the grande mothers re:invented // the grande mothers of invention
August 2002, the Grande Mothers Re:Invented were born.
As their management says: "These are not the
Grandmothers (of old), who only played music FZ wrote between 1965 thru
1969, these are The Grande Mothers Re:Invented who perform music written
between 1964 and 1983..."
To make the confusion complete, on their 2003 release, the band is called the
Grand Mothers.
The 2003 concert at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival, Germany, where they played with
the Strings
Of Invention, featured Bobby Bradford
as a special guest.
Early 2004, they
toured Europa and played a gig in San Francisco. Later that year, they returned
to Europe for another tour, combining it with a performance at the Zappanale
festival in Bad Doberan, Germany. Part of the Zappanale concert, featuring
Ed Mann
as a special guest, got released on
the "Zappanale # 15" album.
In 2016, at the Zappanale festival, The Grandmothers (what's in a name?) performed a concert with Fried Dähn's Yellow String Quartet. A video recording of the concert got released on DVDR.
discography
| the grandmothers: a
grandmothers night at the gewandhaus (2003, cd, ger, warner classic 2564600682) - incl.various frank zappa compositions |
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| various artists: zappanale 15 (2004, 3cd, ger, arf society) – incl. various artists playing frank zappa compositions |
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| various
artists: zappanale 15 - retrospective (2004, dvd, ger, the arf society) - feat. various artists playing frank zappa compositions |
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| various artists: zappanale #
15 (2005, cd, ger, arf society) – incl. various artists playing frank zappa compositions |
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| movie:
arf society meets frank zappa (2007, dvd, ger, arf society) - feat.napoleon murphy brock, roy estrada, ed mann, ... |
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| the grandmothers:
it happened here (2008, 2cdr, ger, arf society) = the grandmothers (with special guests) concert at zappanale in 2002 / all compositions by frank zappa |
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| the grande mothers:
zappanale 20 (2009, dvdr, ger, private release) - all compositions by frank zappa |
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| movie
/ documentary:
let's hear it for jimmy carl black (2010, dvdr, ger, arf society) - feat. moni black, geronimo black, helmut king, napoleon murphy brock, roy estrada, don preston, bruce bickford, ike willis |
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grande mothers of invention: happy mothers day (2012, cd, switzerland, private release) = napoleon murphy brock & don preston / all compositions by frank zappa |
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grandmothers of invention: duke of prunes - live at the fabrik,
hamburg, germany (2014, dvd, ger, pinguin) - all compositions by frank zappa |
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| the grandmothers of
invention: zappanale 25 (2014, dvdr, ger, arf society) - (almost) all compositions by frank zappa, also incl. 'debra kadabra' (don van vliet) |
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| the grandmothers
& the yellow string quartet, feat. ed mann: zappanale 27 (2016, dvdr, ger, arf society) - all compositions by frank zappa |
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| the grandmothers
of invention: live in bremen (2018, 2cd, ger, sireena) - feat. don preston, bunk gardner |
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concerts, etc...
* * * strings of fire 3 * * *
the grandmothers
napoleon
m. brock: vocals, tenor sax, flute
don preston: vocals, piano, synthezisers
bunk gardner: tenor sax, bassoon, soprano
sax, flute
roy estrada: vocals, bass guitar
ken rosser: guitar
chris garcia: drums
* * * the frankfurt jazz festival concert * * *
The
Grandmothers and The Strings Of Invention, with special guest
Bobby Bradford
napoleon murphy brock: lead vocals, alto &
tenor saxophones, flute
don preston: piano, keyboards, electronics, vocals
ken rosser: electric guitar, stunt guitar, loud guitar
christopher garcia: drumset, marimba, percussion, vocals
special guest:
bobby bradford: trumpet
julia barto: violin
jansen volkers: violin
mike rutledge: viola
stephan braun: cello
The picture on the right is from the 2003/10/07 tv documentary: Bunk Gardner on tenor saxophone. Picture is a captured frame from an RR video recording.
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Bunk Gardner: tenor saxophone (at a rehearsal) |
* * * The Grandmothers Re:Invented: "European Tour 2004" * * *
napoleon murphy brock: lead vocals, alto & tenor
saxophones, flute
roy estrada: bass, pachuco falsettos, operatic madness
don preston: piano, keyboards, electronics, vocals
ken rosser: electric guitar, stunt guitar, loud guitar
christopher garcia: drumset, marimba, percussion, vocals
* * * The Grandmothers Re:Invented: "Second European Tour 2004" * * *
2004/07/27 concert ‘kantine’, köln, germany
2004/07/28 concert ‘sinkkasten’, frankfurt, germany
2004/07/29 concert ‘objekt 5’, halle, germany
2004/07/30 concert ‘star club’, dresden, germany
2004/08/01 concert ‘fabrik’, hamburg, germany
2004/08/02 concert ‘knaack’, berlin, germany
2004/08/04 concert ‘b72’, wien, austria, germany
2004/08/05 concert ‘sudhaus’, tübingen, germany
2004/08/06
concert ‘café central’, weinheim,
germany
the 2005 italian tour
2005/01/19 concert 'rock café', catania, italy
2005/01/21 concert 'marabu club', napoli, italy
2005/01/22 concert 'flog', firenze, italy
2005/01/23 concert 'jailbreak', roma, italy
2005/01/24 concert "jazz festival", 'citta' di castello (pg), italy
2005/01/25 concert 'alcatraz', milano, italy - with special guest
2005/01/26 concert savona, italy
2005/01/27 concert 'america', torino, italy
2005/01/28 concert 'naima', forli, italy
2005/01/29 concert 'magic bus', venezia (marcon), italy
2005/01/30 concert 'teatro rossetti', trieste, italy
(with seminary of pfm drummer franz di cioccio and music critic
riccardo bertoncelli)
THE GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED
Napoleon Murphy Brock
Roy Estrada
Don Preston
Ken Rosser
Christopher Garcia
The Grande Mothers Re:Invented
2005/06/15 concert ‘Blue Cat's’, Knoxville, TN, usa
2005/06/16 concert ‘Neighborhood Theatre’, Charlotte, NORTH CAROLINA, usa
2005/06/17 concert ‘Handlebar’, Greenville, SOUTH CAROLINA, usa - feat. denny walley as special guest
2005/06/18 concert ‘The Arts Center’, Carrboro, NORTH
CAROLINA, usa
(In conjunction
with the Cal Schenkel Art exhibit)
2006/04/14 concert 'red cat theatre', los angeles,
ca, usa
2006/04/15 concert 'red cat theatre', los
angeles, ca, usa
2006/07/07 - 08 - 09 The Grande Mothers - WINNIPEG FOLK FESTIVAL - winnipegfolkfestival.ca
2006/07/10 - The Grande Mothers - HUGHS ROOM THEATRE - Toronto - hughsroom.com
2006/07/12 - The Grande Mothers - OTTAWA BLUES FESTIVAL - ottawa-bluesfest.ca
2006/07/15 The Grande Mothers - VANCOUVER MUSIC FESTIVAL - thefestival.bc.ca , with sister euclid & cyro baptista
2006/11/05 The Grande Mothers Re:Invented - concert "jazz festival", 'Bosanski kulturni centar', Sarajevo, Bosnia - Herzegovina
2006/11/07
The Grande Mothers Re:Invented
- concert 'SKC Velika Sala', Beograd, Serbia
2006/11/09 The Grande Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'Pere.Strojka, club Aquarius', Zagreb, Croatia
2006/11/29 The Grande Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'House of Blues Anaheim', Anaheim, CA, usa
2006/11/30 The Grande Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'House of Blues Sunset Strip', West Hollywood, CA , usa
Napoleon
Murphy Brock: vocals,
tenor saxophone, flute, suavenicity, dancing(!)
Roy Estrada: bass,
pachuco falsettos, and operatic madness
Don Preston: piano,
keyboard synthesizers, electronics, vocals
with
Miroslav Tadic: stunt
guitar, electric guitar
Christopher
Garcia: drumset,
percussion, marimba, vocals
2008/03/01 The Grande Mothers
Re:Invented - concert 'Picturedrome', Holmfirth, UK
2008/03/02 The Grande Mothers
Re:Invented - concert 'Academy', Manchester, UK
2008/03/03 The Grande Mothers
Re:Invented - concert 'The Komedia',
Brighton, UK
2008/03/04 The Grande Mothers
Re:Invented - concert 'The Point', Cardiff, UK
2008/03/05 The Grande Mothers
Re:Invented - concert 'The Acorn', Penzance, UK
2008/03/06 The Grande Mothers
Re:Invented - concert 'Arts Centre',
Exeter, UK
2008/03/07 The Grande Mothers
Re:Invented - concert 'The Brook', Southampton, UK
2008/03/08 The Grande Mothers
Re:Invented - concert 'Astor Theatre',
Deal, UK
2008/03/09 The Grande Mothers
Re:Invented - concert 'The Junction',
Cambridge, UK
2008/03/10 The Grande Mothers
Re:Invented - concert 'Mean Fiddler',
London, UK
2008/03/11 The Grande Mothers
Re:Invented - concert 'Boardwalk', Sheffield, UK
2008/03/12 The Grande Mothers
Re:Invented - concert 'Pacific Road Arts Centre',
Birkenhead, UK
Napoleon
Murphy Brock ‹ tenor sax, flute, lead vocals
Roy Estrada ‹ bass, vocals (pachuco falsetto)
Don Preston ‹ keyboards, vocals
with
Miroslav Tadic ‹ guitarist (lead, stunt & otherwise/awesome)
Chris Garcia ‹ drums, vocals
2008/06/20 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert North Country Fairgrounds, Joussard, AB Canada
2008/06/21 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert North Country Fairgrounds, Joussard, AB Canada
2008/06/22 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert WINNIPEG JAZZ FESTIVAL, Pyramid Cabaret, Winnipeg, MB Canada
2008/06/26 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert JAZZ VICTORIA, Victoria, Canada
2008/06/27 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, Vancouver, Canada
2008/06/28 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert Deerfoot Casino, Calgary, Canada
2008/07/01 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert Festival Place, Sherwood Park, Canada
Napoleon Murphy Brock ‹ tenor sax, flute, lead vocals
Roy Estrada ‹ bass, vocals (pachuco falsetto)
Don Preston ‹ keyboards, vocals
with
Miroslav Tadic ‹ guitarist (lead, stunt & otherwise/awesome)
Chris Garcia ‹ drums, vocals)
2009/04/25 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert 'The Music Recital Hall', L.A. Harbor College, LA, CA, usa - with special guest violinist Harry Scorzo
2009/04/29 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert "Nidaros Bluesfestival", Trondheim, Oslo, Norway
2009/08/14 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert "Zappanale", Bad Doberan, Germany
2010/03/04 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert ‘Biltmore Cabaret’, Vancouver, Canada - CANCELLED
2010/03/05 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert ‘Yukon Arts Centre’, Whitehorse Yukon, Canada - CANCELLED
2010/04/16 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert ‘The Viper Theatre’, Firenze, Italy
2010/04/24 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert ‘Karditsa Blues’, Greece
2010/04/25 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert ‘Rodeo Live Club, Athens, Greece
2010/04/29 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert ‘Crossroads Live Club’, Rome, Italy
2010/05/03 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert ‘Moodys Jazz Café’, Foggia, Italy
2010/05/06 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert ‘Trieste Teatro’, Trieste, Italy
2010/07/13 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert 'Exil', Zurich, Switzerland
2010/07/15 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert 'Bergkeller', Reichenbach, Germany
2010/07/16 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert Folkest Capodistria, Slovenia
2010/07/17 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert Roma parco degli Acquedotti Rock City, Italy
2010/07/18 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert Afragola (Napoli), Italy
2010/07/22 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert BADALUCCO (IM), Italy
2010/07/23 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert Firenze Fortezza da Basso Live On festival, Italy
2010/07/24 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert FIUMARETTA DI AMELIA - TRA FIUME E MARE FESTIVAL
2010/07/29
Grandmothers
Re:Invented -
concert Trento
(venue tba)
2010/07/31 Grandmothers Re:Invented - concert Trieste Piazza Marinai d'Italia, Summer Rock festival, Italy
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Don
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THE GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED Napoleon Murphy Brock
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Don Preston - keyboards, vocals
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GRAND
MOTHERS EU TOUR FEB 2012 with
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Don Preston |
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Napoleon Murphy Brock |
Tom Fowler |
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TOUR OF (MOST 0F)THE USA ROXY AND ELSEWHERE AND MORE featuring NAPOLEON MURPHY BROCK vocals, tenor saxophone, flute, suavenicity, dancing TOM FOWLER bass, pick, hats, M.D., chair dancing CHRISTOPHER GARCIA drumset, percussion, marimba, vocals MIROSLAV TADIC electric guitar DON PRESTON piano, keyboard synthesizers, electronics, magic,vocals |
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NAPOLEON MURPHY BROCK: vocals,
tenor saxophone, flute, suavenicity, dancing
NAPOLEON MURPHY BROCK: vocals,
tenor saxophone, flute, suavenicity, dancing
NAPOLEON MURPHY BROCK: vocals,
tenor saxophone, flute, suavenicity, dancing
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NAPOLEON
MURPHY BROCK: vocals,
tenor saxophone, flute
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GRANDMOTHERS OF INVENTION TOUR 2 OF
4 IN 2013
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random notes
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THE GRANDMOTHERS
IN BONN, 2004/01/26 |
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Date: Monday, the 26th of January 2004 After 29 gigs, without a break, after a nine-hour
drive from Kiel, two tired Grandmothers stretch their legs.
