Last week, Humble Grumble did a couple of performances in Belgium and Holland. I went to see them in Sint-Niklaas, and it was a blast. The band has been performing and recording for almost fifteen years and although the band resides in Ghent (which only is a one-hour drive from where I live), I had never seen them in concert before. I guess they just don't do that many concerts, or maybe the announcements never made it to the United Mutations Headquarters.
At the Sint-Niklaas concert, the band mostly played songs from their latest album, "Flanders Fields". The concert was great, and so is the album. Humble Grumble has the ability to mix different musical styles and genres. Some might say that this makes them sound zappa-esque. Others, however, might add that they just make excellent music.
Arf is an experimental rock trio from Switzerland. The band consists of Yanik Soland (bass), Flavio Gallacchi (drums) and Stefan Strittmatter (guitar).
Stefan Strittmatter's name should ring the proverbial bell as he's also the guitar player in FidoPlaysZappa, a band that already has released some fine albums and that made quite an impression at last year's Zappanale festival. The Arf trio has also performed at Zappanale. July 2004. Still one of the best concerts that I saw in my Zappanale career.
And now there's "Arf And The Black Brainbow Machine". It's album number four and I'm happy to tell you that Arf is still kicking ass. The music of Arf combines dense drumming, some terrific guitar playing, an unbelievable bass and some great vocals. I'm a fan. Just take a look at the below videos and you can see / hear what I mean.
"Arf And The Black Brainbow Machine" is an impressive album. Love the artwork and the service manual. Great.
March 14, 2012, Elvis Peeters, Josse De Pauw and Tonnus Oosterhoof will be reciting from their literary works. Corrie van Binsbergen will take care of the music.
Corrie van Binsbergen gitaar, Tineke de Jong viool, Baptist Kurvers altviool, Saartje van Camp cello, Jan Willem van der Ham fagot/altsax, Jasper Blom tenorsax/klarinet, Joost Buis trombone, Albert van Veenendaal (geprepareerde) piano, Hein Offermans bas, Alan Purves percussie
Last Sunday, Yudjin and I drove to Amsterdam to catch De Brokkenfabriek for a Sunday afternoon concert.
Stichting Brokken organises workshops. Each workshop ends with a concert. The band that plays these concerts after each workshop, is called De Brokkenfabriek. So there's always different musicians. Last February (or This February, if you prefer), the workshop was around the music of Frank Zappa. It all happened under the supervision of Joost Dieho.
Quite interesting. And worth crossing the border.
YP was there also, so there's a couple of audience recordings to be found on Zappateers. And PB was there as well, and he brought his camera...
Son Of Mr. Green Genes Blessed relief I'm The Slime King Kong Watermelon In Easter Hay Zappa Medley (Let's Make The Water Turn Black / Harry, You're A Beast / Son Of Orange County)
featuring NAPOLEON MURPHY BROCK TOM FOWLER CHRISTOPHER GARCIA ROBBIE SEAHAG MANGANO DON PRESTON
2012/04/24 concert 'Stubbs', Austin TX 2012/04/26 concert 'Tipitinas @ at French Qrtr', New Orleans LA 2012/04/27 concert 'Smith's', Atlanta GA 2012/04/28 concert 'Cat's Cradle', Carrboro NC 2012/04/30 concert 'Ramshead', Annapolis MD 2012/05/01 concert 'Hamilton', Wash DC 2012/05/02 concert 'Infinity Hall', Norfolk CT 2012/05/03 concert 'Iridium ', New York NY (2 shows) 2012/05/04 concert 'Iridium ', New York NY (2 shows) 2012/05/05 concert 'World Café Live', Wilmington DE 2012/05/06 concert 'Rex Th.', Pittsburgh PA 2012/05/08 concert 'Beachland Ballroom', Cleveland OH 2012/05/09 concert 'Magic Bag', Detroit MI 2012/05/10 concert 'Martyrs', Chicago IL 2012/05/11 concert 'Cedar Cultural Ctr.', Minneapolis MN 2012/05/12 concert 'Bourbon Th.', Lincoln NE 2012/05/13 concert '', Denver CO or Boulder CO 2012/05/15 concert 'State Room', Salt Lake City UT
Thursday, March 1, 2012 Mike Keneally plays keyboards with Chickenfoot The Tonight Show with Jay Leno NBC TV 11:34 p.m. Eastern & Pacific 10:34 p.m. Central & Mountain
Friday, March 2, 2012 Mike Keneally guests on a few songs with his pals The Aristocrats Bryan Beller, Guthrie Govan, Marco Minnemann Brick By Brick 1130 Buenos Avenue San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 275-5483 Showtime: 8:00 PM Tickets $20
Sunday, March 4, 2012 Wes Fest 7, featuring The Aristocrats (Bryan Beller, Guthrie Govan, Marco Minnemann) The Casualties of Jazz Danny Mo and the Exciters and The WesFest All-Stars (featuring music by Mike Keneally, Jackie Daum, Joe Brooks and Colin Keenan) The Roxy 9009 West Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069 Tickets: $35 per pair in advance (until 3/3/12) $20 per individual ticket in advance $30 per ticket at the door
I once described the music of this big band / free jazz collective as "funky, modern, yet angular jazz" which was just another way of saying that I really liked it.
