Zappa plays Zappa

[colterphoto1]

Anyone seen any of this tour? Fish sez it's coming roung to Louisville in Dec and I'm seriously thinking about it. Only $50.

Zappa Plays Zappa: Best Band He Never Heard in His Life

By NATE CHINEN


Published in the New York Times: June 14, 2006

The
bad news is that the band featured in Zappa Plays Zappa, the sprawling
tribute that touched down at the Beacon Theater on Monday night, was
upstaged by an opening act. The good news is that the opening act was
Frank Zappa.

No, he didn't materialize. But as the house
lights darkened for some rarely seen video of Zappa and the Mothers of
Invention at the Roxy in 1973, the effect was more than a little
séancelike. There he was, a study in lanky gravity, deadpanning about
dental floss on "Montana" and developing a corkscrew guitar solo on
"Dupree's Paradise." The video ran longer than a half-hour, long enough
for the audience to feel transported.

The guitarist
Dweezil Zappa, Frank Zappa's son, knew exactly what he was doing when
he arranged for this overture. Mr. Zappa has described his touring
production as more than the first family-sanctioned salute to his
father, who died in 1993. It's intended as an argument for Frank
Zappa's legitimacy as a composer and as an outreach to a new generation
of listeners.

On Monday it was all those things, to
varying degrees. (The outreach was the least successful effort; most of
the crowd looked old enough to have been at that Roxy show.) Mr. Zappa
led a sharp assemblage of musicians in a program complete with
harrowing intricacies, inscrutable grandiosities and several of his
father's alumni as featured guests.

Chief among them was
the saxophonist and flutist Napoleon Murphy Brock, who handled lead
vocals for most of the night. Mr. Brock sounded comfortable even with
the music's most angular intervals. And he was deliciously goofy and
sardonic, often bounding or whirling about the stage.

Those
energies helped compensate for Mr. Zappa's demeanor, which was serious,
even studious, in tone. His lone attempt at conducting doubled as a
dose of audience participation and underscored his father's superior
authority in both areas.

But Mr. Zappa's guitar playing
was duly impressive he imbued "Inca Roads" with the proper
combination of spacey atmosphere and feverish technique and his
careful organization of the concert was evident. Moreover, his egoless
approach cleared a space for Mr. Brock and the other guests, the
drummer Terry Bozzio and the guitarist Steve Vai.

Mr.
Bozzio's natural showpiece was "Black Page," a drum feature originally
composed with him in mind, and he handled its notorious convolutions
what Frank Zappa once called its "statistical density" with power and
flair. Mr. Vai was equally gripping, and more musical, on a medley of
"Montana," a bucolic "Village of the Sun" and a tricky "Echidna's Arf
(Of You)."

But again, the biggest guest was Frank Zappa
himself, who reappeared onscreen more than three hours into the
concert. This time he played a guitar solo on "Chunga's Revenge," and
his son's musical coterie supported him, so to speak, with unobtrusive
passion.

[colterphoto1]

DATE

CITY/COUNTRY

VENUE

ON SALE

Oct 18

Denver, Colorado

Paramount Theatre

On-Sale Now

Oct 19

Kansas City, Missouri

Ameristar Casino

On Sale Now

Oct 20

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Orpheum Theatre

On Sale Now

Oct 22

Canton, Ohio

Canton Palace Theatre

On Sale Now

Oct 23

Buffalo, New York

University of Buffalo

On Sale Now

Oct 24

Montreal, Quebec

Metropolis

On Sale Now

Oct 25

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence Performing Arts Center

On Sale Now

Oct 27

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Borgata

On Sale Now

Oct 29

Wallingford, Connecticut

Chevrolet Theatre

On Sale Now

Oct 30

Washington, DC

Warner Theatre

On Sale Now

Oct 31

New York, New York

Theater at Madison Square Garden

On Sale Now

Dec 10

Boca Raton, Florida

Mizner Amphitheater

Pre-Sale: 9/27

On Sale Now

Dec 11

Orlando, Florida

Hard Rock Live

Pre-Sale: 9/27

On Sale Now

Dec 12

Atlanta, Georgia

Tabernacle

Pre-Sale: 9/27

On Sale Now

Dec 13

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville Palace

Pre-Sale: 9/27

On Sale Now

Dec 14

St. Louis, Missouri

The Pageant

Pre-Sale: 9/27

On Sale Now

Dec 16

Dallas, Texas

Nokia Theater

Pre-Sale: 9/27

On Sale Now

Dec 17

Houston, Texas

Verizon Wireless Theater

Pre-Sale: 9/27

On Sale Now

Dec 18

New Orleans, Louisiana

House of Blues

Pre-Sale: 9/ 27 (Tickets with soundcheck access)