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Napoleon was a bit more cordial. He didn’t want to
pose for a picture (too early) and he didn’t want to do a real
interview: “Not necessary. Come and listen to the show, that’s better
than a thousand interviews. I told you two years ago, the voice is
back.” The same evening, the band greeted about 500 fans. Napoleon opened with: “We won’t play any Zappa music tonight. We will make love to Zappa’s music tonight for you. You will also realise that we are not the Grandmothers, you will see and listen to the GRANDmothers. And this is not my saxophone, it’s my SEXophone.”
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The show kicked off with an excellent ‘Florentine Pogen’ and everyone was impressed how the band, with only five persons, could perform a song that was meant to be performed by a much larger band. But after the final chord of ‘Florentine Pogen’, things went wrong. Napoleon lost a piece of his saxophone. At a certain moment, everyone on stage was looking for the little piece that had fallen off Nappi’s saxophone. Don and Roy filled the gap with ‘Hey Joe / Hey Punk’ and guitar player Ken Rosser used the opportunity to show all his chops. After 15 minutes, Napoleon joined them and the show could go on. It has to be said that Napoleon’s singing, dancing and saxophone playing was incredible. This guy obviously loves what he is doing.
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the grandmothers
at the avalon ballroom, san francisco, may 22 2004 |
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excellent show last night, not very well advertised so only 60 or 70
hardcore freakz showed up to the avalon ballroom for the grandmothers only
north american gig the music: these guys played their hearts out; after exploding into
florentine pogen, they reached back & tossed out a bunch of oldies,
mixing it up between vocals & instumentals...my highlight was big
swifty; very tight arrangement up front, loosening up for the solos, then
roy steps up to the mike & seamlessly launches into i come from
nowhere, followed by preston's evelyn dog variations & bunk belting
out a beefheart rendition of sam then easing back into the swifty
outro....nice to see don singing a lot more last night than last nov. at
the p/o gig. jcb was missed by me, probably only for the c.c because last night's drummer was definately up to the task, same with the guitarist, hard to fill those shoes under any circumstances, specially with a discerning crowd of hardcores. roy's voice is still in top form, pachuco or otherwise, he's looking rather healthy these days; when he saw art tripps photo next to his on the inside cover when he was signing my mothermainia [heh heh heh] he happenned to mention he was talkin to him last week....he's a chiropractor down in mississipi, so if anything bad ever happens to your back as a result of some sort of conflict with anyone named nanook the only way you can get it fixed up is to go trudgin' across the tundra mile after mile right down to the parish of dr. tripp
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THE GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED 2006 |
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Miroslav is not only playing his own amazing solos, but he also had to learn the ZAPPA book, by transcribing, and learning all of the ZAPPA pieces performed by the Grande Mothers He
has been undergoing hours and hours of rehearsals with the Grande
Mothers Re:Invented and they will be hitting the stage in 2006 in the
United States, Europe In their January 1997 issue, the editors of GUITAR PLAYER magazine voted Miroslav Tadic one of the world's thirty most radical and individual guitarists. Tadic completed his formal education in the United States after studying in Italy and his native Yugoslavia. He has performed and recorded in a wide variety of settings and musical styles, ranging from music of the Baroque and Classical periods to blues, jazz, and rock. Tadic's
performing and recording credits include projects with: He is frequently heard in Europe, Japan and the United States. In 1986 Miroslav met drummer Mark Nauseef and the master of sound sculpting and recording Walter Quintus. Their collaboration has resulted in a great number of recordings and projects, which continue today and into the future. In recent years Tadic has concentrated on developing an approach to improvisation which combines and juxtaposes musical material drawn from many diverse sources, including Baroque, European classical and North Indian classical music, Eastern European folk traditions, blues, jazz, and rock. He is noted for his pioneering work in applying the elements of classical and flamenco techniques to the electric guitar. Miroslav's numerous recordings on ENJA Records, CMP Records, M.A Recordings, Omagatoki and Third Ear Music labels have won international critical acclaim. He has written music for a number of award-winning experimental film, theater, and dance works. Since 1985 he has been teaching at California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles. NEW NEWS 2 - Grande Mothers performance in Los Angeles THE
GRANDE MOTHERS WILL BE performing at the REDCAT THEATRE, as
most of you know FZ did his first post-wheelchair appearance [in 1972]
as a reciter, tickets
have yet to go on sale the second
half of the concert will feature the Grande Mothers Re:Invented In
january of 2004 the Grande Mothers were invited to perform in 2006 in
Norway for a week long ZAPPA music festival, this festival, unlike
other ZAPPA festivals is quite unique, WEDNESDAY
- NATIONAL THEATRE PERFORMANCE of The Histoire du Soldat Roy
Estrada
performing the part of the narrator THURSDAY
- The BERGEN FILHARMONIC ORKESTER with
special musical guests THE GRANDE MOTHERS 6:00
PM Pre concert lecture Compositions
to be performed prior to the orchestral concert: 7:30
Orchestra Concert FRIDAY - This concert will include influences and
inspirations of FZ and affiliated musicians. NEW NEWS 4 - In Canada In an unprecedented move The
Grande Mothers have once again been invited to perform at the Vancouver
Folk Festival, in July of 2006 There
are other dates on the table yet to be solidified
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2006/04/16
Grande Mothers Re:Invented
(Roy & Edna Disney/CalArts Theater, 220 seats, $28 top)
Presented by REDCAT. Opened, reviewed April 14, 2006; closed April 15.
Performers: the Grande Mothers (Napoleon Murphy Brock, Don Preston, Roy Estrada,
Miroslav Tadic, Christopher Garcia), James Sullivan, Sara at Schoenbeck,
Amy Knoles, Daniel Rosenboom, Steven Suminski, Harry Scorzo, Joel Hamilton,
Lillian Bitkoff. Marc Lowenstein (conductor).
By RICHARD S. GINELL
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117930254?categoryid=34&cs=1
To an outsider, Igor
Stravinsky and Frank Zappa seemed to reside on different planets, even though
both lived in the Hollywood Hills in the late 1960s. But insiders know Zappa was
a serious Stravinsky buff, invoking the Russian's acerbic spirit, techniques and
even some of his music in his own gargantuan output. Thus, the teaming of one of
Zappa's favorite Stravinsky pieces -- the ever-zesty, ever-acidic
"L'Histoire du Soldat" -- with a survey of Zappa's intricate
idiosyncrasies for rock band at REDCAT on Friday night was not so much
far-fetched as it was far-sighted.
As it happened, though, Zappa came off a lot better than Stravinsky.
There are rumblings of a Zappa revival afoot in the world -- what with his son, Dweezil, preparing to take an authorized "Zappa Plays Zappa" band on the road next month (they'll be at the Wiltern June 23) and this ongoing Grande Mothers project, which was launched in Europe in 2003. The latter group is a quintet containing three alumni of various Zappa bands -- bassist Roy Estrada (an original Mother), keyboardist Don Preston and vocalist/reeds Napoleon Murphy Brock -- plus Eastern European wah-wah guitar wizard Miroslav Tadic and drummer Christopher Garcia.
This outfit was
road-tested (their 66th gig), as precise as any of Zappa's bands and able to
burn brightly on a wide range of Zappa selections on Friday (the set list was
completely different Saturday).
With Brock's powerful vocals, physical shtick and ability to double expertly on
flute and tenor sax coupled with Preston's and Tadic's electronic salvos, the
evening contained a lot of the contradictory eclectic, serious and circusy
flavors of a Zappa show.
Indeed, in some cases, the Grande Mothers were able to go deeper into the material, rather than merely parroting Zappa's notoriously tricky composed lines. "The Idiot Bastard Son," for example, revealed some lovely harmonic ideas only hinted at on the original Mothers recording.
All on board were adept at exploring the drumfire jazz-rock riffs of the early '70s, and there was a deftly done sample of Zappa's doo-wop sendups.
All the while, the screen behind the band displayed slides of Stravinsky beaming down paternally -- as if one needed more reminding after the "Rite of Spring" riff in the middle of "Duke of Prunes."
Ironically, the discipline
and canny pacing of the Zappa portion of the program were almost entirely
missing in the Stravinsky perfperf.
The three Mothers took the roles of the Narrator (Estrada), the Soldier
(Preston) and the Devil (Brock), making tedious, hammy work of C.F. Ramuz's
playlet, and there were missed cues and outbreaks of scrappy playing in the
otherwise high-spirited seven-piece instrumental ensemble. More rehearsal,
tighter control of the dialogue, please.
from lira productions / 20060422
THANKS
TO ALL OF THE FANS WHO
CAME OUT TO
THE LOS ANGELES PERFORMANCES
AT THE REDCAT in the DISNEY CONCERT HALL COMPLEX
IN LOS ANGELES
BOTH SHOWS WERE SOLD OUT
IT WAS
LIKE OLD HOMECOMING WEEK FOR THE GUYS
with friends and fans coming from far and wide
There
was a fan who had also been at the premiere performance of the GRANDE MOTHERS in
Leipzig, Germany in 2003 who came to see the LA show(!)
as well as fans who came in from Denver, and Vancouver B.C.!!! to see the Grande
old men
KUDOS to
all of the musicians who participated in the Stravinsky
especially violinist Harry Scorzo, who played violin on Mother People and
Peaches in Regalia
and original GM guitarist Ken Rosser who came out and played on San Ber'Dino
encore
AND
THE FANS ROARED..........
we got several reviews like this from fans
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Great Grande Mothers
Had the best concert experience in a long while on Friday night, when I went to see the Grande Mothers at the Redcat Theater. Who are the Grande Mothers, you ask? Zappa alums Don Preston, Roy Estrada, and Napoleon Murphy Brock, plus Chris Garcia and Miroslav Tadic on drums and guitar, respectively.
