Let's be Frank...All things Zappa!

Wavels

Well-Known Member
This is an homage to Frank Zappa.
It is due to Frank that I became interested in different types of music.
Classical and Jazz have been passions of mine because I started to listen to Zappa.
Frank was a singular and gigantic talent the likes of which rarely grace us mere mortals with their blinding genius.
Thanks Frank!


All things Zappa...

 
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oldtimer54

Well-Known Member
I had the great fortune of meeting a Duke University Grad student back in the late 70's who introduced my friends and I to Frank Zappa .......I seem to remember Titties and Beer as the song that I first heard .This same guy also introduced us to the first Skunk weed we ever smoked. He literally changed our lives and he dissapeared just as quickly as he appeared. I still think about him from time to time.... .David Rosin thank you wherever you are !!!
 

vostok

Well-Known Member
I love this guy and his music words, too many coneheads fuck him off, but his son was carrying his flame....I havn't heard of his son in some time
 

Wavels

Well-Known Member

This breathtakingly beautiful instrumental was released in 1969.
Listen to how fresh it sounds!!!!!!!! Amazing!
Simply beautiful.
Thanks Frank!!!!



This tune haunts my dreams...
 

panhead

Well-Known Member
I love this guy and his music words, too many coneheads fuck him off, but his son was carrying his flame....I havn't heard of his son in some time
Dweezil is still killin it with Zappa Plays Zappa , releasing videos , albums & touring all the time around the globe .

You can find out when Zappa plays Zappa is comming near your area by calling the Barking Pumpkin hotline at 818-786 - 7546 or thru the zappa website .
 

panhead

Well-Known Member
Great thread wavels , i cant think of a more important musician in my lifetime , so many innovations he accomplished in music composition have went unthanked by the music industry it sickens me .

Frank was the 1st Composer to incorporate the use of pedals on miked saxaphone , he was also the 1st Composer to use electrified Marimba Vibes in compositions ,his 40 yr old composition The Black Page is still the benchmark of musical achievement for all drummers, Franks style of using complicated super imposed rythms over time & odd order time is unrivaled to this day by any composer ,the music industry said he had no rythmic composition ability or marketability & shunned him .

Frank discovered & gave the 1st shot at the big time for 2 of the biggest rock bands in history when he discovered Alice Cooper & produced Grand Funks 1st album , Frank also taught Paul Schaffer from David Lettermans band how to conduct an orchestra with zero thanks from Paul durring Pauls tribute to the best musical acts to appear on Letterman , lil asswipe he is .

He submitted his 1st Orchestral works with a piece of chamber music at age 17 & Zuben Madea didnt believe a kid could compose serious orchestral music , he taught himself to conduct full orchestras with authority & perfect time by reading a public library book .

It pisses me off that Dweezil won a Grammy for his rendition of one of the most important pieces of music since Beethovens 5th & the Grammy dicks refused to televise Dweezils acceptance of the award & him dedicating the award back to his father , how fucking cool is that where Frank dedicated the album to Dweezil when he was born & Dweezil won a grammy for a song off the album , then dedicated it back to his dad & the grammy morons needed more time for Taylor Swift & Beyonce to do some lip sync teen heart throb bullshit music & never aired the clip & presented him the award to an empty audience with only Gail Zappa & Their kids Diva , Ahmet & Moon Unit in the entire building .

After hearing Freak Out for the 1st time is what inspired me to play guitar in the 1st place , then after hearing Frank play The Translvania Boogie & blow away any composition Hendrix ever did , then get zero critical acclaim i knew how ignorant & biased the music industry was , Jimi Hendrix was illeterate musically but he got critical acclaim as the worlds best guitarist while Zappas compositions were light years ahead of Hendrixs ability to play .

My whole family is into FZ , even my wife was familiar with Franks orchestral works growing up in Beirut Lebanon while 99% of Americans are clueless that America produced a composer who's works are viewed as genius by the orchestral music world & that the London Symphony Orchestra was not able to perform his compositions to their fullest , the LSO made many mistakes while recording the sessions , i'd love to see Snoop Dog or Kid Rock compose music that stumps the worlds most accomplished & most capable orchestra such as the LSO but Kid Rock & Snoop Dog are geniouses , sheer ignorance .