On Sale Now

Dec 20

Vancouver, British Columbia

Orpheum Theater

Pre-Sale: 10/18 @ noon

Dec 21

Portland, Oregon

Roseland Theater

Pre-Sale: 9/27

On Sale Now

Dec 22

Seattle, Washington

Paramount Theater

Pre-Sale: 9/27

On Sale Now

Dec 30

Cabazon, California

Key Club @ Morongo

*Please note that Terry Bozzio will not be performing at this show.

Pre-Sale: 9/27 (Tickets with soundcheck access)

On Sale Now

[Mike Lindsey]

Hmmm.... Dec 11th in Orlando at the Hard Rock...

[Audible Nectar]

I haven't but know a few hard core Zappa fans who have (and one will be seeing it for a second time in Denver at the Paramount). I am told this is an excellent tour - and the Palace in Louisville is a mahhhhhhhvelous venue.....therefore I won't do anything to talk you out of it[]

Might wanna make sure it jives with your new work schedule, though[]

[oldbuckster]

HOT RATS should answer any question about Frank Zappa's Guitar skills..........

[jackpod]

Ob, along with Waka Jawaka, Grand Wazzo, Jazz From Hell and at least the 55 other CD's I have not to mention a yard of vinyl and from what I understand I only have about half of his works

I sure wish the tour was coming even somewhat close to Flagstaff

[colterphoto1]

It sounds like there are very many Frank Alum on the tour. Steve Vai, Napoleon Murphey Brock, Terry Bozzio. But no guarantee of which guest stars will arrive nightly.

St Louis is mid week right after I start at Klispch- probably a bad idea to hit a concert out of town that night. Durn. But I've made plenty of great shows this summer and I'll bet they put a DVD out of the tour next year.

M

[oldtimer]

Thanks for the heads up and congrats to you Michael.

[Fish]

Thanks for the post M.I had a friend just the other day ask me about goin'looks like I might.

[coltrane]

Good Evening,

Colterphoto go see this show!! I was at the Toronto show this summer and it has to be one of the best I have ever been to. I had the opportunity to see Steve Vai and Terry Bozzio but Napoleon was called away on a family emergency unfortunately. The backing band that dweezil is touring with is just phenomenal especially the drummer who really sounds like Frank himself ( haunting). I cannot recommend this show enough, you should definitely treat yourself.

Enjoy

Delano

[khorn51]

I was at the Boston show this summmer go see It.

One of the best.

[Champagne taste beer budget]

I've been trying to understand "200 Motels" for a couple weeks now, but am a big fan of Frank. I'd love to go to the MPLS show, looks like available seating isn't too bad, but have prior commitments that prevent it.

[colterphoto1]

"I've been trying to understand "200 Motels" for a couple weeks now,"

ROTFL- very good, there isn't much understanding it, especially the interview with the animator who's ripped out of his mind on something or other - "there really isn't much difference between the disco and the torture chamber of days of yore"- wtf? But the claymation is excellent as is the bands live performance.

M

[Audible Nectar]

It sounds like there are very many Frank Alum on the tour. Steve Vai, Napoleon Murphey Brock, Terry Bozzio. But no guarantee of which guest stars will arrive nightly.

St Louis is mid week right after I start at Klispch- probably a bad idea to hit a concert out of town that night. Durn. But I've made plenty of great shows this summer and I'll bet they put a DVD out of the tour next year.

M

I wouldn't make a bet on that. The Zappa family trust is notoriously SLOOOOOOOOOW at getting to anticipated/announced projects. They are still dusting off much of the old archives, and tend to be a few years late releasing already promised projects. If you want to see this, don't wait for the DVD......you might be old and grey before that happens.

And YES, there are LOTS of Zappa band alumni on this tour, and a different lineup/combo nightly.

[colterphoto1]

I REALLY cannot go to this show- it's my second day on the new job and a 2 hour drive to/from Louisville.

ARRRGGGGH

[Mike Lindsey]

I'm going... I'll tell you how it is...