The first set featured Preston, Estrada, and Brock performing Stravinsky's Histoire de Soldat with a killer chamber ensemble. The second set was a smorgasbord of Zappa tunes. The Stravinsky set was fun (in part because of the Mothers' bad acting), but the Zappa set, which I realized later went on for over an hour, seemed to fly by.
It was just beautiful to be able to hear this music (from the front row, no less) played in the spirit in which it was originally conceived, by some of the guys who were originally involved. And though it wasn't a flawless performance (it was the first of two nights), it had more balls and verve and energy (especially given that these guys are approaching geezerhood) than a lot of the newer music I've been hearing lately. Napoleon Murphy Brock is particularly amazing--there just seems to be no limit to his energy, and I don't think I ever got from the records how truly skilled he is as both a singer and a reed player. But Estrada too was a trip--what fun to hear that wacky falsetto of his live!
There is a tendency with posthumous performances of Zappa's music to err on the "prog rock" side of things--to go for the cleanness of the 80s groups as opposed to the rawer, sloppier sound of the Mothers. That's probably a good thing when it comes to the chamber or orchestral stuff (which was rarely well-performed in Zappa's lifetime), but in a rock or jazz context it's an approach that can be deadly.
The Grande Mothers understand that even though Zappa never embraced rough musics like punk, he knew the value of musical rawness. And though the Redcat show clearly wasn't the sort of carnival experience that it probably would have been if Zappa had been involved, it was pretty damned close--which is good news for shmucks like me who never got to see the real McCoy when he was alive.
ON
TO NORWAY
the GMS are on to
Norway for 1 week with the Bergen Symphony Orchestra
performing FZ orchestral music
as well as their own 3 1/2 HOUR show
there will also be performances of
RITE OF SPRING - Stravinsky
IONISATION- Varese
THE UNANSWERED QUESTION - Ives
PROJECT X premiere LIVE performance from UNCLE MEAT
transcribed by WHILE YOU WERE ART JARVINEN
among many others
then
Canada for 1 week of festivals in July
and
the SARAJEVO JAZZ FESTIVAL
much
more info to come stay tuned.........
OR GO TO
WWW.THEGRANDMOTHERS.COM
TELL A
FRIEND
OR BETTER YET
FORWARD THIS TO THEM
Venue/Location:
REDCAT Theatre, Disney Hall, Los Angeles,
Date(s): April 14, 2006 - April 14, 2006
Written By: Josef Woodard
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It’s a
testament to the strength and lasting influence of Frank Zappa that, while he
died in 1992 (at the far too-young age of 52) he left behind such a rich body of
work that the Zappa legacy continues onward and upward. On some level, intrigue
in the World of Zappa has increased, not only through the lingering nostalgic
interests of his global fan base but also through the curiosity of young
listeners. Imagine the gift of discovering Zappa’s music, so much more
elaborate and sophisticated than any other “rock” music before, during or
after him. The thrill increases exponentially when his complex tunes are
experienced live.
THE GRANDE MOTHERS IN CANADA: ZAPPA ALUMNI ONCE AGAIN IN CANADA - 2006 06 12
THE GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED
IN CANADA
the only FZ alumni on the planet consistently performing the music of the
maestro
70 plus concerts so far,
and more to come in 2006
ANYTHING ELSE IS NOT AN ORIGINAL......
www.thegrandmothers.com for additional info
2006/07/07 - 8th - WINNIPEG FOLK FESTIVAL - winnipegfolkfestival.ca
2006/07/10th - HUGHS ROOM THEATRE - Toronto - hughsroom.com
2006/07/12th - OTTAWA BLUES FESTIVAL - ottawa-bluesfest.ca
2006/07/14 - 16th
- VANCOUVER MUSIC FESTIVAL - thefestival.bc.ca
THE GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED
featuring former members of the mothers of invention
Napoleon Murphy Brock(with FZ 1972 - 1984)
lead vocals, tenor saxophone, flute, suavenicity, dancing(!)
Roy Estrada (with FZ 1964 - 1984)
bass, pachuco falsettos and operatic madness, (gas mask)
Don Preston(with FZ 1966 - 1974)
piano, keyboard synthesizers, electronics, vocals
with
Ken Rosser - stunt guitar, loud guitar
Christopher Garcia - drumset, percussion, marimba, vocals
After a series of triumphant performances in Los Angeles and Norway, performing the orchestral music of the MAESTRO, the Grande Mothers return to Canada, for a week of concerts
HISTORY:
In 2002, former members of the Mothers of Invention were asked to re-unite for a special one time performance to be held in Leipzig, Germany, commemorating the 10th anniversary of Frank Zappa's death.
The evening would consist of classic Frank Zappa material as well as new music written by Don Preston for the band and chamber orchestra. It would also be the first time that three legacies of former Mothers of Invention would reunite and take the stage as a group.
On March 27th, 2003 after 6 months of intensive rehearsals, the same alumni who helped create classics like Freak Out, Absolutely Free, We're Only in it for the Money, Uncle Meat, Burnt Weenie Sandwich, Weasels Ripped My Flesh, Live at the Roxy and Elsewhere, One Size Fits All and FZ:OZ took the stage to a standing room only audience. The event was recorded, filmed, and released by Warner Classics in Europe, and has been broadcast on European television.
Since then the Grande Mothers Re:Invented have been headliners at the 2003 Frankfurt Jazz Festival, the 14th annual ZAPPANALLE FESTIVAL in 2004, and 60 three hour concerts across America, Canada, and Europe including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Norway, and Switzerland.
www.thegrandmothers.com
GRANDE
MOTHERS PRINT MEDIA AND WEB MEDIA REVIEWS FOR CANADA JULY 2006
The
following reviews are taken from several print media outlets as well as fans
reviews posted on the internet.
every set was different, with some favorites carried over.
a different show every night basically
the
Grande Mothers Re:Invented
"Anything else is not an original"
They
will be at the Sarajevo Jazz Festival in November
more dates to come
CANADIAN PRINT MEDIA REVIEWS
"Rare
are the musicians who can even play Zappa's music, let alone make it live and
breathe. So Thank the Lord for the Grande Mothers. The people who loved their
music last year ranged in age from 16 to 60, and it's safe to say that a fine
time was had by all."
Dugg Simpson, Artistic Director for the Vancouver Folk Festival
"These
days Roy Estrada, along with Don Preston, and Napoleon Murphy Brock from Zappa's
mid to late 70's Mothers, are touring the world as the Grande Mothers and
keeping Zappa's music alive. They were here at the Folk Festival last year and
due to public demand are returning.
Believe me, if you ever dug Zappa you don't want to miss these guys. They're fun
and fuuuuunnnny. They're wicked musicians and they blew a few minds last summer
there on Jericho Beach..."
NERVE MAGAZINE
"the
quintet known as the Grande Mothers served up vintage psychedelia - rock songs
with surreal lyrics, jazz-like harmonies and melodic complexity, with flashes of
wacky satire on a par with Monty Python's Flying Circus."
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
"Fans
of Frank Zappa are going to freak out for the Grande Mothers. Zappa and his band
were creating a mixture of acid rock, psychedelia, doo-wop, avant-garde, tape
experiments, funk and jazz. With three different Zappa eras represented, the
Grande Mothers have a wide palette of material to choose from."
"BEST DAY CONCERT FRIDAY: THE GRANDE MOTHERS AT THE WINNIPEG FOLK
FEST"
Winnipeg Free Press
"So
if necessity is the mother of invention, does than mean that the Grande Mothers
gave birth to necessity? Could be true, considering this is a band that
needs to be seen........."
WINNIPEG FOLK FEST
CANADIAN FAN REVIEWS
WINNIPEG
FOLK FEST
HUGHS ROOM, TORONTO
OTTAWA BLUES FEST
VANCOUVER FOLKS FESTIVAL
I was at the Ottawa show last night. Don, Napoleon and Roy were signing albums for people before the show. The show itself was one of the most incredible things I've witnessed. Unfortunately we didn't get Peaches or Slime (but Montana was played) but what impressed me was how much of WOIIFTM was played. We got Lonely Little Girl (which was greatly extended from the album version), Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance, What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body? and The Idiot Bastard Son. We also got a lot of material from One Size Fits All, the highlights being excellent versions of Poegen and Sofa. A real highlight was Village of the Sun which was played like on the Roxy album. Napoleon mentioned the Helsinki live show at one point; "If anyone shouts out anymore requests it's gonna cost you 20 marcs!" Roy even did a very brief aria. He started by teasing us with little 10 second bits and saying "That's all you get" before giving in and singing a bit of Baby Snakes. The signing session after the show was great as well. Roy Estrada was especially nice to me. Near the end of the show two young women got up on the stage to dance. I joked around with Napoleon about his reputation as a lady's man, reminding him of about his great line from the Pisspot the rabbit interview, "If you shake your booty, anything is possible." He chuckled and grinned sheepishly. I said thank-you so much for coming to Ottawa and giving such an excellent show and he promised the Grande Mothers would come to Canada again."
"Just got back from the show,suffice to say it was amazing!!!! I enjoyed it more than ZPZ, the vibe was just so much more a zappa show, (despite only having five band members.) The guitar solos were monstrously beautiful, and the drumming was interstellar! Nappy!!!! dear god that was impressive!!!! and Roy, hey, I thought he didn't play bass good since he was a mexican!!! he's better than he was on FZ:OZ even, trust me!!! and Don's solo on Trouble Every Day was unbelievably perfect. PLUS!!! they didn't shy away from the political comments, which, ZPZ playing Trouble Every Day without making it fit the modern time was ridiculous. All in all, it was amazing!!!"
"I too was at this concert, it was INCREDIBLE! Seriously, I thought ZPZ was great and all, but this just blew my mind (I was at a lack of words during the intermission). One thing I really appreciated was that these Mothers really went out there and experimented onstage, in true Zappa fashion. A personal pick of the evening was their rendition of Twenty Small Cigars, a choice I was not expecting. They played with so much soul, so much love, it was incredible. Napoleon's sax playing during this number was heart wrenching. Beautiful. One of the best non-musical moments of the night was when they talked about Zappa's legacy, and then lead the audience in a round of applause for Frank himself. All in all, a great show. I can't help but wonder when the next Zappa-themed show will come around here. I hope that the Grande Mothers (or as they really should be called, as pointed out by the announcer at the concert, The Mothers of Invention) come back soon, I'd go to another concert without hesitation. I could go on for another 25 pages, I hardly even scratched the surface of all my feelings about the show. But I'll tastefully stop now."
"It definitely was the other side of the coin, and makes me feel like i had a full Zappa experience this summer. I wish someone else would post the setlist, cause I am going to mess up the order.... but they opened with Help I'm a rock, with all members, except the guitarist, contributing familiar vocal noises to the building cacophony until it sequed into, Florentine Pogen???? I think? see I'm going to mess this up. But then they went into Big Swifty, which was chaotic and delightful, the jam I mean. roy immediately started singing I come from nowhere, it devolved into Don's solo rendition of Evelyn a Modified dog, then boosted up into some Call Any Vegetable teases, then back into the theme. I believe during this medley was where they played Black Napkins. I know it's a forbidden song, but the guitarist nailed it, his solo was amazing and georgeous, judging from the smiles on the audiences faces during this number, how could playing it be bad? This band is awesome.
