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ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA, 2006-2008

Dweezil Zappa is holding an American and European tours playing his father's music, spread out over the years 2006-2008. In Europe the band started on May 15th 2006 in the Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam, Holland. This year they are touring in the U.S. Visit zappaplayszappa for the bands schedule, photos and videos. On the photo from left to right: Ahmet, Gail and Dweezil Zappa (source Nobel PR Ltd, used by permission).
I visited the 2006 concert in Holland and I find it recommendable. The 2006 band consisted of Dweezil, six younger people and Napoleon Murphy Brock. Napoleon does about all the vocals and dancing. Guest appearances are by Terry Bozzio, Steve Vai and - as announced for some of the concerts - Ahmet. The show opened with footage of the Roxy and Elsewhere gigs, a smaller nightclub, where Zappa performed three nights in a row. Zappa informs the audiance that he can see everybody in the audiance for a change, instead of the blackness at the back of the larger halls.
The Zappa plays Zappa concert itself lasted two hours with a selection of Zappa's composition from the sixties and seventies. The band showed guts, doing some of the most difficult compositions as "Edchina's arf", "The black page" and "Punky's whips". I guess Frank would have been proud and the concert ended not only with applause for Dweezil's band but also with an ovation for Frank, asked for by Dweezil. Dweezil is thinking of making it a returning event.

PRESS RELEASE FOR "ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA ON TOUR AGAIN THIS SUMMER":

"Zappa Plays Zappa, the concert experience that brings the music of the late Frank Zappa to the stage, under the direction of Dweezil Zappa, will this summer again embark on a North American tour. The tour starts July 18 at Winnipeg's Centennial Hall with a total of 30 performance dates set for the tour's first leg which concludes in Los Angeles at the end of August. Following a break, Zappa Plays Zappa embarks on a 17 city European tour including dates in the UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

In concept and performance, Zappa Plays Zappa offers audiences an opportunity to spend an evening with Frank Zappa's music, performed meticulously by a group of top flight musicians who have been schooled in its subtleties. Far from a "tribute band," Zappa Plays Zappa is more of a vehicle that underscores the compositional genius of Frank Zappa much as a symphony orchestra would perform pieces by a master composer. Nate Chenen, writing about Zappa Plays Zappa in the New York Times recognized this when he wrote that the show fully realized Dweezil's intent for it to be "an argument for Frank Zappa's legitimacy as a composer."

Frank Zappa died in 1993 after a career that saw him record over 80 albums. Today, the younger Zappa and his band mates are taking full advantage of the wealth and breadth of the material contained therein. "What we're preparing to do for this tour is perhaps even more complex than what we did on the first tour," says Dweezil. "Last year we learned about 40 songs from a very popular period of Frank's career and this year we will be learning about 30 more new ones that are somewhat more obscure. The tour will include material from 'We're Only In It For The Money,' 'Absolutely Free,' 'Weasels Ripped My Flesh,' 'Joe's Garage,' 'You Are What You Is,' The Yellow Shark' and much more, including orchestral works."

Frank Zappa will be, quite literally, visible during the Zappa Plays Zappa concerts. Large screen video of Zappa will be accompanied musically by the band enabling concert goers who might never had the opportunity to see Frank Zappa on stage in person to have this experience first-hand. Dweezil will rotate Frank Zappa video performances over the course of the tour.

The band Dweezil (lead guitar) has assembled for this year's Zappa Plays Zappa is composed of veterans of last year's tour including Joe Travers (drums), Billy Hulting (percussion), Scheila Gonzalez (keyboards, saxophone, vocals), Aaron Arntz (keyboards/trumpet), Peter Griffin (bass) and Jaime Kime (rhythm guitar). Joining the tour this year is Ray White, the vocalist who toured and recorded with Frank Zappa during the period of such albums as " Tinsel Town Rebellion," " You Are What You Is" and " Zappa in New York" (his is the lead vocal on beloved song "The Illinois Enema Bandit").

Dweezil is also working on bringing Zappa Plays Zappa into the home with a feature length performance DVD that documents the 2006 tour. It is expected to be released early this summer, concurrent with the 2007 tour.