Founded by Esmée Olthuis and Hans Leeuw, Tetzepi has been around for about ten years, and "Seed" is the band's fourth album. It got released in 2009. At Tetzepi's request, John Korsrud composed a number of so-called seeds, small musical cells. Other composers took these seeds as a starting point for their compositions. The result, this final album, sounds great: beautiful compositions and excellent solos. Compositions by Fabrizio Puglisi, Hans Leeuw, Esmée Olthuis, Corrie van Binsbergen, Marco C. de Bruin, Natalio Sued and Jorrit Dijkstra.
the residents: sonidos de la noche - coochie brake (2012, cd, usa, mvdaudio mvd 5294a)
A million years ago a big rock fell out of the sky and landed rith in the middle of Louisiana.
Well, it wasn't Louisiana at that time. But that rock fell, and it hit hard making a giant dent. It gradually filled in, but no matter what, it still left a dent. And that dent held just enough water that it became a primeval swamp known as Coochie Brake.
Now this was not one of those swamps down on the coast. Those made sense. This one was two hundred miles from the Gulf. It just sat there, being a misfit to its surroundings. The locals avoided it. Always did. They said strange things go on in that swamp. Things that should not go on.
Some young guys used to camp in Coochie Brake. They climbed the massive granite boulders that common sense said should not be there. They explored the caves that some said still hid a fortune in Spanish gold. Most importantly, they sat still and let the Brake speak to them as only the Brake can. Those teens grew up to become The Residents. Their music is full of memories. Memories of misty fog, dark shapes and the unexplained sounds of Coochie Brake.
The limited 2CD edition of Coochie Brake got released last year. This one's the regular version. Out on MVDaudio. Foggy and dark. The intro says it all.
THURSDAY MARCH 1st GARY LUCAS SOLO @ IRIDIUM NYC 1650 Broadway and 51st St. Manhattan 2 sets at 8 and 10pm with his special guest French underground chanteuse Beatrice Demi-Mondaine sitting in
March 4, The Aristocrats will be playing at Wesfest 7. And so will Mike Keneally. It's taking place at The Roxy in L.A.
Shortly thereafter, The Aristocrats will take off to the U.K. for the kick off of their European tour.
Wed. 3/7: London - The Peel Thurs. 3/8: Bilston (Birmingham) - The Robin - with Beller Bass Clinic before the show Fri. 3/9: Manchester - Night And Day Sat. 3/10: Newcastle - The Cluny Sun. 3/11: Edinburgh - The Voodoo Rooms
ALEX MORSEY Double Bass, Sousaphone, Guembri, Vocals
SIMON CAMATTA Drums, Vocals
GERHARD HORRIAR Vocals, Narration
will be performing a concert in Duisburg next Wednesday !! Mittwoch, 29.Februar 2012 - 20 h STEINBRUCH Duisburg Lotharstraße 318-320 (Naehe Uni) D-47057 Duisburg Germany
Here's the YSC at the truckstage at lat year's Zappanale.
And all around At the side of the grave Stood Charlie's friends Who could not save This stupid girl From the way she behaved But among the mourners And the frowners A cry were heard . . . (aaaargh!)
ANY DOWNERS? (Oh, no!) ANY DOWNERS? (Oh, no!) ANY DOWNERS? (Oh, no!) ANY DOWNERS? (Oh, no!)
No I ain't got any more No I ain't got any more No I ain't got any more No I ain't got any more
Your downers is gone They was all you could get To ease your mind And your deep regret Over Charlie's mouth So enormous 'n wet Now all you got Is your T.V. set
You turn it on You watch and dream A dream of love On your tiny screeen But what do you see As you lay in bed? It's a bald kinda girl With a pointed head Oh no . . .
Conehead . . . she ain't really dumb She's just a Conehead . . . 'tater chip crumbs All over her face Is there any more beer Stashed away at her place? She's just a Conehead . . . she can't help herself "She's a Conehead kind of a girl . . . " (Ha ha ha!) Pitch her a ring That is the thing That's getting her hot-uh A hoop or a ring Goin' over the top of her Conehead "She is from a small town in France 'N she's a Conehead kind of a girl, kind of guy" That's what she gives me is-uh Oooh! Conehead When she's on her knees The point is so high (High!) I keep sayin' please Keep it out of my eye, 'cause she's a Conehead (She's a Conehead kind of a girl, kind of a guy, kind of a girl-thing . . . )
Saturday Night You're home alone The TV lights up As her dad comes home He's been workin' all day At the drivin' school In a stupid-lookin' hat That he uses to fool The people of Earth Who might get back If they knew he was really From Remulak, where the Conehead . . . people are from, where the Conehead . . . people go to, when the Conehead . . . people are done with their Conehead . . . things that are fun
Connie the Cone Is dressed real neat Like a teen-age girl From down the street
But Mom 'n Dad They don't approve Carbohydrates Is all they groove Connie's eye Has a tiny tear But they rinse it away With a case of beer
A bag of chips 'N fiberglass Her diet's a riot I can't keep quiet I'd love to try it But I think I'll pass To eat that kind stuff they pack (Yes, they're packin' it!) You'd hafta be from Remulak, where the Conehead . . . people are from, where the Conehead . . . people go to, when the Conehead . . . people are done with the Conehead . . . things that are fun, where the Conehead . . . people are from, where the Conehead . . . people go to, when the Conehead . . . people are done, with the Conehead . . . things that are fun, where the Conehead . . . people are from, where the Conehead . . . people go to, when the Conehead . . . people are done with the Conehead . . . things that are fun, where the Conehead . . . people are from, where the Conehead . . . people go to, when the Conehead . . . people are done with the Conehead . . .