Their guitarists solos were sooo great, short, but technically awe inspiring, and INTERESTING!!! which sadly, dweez's solos are not. They then played Twenty Small Cigars, (nappy "when I think about Bill Clinton, I start to really like that title!" hahhah) which was a highlight. Nappy was playing the theme, and then going off and out into his magic solo land. not enough solo nappy time either, actually, noone got enough time, the concert was too short dagnammit! once the live Zappa starts flowing I'm insatiable! I need more!
Roy's
bass playing was uberstellar as well, he's more amazing than any live documents
from Frank's bands proves, which I suppose means he's improved over the
years. Talking to Don before the show, (wow, uncle meat!!!! eating pie at the
table next to me!) he was saying how once Roy got on board with the Grande
Mothers, that's when it all clicked, that his bass playing, taught specifically
by zappa, (he used the example how instead of getting the bass to play the
tonic, he'd write a major seventh) brought the band together. other song's
played were Oh no, into Trouble everyday, which don sang, and made about bush.
yes, they didn't shy away from making trouble ABOUT something. Don's solo in
trouble was amazing. sadly there was so little soloing from him, this was his
only monster of the night. they played Echidnas, which admittedly was not as
good as ZPZ's version, but they did play the beginning of Don't you Ever wash
that thing, which I REALLY appreciated. now here are some things I never would
have expected. they played Debra Kedabra!!! a total favorite of mine! I couldn't
believe it! with the drummer doing his best don van. I couldn't contain
myself!!!! and into Carolina hard core ecstacy! OW!!! oh ya, somewhere in there
let's make the water turn black, Idiot Bastard son (napoleon's voice on this
just took the cake, took the mothafuckin cake! ) and Harry You're a beast!!
there was also a slow doowoppy song, but I forget which one.(The Air)
Watermelon was also played right near the end, brilliantly. and the show ended
with a final encore of mother people, how fitting!!!! I know I'm missing stuff,
but I'll come back and try to piece it together better, any help people!!!!!!!
Great show, go see em!!! it's worth it!"
"Now for some of my favourite numbers played that night. The first mind-blower of the evening was Big Swifty. They played the opening effortlessly before delving into unknown territories. Roy singing I Come From Nowhere, a hilarious midsong version of Evelyn, A Modified Dog... it was nuts! A personal pick of the evening was their rendition of Twenty Small Cigars, a choice I was not expecting. They played with so much soul, so much love, it was incredible. Napolean's sax playing during this number was heartwrenching. Beautiful. One of the best non-musical moments of the night was when they talked about Zappa's legacy, and then lead the audience in a round of applause for Frank himself. They played Debra Kadabra, which was an obscure choice. Chris Garcia handled the vox, and did a fantastic job of a song that is very hard to do well (The Captain is very hard to imitate). Very rocking performance. I'd say my favourite performance of the night was Trouble Every Day, sung by Don, adding in current political commentary. Roy and Nappy added in many asides which made me laugh out loud. The song was played with unbridled fury, which left me completely amazed."
|
GRANDE MOTHERS PHOTOS FROM THE VANCOUVER FOLK FESTIVAL 2006 |
|
|
The
following pictures were taken Gary Taylor drummer/percussionist
from the Toronto based band SISTERS
EUCLID with
they
also shared the stage with the Grande Mothers for an impromptu jam in
Vancouver PLUS there
are some upcoming shows in November/December on the west coast of
America stay
tuned days/dates and time
|
 |
| Napoleon Murphy Brock | |
 |
 |
| Ken Rosser | Don Preston |
 |
|
| Chris Garcia and Roy Estrada | |
THE
GRANDE MOTHERS RETURN TO EASTERN EUROPE
2006 10 20
the
only ZAPPA alumni consistently performing the music of the maestro
since 2002
80 concerts plus so far
anything else is not an original
www.thegrandmothers.com for more, more, more..................
SARAJEVO
2006/11/05 - 22:00 h
Main Stage
Bosanski kulturni centar
http://www.jazzfest.ba/ - sarajevo jazz festival 2006
BEOGRAD
2006/11/07 - 21:00 h
SKC Velika
Sala
http://www.topproduction.com
ZAGREB
2006/11/09 - 21:00 h
Pere.Strojka,
club Aquarius
http://www.topproduction.com
The band plays Zappa's music from 1965 to 1975, with spirit, humor and precision, which this music requires. The show is based on contradictions of eclecticism, seriousness, and circus performance, staying truthful to the phenomenon of Frank Zappa.
Napoleon Murphy Brock (with FZ 1974 - 1984) - vocals, tenor saxophone, flute, suavenicity, dancing(!)
Roy
Estrada (with FZ 1964 - 1984) -
bass,
pachuco Falsettos, and operatic madness
Don
Preston (with FZ 1966 - 1974) -
piano,
keyboard, synthesizers, electronics, vocals
Miroslav
Tadic stunt guitar, snake guitar, loud guitar
Christopher
Garcia drums, percussion,
marimba, vocals
AND
THE WEST COAST 2006
Wednesday,
November 29, 2006
House of Blues Anaheim
Anaheim, CA 92802
show time: 8:00 PM
The
Grande Mothers -
Original and Former Members of "The Mothers of Invention"
Performing the Music of Frank Zappa
Thursday,
November 30, 2006
House of Blues Sunset Strip
West Hollywood, CA 90069
show time: 9:00 PM
The
Grande Mothers -
Original and Former Members of "The Mothers of Invention"
Performing the Music of Frank Zappa
CANADIAN
PRINT MEDIA REVIEWS AND
FAN REVIEWS FROM THEIR SUMMER
CANADIAN FESTIVAL TOUR 2006
"Rare
are the musicians who can even play Zappa's music, let alone make it live and
breathe. So Thank the Lord for the Grande Mothers. The people who loved their
music last year ranged in age from 16 to 60, and it's safe to say that a fine
time was had by all."
Dugg Simpson, Artistic Director for the Vancouver Folk Festival
"These
days Roy Estrada, along with Don Preston, and Napoleon Murphy Brock from Zappa's
mid to late 70's Mothers, are touring the world as the Grande Mothers and
keeping Zappa's music alive. They were here at the Folk Festival last year and
due to public demand are returning. Believe me, if you ever dug Zappa you don't
want to miss these guys. They're fun and fuuuuunnnny. They're wicked musicians
and they blew a few minds last summer there on Jericho Beach..."
NERVE MAGAZINE
"the
quintet known as the Grande Mothers served up vintage psychedelia - rock songs
with surreal lyrics, jazz-like harmonies and melodic complexity, with flashes of
wacky satire on a par with Monty Python's Flying Circus."
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
"Fans
of Frank Zappa are going to freak out for the Grande Mothers. Zappa and his band
were creating a mixture of acid rock, psychedelia, doo-wop, avant-garde, tape
experiments, funk and jazz. With three different Zappa eras represented, the
Grande Mothers have a wide palette of material to choose from."
"BEST DAY CONCERT FRIDAY: THE GRANDE MOTHERS AT THE WINNIPEG FOLK
FEST"
Winnipeg Free Press
"So
if necessity is the mother of invention, does than mean that the Grande Mothers
gave birth to necessity? Could be
true, considering this is a band that needs to be seen........."
WINNIPEG FOLK FEST
CANADIAN
FAN REVIEWS
TORONTO
"Just
got back from the show,suffice to say it was amazing!!!! I enjoyed it more than
ZPZ, the vibe was just so much more a zappa show, (despite only having five band
members.) The guitar solos were monstrously beautiful, and the drumming was
interstellar! Nappy!!!! dear god that was impressive!!!! and Roy, hey, I thought
he didn't play bass good since he was a mexican!!! he's better than he was on OZ
even, trust me!!! and Don's solo on Trouble Every Day was unbelievably perfect.
PLUS!!! they didn't shy away from the political comments, which, ZPZ playing
Trouble Every Day without making it fit the modern time was ridiculous. All in
all, it was amazing!!!"
"I
too was at this concert, it was INCREDIBLE! Seriously, I thought ZPZ was great
and all, but this just blew my mind (I was at a lack of words during the
intermission). One thing I really appreciated was that these Mothers really went
out there and experimented onstage, in true Zappa fashion.
A personal pick of the evening was their rendition of Twenty Small
Cigars, a choice I was not expecting. They played with so much soul, so much
love, it was incredible. Napoleon's sax playing during this number was heart
wrenching. Beautiful. One of the best non-musical moments of the night was when
they talked about Zappa's legacy, and then lead the audience in a round of
applause for Frank himself. All in all, a great show. I can't help but wonder
when the next Zappa-themed show will come around here. I hope that the Grande
Mothers (or as they really should be called, as pointed out by the announcer at
the concert, The Mothers of Invention) come back soon, I'd go to another concert
without hesitation. I could go on for another 25 pages, I hardly even scratched
the surface of all my feelings about the show. But I'll tastefully stop
now."
OTTWA
BLUES FEST
"I
was at the Ottawa show last night. Don, Napoleon and Roy were signing albums for
people before the show. The show itself was one of the most incredible things
I've witnessed. Unfortunately we didn't get Peaches or Slime (but Montanna was
played) but what impressed me was how much of WOIIFTM was played. We got Lonely
Little Girl (which was greatly extended from the album version), Take Your
Clothes Off When You Dance, What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body? and The Idiot
Bastard Son. We also got a lot of material from One Size Fits All, the
highlights being excellent versions of Poegen and Sofa. A real highlight was
Village of the Sun which was played like on the Roxy album. Napoleon mentioned
the Helsinki live show at one point; "If anyone shouts out anymore requests
it's gonna cost you 20 marcs!" Roy even did a very brief aria. He started
by teasing us with little 10 second bits and saying "That's all you
get" before giving in and singing a bit of Baby Snakes. The signing session
after the show was great as well. Roy Estrada was especially nice to me. Near
the end of the show two young women got up on the stage to dance. I joked around
with Napoleon about his reputation as a lady's man, reminding him of about his
great line from the Pisspot the rabbit interview, "If you shake your booty,
anything is possible." He chuckled and grinned sheepishly. I said thank-you
so much for coming to Ottawa and giving such an excellent show and he promised
the Grande Mothers would come to Canada again."
THAT'S
ALL(FOR NOW) FOLKS
GRANDE
MOTHERS ROAD STORY FROM ZAGREB IN 2003
ROAD
STORY
in
2003 the GRANDE MOTHERS HIT THE ROAD HARD IN EUROPE
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THESE GUYS HAD HIT THE ROAD TOGETHER SINCE 1976(!)
ONE
OF THEIR MOST MEMORABLE STOPS WAS IN ZAGREB, CROATIA
the tour bus driver was told that they had arrived at the wrong border
crossing(?) and
they were diverted to another border crossing a few hours away making
them late for the gig.
they
arrived at 8 PM, instead of 4 pm, only
to find that they could not get within 100 feet of the club due
to the street full of double parked cars. the
bus driver made a call and said that he would need the club to get their crew
and empty the tour bus because he could not get any closer.
to the Grande
Mothers surprise the entire club emptied out; people who had been there since 2
PM and
physically moved 100 feet of cars
they
actually picked them up and moved them off the road
waved the tour bus thru
put the cars back
and then they all filed back into the club
once
soundcheck was done the Grande Old Men were surprised to hear every word of
every tune sung in perfect English
it seems that ZAPPA music used to be purchased on the black market on inferior
vinyl
i.e., it would only play a few times
the
folks that spoke the best english would gather around with notepads at huge
listening parties
and write the lyrics down,
comparing notes with the other folks with notepads to make sure they were right
and that is how they were able to sing every word in English
a
young fan came up and talked to the guys after the show
stammering and crying
when asked, "how old are you?",
he replied "19"
19!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
how
do you know this music?
he
responded, "My father"
and where is he??
he pointed to a group of people in the club
and said, "that is my father, my mother, my uncle, my brother and my
cousin"
and
this was the audience for this music
played by these guys
transcending borders, cultures, and generations
there
were tears and cheers
after the 3 hours, 4 encore performance
and the Grande Mothers Re:Invented hit the road
on to the next gig
as
one fan wrote:
"It was just beautiful to be able to hear this music (from the front row,
no less) played in the spirit in which it was originally conceived, by some of
the guys who were originally involved. And though it wasn't a flawless
performance, it had more balls and verve and energy (especially given that these
guys are approaching geezerhood) than a lot of the newer music I've been hearing
lately."
this
is their first return trip back to Zagreb, Croatia
stay
tuned ................
THAT'S
ALL(FOR NOW) FOLKS
-
2006 11 28 -
THE GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED:ZAPPA ALUMNI AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES 11/30/06
THE
GRANDE MOTHERS RETURN FROM THEIR TRIUMPHANT GIGS IN EASTERN EUROPE TO PERFORM AT
THE HOUSE OF BLUES IN HOLLYWOOD
SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS
2006/11/30 The Grande Mothers - concert 'the house of blues', hollywood, ca, usa
The
Grande Mothers Re:Invented
Original
and Former Members of "The Mothers of Invention"
Performing the Music of Frank Zappa
House
of Blues(r) Sunset Strip
8430 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
show time: 9:00 PM
t :: 323.848.5100
f :: 323.650.0237
the
only ZAPPA alumni consistently performing the music of the maestro, since 2002
75 concerts plus so far
anything else is not an original
www.thegrandmothers.com for more, more, more............
see attached
THE
GRANDE MOTHERS:RE:INVENTED
Napoleon
Murphy Brock (with FZ 1974
- 1984)
vocals, tenor saxophone, flute, suavenicity, dancing(!)
Roy
Estrada (with FZ 1964 -
1984)
bass, pachuco Falsettos, and operatic madness
Don
Preston (with FZ 1966 -
1974)
piano, keyboard, synthesizers, electronics, vocals
Miroslav Tadic stunt guitar, snake guitar, loud guitar
Christopher
Garcia drums,
percussion, marimba, vocals
http://HOB.COM/apps/search/index.asp?q=GRANDE+MOTHERS&x=23&y=10
OR
GO TO
hob.com
and type in grande mothers under search
CANADIAN PRINT MEDIA REVIEWS AND FAN REVIEWS FROM THEIR SUMMER CANADIAN FESTIVAL TOUR 2006
"Rare
are the musicians who can even play Zappa's music, let alone make it live and
breathe. So Thank the Lord for the Grande Mothers. The people who loved their
music last year ranged in age from 16 to 60, and it's safe to say that a fine
time was had by all."
Dugg
Simpson, Artistic Director for the Vancouver Folk Festival
"These
days Roy Estrada, along with Don Preston, and Napoleon Murphy Brock from Zappa's
mid to late 70's Mothers, are touring the world as the Grande Mothers and
keeping Zappa's music alive. They were here at the Folk Festival last year and
due to public demand are returning. Believe me, if you ever dug Zappa you don't
want to miss these guys. They're fun and fuuuuunnnny. They're wicked musicians
and they blew a few minds last summer there on Jericho Beach..."
NERVE
MAGAZINE
"the
quintet known as the Grande Mothers served up vintage psychedelia - rock songs
with surreal lyrics, jazz-like harmonies and melodic complexity, with flashes of
wacky satire on a par with Monty Python's Flying Circus."
THE
GLOBE AND MAIL
"Fans
of Frank Zappa are going to freak out for the Grande Mothers. Zappa and his band
were creating a mixture of acid rock, psychedelia, doo-wop, avant-garde, tape
experiments, funk and jazz. With three different Zappa eras represented, the
Grande Mothers have a wide palette of material to choose from."
"BEST
DAY CONCERT FRIDAY: THE GRANDE MOTHERS AT THE WINNIPEG FOLK FEST"
Winnipeg
Free Press
"So
if necessity is the mother of invention, does than mean that the Grande Mothers
gave birth to necessity? Could be
true, considering this is a band that needs to be seen........."
WINNIPEG FOLK FEST
CANADIAN
FAN REVIEWS, SUMMER 2006
TORONTO
"Just
got back from the show,suffice to say it was amazing!!!! I enjoyed it more than
ZPZ, the vibe was just so much more a zappa show, (despite only having five band
members.) The guitar solos were monstrously beautiful, and the drumming was
interstellar! Nappy!!!! dear god that was impressive!!!! and Roy, hey, I thought
he didn't play bass good since he was a mexican!!! he's better than he was on OZ
even, trust me!!! and Don's solo on Trouble Every Day was unbelievably perfect.
PLUS!!! they didn't shy away from the political comments, which, ZPZ playing
Trouble Every Day without making it fit the modern time was ridiculous. All in
all, it was amazing!!!"
"I
too was at this concert, it was INCREDIBLE! Seriously, I thought ZPZ was great
and all, but this just blew my mind (I was at a lack of words during the
intermission). One thing I really appreciated was that these Mothers really went
out there and experimented onstage, in true Zappa fashion.
A personal pick of the evening was their rendition of Twenty Small
Cigars, a choice I was not expecting. They played with so much soul, so much
love, it was incredible. Napoleon's sax playing during this number was heart
wrenching. Beautiful. One of the best non-musical moments of the night was when
they talked about Zappa's legacy, and then lead the audience in a round of
applause for Frank himself. All in all, a great show. I can't help but wonder
when the next Zappa-themed show will come around here. I hope that the Grande
Mothers (or as they really should be called, as pointed out by the announcer at
the concert, The Mothers of Invention) come back soon, I'd go to another concert
without hesitation. I could go on for another 25 pages, I hardly even scratched
the surface of all my feelings about the show. But I'll tastefully stop
now."
OTTWA
BLUES FEST
2007 11 15
GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED IN LOS ANGELES-FEB
2008/ENGLAND-MARCH 2008 and CANADA-JULY 2008
THE GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED
www.thegrandmothers.com for
additional info
the only FZ alumni on the planet consistently
performing the music of the maestro
80 plus concerts so far,
ANYTHING ELSE IS (still)NOT AN ORIGINAL......
THE GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED
featuring former members of the mothers of invention
Napoleon Murphy Brock
(with FZ 1972 - 1984) - lead
vocals, tenor saxophone, flute, suavenicity, dancing(!)
Roy Estrada
(with FZ 1964 - 1984) -
bass, pachuco falsettos and operatic madness, (gas mask)
Don Preston
(with FZ 1966 - 1974) - piano,
keyboard synthesizers,
electronics, vocals
with
Miroslav Tadic - electric guitar
Christopher Garcia - drumset, percussion,
marimba, vocals
IN LOS ANGELES FEB 2008
Safari Sam¹s
5214 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA, 90027
U.K. Tour MARCH 2008
2008/03/01 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'Picturedrome
2008/03/02 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'Academy
2008/03/03 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'The Komedia
2008/03/04 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'The Point
2008/03/05 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'The Acorn
2008/03/06 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'Arts Centre
2008/03/07 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'The Brook
2008/03/08 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'Astor Theatre
2008/03/09 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'The Junction
2008/03/10 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'Mean Fiddler
2008/03/11 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'Boardwalk
2008/03/12 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'Pacific Road Arts Centre
2008/03/13 The Grande
Mothers Re:Invented - concert 'Robin 2
CANADA JULY 2008
festival tour
days and dates forthcoming
|
|
|
| The Grande Mothers Re:Invented live at the club
Aquarius in Zagreb, Croatia.
2006/11/09
|
 |
 |
|
2008 02 27
THE
GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED
IN
ENGLAND MARCH 2008
the
only ZAPPA alumni consistently performing the music of the maestro, since 2002
80 concerts plus so far
anything else is not an original
www.thegrandmothers.com for more, more, more............
THE
GRANDE MOTHERS:RE:INVENTED
Napoleon
Murphy Brock - vocals, tenor saxophone, flute, suavenicity, dancing(!)
Roy
Estrada - bass, pachuco Falsettos, and operatic madness
Don
Preston - piano, keyboard, synthesizers, electronics, vocals
Miroslav
Tadic stunt guitar, electric guitar - Christopher Garcia
drums, percussion, vocals
on
you tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLsCFzKIlVg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwGHPkcm5y4&feature=related
UK
TOUR MARCH 2008
2008/03/01
Holmfirth Picturedrome
2008/03/02
Manchester Academy
2008/03/03
Brighton The Komedia
2008/03/04
Cardiff The Point
2008/03/05
Penzance The Acorn
2008/03/06
Exeter Arts Centre
2008/03/07
Southampton The Brook
2008/03/08
Deal Astor Theatre
2008/03/09
Cambridge The Junction
2008/03/10
London Mean Fiddler
2008/03/11
Sheffield Boardwalk
2008/03/12
Birkenhead Pacific Road Arts Centre
2008/03/13
Wolverhampton Robin 2
BOOKING INFO - http://www.rhinoagency.co.uk/
the
GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED
GIG INFO - http://www.thegigcartel.com/march2008.htm
Grande
Mothers Re:Invented
Presented by REDCAT at the Disney Concert Hall
in Los Angeles, CA
Reviewed April 14, 2006
Performers:
the
Grande Mothers Re:Invented (Napoleon Murphy Brock, Don Preston, Roy
Estrada, Miroslav Tadic, Christopher Garcia),
the chamber
ensemble
Marc Lowenstein (conductor)
James Sullivan, Sara Schoenbeck, Amy Knoles, Daniel Rosenboom, Steven Suminski,
Harry Scorzo, Joel Hamilton, Lillian Bitkoff.
"
the teaming of one of Zappa's favorite Stravinsky pieces -- the ever-zesty,
ever-acidic "L'Histoire du Soldat" -- with a survey of Zappa's
intricate idiosyncrasies for rock band at REDCAT on Friday night was not so much
far-fetched as it was far-sighted.
There are rumblings of a Zappa revival afoot in the world and this ongoing
Grande Mothers project, which was launched in Europe in 2003. The latter group
is a quintet containing three alumni of various Zappa bands -- bassist Roy
Estrada (an original Mother), keyboardist Don Preston and vocalist/reeds
Napoleon Murphy Brock -- plus Eastern European wah-wah guitar wizard Miroslav
Tadic and drummer Christopher Garcia.
This outfit was road-tested (their 66th gig), as precise as any of Zappa's bands
and able to burn brightly on a wide range of Zappa selections on Friday (the set
list was completely different Saturday). With Brock's powerful vocals, physical
shtick and ability to double expertly on flute and tenor sax coupled with
Preston's and Tadic's electronic salvos, the evening contained a lot of the
contradictory eclectic, serious and circusy flavors of a Zappa show.
the Grande Mothers were able to go deeper into the material, rather than merely
parroting Zappa's notoriously tricky composed lines. "The Idiot Bastard
Son," for example, revealed some lovely harmonic ideas only hinted at on
the original Mothers recording. All on board were adept at exploring the
drumfire jazz-rock riffs of the early '70s, and there was a deftly done sample
of Zappa's doo-wop sendups.
