Zappa Plays Zappa a.k.a 30 Years After
“The concept of the rock-guitar solo in the eighties has pretty much been reduced to: Weedly-weedly-wee, make a face, hold your guitar like it’s your weenie, point it heavenward, and look like you’re really doing something. Then, you get a big ovation while the smoke bombs go off, and the motorized lights in your truss twirl around!” – The Real Frank Zappa Book.
. . . while the complete absence of which makes me feel really happy, completely entertained and actually able to listen to some virtuoso guitaring. The sheer ingenuity and improvisation that underscored each of FZ’s live performances were never replicated and smacked of compositional brilliance. “Zappa’s work spanned virtually every contemporary genre including avant garde, big band, blues, contemporary classical, doo-wop, electronic music, funk, hard rock, jazz, jazz fusion, musique concrete, pop, progressive rock, proto-rap, reggae, rock, ska and world music. His music was often noted for its blend of high art, rock opera, absurdity, scatological humor and for its caustic satire.” – (courtesy: Wikipedia).
It was great fun to watch Zappa Plays Zappa at the Royal Albert Hall, week before last and for those in the fog, this is the show where Dweezil Zappa plays Frank Zappa’s music together with old time Zappa cronies, Steve Vai and Napoleon Murphy Brock. Zappa had played there some 30-odd years ago before being (literally) banned. Well, just remember, “Progress is not possible without deviation from the norm.”
Anyways, I had made plans in March to attend this concert with the tickets booked well in advance. Nandita and I arrived at the hall on time (thankfully, as I was in several investor meetings in the EC2 area and thereabouts all day). We found our way to the seats, just 50 feet away from the stage; so we got a really up-close-and-personal view of the proceedings through the evening. The show started at 7:30 PM with a screen montage from 1973’s Roxy and Elsewhere with FZ playing Montana and The Black Page.
The band then came on stage to play some incredibly improvised versions of FZ’s songs. We were floored listening to Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow and St. Alphonso’s Pancake Breakfast. As if that weren’t enough, the band branched off into an improv version of the Pink Panther Theme. Aaron Arntz, the keyboardist showed some incredible skill on the refurbished pipe organs at the Royal Albert Hall. He started off with the opening bars of Bach’s notoriously familiar Toccata and Fugue in D Minor before segueing into Peaches en Regalia – words fail me, listening to both these signature tunes just transported me into a blue dream.
Dweezil then played that familiar song from the Apostrophe album, you know the one that sounds like a space ship landing on an Andes mountain, ya… Inca Roads… Some of the songs played that evening like The Black Page and interludes in St Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast and Inca Roads were melodies that were not meant to be played on guitar. They were intended mostly for keyboards or melodic percussion and are not easy to play regardless of the instrument. This guy just worked this way through them superbly.
I was a trifle disappointed that Terry Bozzio could not perform at the London concert; having watched him play in the Baby Snakes movie as well as heard him play with Tony Levin and Steve Stevens in the Black Light Syndrome album. Well, this momentary pang of sadness was more than made up by Mr. Vai… and anyways, Broken Hearts Are for Assholes.
Steve Vai came on stage to play a guitar segue together with Dweezil from Montana before heading out to literal guitar abuse with a rendition of Zomby Woof. I mean, the audience just had their tongues out and drooling spittle all over the floor. He just took off with some deranged solos and incredibly wild fretwork. Thankfully, and I say this with great restraint, he stuck to being part of a team of great young musicians.
Other fantastic renditions included the Chunga’s Revenge” duet, with FZ conducting on video – we just listened in quiet awe at the sheer brilliance; Tell Me You Love Me (a.k.a the Beatles dedication which was rather tongue in cheek, I thought); tracks from Bongo Fury; Idiot Bastard Son; Hungry Freaks, Daddy; Pygmy Twylyte; Echidna’s Arf (Of You); Cheepnis; King Kong; Son of Orange County; Let’s Make the Water Turn Black; and Sofa (which closed the show).
The core band comprised Joe Travers on percussion, Pete Griffin on bass, Aaron Arntz on keyboards and backing vocals, Scheila Gonzales on horns, keyboards and backing vocals, Billy Hulting on melodic percussion and Jamie Kime on rhythm guitar. And saving the best for last, Napoleon Murphy Brock was just fucking awesome. He sang and danced like he was on an ecstatic high. It was simply a huge treat to see him perform – what an amazing depth of vocal prowess.
All in all an evening to remember; I am so thrilled we went. And I am waiting for the CD of this tour. Definitely a BEST BUY.
Peace
S