1000 is the name of the Jan Klare, Wilbert de Joode, Michael Vatcher & Bart Maris quartet. The ensemble will be performing at the 'Plusetage' in Baarle Nassau, NL on March 3, 2012.
Former Frank Zappa bassist imprisoned, again, for child molestation Posted Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012
BY MITCH MITCHELL
FORT WORTH — A founding member of the band Little Feat who also played bass for Frank Zappa will serve 25 years for molesting a child younger than 14 over an extended period, the Tarrant County district attorney's office said.
Roy Ralph Estrada, who performed with Zappa's The Mothers of Invention, abused the female family member in Tarrant County after he was released from a California prison for another child abuse case.
Estrada, 68, is being temporarily housed at the J. Middleton prison unit near Abilene. He pleaded guilty in January to a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
"The victim's family was unaware that he was a convicted sex offender,” Melody McDonald, spokeswoman for the Tarrant district attorney's office, said in an email.
"Estrada was sentenced to 25 years in a plea bargain agreement and is not eligible for parole. He will be 93 years old before he is released from prison."
On Dec. 9, 1994, Estrada was convicted in Orange County, Calif., of the felony offense of committing a lewd act with a child, according to records from the Tarrant County district attorney’s office.
After he served his six-year sentence, he reconnected with his family in Texas, McDonald said. He was indicted on the new charge in March 2008.
Zappa, a musical innovator described by The New York Times as rock’s most committed iconoclast, died at his Los Angeles home at age 52 in 1993.
The stage shows of his band, the Mothers of Invention, were renowned for precise musicianship and uninhibited, sometimes scatological humor, his Times obituary said.
The Residents' latest album is entitled "Era B4-74", which probably should be pronounced like the era before 1974, as it's a collection of pre-residents works.
The RSD (robot selling device) says:
PRE-SIDENTS A collection of tracks recorded earlier than 1974
Aircraft Damage Mad Sawmill I Hear Ya Got Religion Blow Blusy Baloon Ballad of Stuffed Trigger Goodbye Lover King Kong Maggie's Farm Party of 71 D for Doorknob Hallowed Be Thy Ween
including Zappa's 'King Kong'.
The RSD has offered more new Rz material the last couple of months. There was "Cube E Dynasone 3EZ", "GMB(i)", "The Mole Suite", and "VF". (that's GingerBreadMan and Vileness Fats).
This deluxe version of the 2004 "Heavy Lightning" album is another impressive SO release. Music by Oliva, Zappa and The Beatles. Love it. Features Jimmy Carl Black, Don Preston & Bunk Gardner.
The Residents are preparing a book/CD set. It will be called "Night Train To Nowhere", and it's available on pre-order only.
"The book contains 20 pages of photos recalling Randy, Chuck and Bob's successful "Talking Light" tour and 6 pages of images and lyrics for the CD. The CD contains early demo recordings of several Talking Light stories."
There will be three editions: a super-deluxe edition: hardcover book + CD a deluxe edition: softcover book + CD a regular edtion: photobook only
pre-orders can be made through ebay.com, but have to be made before the end of february !!
About a year ago, February 4 and 5, Caballero Reynaldo & The Grand Kazoo did two concerts at the Yellow Snow Festival in Larvik, Norway. With the recordings that were made by the Yellow Snow Team and the Zappateers, Caballero Reynaldo was able to produce this CD and DVD set. A nice memory for those who attended, and a fine introduction for those of us who weren't there.
Adding bits and pieces to the United Mutations Archives, here are the covers of the promo edition of The Residents' "Animal Lover" album, a one-CD / jewelcase edition,
plus the single CD edition of "Demons Dance Alone".
Sandro Oliva recorded his "Living With A Moustache" album in 1988 and 1989. The album got released in 1989, but only after Sandro has sold most of his equipment to finance the costs.
When Sandro Oliva joined the Grandmothers in 1994, both the Grandmothers and Sandro got the opportunity to release an album on the Muffin Record Productions record label. The Grandmothers released their famous "Who Could Imagine", and Sandro released "Who The Fuck Is Sandro Oliva". Playing with the Grandmothers and releasing an album on the Muffin Record Productions label did get Sandro a bigger audience. Many people consider "Who The Fuck Is Sandro Oliva" an excellent album, but not all of them know that the album was a follow-up to the "Living With A Moustache" album. Most of the tracks on "WTFISA" are unreleased tracks from the "LWAM"-sessions.
