. Jimmy
Carl Black 2008
08 28 From
Andrew (idiot bastard website, who also did an excellent interview with
The Indian Of The Group) UPDATE: I spoke with Jimmy this evening following his operation last week to remove a tumour on his lung. He confirmed that, despite what he had been told (see above-mentioned interview) the tumour WAS in fact cancerous. He sounded fairly chipper, but they say they can now only treat him with more chemotherapy. He comes out of hospital on Monday (1 September) and will soon start his treatment as an out patient. To help Jimmy pay his mounting medical bills, there's a special limited edition CD (Stick Man For Ever!) and some nifty apparel and other stuff available to buy at http://www.cafepress.com/jimmycarlblack. Please do what you can to help the dear old Mother. A
CONCERT FOR JIMMY Sunday
9 November 2008 Update
from Andrew: Things
are starting to speed-up on the 'Concert For Jim' front. Now confirmed
are: The Muffin Men, Mick Pini, Ben Watson and Fraz Knapp. Hopefully to be
confirmed shortly are Sandro Oliva, The Thurston Lava Tube and Zappatika.
There's others in the pipeline. The date has been confirmed at
http://www.bh2live.com/page3.html, and tickets should go on sale soon.
Please book early to avoid disappointment.
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Mats/Morgan Newsletter September 2008 ====================================================================== 2008/09/04 Morgan Ågren drumclinic - Slagverket/Musikbörsen - Södermannag. 10, Stockholm, Sweden 19:00 / Ph. 0855693060 2008/09/20 Mats/Morgan duo - Musikmuseet - Sibylleg. 2, Stockholm, Sweden 18:00 / Ph. 0851955490 2008/09/26 Mats/Morgan Band - Bass & Drum festival,
Folkungag. 84, Stockholm, Sweden 2008/10/13-20 DW clinic tour - Morgan Ågren, Rickard
Nettermalm, Eric Thyselius and more. 2008/10/26
Mats/Morgan Band - Montreal Drumfestival, Montreal,
CanadA 2008/12/03 Mats/Morgan Band - Metropol, Köpmannag. 11, Härnösand, Sweden / ph. 0611102 01 2008/12/04 Mats/Morgan Band - Studion - Idunteatern, Umeå, Sweden / ph. 090156200 2008/12/06
Mats/Morgan Band - Pipeline - Kyrkog. 6, Sundsvall,
Sweden / ph. 060619940 For more info on Mats/Morgan Band and Morgan Ågren, go to www.myspace.com/morganagren
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Guy Darol has written various books on the subject of Frank Zappa. In 1996, he wrote
"Frank Zappa, La Parade de l'Homme-Wazoo"; in 2000 he co-wrote some
sort of Zappa dictionary "Zappa de Z à A", together with Dominique
Jeunot; en in 2003, he finished "Frank Zappa, l'Amérique en
déshabillé".
More recently, he was responsable for the excellent Frank Zappa special in Jazz Magazine. And next september will see the release of his next book on Frank Zappa: ---- frank zappa / one size fits all - cosmogonie du sofa by guy darol ---- |
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*
Ed Mann will be in Europe on 12 November and tour around (with various musicians including Wrong Object, Moving Tones, Corkys Cats & Zappatika) in Holland, Belgium, France and the UK thru til 5 December !! - |
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You
can hear an exclusive clip from the new / scheduled album on Drumbo's
myspace. www.myspace.com/drumbojohnfrench - The new album will be called "City of Refuge”, and features Bill Harkleroad (AKA “Zoot Horn Rollo”), Mark Boston (“Rockette Morton”), Greg Davidson (“Ella Guru”) and John Thomas (keyboardist on “Bat Chain Puller”). - |
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2008/12/05 The Residents will be performing in Leuven, Belgium, at 'Het
Depot'.
Or as the eyeballs say: "December 5th you can see The Bunny Boy hopping in Leuven, Belgium."
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- OCTOBER & NOVEMBER 2008 - EUROPE
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a message from Zappateers Audrey & Ben: A long time ago, in a green and leafy corner of England, a disparate group of people met after travelling from far and rides, with a common purpose, to celebrate the music of Frank Zappa whilst drinking copious amounts of beer and having an inordinate amount of fun. That event was the 2007 Zappateers Festival held in the George at Woolley. Skipping forward to the present, and sad tidings have
been heard echoing in that normal tranquil corner of Old England, Jim
and Julie will be moving on the pastures new in January 2009, meaning
the demise of another traditional British pub, another little gem of
good fellowship and cheer swept aside by the tide of blandness and
conformity. Well before you short your keyboard in a deluge of
tears borne of sadness and frustration, let me offer temporary blessed
relief, with the chance to enjoy for 1 last time the best of what a
traditional public house can offer, the chance to wish Jim and Julie a
fond farewell, and that made the 2007 Festival such a huge success. What
I hear you cry is this chance; well it is a weekend of fun, friendship
and music to be held on The weekend of 14th
to 16th November 2008 at the George in Woolley. Provisional schedule for the weekend include:
If the tempting titbits above aren't enough to convince
you that this is a weekend not to be missed, how does the fact that it's
all free grab you? Pardon, free? Yes that's right, don't touch that
dial, you heard right, it's free, it's not a festival, it's a party, a
get together, all you need to do is turn up with your party head on and
your drinking pants. The small prints See you in November!! Ben
& Audrey
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the concert calendar * the concert calendar |
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2008 july
august
september
october
november
december
2009 january
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