Record Reviews

AN ON BAST ~ SONGS FOR RUNNING THROUGH GRASS GHOST KITCHEN 01 ~ POLAND ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 Polish Jazz enthusiasts are familiar with electronic producer and live performer An On BastFind albums by this artist (real name Anna SudaFind albums by this artist) thanks to a series of wonderful recordings she made with trumpeter Maciej FortunaFind albums by this artist, where her extraordinary creations met the Jazz idiom. But before recording with Fortuna she was already a world famous artists, performer and recording artist of her own accord with an ongoing career since 2006. An On Bast recorded this solo album after the recordings with Fortuna and its release also marks a debut on her own record label called Ghost Kitchen. It includes eleven relatively short tracks, all composed by her. Contemporary electronic / ambient music is rarely interesting to me, as it is based mostly on schematic, very predictable sound formulas and rhythmic patterns. The great Godfathers of electronic music, like Karlheinz StockhausenFind albums by this artist, Edgar VareseFind albums by this artist and many others, started the electronic explorations to expand the borders of sound as known to the human ear, but by the end of the 20th Century it was completely bastardized, commercialized and vandalized by the Pop (non)Culture of the time, becoming more of a noise pollution than music in any respect. Of course there are always exceptions and An On Bast is for me one of them. Her electronic / ambient sounds are aesthetically pleasing; non aggressive and diverse enough to keep the attention of the listener rather than hypnotize him by a drone like repetitious mechanical sound poison. There is enough melodic element, development and variety to keep things interesting for the duration of the album, and listening to it becomes quite a fun after a while, especially in a relaxed, hassle-free environment, like driving or late night listening. Although I hope An On Bast will continue her involvement with the Jazz world in the future, her electronic works are now another avenue of soundscapes I find worth following. Well done!

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

JOANNA DUDA ~ KEEN ALPAKA 008 (Barcode: 193428487826) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Electronic Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the second album by Polish keyboardist / composer / electronic music artist Joanna DudaFind albums by this artist, this time recorded solo. It features a collage of sounds created using acoustic piano and prepared piano, electronically generated sounds and human voices. The album presents nine tracks, all played, composed and produced by Duda. Although Duda can play "conventional" music, for example when she plays with Wojtek MazolewskiFind albums by this artist´s ensemble, this album is dedicated to her more experimental / Avant-Garde side, which offers little melody based music and exposes the listener to her intimate inner world of sounds, which resembles imaginary soundtracks of Science Fiction movies or sound vistas by early electronic composers like Charles IvesFind albums by this artist or Edgar VareseFind albums by this artist and later Pierre SchaefferFind albums by this artist or Pierre HenryFind albums by this artist. With just fragmented tones or short phrases, repeated by loops and other electronic devices, these collages are more about stimulating the listener´s cerebral cortex than his heart, and for the Avant-Garde prone brave hearted listeners can be a marvelous experience. Duda should be admired for her uncompromising and unconventional approach to music and her courage to pursue her heart rather than seeking easy solutions and mainstream recognition. This album is an example of her determination to follow the path less travelled, inviting open-minded listeners to share her world with them. Personally I find this music fascinating and engaging, but obviously it is not destined to reach a wide circle of listeners, which is the price Avant-Garde Artists are ready to accept in return for their independence and personal fulfillment. Definitely highly recommended to people with wide horizons!

Updated: 03/01/2020Posted: 03/01/2020

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

JAKUB GUCIK ~ IN SILVA IPT 2 ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is a spectacular debut album as a leader by Polish cellist / composer Jakub GucikFind albums by this artist. The music is performed in its entirety by utilizing multi channeled cello tracks and subtle electronic effects (like looper). The album presents seven original compositions, all by Gucik. Although being a solo cello album, the sound Gucik achieves is quite orchestral, where the cello is being used both as a soloing / lead instrument, but also producing choral string orchestra layers and even the rhythmic layer, all in a most ingenious way. A listener not aware of the fact that this music was produced by one instrument would have never guest it. The marvels of contemporary sound creating possibilities are certainly used here in a most effective way. The music amalgamates a plethora of different influences: Classical Music of course, encompassing anything between medieval madrigals to Edgar VareseFind albums by this artist, György LigetiFind albums by this artist and beyond, but also Improvised Music, Ethnic mysticism, cinematic and serial music. But fear not, this music has a strong melodic basis and is surprisingly and marvelously romantic, which in this case means that Avant-Garde does not have to be offensive or obtrusive. One has of course admire Gucik´s guts to undertake such perilous project, which in spite of its limited, if not minimalistic range of resources, aspires to produce a novel and quite bold statement. Congratulations for making it all work. This album could reach a relatively wide audience as the music is universal enough to interest cross-genre fans coming from quite different regions of the musical spectrum. Both Improvising Music connoisseurs and contemporary Classical Music buffs should feel very comfortable within this realm, which to be honest happens quite rarely. Overall this is a striking and highly interesting album, which manages to be innovative without actually inventing anything radically new and just playing around with a mixture of techniques, proportions, sounds and colors of sound, creating a highly cohesive aesthetics in the process. This is definitely a most welcome breath of fresh air, so much needed in these dreary times.

