Record Reviews

FRANK ZAPPA ~ ERIE ZAPPA 20039 (Barcode: 602445394661) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1974 - 1976 Released: 2022 This is the 122nd album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, released posthumously in 2022. The 6CD Box Set presents music recorded live in Erie, PA and surrounding area between 1974 and 1976 and offers over seven hours of previously unreleased (except for one track) performances of music, as usual almost entirely composed by Zappa. The recordings are presented chronologically and offer three complete concerts and bonus material from other performances. The music was recorded by three lineups, which includes Zappa on guitar and vocals and the following musicians: George DukeFind albums by this artist on keyboards, synthesizer and vocals, Tom FowlerFind albums by this artist on bass, Jeff SimmonsFind albums by this artist on guitar and vocals, Don PrestonFind albums by this artist on synthesizer, Bruce FowlerFind albums by this artist on trombone and vocals, Walt FowlerFind albums by this artist on trumpet, Napoleon Murphy BrockFind albums by this artist on saxophone, flute and lead vocals, Ralph HumphreyFind albums by this artist on drums and percussion and Chester ThompsonFind albums by this artist on drums and percussion, who play on CD1 and CD2 and the first two tracks of CD3. George Duke on keyboards, synthesizer and vocals, Tom Fowler on bass, Ruth UnderwoodFind albums by this artist on percussion, Napoleon Murphy Brock on saxophone, flute and lead vocals and Chester Thompson on drums and percussion, who play on the rest of CD3 and CD4. Bianca OdinFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Lady BiancaFind albums by this artist, who played with Zappa for just one month, which makes this a rare appearance) on keyboards and vocals, Ray WhiteFind albums by this artist on guitar and vocals, Eddie JobsonFind albums by this artist and keyboards and violin, Patrick O`HearnFind albums by this artist on bass and vocals and Terry BozzioFind albums by this artist on drums and vocals, who play on CD5 and CD6. It is truly amazing to discover the depth of the Zappa Family Trust vault and the fact that so much previously unreleased material is still available. Zappa’s Genius is revealed in every piece of recorded music he left behind, and the passing time makes us realize how pioneering and groundbreaking his work was at the time and in many respects continues to be so also today. Overall, although this music is now almost fifty years old, it sounds as fresh as it did when first heard and lost absolutely nothing of its power and everlasting beauty. This album is a valuable addition to Zappa’s incredible recorded legacy and is an absolute must for his many followers, who are always delighted to hear some previously unreleased material.

Updated: 19/12/2022Posted: 18/12/2022

CD 6 Digibook Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ PHILLY `76 VAULTERNATIVE 20091 (Barcode: 824302009123) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1976 Released: 2009 This is an archival album of live recordings by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, recorded on October 29, 1976 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. The 2CD album includes all the music played that night, lasting together for over two hours, all of which was previously unreleased. The album was released in 2009 as one of the series of complete live concerts, which also includes “FZ:OZFind albums with this title”, “BuffaloFind albums with this title”, “WazooFind albums with this title”, “Hammersmith OdeonFind albums with this title”, “Carnegie HallFind albums with this title” and “Chicago `78Find albums with this title”. All the music (except one song) was composed by Zappa. The lineup of the musicians playing in the band, which is rarely documented, consists, in addition to Zappa on guitar and vocals of course, of vocalist / keyboardist Bianca OdinFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Lady BiancaFind albums by this artist), vocalist / rhythm guitarist Ray WhiteFind albums by this artist, violinist / keyboardist Eddie JobsonFind albums by this artist, bassist Patrick O`HearnFind albums by this artist and drummer Terry BozzioFind albums by this artist. The repertoire covers past favorites and of course current (at the time) repertoire, including material from the “Zoot AlluresFind albums with this title” album, as well as some rarities previously unreleased or rarely performed. The music, as I have already stated repeatedly, is beyond categorization, being first and foremost the idiosyncratic creation of Zappa’s musical Genius. Of course every new piece of reissued vault material by Zappa expands the portrait of one of the paramount musical Geniuses of the 20th Century. I still label it as Jazz-Rock Fusion, as it embraces the wide perspective of these two genres. After all it is no less than two hours of the best music money can buy, brilliantly recorded and carefully put together for you listening pleasure. Overall, this a superb and highly detailed document of the way Zappa created his masterpieces, and of course a testimony to his musical out of the box thinking and creativity. As far as concert recordings, this is an extraordinary example of Zappa’s ability to run a tight ship, perhaps tighter than any other. Despite the complexity of the material, Swiss watchmakers are using this music to synchronize their watches by.

Updated: 23/03/2022Posted: 14/11/2021

CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Remastered Recommend To A Friend