ruth komanoff - underwood

 

 

 

 

 

discography

7 the mothers of invention: uncle meat
   (1969, 2lp, usa, bizarre)

  1970 hamilton face band- ain't got no time (drums)  

13

frank zappa: 200 motels
   (1971, 2lp, usa, united artists)

fz013v.jpg (37378 bytes)

17

the mothers: over-nite sensation
   (1973, lp, usa, discreet)

18

frank zappa: apostrophe (')
   (1974, lp, usa, discreet)

19

zappa / mothers: roxy & elsewhere
   (1974, 2lp, usa, discreet)

20

frank zappa and the mothers of invention: one size fits all
   (1975, lp, usa, discreet)

  1975 ambrosia- ambrosia  (marimbas)  
  george duke: i love the blues, she heard my cry (7)
    (1976, lp, usa, mps) - feat.bruce fowler, johnny "guitar" watson, ruth underwood
 

22

frank zappa: zoot allures
   (1976, lp, usa, warner brothers)

  1976 george duke- liberated fantasies  
 

1976 ambrosia- somewhere i've never travelled  (marimbas)

 
  1977 johnson, alphonso- yesterday's dreams  (percussion, harp, vibraphone, bells)  
  1977 cobham, billy- inner conflicts  (marimbas, xylophone)  

23

frank zappa: zappa in new york
   (1978, 2lp, usa, discreet)

24

frank zappa: studio tan
   (1978, lp, usa, discreet)

  1978 martz, jasun- pillory  (percussion)  

25

frank zappa: sleep dirt
   (1979, lp, usa, discreet)

  frank zappa: the guitar world according to frank zappa
    (1987, mc, usa, ??)
 
  1982 eye to eye- eye to eye  (percussion)  
51 frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.1
   (1988, 2cd, usa, ryko)

52

frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.2
   (1988, 2cd, usa, ryko)
54 frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.3
   (1989, 2cd, usa, ryko)

57

frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.4
   (1991, 2cd, usa, ryko)  
  frank zappa: piquantique
    (1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 70544)
  jefferson airplane: loves you
    (1992, 3cd, usa, rca 07863 61110-2) - incl.'would you like a snack' (zappa, slick)
 
59 frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.6
   (1992, 2cd, usa, ryko)

64

frank zappa: the lost episodes
   (1996, cd, usa, ryko)

65

frank zappa: läther
   (1996, 3cd, usa, ryko)

66

frank zappa: frank zappa plays the music of frank zappa
   (1996, cd, usa, barking pumpkin)

  1996 supernatural fairy tale- (percussion, marimbas)  

67

frank zappa: have i offended someone?
   (1997, cd, usa, ryko)

  jefferson airplane: crown of creation
    (2003, cd, eu, rca / bmg 82876 53226 2) - incl.'would you like a snack' (zappa, slick)
 
  malcolm mcnab: exquisite - the artistry of malcolm mcnab
    (2006, cd, usa, kinnell house records 1001) - incl. 'the be-bop tango' (frank zappa)
 

81

frank zappa: the dub room special
    (2007, cd, usa, zappa records)

82

frank zappa: wazoo
    (2007, 2cd, usa, vaulternative records)

83

frank zappa: one shot deal
    (2008, cd, usa, zappa records)

  various artists: dc collection: vol.1 - the drummers of frank zappa
    (2009, dvd, usa, drum channel dc dvd) - feat. terry bozzio, ralph humphrey, chester thompson, chad wackerman & ruth underwood

drumchannel1.jpg (43421 bytes)

  tony palmer's film of frank zappa's 200 motels
    (2010, dvd, uk, tony palmer)

96

frank zappa: road tapes - finlandia hall, helsinki, finland 23, 24 august 1973
    (2013, cd, usa, vaulternative records)
fz_roadtapes02.jpg (29253 bytes)

97

frank zappa: a token of his extreme soundtrack
    (2013, cd, usa, zappa records)
fz_atohe_soundtrackcd.jpg (27662 bytes)