[JBryan]

Just found this thread - very cool. I'll try to catch the show when it swings through DC. Another band that does Zappa well is the Ed Palermo Big Band ( http://www.palermobigband.com ). They came through Baltimore a few weeks back and really put on a great show. The band was huge - at least fifteen players on stage and the venue (Sonar) made it a tight fit.

It isn't a tribute band per se as they don't play Zappa's tunes note-for-note or try to recreate a Zappa show but they certainly have the chops and prefer to "interpret" Zappa and make his compositions their own - more of a homage, I suppose.

They play out of NYC and I doubt they can afford to do a lot of traveling. The logistics of moving 15+ people around on a small venue tour would be prohibitive. In fact, I can only assume that they were in Baltimore because their record company is in the area and they were having a CD release show. Great music and a free CD - what more could you ask for?

"Ed Palermo is a alto sax player and arranger; he has had a big band for twenty-five years, which is an impressive feat in itself, and has had his band performing the music of Frank Zappa for over a decade. Years and years of playing these pieces in front of enthusiastic crowds at a number of venues in New York City and beyond have honed the bands skills with this difficult material to where they can glide through these charts as if they were butter. There are a number of ensembles performing the music of this great 20th century American composer, but no one does it with this ease, skill and originality; Ed is not afraid to turn a piece into a salsa number (the title track) or to take what was a one minute miniature and to develop it out into a six minute work. The band is a 15 piece ensemble of 6 woodwind players, two trumpeters, three trombonists, two keyboardists, bass and drums, plus a few guests. All of these musicians are NYC professionals, and they have been playing this music for years with Ed, because, like Ed, they recognize and appreciate the genius inherent in the huge body of Zappa's work, and they want to keep this great music alive and in front of the public.

"[Palermo's] wisely chosen to emphasize Zappa's early and mid-career work, as that's the music which is more fluid and graceful--and more apt to swing....reveals the lighthearted playfulness and rhythmic intelligence at the core of Zappa's best work..." - Downbeat.

"In arranging Zappa's tunes for big band, Ed Palermo has thrown new light on his legacy while retaining the composer's original melodic and harmonic designs. The arrangements also leave plenty of room for the band's gifted soloists..." - The Washington Post."

[stringmun1]

Just bought tickets last evening for the New Orleans show @ HOB on Dec 18th. Can't wait...had to listen to Apostophe last nite! Will post a show review post 12-18.

stringmun1

[colterphoto1]

An old band-buddy from Indy called last night- he wants to go to the Louisville show. If he drives, I could nap, and make it to work the next day. HMMMMMM

M

[Islander]

Just got home from the Zappa Plays Zappa concert in Victoria. Dweezil and the band rocked the house! The venue was the McPherson Playhouse, a 600-seat classic concert hall with balcony on top and boxes on the side and the sound was EXCELLENT. Loud enough to need loosely-fitting earplugs, but clear enough to hear every word and every note perfectly.

All eight band members played really well, but Dweezil is a real guitar master. I had no idea, and I was really impressed. He may not have written the music, but he played it at least as well as Frank, technically maybe even better, if you can believe it.

After the concert, Dweezil waited in the lobby and signed merchandise, even just tickets, and was happy to have his picture taken with fans. Yes, I have a shot of Dweezil and me taken with my cellphone camera. He seemed a very pleasant guy.

As well, paper slips were given out at the entrance, which entitled the holders to download the concert some time in the near future, "when he gets done mixing it". The slips were also raffle tickets and about a third of the way into the show, Dweezil picked a ticket and the lucky winner got a really nice cherry-finish Hagstrom guitar. When the guy got on stage, Dweezil asked him if he played and the answer was no. "No problem, you're playing tonight!" Dweezil showed him a chord to play and three strings to pick and got him going on rhythm and then the band joined in with Dweezil playing lead. The guy stuck to his three strings and the tone was really good, then at the end of the song he took a bow and was ushered to the side of the stage. Very cool!

Later in the lobby, he walked by with his autographed guitar in its autographed case, with congrats from everyone who saw him.

Unlike the 2006 shows that are described earlier in this thread, the only indication of Frank himself is his moustache on the bass drum with the two drums above it lit to look like sunglasses above the moustache. I guess Dweezil now has the confidence to step out of his dad's shadow, even if he's playing his music. It's definitely a show to see.