Updated: 11/06/2021Posted: 01/07/2020

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ 200 MOTELS (50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) ZAPPA 20037 (Barcode: 602438384136) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 2021 This Box Set is the 120th official release by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, released posthumously in 2021. It presents an expanded reissue / remaster of the material recorded originally in 1971 with his group The Mothers Of InventionFind albums by this artist and The Royal Philharmonic OrchestraFind albums by this artist, conducted by Elgar HowarthFind albums by this artist. The Box Set contains the soundtrack of the film “200 Motels” (thirty-four tracks) originally released as a 2LP album in 1971, as well as over 4 CDs worth of additional material: demos, outtakes, dialogues and a plethora of bonus tracks, all worth their value in gold. All the material was composed by Zappa. The Box Set is a lavishly packaged Super Deluxe (LP sized) edition, which is up to the usual ZappaFind albums on this label Records standard. The Mothers, who recorded this music included, in addition to Zappa who played guitar and sung, vocalists Howard KaylanFind albums by this artist, Mark VolmanFind albums by this artist, Jimmy Carl BlackFind albums by this artist and Jim PonsFind albums by this artist, keyboardists George DukeFind albums by this artist and Ian UnderwoodFind albums by this artist (who also plays woodwinds), bassist Martin LickertFind albums by this artist, percussionist Ruth UnderwoodFind albums by this artist and drummer Aynsley DunbarFind albums by this artist. The music is an incredibly complex amalgam of Classical Music, Pop, Rock, comedy and satire. Although not the very first album to feature Rock and Symphony Orchestra, it is by far the most advanced, revolutionary and complex of all such attempts to this very day. Zappa included in this music his modern 20th Century Classical Music influences from Edgar VareseFind albums by this artist, Igor StravinskyFind albums by this artist and others. Zappa shows on this album that he is able to write music, which amalgamates anything between Avant-Garde Pop and Rock, Jazz, including Free Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion and contemporary orchestral Classical Music. He appears as the first “total musician” on the Pop / Rock scene, a status he was able to hold till the day he died. From day one his extravagant personality and brilliant intelligence marked him as an outsider, a fate shared by most geniuses. This album is often regarded as “peripheral” in his overall output, which is of course completely nonsensical and absurd. The whole concept of Zappa’s music was the complete disregard of genres and a firm belief that “music is one”, regardless how someone might wish to categorize it. In retrospect, this album is definitely one of his absolute Artistic apogees, although he never recorded anything which could be considered less important than anything else. Overall, although over fifty years passed since this music was recorded, this album remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb music, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Zappa’s genius, not only as a musician, but also as a visionary and a brilliant observer of the human condition and American folly and deceit, remain completely relevant and are even more actual today than ever.