The original LP is rather hard to find, so I guess that everyone should be happy that Sandro re-released the album on CDR on his own Obvious Music record label a couple of years ago. He even included a couple of extra tracks.
The music on "LWAM" is superb. You get Mother-esque madness, Zappa-influenced compositions, and great guitar solos.
If you want to check out the music of Sandro Oliva, this is the album that you should buy (togher with "WTFISA".
NAPOLEON MURPHY BROCK TOM FOWLER CHRISTOPHER GARCIA ROBBIE MANGANO & special musical guest DON PRESTON
For those of you who missed them, here's a couple of setlists. (Audience audio recordings of these concerts are up at Zappateers.)
2012/02/04 concert 'Scala', Leverkusen, Germany set one intro, A Pound For A Brown, Let’s Make The Water Turn Black, Harry, You’re A Beast, Florentine Pogen, I'm The Slime, Oh No, Son Of Orange County, More Trouble Every Day, Peaches En Regalia set two Montana, Village Of The Sun, Echidna's Arf (Of You), Twenty Small Cigars, Holiday In Berlin - Aybe Sea, Little House I Used To Live In - Stormy Monday, Sofa encore King Kong
2012/02/05 concert 'De Bosuil', Weert, Holland set one intro by Co de Kloet, intro by Napoleon, A Pound For A Brown, Let’s Make The Water Turn Black / Harry You’re A Beast / Florentine Pogen, I'm The Slime, Oh No / Son of Orange County / Trouble Every Day, Peaches En Regalia, Montana, set two Chunga's Revenge, The Idiot Bastard Son, Village Of The Sun / Echidna's Arf, Twenty Small Cigars, Holiday In Berlin / Aybe Sea / The Little House I Used To Live In, Sofa encore King Kong
Arthur Barrow says: Anyone in North Texas - Tommy Mars and I will be performing a concert of Zappa music in Denton at Voertman Hall on April 16, 8 pm, in asssociation with a Zappa class being taught there by Dr. Joseph Klein. We will be performing with a group of students - about 20 of us all together. We have been working really hard on the arrangements since November, and we are almost finished. Come on down!
thinking plague: decline and fall (2012, cd, usa, cuneiform)
If you're into experimental rock, you're probably already familiar with the music of Thinking Plague. Denver-based Thinking Plague has been around for thirty years, but has only released six album to date. "Decline And Fall" combines beautiful interwoven melody lines (vocals, guitar, keys and clarinet) with an excellent bass and drums rhythm section. Lovely.
"Strictly Frankly was a project undertaken by the band ZAPPATiKA to pay tribute to the music of Frank Zappa, The recordings were taken from various shows around Europe in 2010 and 2011. This compilation is the culmination and last part of this project. In 2012 ZAPPATiKA are currently working on their own music again for a while."
In my humble opinion, this is not the best Zappatika I've seen or heard, but here it is:
Dating back to 1946, these Wynonie Harris recordings feature Herman Blount (who later would be known as Sun Ra). 78 rounds per minute...
Wynonie Harris (born in Omaha, NB. on 7/24/1915) was a successful "jump blues" singer in the 1940's and 1950's. He made his recording debut in 1945 for the Philo and Apollo labels. Later that year he also recorded with "The Hamptone All Stars" backed by jazz musicians such as Arnett Cobb and Milt Buckner for the Hamp-Tone label. In 1946 Jim Bulliet invited him to Nashville, Tn. to record for his Bullet label. The sessions produced two 78 RPM records. When Wynonie showed up to the studio he brought along with him an unknown piano player by the name of Herman Blount. Blount wouldn't be a sideman for long as he later became known in music circles as the space/jazz artist Sun Ra. I have included some photos of Sun Ra in the intro, one is an early photo of his group "Arkestra". The rest of the photos are of Wynonie Harris himself. Jim Bulliet rounded out the sessions with some local R&B musicians. Wynonie made his last recordings in 1964. He passed away in Los Angeles, CA. on 6/14/1969).
The man behind Ruins Alone is drummer and vocalist Yoshida Tatsuya. It has only been two days since I mentioned Yumi Hara Cawkwell's "Statement Heels", an album on which Yoshida Tatsuya plays an important role. I really liked his collaboration with Yumi Hara Cawkwell, so I was glad that I was able to give "Ruins Alone" a listen.
"Ruins Alone" is a very powerful, high-energy album. This is prog rock taken to the next level. Up-tempo, with changing and shifting rhythms, Yoshida Tatsuya will take you on a ride that you will not easily forget. This is great stuff. Very intense. Lots of energy.
Somewhere in 2000, Nurse With Wound released their 'Subterranean Zappa Blues' on their "Second Private Session - Rock 'N Roll Station Special Edition" album. The album itself exists in two editions: a 2 CD set, and limited edition (500 copies on red vinyl) LP. The 'Subterranean Zappa Blues', which in fact was a cover of Zappa's 'Trouble Every Day', could be found on both releases, and in a different version: the LP carries an 'alternative mix'.
Nurse With Wound also released an album with outtakes from the above album as "Second Private Session". This is version number three, the outtake.
And some people might even want to know that the very same 'Subterranean' track could also be found on the 2005 2 CD compilation: "Livin' Fear Of James Last". Data have been added to the United Mutations Archives. Below are the album covers.
The new Zita Swoon album, "Wait For Me", will be out in a couple of weeks. I saw Stef Kamil in concert with this project a while ago and was very impressed. Looking forward to the album.
Shipping cost for any quantity: - to Europe 6 euros - to rest of the world 10 euros Way of payment: - by paypal to halloffame@halloffame.es
Last year, in February 2011, Caballero Reynaldo & The Grand Kazoo was invited to perform at the second Yellow Snow Festival in Larvik (Norway) with his country show of Zappamusic. They all had a terrific time, played with the snow, licked a few of Larvik landmarks, enjoyed the magnificent theatre and are more than grateful for the hospitality of Jan, Erik, and everyone at the YSF.
And now, right when the third edition is about to take place, Hall of Fame Records is proud to present a limited edition (only 100 copies pressed) of the performance at the Bølgen Kulturhus recorded by the Zappateers team, edited by Luis G. and mastered by Luis Ruiz.
As a bonus, the CD comes with a DVD with the live recording in video of several tracks (only one camera/angle) made by our dear zappateer friend Luuk (aka Ludznl) plus a few extras. With no overdubs but plenty of mistakes, Live In Larvik is a perfect opportunity to take a glimpse at the show that Caballero Reynaldo & The Grand Kazoo performed all around Europe during 2009 and 2010.
*Buy Live At Larvik + Made In Zappanale for only 18 euros! (+ shipping)
"Statement Heels" is a collection of Yumi Hara Cawkwell's pieces originally written for other performers in the past twelve years, newly recorded by Yumi and Tatsuya Yoshida, plus some additional pieces. I really like this. Listening to this album, is like traveling the skies. Yumi Hara Cawkwell knows how to draw pictures with her music. Mostly instrumental, the compositions on this album move between contemporary classical music and contemporary jazz. One of my favourite pieces on this disc is 'Cosmos Massive No.901', an up-tempo, polyrhythmic avant-garde piece. Short, but very powerful.
"Statement Heels" is an album that you need to hear.
Bryan Beller has released an instructional video on the subject of the bass guitar: "Mastering Tone And Versatility". I found this nice picture at Bryan's site, so I just pasted it into the United Mutations Archives.
bryan beller: mastering tone and versatility (2011, dvd, usa, alfred music publishing)
On the "Took Me / This World" single, Sandro Oliva shows that he can write fine pop songs. Both 'Took Me' and 'This World' are about Sandro's passion for guitars. Both tracks would fit perfectly on a Traveling Wilburies album. A beautiful melody, a fine arrangement, and excellent guitar playing. That's what makes a good pop song.
Info has been added to the United Mutations Archives.
The Pygmy Pony Riding club is proud to announce that after one month of post production, 90% of the concert "Capt. Cheese-Beard & The 7 Sisters Of Prevention" played on the 5th of November 2011 at the Atelier 210 has been uploaded on Youtube.
The full HD and DVD version will be made available for free download in the near future.
What's to know: The band was in real good shape and the performances are just great. This was the Premiere of "marimba and vibraphone guru Bart Quartier" with Capt.Cheese-Beard and he did an Outstanding job. The concert was recorded and mixed by Mathias Widtskiöld of Mottowsound. Of course he also did an outstanding Job. We wouldn't have it any other way… The gig was filmed by Bert Corsius, Benoit Servais, Christophe Ausloos and Serge Brassine And.. That we sincerely hope you will enjoy watching these clips! Kind Regards
Mauro Pawlowski is a Belgian guitar player, composer and bandleader. Since a couple of years, he's part of dEUS, but he's also the man of thousand projects: Mitsoobishy Jackson, The Evil Superstars, Mauro and the Grooms, Nieuw Zwart Trio, Othin Spake, and many, many more.
A bit over a year ago, the melomaniac in me got treated with an evening of Mauro Pawlowski at "Mauroworld". "Mauroworld" was a one-evening music festival in which four or five bands would perform, the link being that Mauro played in every one of them:.
The very same evening, "Dynamic Wind Load Man" got presented. It's a compilation CDR that presents a bunch of homerecordings. All unreleased stuff. I played the album again today, and I must say that I really like it. You get improvised music next to soundscapes or psychedelic tunes. And more. A fine addition to the United Mutations Archives.
Filia Irata recorded a German version of Zappa's 'Titties and Beer'. The track can be found on their "Tilten & Pier" album, and also on the "Des Mittelalters Weibliche Gesänge 1" compilation album. Both got released in 2004.
A great album cover and a fine coverversion as well. Filia Irata specialises in midieval music, so you get something special.
Sun Ra's classic "Jazz In Silhouette" album gets a vinyl rerelease on the Groove Merchant label. The original edition came out in 1959 on the Saturn label. It got rereleased on Impulse in 1974, and it did get a couple of CD reissues, and now Groove Merchant is making it available as an exact repro of the Saturn release, on 180 g vinyl.
While my Zappateer friends are in Larvik, listening to various artists performing the music of Frank Zappa, I'm enjoying Jono El Grande's latest album. Jono El Grande is a Norwegian composer, guitarist and band leader who performed at Zappanale last year. Zappa never is far away in Jono El Grande's compositions.
"The Choko King" is Jono El Grande's fifth album and it's a collection of pieces from 1995 to 2005. It's nice to hear some of the older stuff and some of the earlier versions of certain compositions.
Impressive. There's also a vinyl edition of this album. The CD has a bonus track, but does omit the liner notes.
Jono El Grande performed at last year's edition of the Yellow Snow Festival. Here's a snippet:
Jerry Outlaw says: Oh Hell Yes!!! It's now official. Zappanale 23!!! Bogus Pomp will perform Saturday, August 4th at 3:30 p.m. Jerry Outlaw & Friends will perform Sunday, August 5th at 4:00 p.m. I am personally awestruck because I get the honor of playing right before one of my all-time heros, Uli Jon Roth. WOW!!!
Pianist and composer Alessandra Celletti plays original music from her Crazy Girl Blue album and other originals - along with music by Baldassarre Galuppi, Erik Satie, Philip Glass, John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen - Live from the Quirinale presidential palace, Rome, Broadcast over the Italian Radio 3 channel, streaming worldwide at
Please note the above concert date & time Sunday March 4th at 11:50 a.m. in Rome - The Los Angeles concert time is March 4th at 3:50 a.m. - New York concert time is March 4th at 6:50 a.m. -
May 7, 2010, Sandro Oliva and The Blue Pampurio's Extravaganza played a concert in Rome. The concert got recorded and got released on Sandro's Obvious Music label as "the official bootleg" of the show: "Birra & Salsicce" (Beer & Sausages). The concert itself sounds great. The setlist is a mixture of original material and Zappa compositions. The performance is excellent. The five piece band sounds very tight, and Sandro's guitar playing is great.
This is excellent. A fine addition to the United Mutations Archives.
Sandro Oliva will be playing at Zappanale on Wednesday, August 1. Something to look forward to.
It has been a while, but Dutch Zappa (re)coverband The Foolz have scheduled a couple of concerts.
The Foolz will be doing 3 shows this spring, two in Apeldoorn and the last in Gorinchem at the annual Hippiefestival... www.hippiefestival.nl . More information available shortly on www.foolz.nl
The best news that I heard all day: It has been confirmed that George Duke and Jean-Luc Ponty will be performing at Zappanale 2012. They are announced as The Brothers Of Invention. Better reschedule your holidays...
The Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen will make a return visitation to Brazil when it lands at the Nublu Jazz Festival in San Paulo with performances on February 10 & 11, 2012. The Sun Ra Arkestra first arrived in Brazil 8 years ago and there is great enthusiasm in anticipation of these two upcoming concerts. Details about each performance are shown below:
Friday, February 10, 2012 - Nublu Jazz Festival, Teatro Municipal, Riberao Preto, San Paulo Brazil, 9:00 pm.
Thursday Aug. 2nd time tba Bad Doberan Germany Gary Lucas conducts his Captain Beefheart Symposium at Zappanale 2012
Friday Aug. 3rd time tba Bad Doberan Germany The return of Fast 'N' Bulbous, the Captain Beefheart Project on the main stage of Zappanale 2012 co-led by Gary Lucas and Phillip Johnston, with Jesse Krakow, Richard Dworkin, Joe Fiedler, Rob Henke and Dave Sewelson
The Aristocrats Are Headed To The U.K. (with Godsticks) & Europe & The Middle East In March (but first we're going to Costa Rica and SoCal)
There's been so much going on that I haven't really laid into this yet promotionally, but now it's time. People of the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Turkey and Israel, The Aristocrats are coming your way! (Don't worry about the lack of links - you can get the full details from my website calendar anytime.) www.bryanbeller.com
Let's lay out the whole itinerary. First, some fun in the sun:
Sat. 2/25 - Curridabat, Costa Rica - Pepper Fri. 3/2 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick Sun. 3/4 - Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy/WesFest 7
Then it's off to Blighty:
Wed. 3/7: London - The Peel Thurs. 3/8: Bilston (Birmingham) - The Robin Fri. 3/9: Manchester - Night And Day Sat. 3/10: Newcastle - The Cluny Sun. 3/11: Edinburgh - The Voodoo Rooms
The U.K. leg features opener Godsticks, who are doing unspeakable things to make this tour leg happen for us. We're deeply grateful to them for everything they're doing. Plus they rock.
We are hearing that more folks should know about the Manchester and Newcastle gigs in particular, so if you're in the U.K. and you're nearby, please help us to spread the word. This is Guthrie Govan's FIRST EVER proper tour of the U.K. with his own band, and you wouldn't want to discourage him in any way from doing this again, would you? :-)
Plus, I think I may be doing a bass clinic at the venue before the Bilston/Birmingham show. More info on that soon, I hope.