102

frank zappa & the mothers: roxy the movie
    (2015, cd+dvd, eu, eagle vision eagdv050)
fz_roxythemovie.jpg (36036 bytes)
102 frank zappa & the mothers: roxy the movie
    (2015, dvd, eur, eagle vision)
zappa_roxy_dvd.jpg (54282 bytes)
102 frank zappa & the mothers: roxy the movie
    (2015, blu-ray, eur, eagle vision)
zappa_roxy_br.jpg (43508 bytes)

104

frank zappa: the crux of the biscuit
    (2016, cd, usa, zappa records zr20020)

fz_cruxofthebiscuit.jpg (32468 bytes)

107

zappa / mothers: meat light
    (2016, 3cd, usa, zappa records zr20024)
fz_meatlight.jpg (46821 bytes)
     

 

random notes

i know somebody (x) who purportedly knows ruth's parents.  according to x, ruth now goes by her maiden name, no longer performs, and is raising her children somewhere in the vicinity of san francisco.

     from a recent interview: "a couple of years ago, when i heard that frank was ill, i called him up. for 14 years we had no contact at all. he invited me to the house and we enjoyed some really nice visits with each other. last june ('93) he called and asked if he could sample some of my stuff. i was shocked because i hadn't touched a pair of mallets since march of '77. i ended up practicing for 14 hours, which was all the time i could get together in the context of my life now. i spent four days at frank's house sampling. this was really a miracle for me - that i could be reunited with him and still have something to offer."

 appeared on the bbc late show fz special, interview only. be nice to think she still played, though i doubt it.

      jan van kemenade sez:
chester thompson, ian & ruth underwood play on alphonso johnson's yesterday dream (faq only mentions chester).

      from: mike kirby (mkirby@mail.ejl.com) -      date: 6 apr 1998
ruth underwood is alive and well, living in studio city, california, which is in the san fernando valley (inspiration for "valley girl"). she has a son and daughter. i was her daughter's coach two years ago on a t-ball team. ruth, i believe, is divorced from a bass player with the hollywood bowl orchestra. i believe he is the father of both children. i don't think ruth does any recording anymore. she does help out with musical presentations at the school my son and her children attend.
ruth is a wonderful person, a real joy to be around. i embarrased her one day during the baseball season when i realized who she was, and told her she was my hero back in the early 70s when i was playing in bands and i would try to copy her percussion licks on my keyboards. (strange world: my guitar player in that band was rob fetters, who went on to play with adrian belew in the bears, raisins, etc.)

     from: mark hoffman (hoffman1mp@stlnet.com) -      date: thu, 18 feb 1999
in regard to ruth underwood. i live in st. louis and there is a local musician who played for the london symphony orchestra in the 70s. in his travels he befriended the underwoods. according to him ruth underwood is recently employed by the new york metropolitan opera.

      from: iohxh43 (iohxh43@my-deja.com)
hey all- i have given in to my ruth fetish and put up a "ruth pseudo-fan-site".
http://www.peacefulwaters.com/onruth/

     from: francois ziegler (ziegler@math.yale.edu)
dear mr. duke,
i believe it is well known that you recorded several times under the name dawilli gonga. is it true, as i read elsewhere, that you also used the name "amanda b. reconwith"?
warmest regards,
francois ziegler

     sent from http://www.georgeduke.com
yes, due to certain contractual obligations, i couldn't use my real name as a sideman for several years. however, amanda b. recondwith was not me. it was in fact ruth underwood, who used to play marimbas & perc in frank zappas band. we simply slowed the tape down until we arrived at the proper timbre.

 

 


filmography:

1971 frank zappa's 200 motels

1977 baby snakes (on a tv screen in the background)

1982 the dub room special

1987 the amazing mr. bickford (on a tv screen in the background)

1989 the true story of 200 motels


frank zappa  / musicians timeline

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soundtracks various artists