Updated: 18/06/2022Posted: 18/06/2022

CD 6 Digibook Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ 200 MOTELS (SOUNDTRACK) ZAPPA 3846 (Barcode: 602438287055) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 2021 This is a reissue / remaster of the 13th album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, his group The Mothers Of InventionFind albums by this artist and The Royal Philharmonic OrchestraFind albums by this artist, conducted by Elgar HowarthFind albums by this artist, originally released as a 2LP album in 1971. The album contains the soundtrack of the film “200 MotelsFind albums with this title” and presents thirty-four tracks, all composed by Zappa. This is the only album by Zappa, which was not reissued / remastered as part of the 2012 reissue program, and was eventually released as part of the 50th Anniversary reissue in 2021, finally closing the gap. The Mothers, who recorded this music included, in addition to Zappa who played guitar and sung, vocalists Howard KaylanFind albums by this artist, Mark VolmanFind albums by this artist, Jimmy Carl BlackFind albums by this artist and Jim PonsFind albums by this artist, keyboardists George DukeFind albums by this artist and Ian UnderwoodFind albums by this artist (who also plays woodwinds), bassist Martin LickertFind albums by this artist, percussionist Ruth UnderwoodFind albums by this artist and drummer Aynsley DunbarFind albums by this artist. The music is an incredibly complex amalgam of Classical Music, Pop, Rock, comedy and satire. Although not the very first album to feature Rock and Symphony Orchestra, it is by far the most advanced, revolutionary and complex of all such attempts to this very day. Zappa included in this music his modern 20th Century Classical Music influences from Edgar VareseFind albums by this artist, Igor StravinskyFind albums by this artist and others. Zappa shows on this album that he is able to write music, which amalgamates anything between Avant-Garde Pop and Rock, Jazz, including Free Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion and contemporary orchestral Classical Music. He appears as the first “total musician” on the Pop / Rock scene, a status he was able to hold till the day he died. From day one his extravagant personality and brilliant intelligence marked him as an outsider, a fate shared by most geniuses. This album is often regarded as “peripheral” in his overall output, which is of course completely nonsensical and absurd. The whole concept of Zappa’s music was the complete disregard of genres and a firm belief that “music is one”, regardless how someone might wish to categorize it. In retrospect, this album is definitely one of his absolute Artistic apogees, although he never recorded anything which could be considered less important than anything else. Overall, although over fifty years passed since this music was recorded, this album remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb music, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Zappa’s genius, not only as a musician, but also as a visionary and a brilliant observer of the human condition and American folly and deceit, remain completely relevant and are even more actual today than ever. Side Note Frank Zappa created a vast recorded legacy during his lifetime, which is continuously being expanded using music recorded and stored in his extensive vault. The albums officially released and approved by Zappa are numbered sequentially in the "Official Release" series, from #001 to the last release so far #126. The albums between #001 to #062 were released during Zappa's lifetime and all the others were released posthumously. There are countless unofficial / bootleg releases on the market as well. Zappa's catalogue was remastered for CD release twice: in 1995 for the RykodiscFind albums on this label releases and again in 2012 for the ZappaFind albums on this label Records / UniversalFind albums on this label releases. The Zappa / Universal program includes 60 releases, which cover the entire catalog released during his lifetime (62 releases, except #013 "200 Motels" and the three Box Sets #043, #046 and #049 called "The Old Masters vol.I / II / III"), and 6 posthumous releases (#064, #065, #067, #068, #093 and #094), which were also included.

Updated: 15/05/2022Posted: 15/05/2022

CD 2 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ 200 MOTELS: THE SUITES ZAPPA 20019 (Barcode: 824302001929) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Classical Recorded: 2013 Released: 2015 This is the 101st album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, released posthumously in 2015. It presents the Classical Music components (in a form of thirteen suites) of the music originally composed for the soundtrack of the film “200 MotelsFind albums by this artist”, which was recorded originally in 1971 with his group The Mothers Of InventionFind albums by this artist and The Royal Philharmonic OrchestraFind albums by this artist, conducted by Elgar HowarthFind albums by this artist. Since the final soundtrack included only parts of this suites, this album presents them in their entirety for the first time, as recorded in 2013 by The Los Angeles PhilharmonicFind albums by this artist and The Los Angeles Master ChoraleFind albums by this artist, conducted by Finnish conductor / composer Esa-Pekka SalonenFind albums by this artist. Several actors / vocalists and additional musicians are also featured in the recording, including keyboardists Ian UnderwoodFind albums by this artist and Randy KerberFind albums by this artist, drummer Joe TraversFind albums by this artist, bassist Scott ThunesFind albums by this artist and guitarist Jamie KimeFind albums by this artist. This album shows the full scope of Zappa’s Classical Music ambitions and his ability to move directly to the very core its Avant-Garde facet, skipping over centuries of the legacy, which of course was unprecedented and largely misunderstood. The soundtrack of “200 Motels” is an incredibly complex amalgam of Classical Music, Pop, Rock, comedy and satire. Although not the very first album to feature Rock and Symphony Orchestra, it is by far the most advanced, revolutionary and complex of all such attempts to this very day. Zappa included in this music his modern 20th Century Classical Music influences from Edgar VareseFind albums by this artist, Igor StravinskyFind albums by this artist and others. Zappa showed that he is able to write music, which amalgamates anything between Avant-Garde Pop and Rock, Jazz, including Free Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion and contemporary orchestral Classical Music. He appears as the first “total musician” on the Pop / Rock scene, a status he was able to hold till the day he died. From day one his extravagant personality and brilliant intelligence marked him as an outsider, a fate shared by most geniuses. The “200 Motels” soundtrack is often regarded as “peripheral” in his overall output, which is of course completely nonsensical and absurd. The whole concept of Zappa’s music was the complete disregard of genres and a firm belief that “music is one”, regardless how someone might wish to categorize it. In retrospect, this album is definitely one of his absolute Artistic apogees, although he never recorded anything which could be considered less important than anything else. Overall, although over fifty years passed since this music was composed, this music remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb creativity, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Zappa’s genius, not only as a musician, but also as a visionary and a brilliant observer of the human condition and American folly and deceit, remain completely relevant and are even more actual today than ever.