Then we head to the European Mainland:
Tues. 3/13: Zoetermeer, The Netherlands - Boerderij Wed. 3/14: Paris, France - La Scene Bastille Thurs. 3/15: Bordeaux, France - Le Krakatoa Fri. 3/16: Bordeaux, France - La CIAM (masterclass) Sat. 3/17: Madrid, Spain - Sala Ramdall Mon. 3/19: Barcelona, Spain - Sala Bikini Tues. 3/20: Bilbao, Spain - Sala BBK
That should be fun. Even more so because my smokin' hot wife Kira Small will be along for the ride from Paris through Barcelona! She's never seen Yurp before. I sense comedy gold.
And finally, the Middle East:
Thurs. 3/22: Istanbul, Turkey - Old City/Indigo Pub Fri. 3/23: Tel Aviv, Israel - Reading 3
I've never been to either of these countries. Also, I'm Jewish, so my parents are thrilled that I'm finally going to see Israel. (OK, I am too.)
It's going to be a grand multi-national adventure. Despite whatever hype is out there, we're a very modest outfit with no real crew and massive DIY energy fueling the project. Please wish us luck, and if you're Over There, come out and say hi.
I saw the Grande Mothers Re:Invented in concert in Weert, NL, the other day. I liked it. I liked it a lot. They're still touring, and you should really try to catch them!
The Yellow Snow Festival in Larvik, Norway Friday 10th /Saturday 11th of February
Friday February 10th (Activities in the restaurant and on the small stage ("Blåboks"):
21.00 Doors open "Blåboks" (The small stage) 21.30 Concert Chato Segerer 22.30 Concert Zappa Time 24.00 Concert end
Saturday February 11th: (Activities in the gallery, small stage, big stage and the restaurant)
14.00 Art Gallery opens 16.00 Festival opens 16.00 Start record-fair in "blåboks" (The small stage), mingling 18.00 Festival intro by Kjeld-Willy Hansen 18.05 Concert Bongo Fury 18.45 Pause - Session with Ben Watson 19.15 Concert Bongo Fury (Part 2) 19.45 Pause, mingling, record fair, raffle 20.15 Talk/Interview - Ben Watson and Ike Willis 20.45 Quiz 21.00 Record fair closes in "Blåboks" (The small stage) 21.15 Concert Muffin Men with Denny Walley 22.45 Pause, mingling. raffle winners 23.00 Concert Terantatec 00.30 Festival ends 01:30 Bar closes
A bit over a year ago, the Innova record label released Gene Pritsker's "VRE Suite" (Varieties of Religious Experience Suite) as recorded by the Sound Liberation ensemble. It was a pretty impressive album, mixing contemporary classical music with rock and jazz. I remember being very impressed by the nice melodies and by the interaction of the cello and the guitars. I definitely have to play that album again.
Imagine my suprise when I found out that the "VRE Suite" had been re-recorded. The complete title reads "William James' Varieties of Religious Experience - A Chamber Opera by Gene Pritsker". It turns out that the album that got recorded by the Sound Liberation ensemble only carried the soundtrack for Gene Pritsker's chamber opera. This time, you get the complete package: a cast of six vocalists (singers & narrators) and a quartet (two electric guitars, a cello and contra bass). It's rather astonishing how much diffent this version sounds. The Sound Liberation ensemble recording had more of a rock feel (with the electric bass and drums), but this chamber opera performance has these beautiful vocals. I like it.
I will have to give this disc a couple of extra listenings, and I will be searching for the libretto on Gene Pritsker's website, but I already find it fascinating.
If you liked what the Sound Liberation did with Gene Pritsker's "VRE Suite", you definitely have to check out the chamber orchestra recording.
It has been a little while since we took a look at this years' Zappanale line-up...
For the moment, it looks like this:
» Zappanale #23 01.08. 2012 - 04.08. 2012
The Mother Hips & Scott Thunes
Fast 'n' Bulbous & Gary Lucas
Tarentatec
Doctor Dark
Bogus Pomp
Humble Grumble
Dead Dino Storage
Ya Hozna
The Yellow Snow Crystals
Seth Faergolzia
Sandro Oliva
Jazzprojekt Hundehagen
Cró!
Quantum Fantay
MagNiFZnt
Riverside
DeWolff
Magma
Triggerfinger
Motorpsycho
Sonntag 05.08. 2012 Heavy Guitar Day
Alice Cooper
Uli Jon Roth
Jerry Outlaw and Friends
Lapis Lazuli
And since a couple of days, I have had various people telling me that Jean Luc Ponty and George Duke will be headlining the festival, performing "King Kong". How about that...
"Sunrise In Differnt Dimensions" takes us back to Willisau in Switzerland, February 24, 1980. With a line-up that reads like a best-of-Arkestra (Sun Ra - Marshall Allen - John Gilmore - Noel Scott - Danny Thompson - Michael Ray - ...) the band did not include a trombone or a bass, and only one trumpet. Apparently, this was the first date of the European tour, and the other bandmembers had not yet arrived...
Werner X. Uelhlinger (who compiled the album) picked the old originals and chose to omit the better-know space-related compositions. The result sounds great. You get some Ra compositions alongside some fine classic jazz tunes, all with far out improvisations. I love it.