Zappa Plays Zappa is an undertaking with a higher purpose in mind beyond filling seats with concert goers. Dweezil Zappa explains, "I think my Dad's music deserves to be heard by a wider audience. I really think he's been misunderstood for far too long, which brings me back to why I'm doing this: I'm so in awe of his accomplishments and want more and more people to know about him, and I think the best way for people to first discover his music is on a visceral level in a live situation. I think you have to be confronted with the complexity and the beautiful subtlety of all of it to fully appreciate the artistry of it."


PROJECT/OBJECT TOUR 2007-2008, U.S.

Project/object is the name of a Zappa tribute band set up the nineties. They have performed at the 2007 Zappanale in Germany, announcing a new tour for the fall with Napoleon Murphy Brock as frontman. Visit Project/Object for the tour program and the latest dates. Next is their press release from 2007:

"Project/Object With Napoleon Murphy Brock Performing The Music of Frank Zappa Announces Fall Tour 2007. Hot Off 2006 ZPZ Tour Legendary Zappa Frontman Napoleon Murphy Brock Prepares to Amaze Audiences Once Again.

9/12/07 (New York, NY) Project/Object, the acclaimed and internationally known Frank Zappa repertoire band, is back with its "Fall Surge for Zappa Music" tour, October 10 thru 24, 2007. With former Zappa vocalist/saxophonist Napoleon Murphy Brock as the focal point of this particular installment of Project/Object, longtime fans can expect a unique and fresh lineup from the seasoned touring band - highlighting not only material from Brock's albums and tours with Zappa that started in 1974 - but also many tracks people have not heard him sing before. Napoleon's soulful vocals, and "exotic dancing" as Frank used to call it -- will help make Project/Object's fall tour a phenomenon. Brock is fresh off his lengthy stint as lead vocalist for Dweezil Zappa's ZPZ tour, and with Project/Object he just played the highlight set to record attendance at the annual Zappanale festival in Germany in August 2007."


ZAPPANALE FESTIVAL 2008, GERMANY

In Germany a yearly event is organised commemorating Frank Zappa. Visit Zappanale for their current program as well as photos of all past events. This years event takes place in August, I'll update this section shortly. Here follows the head of their mail announcement for last years festival:
"Bad Doberan, Germany - June 1, 2007 Organizers of the Zappanale, the annual festival devoted to the late Frank Zappa, have announced that band alumnus Napoleon Murphy Brock will appear at this summer's 18th annual gathering. Thomas Dippel, president of Arf-Society, the German not-for-profit organization behind the festival, said, "Napoleon Murphy Brock joining us is just one more reason why the Zappanale will be the world's premiere Zappa experience this summer. Fans will be able to see four Zappa alumni who have their own musical ventures and also choose to honor Frank's legacy with their presence." This year's festival headliner is renowned former Zappa drummer Chad Wackerman. Former Mother of Invention Don Preston will appear with his Akashic Ensemble, and long-time Zappa front-man Ike Willis will perform with his protégés Project/Object."


THE ZAPPA FAMILY TRUST

This trust, run by Zappa's wife Gail and her children, is administering all Zappa business other than the Rykodisc catalogue (see below). It includes selling scores and videos, granting permissions to play the scores in public and controlling the tape archive. Ever since Zappa's death, fans have been lobbying for more releases from the tapes. Rumours circulate about the contents of unfinished projects and treasures that Gail Zappa would be obstructing to be released. The content of Zappa's will hasn't been made public, but you have to take into account that Zappa himself has expressed that with "Ahead of their time" he found that the number of live compilations from the tapes had been sufficient. He saw no use in coming up with still more versions of the same songs.
The Zappa Family Trust policy has been moderate at first, but more recently they are turning up the pace of new releases. Their issues are available sometimes only via the www.zappa.com site, others also reach the record stores. They are listed under the CDs and scores section.

There are still some scores however that are waiting for a complete regular release:
- Some ballet music. A modern piece, that was part of the 1968 Mothers of Invention tour program. It is known via the "The ark" bootleg.
- 200 Motels, the suites. See below at the Holland Festival section.
- Sinister Footwear. This three part orchestra piece was first performed by The Berkeley Symphony Orchestra in 1984 with Kent Nagano conducting. Parts II and III have been released in rock band versions.
- String quartet/quintet. Three parts have been performed by the Ensemble Modern on "The yellow shark" as "None of the above" movements.
- Wind quintet/Times Beach. Parts II and III have been performed by the Ensemble Modern on the same CD.


RYKODISC

Zappa's early death in 1993 followed upon a struggle for years against prostate cancer. At the end it wasn't unexpected. Shortly before his death he decided to sell the entire CD catalogue to Rykodisc, so that his wife wouldn't be bothered with the administration of it.
Rykodisc is handling the distribution with care, all CDs are carrying the original album covers and inner sleeves. As all record companies do, Rycodisc every now and then comes up with alternative compilations, collectors items and thematic collections. "Cheap thrills" and "Son of cheap thrills" are offering a low budget introduction to Zappa for people unfamiliar with his music.
The availability of Zappa's CDs is good. The larger record stores in the major cities are usually displaying about the whole catalogue, the smaller ones can't afford to have such a large collection in stock. But they can order them individually at request.


THE ENSEMBLE MODERN AND THE ASKO ENSEMBLE


The Ensemble Modern plays Zappa (photo by Allegri film/VPRO)

Both these classicaly trained ensembles specialize in performing music by modern composers and have a continuing interest in Zappa's modern compositions (see also below at the Holland Festival). The Ensemble Modern by now has three Zappa CD on their albums list, "The yellow shark", "Everything is healing nicely" and the November 2003 release "Greggery Peccary & other persuasions" (see the seperate Ensemble Modern section for track listings). According to a Ali Askin interview (who was hired by Zappa as an arranger for the Yellow shark project and others) by Thomas Fichter, the origins of this CD lead back to 1996. After the 1996 US tour by the Ensemble Modern, that included Yellow shark pieces, three of it's member visited Gail Zappa, who informed them about the existance of the Greggery Peccary scores. It was in a closet of which she had lost the key. So this closet was broken up and the unpublished scores came into light. It wasn't completely identical to the Studio Tan version. According to Ali Askin their were parts on the album without underlying scores as well as written out parts that never reached the album. Ali arranged this piece as well as synclavier music for the new release. For further information, visit www.ensemble-modern.com.

On the 4th and 6th of December 2003, the Asko Ensemble has performed several synclavier pieces from among others "Jazz from hell". On the program were:
- Outrage at Valdez
- Outside now again
- Get whitey
- Beltway bandits
- Night school
- Jazz from hell
- G-spot tornedo
The arrangements for this specific occasion are delivered by Ali Askin, Django Bates, Ron Ford and Corrie van Binsbergen (see also below).


HOLLAND FESTIVAL 2000

After the 1981 debacle, when negotiations failed and ended with a malcontent Zappa, the board of the Dutch Holland Festival returned to the idea of making Zappa the central composer of the festival in 2000. This time the Zappa business was handled by Gail Zappa and things could get realized. The festival program parts about Zappa consisted of six concerts and events. Three are commented upon below. The other evenings dealt with films, lectures and "Civilisation, phaze III". All performances took place in Amsterdam, Holland.

I) 200 Motels, the suites.

200 Motels, the suites, was reassembled by Zappa's earlier assistent Ali N. Askin at the request of Gail Zappa. It could be made up from the archives with the pieces meant for a live performance by The London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1971. About 80% coincides with the 1971 album version of 200 Motels. The other 20% is unreleased. The set up of 200 Motels, the suites, is:

- Overture
- We're on the road
- Centerville
- Tuna sandwich suite
- The restaurant scene
- Touring can make you crazy
- What's the name of your group?
- Can I help you with this dummy?
- The peated gazelle
- I'm stealing the room
- Shove it right in
- Penis dimension
- Strictly genteel

The unreleased material deals with a groupie, adressing herself to the audiance. She's asking if she can take a polaroid picture and then continues confessing that she likes masturbating with the aid of a dummy. "Can I help you with this dummy?" is about the girl being sexually excited by the dummy, while a certain Rance first asks if he can help. Later on Rance gets disgraced as he understands what the girl was doing, while she's trying to apologize. The score was first published in the The Frank Zappa Songbook from 1973. Zappa comments: "Can I help you..." was originally scheduled for use in 200 Motels but was excluded due to technical difficulties beyond...".
200 Motels, the suites, was premiered on June 23 in the Carré theatre, with a second concert on June 24 (flyer above, there's no information about the image designer on it). It was performed by the Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra and the Amsterdam Capella choir with Jurjen Hempel conducting.

II) A tribute to Frank Zappa

Bruce Fowler arranged a series of Zappa compositions for the Metropole Orchestra for a concert in the Paradiso. Bruce Fowler was the trombone player in Zappa's band from 1972 to 1975 and returned in the brass section of the 1988 band.
On the program were among others "The grand wazoo", "Duke of prunes", "Regyptian strut", "Big swifty", "Edchina's arf (of you)" and "Don't you ever wash that thing".

III) Greggery Peccary & Other persuasions

The Ensemble Modern made a short tour with a sequel to "The yellow shark" in 2000. Concerts were held in Germany and the Ensemble visited the Holland Festival as well. The Zappa Family Trust cooperators Ali N. Askin and Todd Yvega delivered the scores and rearranged them for the ensemble.
The concert included "The adventures of Greggery Peccary", "The black page", "Dental Hygiena Dilemma" and "The dangerous kitchen". In total twelve compositions were played in the Concertgebouw. It was the third time that Zappa got played in this famous Dutch concerthall. The Ensemble Modern had earlier made a guest appearance with material from "The yellow shark". In 1999 the Asko Ensemble had played Zappa's music as part of the American Adventures program. On June 25 1999 five of Zappa's modern pieces were performed, along with compositions by Conlon Nancarrow, Charles Ives and Edgar Varèse.


TRIBUTES, ZOOT-SUIT I

The interest by musicians in playing Zappa's music is ongoing, by tribute bands as well as by classical ensembles. Due to his illnes in 1993 Zappa was forced to refrain from visiting the "Zappa's universe" shows with many of his former band members participating. An audacious attempt at a tribute has been done by Corrie van Binsbergen, who wrote original material in the style of her admired composer.
Corrie, a Dutch jazz composer and bandleader, included a tribute to Zappa in her 1997 album "Corrie en de grote brokken" (in English "Corrie and the big lumps"). It's a suite of five compositions, "Zoot-Suit I" through "V". In this page I've transcribed the first half minute of "Zoot-Suit I". The reminiscance of Zappa is intential and well done. It starts with a variation upon the "Ich bin deine Tage und Nächte" theme from "Sofa" (German for "I am your days and nights"). In this study the "Zappa in New York" version of this melody is transcribed as the second guitar theme in the "Sofa" example from the Counterpoint subpage. The movement through various keys, the use of strings of fast notes are remindful of Zappa, as well as a harmonic surprise effect. In bar 3 the melody ends with G going to D. You might expect this to return in bars 8 and 9, but here the G moves to a 9th chord, E flat plus F and B flat. The instrumentation, especially the use of vibes, are also Zappa-stylish.

Zoot-Suit I, opening (midi file)

Zoot-Suit I, opening (transcription).

For further information about Corrie van Binsbergen you can visit a site by a fan of hers, www.sofa.demon.nl. The photo above of Corrie van Binsbergen is copied from this site, source unknown.


DOCUMENTARIES BY FRANK SCHEFFER AND VPRO

Frank Scheffer is a Dutch documentary and filmmaker with a special interest in music. He's made a trilogy about the composers Mahler, Louis Andriessen and Zappa. The Zappa documentary has been presented in two forms that don't overlap completely.
The first one of 60 minutes, "Phase I, the present composer refuses to die", was broadcasted by VPRO on Dutch tv in 2000. The second edition of 2002, "Phase II, the big note", was shown in cinemas. It lasted 90 minutes, mostly an extended version of the tv documentary, but not everything returned.
Subjects coming by are Zappa's guest appearance in a 1962 Steve Allen show (where he played on a bicycle), an Australia tv interview with Zappa conducting the audiance, a visit of the tape vault, looking for Zappa's teenage home, where he used to play with Don van Vliet, and many more. The image is from the DocuZone flyer, advertising the film; it has no credit information.
In April 2007 the Dutch TV broadcasting entity VPRO has once more been coming out with documentaries about Zappa. The Frank Scheffer material reached the set in two episodes of an hour each. They were also behind the TV special from 1970 about the making of 200 Motels, that caused some rumour in Dutch parliament. In the special Zappa demonstrated the use of a vacuum cleaner for "stimulating pies" and made no secret of his fondness of groupies, while being married.