My wife & i both mourned Franks death & still to this day wont watch his last interview , Frank had such an impact on us he's like family , some songs we cant even listen too anymore because the beauty touched us in such a way we feel only sadness , Peaches En Regallia is one of them , Watermellon in Easter hay from Joes Garage will make me burst into tears & we rarely listen to it .

Im gonna have alot more to post in this fan tastic thread , anybody not familiar with FZ should watch the links provided & discover America produced a composer who history will remember alongside the likes of Beethoven, Stravinski & Varees , infact Stravinski played some pieces of Zappas music before he passed away .
 

panhead

Well-Known Member
surprised @panhead hasn't checked in yet
I spent the afternoon at the internal medicine surgeons office discussing my wife's recent fecal smear results , apparently they botched her surgery last month & she's suffering from internal bleeding , meaning they have to go back in to find the vessel & cuaterize it , I had to start drinking hard at 2 pm this afternoon to even cope with the news , I love that woman so much if that god dammed surgeon don't fix her & she don't pull through I'm putting a slug in his head & calling the cops to come fetch me , life ain't worth living without her so I may as well take out the bastard who fucked her up , I told his fucking ass today that if she don't pull thru I'm holding him personally responsible as a man not a doctor & he knows I meant it , the sorry fuck .

Anyhow on to FZ , this thread made my day , thanks to wavels for posting it and thanks to barnbuster for hipping me up to it , gotta dig out some links I really dig .
 

panhead

Well-Known Member

This breathtakingly beautiful instrumental was released in 1969.
Listen to how fresh it sounds!!!!!!!! Amazing!
Simply beautiful.
Thanks Frank!!!!



This tune haunts my dreams...
I love Hot Rats and understand where your coming from , Peaches has that effect on me but the hardest one for me to hear is Watermelon in Easter Hay , its almost like Frank wrote about his own death & Warren Cucurillo had to play Franks Swan Song 30 years before his death , i'll set the clip up for those who don't know the album set Joes Garage .

Joe is a Barbarian with a wrench in his pocket , he is also a musician , there is an evil monitoring system in place to monitor people & their communications known as The Central Scrutinizer & he has made all music illegal , Joe is in prison for not obeying the law & he knows the end is near , he goes into his ugly little room & quietly dreams his last imaginary guitar solo .

I love where Joes imaginary solo hits those notes & Ray White sings " Well that one did the trick ! If they only coulda heard it while they were suckin on each others dicks " , the melody is very sad in its nature making it & the context it was wrote about seem as if Frank wrote the song about his own slow death that took him away from his 1st love , writing & playing music .

Here's his son Dweezil playing Watermelon in Easter hay , I cried when I watched Dweezil play the song & in this clip Dweezil can't hold back his own tears , its the 2nd song that always makes Dweezil & the audience cry .

 

panhead

Well-Known Member
This album Jazz from Hell was composed entirely on the synclavier computer because it was capable of playing the chords its impossible for humans to play , it was later simplified & arranged for orchestral performances .

Here's Frank very near death conducting the orchestra , when the piece was finished the audience gave Frank a 25 minute long standing ovation , keep in mind his audience is all made up of hard core modern classical music enthusiasts , many of whom are professional orchestral musicians themselves so they have an ear for perfection .

This was Franks last appearance when he was weeks from death with inoperable stage 4 prostate cancer , he couldn't even attend a gig in his honor titled Zappa's universe later that month & died shortly after this appearance .

Keep in mind this man taught himself to conduct full orchestras from a simple old library book when it takes others a life time of study , calling Frank a genius is an understatement , even Stravinsky didn't get 25 minute standing ovations .

The modern composer & conductor at work & near death , I'm a classical music fan & this performance makes me teary eyed .

 

panhead

Well-Known Member
Here's a good performance of the Transylvania Boogie by ex Duran Duran guitar player & the guitar master behind all the intricate playing on Zappa's Joes garage .

Warren Cucurillo .

 
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