The album got released as a 2LP set on the Hat Hut record label in 1981, and has recently been reissued on CD.
Hopping to 2004, here are a couple of Residents album covers that have been added to the United Mutations Archives.
the residents: the king & eye: rmx (2004, cd, germany, euroralph 031)
In 2004, two so-called RMX (remix) albums got released: "WB-RMX" (Warner Brothers Remix) and "The King & Eye : RMX". The latter one got released by Euroralph in Germany. Both on CD and on vinyl.
the residents: the 12 days of brumalia (2004, cd, usa, ralph america ra017)
2004 also saw the release of "The 12 Days Of Brumalia", a project that had started on the internet. It was a limited release o 1000 copies, but as there was an error in printing the covers. The first 475 copies have the above faulty cover (this was meant to be the inside).
the residents: the 12 days of brumalia (2004, cd, usa, ralph america ra017)
And this is what the album should have looked like. The second part of the first edition (525 copies) carries the corrected cover.
In 1986, Ryko Records released two samplers. The first one was called "Heaven?" and the second one "Hell!". Both albums were Residents compilations. These were The Residents' first compact discs.
We're 25 years later now, and record labels are dropping like flies. In a time were music is turning completely digital, The Residents celebrete the 25th anniversary of "Heaven?" and "Hell!" with a beautiful reissue: a 2CD set in a fold-out cardboard cover. Nice.
This will be a very busy touring year for Allan Holdsworth. Guesting with Dweezil Zappa and Chad Wackerman, and touring USA, Europe, Asia and Australia and possibly South America with his new power jazz-rock trio.
DWEEZIL ZAPPA with special guest ALLAN HOLDSWORTH February 14 - Anaheim, CA (House Of Blues) February 19 - Agoura Hill, CA (Canyon Club)
CHAD WACKERMAN BAND featuring ALLAN HOLDSWORTH with Jimmy Johnson - bass; Jim Cox - keyboards Allan performing at Chad Wackerman CD launch of "Dreams, Nightmares and Improvisations" February 16 - Studio City, Los Angeles, CA (Baked Potato) February 17 - Studio City, Los Angeles, CA (Baked Potato)
'Andy Taylor', I hear you say, 'Isn't that the guitar player in Duran Duran?'. Well, yes, he is. And his "Thunder" album got added to the United Mutations Archives as the album features former Zappa bandmembers Patrick O'Hearn, Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan...
On "30 Rotoli Di Bugie..." Sandro Oliva guides you through his musical career. This 18-track album collects material from 1980 (his first single) until 2005 (re-recorded tracks from one of his first albums), all remixed in 2006. It's no secret that Sandro's biggest influence comes from Zappa's Mothers Of Invention. The music is just fabulous. And when you hear Sandro play the guitar... Wow.
There's also a couple of nice suprises on "30 Rotoli Di Bugie". Besides the great music and the fine guests (Jimmy Carl Black sings 'Money', The Grandmothers perform 'Who Do You Think You Arf?', ...), there's also a couple of unreleased songs to be found on this CD.
I love it. And Sandro will be playing at Zappanale !!!
I guess it was last week, or maybe even the week before, that someone asked if the 'Space Is The Place' piece that Corrie van Binsbergen performed with her Grote Brokken Ensemble was the famous Sun Ra tune. The answer was 'No', as the 'Space Is The Place' tune that the subscribers to the NederZappa newsgroup were discussing was written by Beatrice van der Poel. Beatrice does the lead vocals in Corrie en de Grote Brokken, and the ensemble performs compositions from various members of the band. Mostly Corrie's, but also other stuff.
The nice thing about this NederZappa Newsgroup topic was the fact that I learned that two of the pieces that were written by Beatrice van de Pool got recorded and released by Beeswamp (Beatrice's band) in 1996.
I received the album yesterday and listened to it for the first time this morning. "Sweet Sticky Stuff" is a funky, pop / jazz album. It underscores (again) the beautiful voice of Beatrice van der Poel, and it includes both 'Space Is The Place' and 'Break A Normal Day'. As I'm familiar with these two tunes, they immediately stand out, but I really like the entire album. This is fun. This is funky.
Beeswamp. Nice.
Here's Beatrice with Corrie en de Grote Brokken, performing 'Break A Normal Day'.
And here's Beatrice and Vera van der Poel (both in Beeswamp - 'Poel' is dutch for 'Swamp') performing a couple of Prince tunes...
Sandra Oliva released his "Who The Fuck Is Sandro Oliva" album in 1995. At the time, it got released on the Muffin Records Production label. 2011 not only saw the return of the Muffin Records Production label. It was also the year that Sandro released a remixed version of his "WTFISO" album, including five bonus tracks.
I've been a big fan of Sandro Oliva since the first time I heard him. If you're not familiar with his work, "WTFISO" is the perfect place to start. Every Zappa fan needs to have this album in his collection. Fun, twisted, zappa-esque and great guitar playing.
The album features various Mothers (Don, Bunk, Motorhead, Roy, Jimmy Carl) and includes the classic 'Junk Food (Oliva) / Mr. Green Genes (Zappa)'.