VARIETY.COM
By
RICHARD S. GINELL
JAZZ
TIMES REVIEW
BY JOSEF WOODARD
It¹s
a testament to the strength and lasting influence of Frank Zappa that, while he
died in 1992‹at the far too-young age of 52‹he left behind such a rich body
of work that the Zappa legacy continues onward and upward. On some level,
intrigue in the World of Zappa has increased, not only through the lingering
nostalgic interests of his global fan base but also through the curiosity of
young listeners. Imagine the gift of discovering Zappa¹s music, so much more
elaborate and sophisticated than any other ³rock² music before, during or
after him. The thrill increases exponentially when his complex tunes are
experienced live.
Oddly
enough, it took the band known as the Grande Mothers a few years to make their
official debut in Zappa¹s hometown of Los Angeles, with a special
Zappa-meets-Stravinsky concert at the new experimental music nucleus of the
REDCAT theater (downstairs from the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown L.A.).
The band is centered around charter members of Zappa¹s Mothers of Invention
band--keyboardist Don Preston, one-of-a-kind vocalist (and saxophonist/flutist)
Napoleon Murphy Brock and bassist Roy Estrada‹and fleshed out by the anchoring
force of Christopher Garcia on drums, and spidery-fingered new kid Miroslav
Tadic on guitar. He soared this night, on his first gig with the group. (Tadic¹s
job description, re: the concert program, is playing ³stunt guitar, snake
guitar, loud guitar²).
Brought
together for a special show in Germany in 2002, the band recognized the allure
of carrying the project forward, touring through Europe and going through the
re-learning curve, rehearsing up old Zappa tunes to a dazzling tightness. One
strong impression left by the concert was the fact that Zappa¹s music actually
fares better live than on record, partly because of the deep pockets of
theatricality in his writing and also because virtuosity‹of rock, jazz, or
whatever ilk‹always makes a better impression in the light of live playing
than in the hermetic confines of one¹s living room.
Other
Zappa-related acts have been surfacing recently, including the ³Zappa plays
Zappa² project, with Zappa¹s sons Dweezil and Ahmet joined by famed ³stunt
guitarist² Steve Vai. The Grande Mothers, though, focus on a particular early
era in Zappa¹s development, with tunes from the late Œ60s through the mid-70s.
From the opening song, ³Florentine Pogen,² it was clear that the audience was
in good hands, in the presence of the classic Zappa magic--crisply played
Dadaist progressive rock and roll, with gonzo theatrics in the mix. Also in the
set list were ³Duke of Prunes²‹a love song with a prune metaphor and a
satire of minor mode loitering‹and ³Idiot Bastard¹s Son,² its melodic
contours cleverly built from the title.
Instrumentals
included the nutty march/waltz tune ³Uncle Meat/T¹mershi Dance² and the
careening up-tempo tune ³Pound for a Brown.² ³Village of the Sun/Echidna¹s
Arf (of you),² originally from the Live at the Roxy album, typifies the Zappa
balancing act: a funky, hooky first section yields to an intense instrumental
workout at the end, exhilarating to witness live, and so taut.
A
similar effect‹brainy meets beefy‹is also evident in one of Zappa¹s
greatest hits, ³Montana² (³moving to Montana soon, gonna¹ be a dental floss
tycoon²), from one of Zappa¹s masterpiece album, Overnight Sensation.
Brock‹the charismatic scene-stealer here--delivered the song¹s earnest
absurdity in its pop-like passages. But after one of Tadic¹s slithering ³snake
guitar² solos, Brock navigated the zigzagging unison melodies in the middle,
reminding us yet again that Zappa¹s idea of rock is not for the faint-headed or
musically simplistic.
This
concert¹s Stravinsky angle, with an opening performance of the composer¹s L¹Histoire
du Soldat was less felicitous than the Zappa portion of the evening, and verged
on sloppiness and pretension. A fine chamber ensemble of L.A. musicians,
conducted by CalArts-based Marc Lowenstein, gave a smart, compelling reading of
the score, each section of which elicited wild applause from an audience (one
imagines that younger audience members here are now officially turned on to
Stravinsky‹a notion that would make Zappa grin in his crypt). Dramatically,
though, the dubious thespian work of Brock, Estrada and Preston was of wavering
quality and seriousness. Brock fared best, which is not surprising considering
the inherent dramatic panache of his performing persona.
The
idea of showing slides of Stravinsky¹s iconic mug during much of the Zappa set
was regrettable, symptomatic of the strange misguided desire of Zappa fans to
place him in the context of great 20th century ³concert music² composers.
Although he adored and interacted with such master composers as Varese and
Boulez and has had his music played by game, virtuosic classical musicians,
Zappa created a place of his own in musical culture, within shouting and
spitting distance of rock and roll, quasi-fusion, and the all-American
experimentalist spirit.
He
invented his own rules and wrote a few lifetimes¹ worth of music in his
truncated time on the planet. Catch it live, if and when you can.
Sunday,
April 16, 2006
Great
Grande Mothers
FAN
REVIEW SENT TO THE BAND
Had
the best concert experience in a long while on Friday night, when I went to see
the Grande Mothers at the Redcat Theater. Who are the Grande Mothers, you ask?
Zappa alums Don Preston, Roy Estrada, and Napoleon Murphy Brock, plus Chris
Garcia and Miroslav Tadic on drums and guitar, respectively.
The
first set featured Preston, Estrada, and Brock performing Stravinsky's Histoire
de Soldat with a killer chamber ensemble. The second set was a smorgasbord of
Zappa tunes. The Stravinsky set was fun (in part because of the Mothers' bad
acting), but the Zappa set, which I realized later went on for over an hour,
seemed to fly by.
It
was just beautiful to be able to hear this music (from the front row, no less)
played in the spirit in which it was originally conceived, by some of the guys
who were originally involved. And though it wasn't a flawless performance (it
was the first of two nights), it had more balls and verve and energy (especially
given that these guys are approaching geezerhood) than a lot of the newer music
I've been hearing lately. Napoleon Murphy Brock is particularly amazing--there
just seems to be no limit to his energy, and I don't think I ever got from the
records how truly skilled he is as both a singer and a reed player. But Estrada
too was a trip--what fun to hear that wacky falsetto of his live!
There
is a tendency with posthumous performances of Zappa's music to err on the
"prog rock" side of things--to go for the cleanness of the 80s groups
as opposed to the rawer, sloppier sound of the Mothers. That's probably a good
thing when it comes to the chamber or orchestral stuff (which was rarely
well-performed in Zappa's lifetime), but in a rock or jazz context it's an
approach that can be deadly.
The
Grande Mothers understand that even though Zappa never embraced rough musics
like punk, he knew the value of musical rawness. And though the Redcat show
clearly wasn't the sort of carnival experience that it probably would have been
if Zappa had been involved, it was pretty damned close--which is good news for
shmucks like me who never got to see the real McCoy when he was alive.
2008 03 19
THE GRANDE MOTHERS
RE:INVENTED IN ENGLAND 2008 - GIGS/FANSPEAK ETC
THE
GRANDE
MOTHERS
RE:INVENTED
IN ENGLAND
2008
Napoleon
Murphy Brock
vocals, tenor saxophone, flute,
suavenicity, dancing(!)
Roy
Estrada
bass, pachuco falsettos, and operatic madness
Don
Preston
piano, keyboard synthesizers, electronics, vocals
with
Miroslav
Tadic
stunt guitar, electric guitar
Christopher
Garcia
drumset, percussion, marimba, vocals
SAME
MEMBERS SINCE FEB 2003
Guitarist Miroslav Tadic replaced original guitarist Ken Rosser in 2005
91 performances and counting since 2003
"I
SAW YOU IN '77"
After taking off a well deserved vacation in 2007, the GMS hit the road hard
returning to England, playing 13 concerts in 14 days throughout England
including:
3/01
Holmfirth Picturedrome
3/02
Manchester Academy
3/03
Brighton The Komedia
3/04
Cardiff The Point
3/05
Penzance The Acorn
3/06
Exeter Arts Centre
3/07
Southampton The Brook
3/08
Deal Astor Theatre
3/09
Cambridge The Junction
3/10
London Mean Fiddler
3/11
Sheffield Boardwalk
3/12
Birkenhead Pacific Road Arts Centre
3/13
Wolverhampton Robin 2
the
last time they were in England was 2004
SAME
PEOPLE, SAME COFFEE...........
they had 4 sets of music to choose from every night
and instead of playing the same show to every audience
they changed it up for every performance
so the fans were always surprised
the song list for this tour included:
Andy
AyBe
Sea
Big
Swifty
The
Blimp AKA Charles Ives
The
Brain Police
Call
Any Vegetable
Carolina
Hard Core Ecstasy
Chunga's
Revenge
Click
Clack - Beefheart
Debra
Kadabra
Dog
Breath
Echidnas
Arf
Evelyn
a modified dog
Florentine
Pogen
Holiday
In Berlin
Hungry
Freaks, Daddy
I
come from nowhere
I
Am The Slime
Idiot
Bastard Son
Lets
make the water turn black
Little
House I Used To Live In
Let's
make the water turn black
Let¹s
Move To Cleveland
Lonely
Little Girl
Montana
Mother
People
Oh
In The Sky
Oh
No
Peaches
en Regalia
Pound
for a brown
Pygmy
Twylyte
San
Bernardino
Smoke
on the Water - Deep Purple
Son
of Orange County
Sofa
#2
T¹Mershi
D'ween
The
Air
Trouble
Comin¹ Every Day
20
Small Cigars
Uncle
Meat
Village Of The Sun
I
BLAME A, MYSELF..................
as always, the GMS played a 2 1/2 hour show, including encores
they
were informed that most groups only play 1 hour(?)
the same set(!)
night after night
so
the fans who didn't come early missed out on about an hours worth of FZ music
but by the end of each gig the place was usually packed
and the GMS came out after each show to sign anything and everything for the
fans including:
albums
CDS
DVDs
tshirts
body parts(!)
they were also given "gifts" by the fans
Don
Preston received a rubber chicken to "measure" things with(!)
along with a pair of green panties (more below on that one)
he also played his usual from another planet moog solos
Roy
Estrada received a popes hat, to reprise his, dejected Mexican Pope
from the Uncle Meat movie
he also sang HOLIDAY IN BERLIN with Dr. Don Preston on piano accompaniment
holding the down the bottom with his bass
and the top end with his pachuco falsetto madness
Napoleon
Murphy Brock
was, as always, stellar
giving 1000%,
whether belting it out,
dancing and/or ripping it up with his sax solos
and with a bad cold and cough to boot
Miroslav
Tadic and Christopher Garcia
most
common ?'s asked these 2:
who
are you guys?
where did they find you?
how did you learn to play this music?
do you play with any other groups?
do you have any CDs?
answers
us
LA/CROATIA
lots of listening and playing FZ music for percussion ensemble
under the direction of John Bergamo
some
a few
Miroslav
continued to delight the fans with his guitar playing
(without mimicking FZ) while (obviously) playing the music with the respect it
deserves
and
CG continually held it down and then some
many
of the sound crews came forward to tell the GMS that it was the best
concert
they had ever had the pleasure of doing sound for
guys who do bands day in and day out,
hundreds of shows every year
ENGLISH FANS SPEAK OUT AND UP
the
fans were, as always, mostly gracious, totally alive and FUN
but
let them speak for themselves
we have removed their email addresses and full names to respect their privacy
see below
EXETER
Dear
Grande Mothers,
Thank you so very much for coming to Exeter last Thursday.
Of all the hundreds of gigs I have seen over the years, your performance at the
Phoenix was, for me, one of the most enjoyable.
It
was great to hear your wonderful musicianship and to see you all looking so
good.
I would also like to say that I thought Miroslav and Chris were also tremendous.
I was lucky to a have seen Frank perform many times but never with any of you
guys in the band.
I
never thought I would get the chance, but to actually see you in my home town of
Exeter was fantastic. My only major regret was that, as I no longer live in
Exeter, and due to my travel arrangements back home, I could not hang around to
meet you guys.
Please come back again. I know so many people who would have loved to have seen
you.
Once
again, thank you so very much.
Wishing you the very best and good luck with the rest of the tour,
Best
wishes,
David
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SOUTHAMPTON
Dear
Grande Mothers,
saw
you play in southampton last night. it was amazing.
you really are keeping that music alive and well, it sounded so fresh.
you're all brilliant musicians and it looked like you were having so much fun.
i never thought i'd get to see you guys play, so thanks for coming.
it made my birthday really great. please come back soon.
love
ian
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXETER
Dear
Grande Mothers,
My wife and I would like to thank you all for a fantastic nite of musical
whimsy,
technical genius, great tunes and general good fun when you performed at The
Phoenix Arts Centre in Exeter recently.
I was genuinely moved by this truly memorable event and consider it a rare
privilege to have had the chance to see not one, but five musical greats who
still deliver!
I think Frank would have approved- you certainly blew us away..........
Best wishes,
Paul
and Katherine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LONDON
just
to say that the Grandmothers were absolutely fantastic the other night at the
Astor,
one of the best gigs I have ever had the pleasure of attending anytime,
anywhere.
all
the best
Howard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just
want to say loved the gig and........
I
felt very happy (and a great load of emotions that emerged from watching and
listening the Grande Mothers Re:Invented).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Exeter
I
was at the Exeter show the other night, highlights were Debra Kadabra
(never thought they'd play that one!), Holiday in Berlin/Little House, Uncle
Meat,
More Trouble, Village Of The Sun/Echidna's Arf, Montana...
Roy is hilarious, he cracked up just looking at Don most of the time!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LONDON
The
London show last night was fantastic. Don and Napoleon came out after the show
to sign stuff, and meet everyone too......
An all round great, intimate night....
Shame
those who packed out venues for ZPZ couldn't be bothered to come out for these
shows, they missed out.
Talk
about supporting Franks legacy...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The
Brook- Southampton
What
a lovely venue, the sound was crystal clear.
The theme of last nights show was FUN,
Don, Napi and Roy looked liked they were enjoying themselves and I certainly
did.
Set list from what I remember was;
Pound
for a Brown on the Bus
Sofa
20
Small Cigars
Hungry
Freaks Daddy
Lonely
Little Girl
Take
Your Clothes off
Chungas
Revenge
I¹m
the Slime
Lets
Make the Water Turn Black
Harry
you're a Beast
The
Orange County Lumber Truck
Oh
No
San
Berdino
Peaches
en Regalia
Take
your clothes off when you dance
What's
the Ugliest Part of Your Body
Florentine
Pogen
Evelyn
a modified dog
Son
of Orange County Lumber Truck
Montana
Trouble
Every Day
In
The Sky (featuring Roy¹s insane falsetto)
Big
Swifty
with
snippets from
I
come from nowhere
Charles
Ives AKA The Blimp
Click
Clack
Smoke
on the Water(!)
Dog Breath
and
of course Evelyn
Andy
There
were others but I forget. The Jazz noises in Big Swifty had to be heard.
In
fact, Don stuck Evelyn in the middle of it all. Conceptual Continuity Clues were
bandied around throughout the night, The Rubber Chicken (with incorporated
ruler) found its way on stage, as did a bishops hat, duly donned by Roy,
prompting cries of Œthe Mexican pope enters the stage¹ from Don.
A
wet pair of knickers were hurled at Don who, in that Great American
Tradition,
took a great big sniff and declared Œeither she¹s been drinking a lot of beer-
or that¹s beer¹.
Ah well, I could go onŠ.but who gives a fuck anyhow.
Go see Œem if you get the chance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Someone
at both shows thought London even better than Cambridge. London sure sounded
good to me.
Here's
the set list:
Hungry
Freaks Daddy
Let¹s
Move To Cleveland
Lonely
Little Girl
Take
Your Clothes Off When You Dance
Chunga¹s
Revenge
Call
Any Vegetable
The
Idiot Bastard Son (dedicated to me!)
Uncle
Meat
Drum
solo/T¹Mershi Duween - ODS = obligatory drum solo
Pygmy
Twylyte
INTERMISSION
Peaches
en Regalia
Montana
Big
Swifty
I¹m
the Slime
In
The Sky
Let¹s
Make The Water Turn Black
Harry,
You¹re A Beast
Oh
No
Son
Of Orange County
More
Trouble Every Day
San
Ber¹dino
Sofa
No. 1
I¹m
The Slime
ENCORES
Little
House I Used To Live In/Merely A Blues In A actually in F
Mother
People
were
you there too?
if so, drop us a line
every email is sent to the GMS
WHAT'S
UP NEXT???
stay
tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuned for more
we
know you'll be surprised..........
2008 04
GRANDE
MOTHERS RE:INVENTED
FRANK ZAPPA ALUMNI ON YOUTUBE
http://www.thegrandmothers.com/CDs.htm
with
the GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED
FRANK ZAPPA ALUMNI
GRANDE
MOTHERS PLAY ENGLAND 2008/UNCLE MEAT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEODv5ywrTE
GRANDE MOTHERS PLAY ENGLAND 2008/PYGMY TWYLYTE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lIMjCJyn0
GRANDE MOTHERS PLAY ENGLAND 2008/I AM THE SLIME
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHQAC9yvgi8&feature=related
GRANDE MOTHERS IN ZAGREB 2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLsCFzKIlVg
GRANDE MOTHERS IN HAMBURG 2004
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwGHPkcm5y4&feature=related
from: the
grandmothers
2008/05/29
THE
GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED IN CANADA
Anything else is not an original
www.thegrandmothers.com
and now at myspace.com
http://www.myspace.com/grandemothersreinvented
still a work in progress
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR CONTINUED HELP IN GETTING THE WORD OUT
June
20, 2008
North Country Fairgrounds, Joussard, AB Canada
http://www.lslncca.ca/current/Lineup08.htm
June
21, 2008
North Country Fairgrounds, Joussard, AB Canada
http://www.lslncca.ca/current/Lineup08.htm
June
22, 2008
WINNIPEG JAZZ FESTIVAL
Pyramid Cabaret, 176 Fort St, Winnipeg, MB Canada
http://www.jazzwinnipeg.com/jazz_festival/artist_corner/grande_mothers/
June
26, 2008
JAZZ VICTORIA, CANADA
10pm
Sugar Nightclub, 858 Yates Street, Victoria, BC Canada
http://www.jazzvictoria.ca/
June
27, 2008
VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
11:30pm
Commodore Ballroom, 878 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1K3 Canada
http://www.coastaljazz.ca/index.cfm?page_id=62&view=DETAILS&event_id=876
June
28, 2008
9:00 PM
Deerfoot Casino, 11500 - 35 St SE, Calgary, AB T2Z 3W4 Canada
http://www.deerfootinn.com/event_activities.php?y=2008&m=06
July
1, 2008
7:30 PM
Festival Place, 100 Festival Way, Sherwood Park, AB Canada
http://www.festivalplace.ab.ca/festivalplace/boxoffice/showinfo.php?id=213
2008/06/20 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert North Country Fairgrounds, Joussard, AB Canada
2008/06/21 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert North Country Fairgrounds, Joussard, AB Canada
2008/06/22 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert WINNIPEG JAZZ FESTIVAL, Pyramid Cabaret, Winnipeg, MB Canada
2008/06/26 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert JAZZ VICTORIA, Victoria, Canada
2008/06/27 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, Vancouver, Canada
2008/06/28 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert Deerfoot Casino, Calgary, Canada
2008/07/01 The Grandmothers Re:Invented – concert Festival Place, Sherwood Park, Canada
2008 07 20
from: Lira Productions
GRANDE
MOTHERS RE:INVENTED ROCK CANADIAN JAZZ FESTIVALS
FAN
SPEAK FROM CANADIAN TOUR 2008
GRANDE MOTHERS INTERVIEW BEFORE THEIR PERFORMANCE AT THE VANCOUVER JAZZ FESTIVAL 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip01tf8Cqsg
TEXT
EXCERPT FROM ABOVE INTERVIEW
June
27, 2008
24 seconds with The Grande Mothers
By SARAH ROWLAND, 24 HOURS
The
Grande Mothers plan to "Freak Out" at the TD Canada Trust Vancouver
International Jazz Festival
The
Mothers.
The Mothers of Invention.
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention ....
There were many variations of Frank Zappa band titles and lineups.
Even
after his death in '93, his former bandmates kept on rocking with posthumous
spin-off alumni acts including THE GRANDE MOTHERS (The GRANDE MOTHERS are the
only FZ alumni who have been performing this music consistently since 2003)
24 hours
recently caught up with three key members of this latest combo to talk about
what it was like making music with the king of avant-garde rock.
Meet singer/flautist/saxophonist Napoleon Murphy Brock, keyboardist Don Preston
and bassist Roy Estrada.
While all three have played with Zappa at some point, this is the first time all
three have played Zappa tunes together.
24:
What makes this particular lineup so special?
DP: "There have been many incarnations, but this is the last incarnation - also the best."
24: The term "legend" always seems to get bandied about when people talk about Zappa - do you consider yourselves legends as well?
NMB: "Absolutely. We're living and what we're doing is legendary."
DP: "I think if you're still playing after you're 70, you automatically become a legend."
24:
Favourite Zappa memory?
NMB:
"That's hard. There's so many and some of them are triple X-rated ...
no, I'm only serious."
RE: "Just making him laugh was great because he would go into another realm. Then he'd get a glaze in his eyes and he would start a riff. And then we would all come in and start playing that riff, and that would make another song - that's how he created his music."
24: Are you guys still as theatrical and spontaneous as you were back in the day?
NMB:
"[Yes], spontaneity is part of our character and so this is why we fit in
his bands so well: We were able to create things right on the spot - without any
hesitation or without any limitations."
24: Parting words for 24 hours readers?
NMB: "Come to the show and have a life experience for yourself."
FANSPEAK
VANCOUVER
JAZZ FEST
Subject: I can't wait till my Fro is full-grown
Hey
guys,
I am not sure how i only found out about it the day of, i must be slipping, but
I caught the show in Vancouver and loved it.
More, MORE, MORE!!!!! that's what I say.
Any of you guys doing the Zappa plays Zappa show this year?
Keep up the great work anyway, you guys are Grande,
viva la Frank!
Yippee-Yi-Yo-Ty-YaY!!!!
-Zach
DEERFOOT
IN CALGARY(!)
Subject: Dear Grande mothers
Hello,
This is to the Grande Mothers who played the in Calgary on Saturday June 28
2008.
WOW!!!
I recently had the pleasure of seeing you guys do your thing and let me tell
you, I am so very glad and honored to have been a part of that audience.
The show was way beyond what I was expecting.
WAY BEYOND!!
Emotion, nuance, timing, theatrics and bold musical chops, it was all
perfect.
What an enjoyable evening I had and thank you VERY VERY much.
What an honor.
I was lucky enough to show up early and witness the sound check.
My buddy and I were the only ones in the audience at that time and we thought it
was a very personal experience.
Well, I might just drive up to Edmonton and witness the spectacle all over again
on July 1st.
Thank You Grande Mothers
Kevan
SHERWOOD
PARK FESTIVAL PLACE
Hey!
I'm the dude from OC that spoke to you guys in Edmonton(Sherwood Park).
I wanted to let you know what a thrill it was to meet you guys and see you
perform.
The show inspired me to continue learning music and studying the guitar.
Music is my passion and it's my goal in life to really express myself musically
and be part of the beauty of music.
If you guys are ever back here on tour, I insist you contact me and I'll take
you guys to dinner and show you around.
Hope to see you soon!
Nayar
INTERNET
POSTS
The
Grande Mothers Re-Invented performed to an appreciative audience at Festival
Place in Sherwood Park, Alberta, on Canada Day, July 1st at 7:30 pm.
They
performed flawlessly for over two and a half hours with one fifteen minute
intermission. For the most part, the material performed came from the period
between 1965 and 1975.
Highlights, at least for me, included exceptional performances of Pound For A
Brown, Eat That Question, Chunga¹s Revenge, Invocation And Ritual Dance of the
Young Pumpkin, Holiday In Berlin, Abye Sea, Dupree¹s Paradise, Little House I
Used To Live In, Enchinda¹s Arf (Of You), Don¹t You Ever Wash That Thing? and,
of course, Sofa.
There were enough songs performed from the catalogue of Mothers of Invention
albums to satisfy any level of fan, newbie or hardcore, as the following setlist
suggests:
Pound
For A Brown
Call
Any Vegetable
Eat
That Question
Lonely
Little Girl
Take
Your Clothes Off When You Dance
Harry,
You¹re a Beast
What¹s
the Ugliest Part of Your Body?
Chunga¹s
Revenge
Holiday
In Berlin
Abye
Sea
Invocation
And Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin
Idiot
Bastard Son
Florentine
Pogen
Evelyn,
A Modified Dog
Enchinda¹s
Arf (Of You)
Don¹t
You Ever Wash That Thing?
The
Air
Debra
Kadabra (sung by Chris Garcia/amazing Beefheart-esque voice)
Carolina
Hard Core Ecstasy
Sofa
#1
Orange
County Lumber Truck Medley
Trouble
Every Day (sung by Don Preston)
Dupree¹s
Paradise
Little
House I Used To Live In
Pygmy
Twylyte
Encore
1: Peaches En Regalia
Encore
2: Montana
The
Grande Mothers Re-Invented are:
Don Preston ‹ keyboards, vocals
Roy Estrada ‹ bass, vocals (pachuco falsetto)
Napoleon Murphy Brock ‹ tenor sax, flute, lead vocals
Miroslav Tadic ‹ guitarist (lead, stunt & otherwise/awesome)
Chris Garcia ‹ drums, vocals
I
noticed last night during the show there were a lot of flashbulbs going off. Is
there a DVD or CD in the works? I certainly hope so.
The enthusiasm and energy of these performers was really quite obvious.
A real treat.
These musicians know the material, intimately.
And given the $38 CND ticket price, a real deal, too.
Shmickalicious
says:
I was there, at one of the front tables, and had an absolute BLAST!!!
Napoleon blew me away, seeing Roy was surreal, Don ROCKED the keys, and
the two non-Mothers were absolutely stunning!
Such a shame that Dweezil would never go on the ³Dweez and the Grande Mothers²
tour, there¹s alot of untapped Mothers talent he won¹t give a chance.
SO worth the 40 bucks, I would¹ve paid 100.
Clark
Gwent says:
I saw them in Cardiff, and the most impressive part was Chris Garcia¹s drumming
and singing ³Debra Kadabra² at one and the same time, boys and girls.
urbangraffito
says:
Indeed, very impressive.
And quite Beefheart-esque in his delivery, too.
The entire show was impressive.
I went there with high expectations, and DID they deliver!
If you¹ve heard Napoleon Murphy Brock¹s saxophone version of ³Chunga¹s
Revenge²
on FZ/OZ you know what I mean.
What a saxman, what a showman!
They were all obviously playing off one another and having a BLAST doing
so.
They are all still at the top of their game.
Frank may be gone, yet the gestalt is very much there.
MORE
STUFF FROM ENGLISH FANS 2008
sirreal82
Brilliant,
i saw them in Manchester a few days before this.
They're easily the best band around playing Zappa.
But Miroslav Tadic, wow!
I'd never heard of him before, he fills what are essentially an enormous pair of
shoes very very well.
weazelsrippedmyflesh
They
played Peaches as the encore at the gig i went to, lovely surprise!!
rubyeyednewt
Mirsoslav
Tadic on guitar is as good as it gets. Stunning musicianship all round!
giantplanet
Nice
one i was at this gig ,absolutely amazing!
Trouble Everyday and Montana were my favourites that night , surreal seeing
Napolean in Birkenhead
davidabailey
Thank
you for posting this - it was a great gig.
mudshark23
Fucken-A!!!
giantplanet
Is
this from Birkenhead? Fantastic were`nt they
Kev3542
Yes,
it's from Birkenhead and, yes, I must agree they were fantastic - far better
than I expected.
One big surprise was Roy Estrada's bass playing - I didn't realise he was so
good.
davidabailey
Marvelous.
LP2575
SURPRISED!!!!!!!
ROY ESTRADA is the ONLY cat to hold down the bottom for FZ, Little Feat and
Captain Beefheart!!!!!!
the only other musician who comes close is drummer/percussionist Arthur Dyer
Tripp AKA Ed Marimba the only FZ alumni to play both mallets AND drumset for FZ
where you been livin..........Reseda???
funkyjones
no...San
Jose
weazelsrippedmyflesh
No
Montanna! lol
TonyNewman
Let's
move to Cleveland. What's new in Baltimore?
2009 03 12
FRANK
ZAPPA ALUMNI in LOS ANGELES
April
25th, 2009
Napoleon
Murphy Brock
Roy Estrada
Don Preston
with
Christopher Garcia
and
Miroslav Tadic
AKA
GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED IN LA
and
special guest
violinist Harry Scorzo
the
only FZ alumni consisting performing the music of the maestro
since 2002
ANYTHING
ELSE IS NOT AN ORIGINAL
www.thegrandmothers.com or myspace.com/GRANDEMOTHERSREINVENTED
April
25th, 2009
1 performance only at THE MUSIC RECITAL HALL - LA HARBOR COLLEGE - only 150 seats left
to
reserve your ticket you must email your request to liraproductions@gmail.com
2 tickets will be held per email request
TICKETS ARE $20.00
and payable at the door the night of the performance
going fast............................
NO ADVANCE SALES ONLY RESERVATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GRANDE
MOTHERS RE:INVENTED in TRONDHEIM - OSLO
NORWAY
http://www.nidarosbluesfestival.com/
http://www.trondheimsolistene.no/#concerts
Nidaros
Bluesfestival, med Grande Mothers
The Grande Mothers vs. TrondheimSolistene. Nidaros Bluesfestival, Olavshallen
29. april 2009 kl 19.30.
Kjøp
billetter her - Se innslag på NRK nett TV - Hjemmeside Nidaros Bluesfestival
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GRANDE
MOTHERS RE:INVENTED in GERMANY @ ZAPPANALLE
8/14/09
MORE
INFO TO COME.........................
VANCOUVER
JAZZ FEST 2008
FAN
REVIEW - 1 OF MANY
"I
crawled out of the mountains to see this show after I heard Roy Estrada was
going to be there (one of my all time fave bassists) - I didn't know Don Preston
was gonna be there also - it made my heart pump when I saw him walk on stage, I
felt like a teenager again - his story about Frank's friends and dinner
consisting of steak and ice-cream, with steak again for desert, was great ...
this
was a real show for me, one of the top ten in my life - they played for a good
three hours, superMEN all the lot of them ... Napoleon's energy - wow - jumping
like a crab at the end, I can't even do that and I'm 15 years younger at least
(^%$!!)...
the
playing was flawless, amazing guitar by Miroslav Tadic (really amazing) and
Chris Garcia ... geez I wish I could see them again ... UN-BELIEVABLE, they
played Frank's music right // the Vancouver crowd was great too ... god bless
ROY !! I felt like crying the whole time ...
THE
GRANDE
MOTHERS
RE:INVENTED
IN
CANADA
AND
EUROPE
http://www.myspace.com/grandemothersreinvented
CANADA
2010/03/04 ‘Biltmore Cabaret’, Vancouver, Canada
http://www.biltmorecabaret.com/schedule.html
2010/03/05 ‘Yukon Arts Centre’, Whitehorse Yukon, Canada
http://www.yukonartscentre.com/2009-10/GrandeMothers.htm
EUROPE
(more to come)
2010/04/16 ‘The Viper Theatre’, Firenze, Italy
http://www.viperclub.eu/
2010/04/24 ‘Karditsa Blues’, Greece
http://www.myspace.com/alterground
2010/04/25 ‘Rodeo Live Club, Athens, Greece
http://www.myspace.com/alterground
2010/04/29 ‘Crossroads Live Club’, Rome, Italy
http://www.myspace.com/alterground
2010/05/03 ‘Moodys Jazz Café’, Foggia, Italy
www.myspace.com/moodyjazzcafe
2010/05/06 ‘Trieste Teatro’, Trieste, Italy
NAPOLEON MURPHY BROCK * ROY ESTRADA * DON PRESTON * MIROSLAV TADIC *
CHRISTOPHER GARCIA
2010 03
2010 07
THE
GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED
http://www.myspace.com/GRANDEMOTHERSREINVENTED
Napoleon Murphy Brock: vocals, tenor saxophone, flute, suavenicity, dancing(!)
Roy Estrada: bass, pachuco falsettos, and operatic madness
Don
Preston: piano, keyboard synthesizers,
electronics, vocals
with
Robbie "SEAHAG" Mangano: electric guitar
Christopher Garcia: drumset, percussion, marimba, vocals
2010/07/13
concert 'Exil', Zurich, Switzerland
http://www.exil.cl/#20100713
2010/07/15 concert 'Bergkeller', Reichenbach,
Germany)
http://www.bergkeller-reichenbach.de/index.php?seite=konzerte
2010/07/16
concert Folkest Capodistria, Slovenia
http://www.folkest.com/festival/programma-2010/
2010/07/17 concert
Roma
parco degli Acquedotti Rock City, Italy
http://www.folkest.com/festival/programma-2010/
2010/07/18 concert Afragola
(Napoli), Italy
http://www.folkest.com/festival/programma-2010/
2010/07/22 concert BADALUCCO (IM), Italy
2010/07/23
concert Firenze
Fortezza da Basso Live On festival, Italy
http://www.live-on.it/
2010/07/24 concert FIUMARETTA DI AMELIA - TRA FIUME E MARE FESTIVAL
2010/07/29
concert Trento
(venue tba)
2010/07/31
concert Trieste
Piazza Marinai d'Italia, Summer
Rock festival, Italy
http://www.musicalibera.it/calendario_concerti.html
PICTURES FROM THE 2013/04/09 'NU SPIRIT CLUB', BRATISLAVA CONCERT
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Mike Miller |
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Napoleon Murphy Brock |
Napoleon Murphy Brock and Dave Johnson |
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| The Grandmothers Of Invention at Zappanale #25 2014 07 20 Bad Doberan, Germany line-up
setlist
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| Don Preston and his brain wave enhancer (picture by Pittylabelle) | |
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| The Grandmothers Of Invention with Eric Klerks on bass (picture by Javier) | |
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