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Jazz Articles about Frank Zappa
Give The Drummer Some: On the record with Zappa's Drum Alumni
by Mitch Myers
This excerpt appears in The Boy Who Cried Freebird: Rock & Roll Fables and Sonic Storytelling (Harper Paperbacks, 2008). Composer/bandleader/guitarist Frank Zappa needs no introduction. He was an incredibly prolific musician who died in December 1993, and his estate, the Zappa Trust, is still releasing new editions of never-before-heard recordings organized under the late maestro's supervision. While Zappa's legacy has been much discussed over the years, a brief overview of his relationship with drums and drummers is ...
Continue ReadingFrank Zappa: The Grand Wazoo
by Eric Pettine
Frank Zappa didn't invent the word “wazoo" or proliferate its usage. However, he was the first to use it in an album and song title that, surprisingly, had no accompanying provocative/potentially censorable lyrics. The Grand Wazoo is one of the most playful, scatologic-free and accessible big band jazz/rock CDs that Zappa--or anyone else--recorded. The aural quality of the album possesses a life-affirming spirit, while the intermittent blurps, bleeps and “inside" soap opera buffoonery--once salient features amidst often brilliant instrumental interludes ...
Continue ReadingZappa and Jazz
by AAJ Staff
By Ed Palermo As leader of the Ed Palermo Big Band for the past 30 years, it was about 13 years ago, when my boyhood hero, Frank Zappa, died that I decided to put my own original compositions on hold and focus on the music of Zappa. I decided to pay tribute to the man who affected me musically more than anyone before or after. Prior to embarking on this project, my band was pretty much accustomed to ...
Continue ReadingInterpreting the Music of Frank Zappa: Ed Palermo Big Band & Struber Z'Tett
by Ken Dryden
There have been a number of bands which have recorded rocker Frank Zappa's music over the past few decades, though jazz bands have only been exploring it for a fairly brief time. Two recent discs, one by a bandleader who has devoted himself to arranging 100s of Zappa compositions and another who may have only a fleeting interest, have issued albums primarily devoted to his music. Ed Palermo Big Band Take Your Clothes Off When You ...
Continue ReadingFrank Zappa: Hot Rats
by Trevor MacLaren
Frank ZappaHot RatsReprise1969The name Frank Zappa tends to bring to mind abstract symphonic pieces or rock music filled with comical and obscene lyrics. Those more familiar with Zappa's work know he was also one of finest guitar players ever, a musical visionary who created one of jazz-rock's foundation fusion records, Hot Rats. With its heavily distorted guitars and aggressive time signatures, the record may initially turn off many jazz ...
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