Updated: 13/08/2022Posted: 13/08/2022

CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ ROAD TAPES VENUE #1 VAULTERNATIVE 20122 (Barcode: 824302012222) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 2012 This is the 92nd album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, released posthumously in 2012. This 2CD album was released on the VaulternativeFind albums on this label label and is the first of three “Road Tapes” releases, which document entire live performances by Zappa and The Mothers Of InventionFind albums by this artist. This performance was captured at Kerrisdale Arena, Vancouver BC, Canada on August 25, 1968. The album presents fourteen tracks, all composed by Zappa, except one track by Edgar VareseFind albums by this artist. The lineup includes, in addition to Zappa, who plays guitar and sings, woodwinds player Bunk GardnerFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Jim SherwoodFind albums by this artist, keyboardists Don PrestonFind albums by this artist and Ian UnderwoodFind albums by this artist, bassist Roy EstradaFind albums by this artist and drummers Jimmy Carl BlackFind albums by this artist and Art TrippFind albums by this artist. The live material reflects the highly experimental / improvisational character of the music, as well as the Avant-Garde approach to composition and Free Form improvisation, which characterized Jazz, but was unheard of in Rock music at the time. Comparison between the live versions on this album, which are up to twenty minutes in duration, with the studio albums, prove how unique every concert by Zappa and his groups was and how important it is for all that material to be available on records, which of course is possible only due to Zappa’s passion and dedication to document his performances. Overall, although almost fifty-five years passed since this music was recorded, this album remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb music, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Zappa’s genius, not only as a musician, but also as a visionary and a brilliant observer of the human condition and American folly and deceit, remain completely relevant and are even more actual today than ever.

Updated: 30/09/2022Posted: 11/08/2022

CD 2 Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ ZAPPA (SOUNDTRACK) ZAPPA 20035 (Barcode: 600753933527) ~ USA ~ Soundtracks Recorded: 1963 - 1993 Released: 2021 This is the 118th album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, released posthumously in 2021. As the title suggests, this is the soundtrack of the documentary feature film “Zappa”, directed by Alex WinterFind albums by this artist, six years in making, one of the most vivid and comprehensive overviews of Zappa’s career, life and the person, who was Frank Zappa. The 3CD album consists of two parts: The first two CDs present a chronological collection of Zappa’s recordings, covering his entire career, as well as some of his work with other artists. Some short monologues by Zappa, as well as works by Classical composers he admired (Igor StravinskyFind albums by this artist, Edgar VareseFind albums by this artist), are also present. Several of the tracks are previously unreleased. The third CD presents the original score for the film composed by John FrizzellFind albums by this artist and a few more Zappa tracks. Of course the mammoth and unprecedented career and the life of Zappa cannot be encapsulated by any book or movie. He was bigger than life and provided us with enough material for a lifetime of study of his work, philosophy and music. But any attempt, like this documentary, as long as it is honest and unbiased, is an important contribution to preserve Zappa’s legacy. Overall, although some of this music is available on other Zappa albums, the unique sequencing and career-spanning scope makes this album definitely worth having, as a memento of the greatest American musician of all time. It is, after all, a “soundtrack of his life”.

Updated: 03/10/2022Posted: 03/10/2022

CD 3 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend