FRANK ZAPPA'S "APOSTROPHE (')" - - - A CHAT WITH AHMET ZAPPA

Frank Zappa - Apostrophe 50th Anniversary Series (Episode 2: A Chat With Ahmet Zappa)

 

MARCUS MILLER - A NIGHT IN MONTE-CARLO

• Marcus Miller: A Night In Monte-Carlo
      (2010, cd, France, dreyfus jazz)

Marcus Miller, together with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra.
It sure is something different.

Trumpet player Roy Hargrove and guitarist Raul Midon are guesting on a couple of tracks, adding some extra spices to the (quite) symphonic sound.

Recorded in 2008 and released on CD in 2010.
I received a digital download version a couple of days ago, and I'm really enjoying this !

KING GIZZARD & THE WIZARD LIZARD - LIVE IN ADELAIDE '19

• king gizzard & the lizard wizard: live in adelaide '19
      (2020, 2cd, --, --) – 2020-01-10
      (2020, 3lp, --, --)
      (2020, download / streaming, --, --)

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard released three live albums in 2020. "Live In Adelaide '19" was the second one.
All proceeds of these three live albums went to a good cause, in this particular case "Animals Australia".

Next to the download version of the album, fans and record companies were invited to release their proper version of the album, which, again, resulted in an incredible amount of different 3 LP and 2 CD sets.
Colored vinyl versions, cassette editions, ...
Food for the KG & TLW collectors.

The album itself kicks off rather heavy with a set of tunes from "Infest The Rats' Nest" but there's also lots of material from the older albums the setlist.

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART - THE SPOTLIGHT KID OUTTAKES

• captain beefheart: the spotlight kid outtakes
      (2020, cd, UK, sutra)

A couple of years ago, the Sutra label released "The Spotlight Kid Outtakes".
Somehow, it had escaped my attention...

from reviewer RT:
The album starts with Drink Paint Run Run, which is better than the Doc At The Radar Station version. It is followed by the excellent Seam Crooked Sam.
Next up is a great version of Dirty Blue Gene. Track 7 is Harry Irene, this time played as a cocktail version with a simple guitar backing.
There are two early versions of Semi Multi Coloured Caucasian (which later appeared on the Ice Cream For Crow album), that both have the marimba treatment. Very interesting to listen to.
Funeral Hill may have morphed into There Aint No Santa Claus.. from The Spotlight Kid.
Balladino is an early version of A Carrot Is As Close... from Doc At The Radar Station.
There are a few tracks (Clear Spot, Circumstances, Booglarize, Lo Yo Yo Stuff) which are longer instrumental variations of the finished articles.
Open Pins and Dual & Abdul are both instrumentals.
The album finishes with the brilliant vocal version of Little Scratch, which uses music that morphed to become The Past Sure Is Tense many years later.

Most, if not all tracks, were previously released on other albums / box set, but it's great to have them all in one place. And it's a great set of tunes !

BEAT - - - ELEPHANT TALK

JETHRO TULL

For some reason (probably plain good taste), some people that enjoy Frank Zappa's music are also in to Jethro Tull.

As with Zappa, several radio show albums have been made available the last couple of years.
If you're able to get hold of the below CD's (or recordings), you will not be disappointed.

• jethro tull: london fields
      (2023, 2cd, Europe, zip city records) = radio show album

London’s Hammersmith Odeon in 1984. Excellent recording. Great concert.

• jethro tull: caught in the crossfire
      (2022, cd, Europe, wicker man)

From a live FM broadcast recorded at Checkerdome, St.Louis, MO, 26th October 1980, plus two bonus tracks from L.A. Nov 12.
Excellent recording (although some cracks could point in the direction of a vinyl source?)

• jethro tull: hard times of old england
      (2021, cd, Europe, wicker man)

From an FM broadcast recorded at the Stadthalle, Freiburg, Germany, on 30th April 1982.
Excellent recording and, again, an excellent show.

SUN RA'S "JAZZ IN SILHOUETTE" GETS ANOTHER RE-ISSUE

Re-issue.
Due out later this month.
180 g LP on blue vinyl.

Look at that amazing artwork.
Perfect to put on a wall.

THE WHITEFIELD BROTHERS

German brothers Jan and Max Weissenfeldt released two albums as The Whitefield Brothers.
The first one "In The Raw", in 2001, and the second one, "Earthology", almost ten years later, in 2010.

I received both albums as a download. I had never heard of The Whitefield Brothers.
Glad I caught up.

Afrobeat / funky stuff.
Perfect to get one in a good mood.

• the whitefield brothers: in the raw
      (2009, cd, USA, now-again records) - re-issue of the 2001 album

• the whitefield brothers: earthology
      (2009, cd, USA, now-again records)

MWM TALKED TO TONY LEVIN

Make Weird Music talked to Tony Levin about his new album.

 

FRANK ZAPPA - APOSTROPHE (') 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION

• Frank Zappa: Apostophe (') 50th Anniversary Edition
      (2024, 5cd+blu-ray, europe, zappa records zr20046)

A-ma-zing.

I'll remember yesterday and today as the days that I was totally submerged in the 50th anniversary edition(s) of "Apostrophe (')".

Sure, "Apostrophe" is a top album to start with, but the bonus material is superb as well.
The bonus material takes us to Colorado Springs, March 21, 1974 / Salt Lake City, March 19, 1974 / Dayton, Ohio, November 20, 1974 / Gothenburg, September 25, 1974, plus some outtakes and alternate versions.

One could argue if it wouldn't be better if these (bonus material) concert recordings would be released separately, but I guess they wanted to make the total package as impressive as possible. Not just have the original album remastered plus the stereo, quadrophonic and Dolby Atmos mixes,...

Anyway, I'm happy that the shows have been made available. Even if it is as part of this box set.

Essential stuff !!

Next to the box set, the original album has been remastered and rereleased as a single LP (on gold colored vinyl),
and there's also a 2 LP set where the 1st LP presents the original master, and the 2nd LP has the high-res remastered outtakes and alternate versions. And it even includes a bonus 7".

A nice way to celebrate a 50th anniversary.

WHY THE EYE

WHY THE EYE
’Inspirex’ new album out October 4th

Why the Eye is an experimental masked quartet from Brussels that propels bodies into trance during its live performances. All instruments are DIY and played in real time, without loops or sequencers. Fans of The Residents, Société Étrange, Autechre, Boards Of Canada, The Meridian Brothers and Fulu Miziki could easily relate to their sound.

Describing their music as "Prehistoric Techno", Why The Eye are set to release their new album ‘Inspirex’ on the 4th October via EXAG’ Records.

SOFT MACHINE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

SOFT MACHINE is starting today the North American tour 2024.

• September 13 - Vienna, VA (Jammin’ Java)
• September 14 - Baltimore, MD (Orion)
• September 15 - Sellersville, MD (Sellersville Theater)
• September 16 - New York, NY (The City Winery)
• September 18 - Northampton, MA (The Iron Horse)
• September 19 - Lowell, MA (Taffeta Music Hall)
• September 20 - North Haven, CT (Small Batch Cellars)
• September 21 - Rutherford, NJ (Spring Hall at the Wiliams Center)
• September 23 - Palmer, MA (Legends Studio - private event)
• September 24 - Piermont, NY (The Turning Point)
• September 26 - Albany, NY (Linda WAMC Art Center)
• September 27 - Syracuse, NY (Sharkey's)
• September 28 - Rochester, NY (Lovin' Cup)
• October 1 - Toronto, ON (The Garrison)
• October 2 - Ottawa, ON (Rainbow Room)
• October 4 - Quebec City, QC (Salle D’Youville)
• October 5 - Quebec City, QC (Salle D’Youville)

THE BEAT TOUR KICKED OFF

BEAT (Belew/Levin/Vai/Carey): "Indiscipline" (King Crimson) (9/12/2024; San Jose, CA; first show)

 

SNARKY PUPPY TOUR DATES

 

FORQ HAS A NEW ALBUM OUT

Initially a jazz / fusion / funk quartet that included Michael League.
"Big Party" is Forq's fifth album.

Wikipedia
Forq was co-founded by keyboardist Henry Hey and Snarky Puppy member, bassist Michael League. The original formation of the band included guitarist Adam Rogers, and drummer Jason "JT" Thomas.
Hey, a founding member of the band Rudder, had played a few Rudder shows, sharing the bill with Snarky Puppy before suggesting a collaboration with League, starting with a few live shows in New York City.
The group's debut self-titled album was released on Snarky Puppy's label, GroundUP Music, in 2014.
Rogers left the group and was replaced by Snarky Puppy guitarist Chris McQueen early in 2015 prior to a tour of Europe.
The group's sophomore album, Batch, was issued in June 2015.
The group played at Snarky Puppy's GroundUp Festival in February 2017 and released a third album, Threq, in mid-2017.
Since the release of Threq, bassist Michael League has been replaced by bassist Kevin Scott.

Here's the opening track from "Big Party".
Pretty impressive.
I love the way it builds up and then just explodes.

APOSTROPHE (') (50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION) HAS HIT THE SHOPS

Frank Zappa

Apostrophe (') (50th Anniversary Edition)

(180 gram gold marbled vinyl LP + booklet)

Frank Zappa's Apostrophe (') stands as one of his most acclaimed works, achieving both commercial success and critical acclaim. It was Zappa's first Gold Record and top ten hit in America while 'Don't Eat the Yellow Snow' reached the popular charts as well. This 50th Anniversary edition, released on a striking metallic gold vinyl, features a new remaster by Bernie Grundman, celebrating an album that has been a cornerstone for discovering Zappa's unique musical style. The album blends Zappa's trademark humor with intricate musicianship, featuring a mix of incomplete narratives and clever satire. 'Don't Eat the Yellow Snow' introduces listeners to Zappa's peculiar sense of humor with its distinctive guitar fills and drumming. 'Nanook Rubs It' continues the story with fast-paced guitar work and playful horn arrangements. 'St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast' showcases excellent horn and xylophone work in a brisk, energetic track. 'Father O'Blivion' is an eccentric blend of spacey effects and zany lyrics, while 'Cosmik Debris' stands out with its compelling guitar riff and biting social commentary. Tracks like 'Apostrophe' feature a powerful collaboration with Jack Bruce of Cream, marked by exceptional bass and guitar performances. 'Uncle Remus' impresses with its uplifting piano and engaging solos, and 'Stink-Foot' rounds out the album with bluesy riffs and humorous lyrics. Apostrophe (') remains a seminal album that captures Zappa's eclectic genius and continues to impress new listeners with its inventive spirit.

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD - LIVE IN PARIS '19

• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Live In Paris ‘19
      (2020, 2cd, --, --) – 2020-01-10
      (2020, 3lp, --, --)
      (2020, download / streaming, --, --)

Released on Bandcamp for download and streaming by KG&TLW, the recordings were offered for free to any label that wanted to produce  the album on CD or on LP.

Live at L'Olympia, Paris, France, October 14, 2019.
100% OF PROCEEDS GO TO WILDLIFE VICTORIA

And an amazing album it is.
A superb concert and a fine selection of songs.
And look at that artwork (by Jason Galea).

JOE DENINZON & STRATOSPHEERIUS - OUTRAGE OLYMPICS

Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius
The brand-new single from the upcoming "Imposter" album.

 

MARTIN DENNY

Let's try to postpone the end of summer with some exotica.

J.M. SMIG - ZAPPACRITE

A bit over two months ago, J.M. Smig made the demo recording of one of his latest pieces, 'Zappacrite', available on Soundcloud.

In the meantime, the suite has grown to 3 movements and it is available on Bandcamp.

J.M. added:
Work in progress, rough mix. I've begun the fourth movement, but I have a lot going on in the real world at the moment so I'm publishing the completed portion in the meantime.

Check it out !!
Recommended listening.

GREEN CROW COLLECTIVE

Belgium has gained a mischievous ball orchestra, and GREEN CROW COLLECTIVE is the name.

'EuroDada' is what they call it. A shot of rousing Adrenaline, Punk, Balkan, Rock, and most importantly Belgian Surrealism.

 

AHMET ZAPPA & JOE TRAVERS

Ahmet Zappa & Joe Travers: Apostrophe

The fun part is when Ahmet has AF (artificial Frank) answer a question.

 

MOON ZAPPA BOOK TOUR

Moon Zappa is touring the world.

November 1, 2024, Moon will be at Crossing Border, a literature and music festival in The Hague, The Netherlands.

https://www.crossingborder.nl/

And one day earlier, on October 31, 2024, Moon will be at the Belgian edition of Crossing Border, in Antwerp, Belgium.

https://www.crossingborder.be/

FRANK ZAPPA ON BELGIAN RADIO 1973

 

CORRIE VAN BINSBERGEN UPDATE

Dutch guitar player and composer Corrie van Binsbergen composed the music for "Apollo", a (Dutch) theater show for kids, performed by the RAAF music theater and the Rotterdam Philharmonic.

A recording of the show is available as a download-only audiobook.

https://raafmuziektheater.nl/luisterboek-apollo/

Corrie put up some fragments on her Soundcloud page :

https://soundcloud.com/corrie-van-binsbergen/sets/apollo-rotterdams

BANNED FROM UTOPIA PLAYS ZAPPA ON HALLOWEEN AT THE BAKED POTATO

The Banned From Utopia will be doing 6 Halloween shows at The Baked Potato.

Wednesday Oct 30, Thursday Oct 31, and Friday Nov 1, 2024
Three times two shows. That's 6 shows in total.
at The Baked Potato
https://www.thebakedpotato.com/events-calendar/

https://www.zappanews.co.uk/diary

BANNED from UTOPIA plays ZAPPA

RAY WHITE …VOCALS/GUITAR
ROBERT MARTIN …VOCALS/KEYS/SAX
SCOTT THUNES …BASS
CHAD WACKERMAN …DRUMS
JAMIE KIME …GUITAR
MIKE MILLER …GUITAR

A COMPLETE DWEEZIL ZAPPA SHOW ON YOUTUBE

Dweezil Zappa - 8/31/24 - Red Bank, NJ - Complete show

A high quality (audience) audio recording of this show is up at Dime A Dozen.

Here are the spoilers:

01 stage entrance
02 Heavy Duty Judy
03 Don't Eat the Yellow Snow
04 Nanook Rubs It
05 St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast
06 Approximate - part 1
07 Approximate - part 2
08 Approximate - part 3
09 Inca Roads
10 Pygmy Twylyte - with snippets of "The Cantina Song", "Fly Like an Eagle", "Space Truckin'", "Imperial Theme"
11 The Idiot Bastard Son
12 Dickie's Such an Asshole
13 Echidna's Arf (Of You) - with Adam Minkoff
14 Don't You Ever Wash That Thing? - with snippets of "Thunder Road", "Stormy Weather"
15 Call Me
16 Born in the U.S.A.
17 Livin' on a Prayer
18 intro to Punky's Whips
19 Punky's Whips
20 Cosmik Debris - with Adam Minkoff
21 Happy Birthday to You - for Dweezil
22 Semi-Fraudulent/Direct-From-Hollywood Overture
23 A Pound for a Brown on the Bus - with snippets of "The Heart of Rock & Roll", "Ghostbusters", "Uptown Girl", "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"
24 Cheepnis
25 "Early Days" Medley - Hungry Freaks, Daddy / You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here / Harry, You're a Beast / Oh No / Son of Orange County / The Orange County Lumber Truck / More Trouble Every Day - with snippets of "Two Tickets to Paradise", "Paradise City", "Stayin' Alive"

AHMET ZAPPA TALKS ABOUT THE ZAPPA FAMILY TRUST (AND MORE)

Ahmet Answers Hard-Hitting Questions

Skip the (less interesting) stuff and go straight to 26:00

TWO OLDER FLAT EARTH SOCIETY ALBUMS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO BANDCAMP

The Flat Earth Society Orchestra has made two of the older albums available through Bandcamp.

Flat Earth Society: "Minoes", from 2001

 

Flat Earth Society: "Answer Songs" from 2008

JEWELS & BINOCULARS

Jewels & Binoculars was a project by Michael Moore (alto sax, bass clarinet), Lindsey Horner (double bass), and Michael Vatcher (percussion), devoted to interpreting the music of Bob Dylan.

Melodic and lyrical.
All balanced by contributions from each member of the trio.

The trio has released three albums, the first two of which I have enjoyed this morning.

• Jewels & Binoculars: The Music Of Bob Dylan
      (2001, cd, NL, ramboy recordings)

• Jewels & Binoculars: Floater
      (2004, cd, NL, ramboy recordings)

OPHER GOODWIN - IN SEARCH OF CAPTAIN BEEFHEART

"In Search Of Captain Beefheart" is a book by Opher Goodwin, released in 2014.

The title might be a bit misleading as Opher Goodwin tells how he dedicated his live going to concerts and collecting records.
Opher had good taste in music, so it's fun to read how he went to see Pink Floyd or Jethro Tull or Captain Beefheart, but it's not really about Captain Beefheart.
Sure, Opher also researched the blues and did lectures and courses on rock music but I would not have called it "In Search Of Captain Beefheart".
Still, I enjoyed reading it.

CHANAN HANSPAL - - - ZAPPA TALK WITH INFRASTEFF

Chanan Hanspal continues his excellent YouTube series !!

 

LUST FOR LIFE MAGAZINE ISSUE 144 WILL HAVE FRANK ZAPPA ON THE COVER

Dutch magazine Lust For Life

NEW ALBUM BY ORCHESTRE TOUT PUISSANT MARCEL DUCHAMP

new album

by Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp

"Ventre Unique"

To be released on November 1, 2024.

 

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD - INFEST THE RATS' NEST

• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Infest The Rats’ Nest
      (2019, cd, Australia, flightless) – 2019-08-16
      (2019, lp, --, flightless)
      (2019, download / streaming, --, --)

Album number 15 for KG & TLW.
From 2019.
"Infest The Rats' Nest" got released worldwide on vinyl by Flightless.
A CD version was only made available in Australia. Also by Flightless.
As always, the LP exists in different vinyl colors. New colors and variations being added almost every year.

"Infest The Rats' Nest" is a heavy metal album.
It was a bit of a surprise when I first heard it, because I hadn't expected this from KG & TLW.
But it's a fine album.
Call it heavy prog, or stoner, or whatever, in the end, it's just a fine album.

With this album KG & TLW shows that it's perfectly fine to appreciate heavy metal, next to psychedelic rock. Not that I needed that confirmation, but it might open the minds of their public.
Also noteworthy is the fact that "Infest The Rats' Nest" got recorded by a slimmed down version of KG & TLW. It's a power trio (guitar, bass, drums) exercise.

HARDSCORE

Hardscore was Frank Nuyts' project, releasing several albums between 1997 and 2004.
The first album was recently made available on bandcamp as and 'expanded edition'.

 

SUUNS HAVE A NEW ALBUM OUT

Suuns - The Breaks

On their sixth long player The Breaks – their second for Joyful Noise Recordings – SUUNS find themselves lost in limbo. For some artists, being caught in flux may result in songs that are either naive, out of touch or both, simply as a consequence of being cut off from human civilization. But for SUUNS, a band who have grown more than comfortable in the oblique and the intermediate, it actually had the opposite effect. The Breaks marks the Montreal experimental rock outfit’s most emotionally resonant and tonally rich collection of music to date. 

The trio of Ben Shemie, Joseph Yarmush and Liam O’Neill leans more zealously than ever into their pop instincts. Yet remarkably enough, with that same dauntless abandon, SUUNS have mined a more extreme sonic palette this time around, one that stretches far beyond their core fundamentals as a band. “Before we had a kind of rule that we wouldn't have any instruments on the record that we weren't actually playing,” drummer/percussionist O'Neill says. “The recordings we made were always more of a document. There were no overdubs. And now…we don't care about that! Now we do whatever just sounds good.”

STEVE VAI GUITAR BOOK

Steve Vai:
I was approached by Rufus Publications back in 2019 with an interest to create a high end and compelling book of 100 of my most unique and used guitars. I knew there was only one guy that could do this job most effectively and that was Michael Mesker, who was eager to do it. There isn’t anyone who knows the history of my guitars, nor has the artistic overview of photography and forensic attention to detail as he does. Mike spent 5 years compiling this book and photographing the guitars with a quality technique that will blow your mind. He scoured the globe to find many of these guitars, as I had given many away or sold them through the years, but he tracked them down and got the necessary shots. The results are stunning and the book is a masterpiece. I didn’t realize how diverse, eclectic and innovative my guitar collection was until I saw this book. Besides the documenting of various models, this book is the penultimate definitive word on the history of the Jem and the guitars that were part of its evolution. It’s magnificent and I’m blown away.
Pre-order your copy here: https://www.rufuspublications.com/rufusbooks/vai/

Check those prices...
The 'ultra ediition' comes with a guitar...

ATTENTION DEFICIT

Instrumental "super" group (rock, metal and new age/jazz) with Michael Manring on bass, Tim Alexander (ex-Primus) on drums, and Alex Skolnick (from Testament) on guitar.

EXCELLENT COMPILATION ALBUM BY J.M. SMIG

J.M. Smig has just released a compilation album: "Nien: A Schizospective 2009-2018".

Check it out.
I really like this.
Recommended listening.

And for the Zappa-heads, be sure to check out the ending of 'Black Coffee Waltz' !!
Nope, it's not a Zappa reference. Or is it  :-)

THE CZECH FRANK ZAPPA FAN CLUB IS ISSUING ANOTHER T-SHIRT

The Czech Frank Zappa fan club is issuing a t-shirt in support of the Proton Centrum Prague (where they treat prostate cancer).

Get additional info & order from : fanclubzappa dot brno at post dot cz

NEW RELEASE FROM MIKE KENEALLY AND BRYAN BELLER

 Announced last week,
available now !!

"Freaks in a Mellow Mood, Vol. I"

NEW ALBUM BY L. SHANKAR

 L.Shankar will be releasing a new album later this month: "Full Moon".

In the meantime, you can always check out this amazing concert on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL_PeLSi2Ts

JOHN TABACCO UPDATE

 John Tabacco continues his musical adventures, experimenting with chatGPT and Artificial Intelligence.

"Artificial Tales Of Gleep And Whimsy (Vol.3)"

Volume 3 of stories modified in chatGPT, read by AI voices at my discretion and surrounded by original music and FX.

ED PALERMO BIG BAND IN CONCERT AT THE IRIDIUM ON SEPT 30

MIKE KENALLY CONCERTS SCHEDULED IN FINLAND

FOUR SHOWS IN FINLAND WITH THE MIKE KENEALLY REPORT IN EARLY OCTOBER

Thu Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. Heinävesi, Varjentiini hall
Fri Oct. 4 at 9 pm Tampere, Telakka
Sat Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Pori, Validi Karkia club / Pori Mies-Laulu
Sun Oct. 6 at 7 pm Helsinki, On the Rocks

RICK BEATO INVITES TONY LEVIN

18 minutes into the interview Tony talks about playing in a band with Don Preston !!
Another excellent interview by Rick Beato.

A POIL UEDA UPDATE

PoiL Ueda in concert

• 14.09 Jazz Off (COLMAR – FR)
• 20.09 (festival) – Le Périscope - Musiques Innovantes (LYON – FR)
• 21.09 La fraternelle / Maison du Peuple (SAINT-CLAUDE – FR)
• 26.09 Le Singe (BIENNE – CH)
• 27.09 Freakshow.Artrock.Festival (WURZBURG – DE)
• 28.09 House of Music Berlin (BERLIN – DE)

DON PRESTON TOUR DATES

Don Preston will also play at De Bosuil in Weert, NL.
October 2, 2024.
sharing the bill with Frank Zappa tribute band The Others Of Invention.

-- info : Philippe Lamoot

For more dates, check Andrew's Diary
https://www.zappanews.co.uk/

THE ELECTRIC LADY BIG BAND

Denny Ilett's Electric Lady Big Band.

= a UK Big Band that performs the music of Jimi Hendrix (or what did you expect?)

Here's an interesting read of how the band came about:
https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/find-a-show/denny-iletts-electric-lady-big-band-play-jimi-hendrix

And here's the album (from a couple of years ago) :
My favorite being 'Crosstown Traffic'.

CONCERTS AND MORE CONCERTS

Beat, Don Preston, Dweezil Zappa, The Furious Bongos, FidoPlaysZappa, Pygmy Twylyte, and more concert dates in Andrew's indispensable https://www.zappanews.co.uk/diary.

Wowie zowie !!

SZILARD MEZEI

The last couple of weeks, I have received some extraordinary music from Szilard Mezei, a Serbian composer and violinist (Serbian, but with an Hungarian cultural heritage).. 

http://www.szilardmezei.net/?i=1

Mixing folk and contemporary classical music, and working with several ensembles, Szilard Mezei's musical world is quite the discovery. (thanks, Danny !)

One of his more recent albums "Nem F​ü​st​ö​l a Zentaji Gy​á​r K​é​m​é​nye" features the Szilard Mezei Tul A Tiszan Innen Ensemble.
Released on the Slam Productions record label on CD and through Bandcamp,
"Nem F​ü​st​ö​l a Zentaji Gy​á​r K​é​m​é​nye" is a great introduction to Szilard Mezei's work.

Check it out !

AHLEUCHATISTAS - EXPANSION

Ahleuchatistas
"Expansion"

Ahleuchatistas is an avant-rock trio that formed in 2002. They play instrumental music that is meticulously thru-composed and relentlessly paced from beginning to end, morphing through perpetually evolving subtle variations of unfolding poly-tonal melodies that are simultaneously angular and organic.

Instrumental, post-Beefheart, avant-technical, improv-core, math-metal, art-damage, punk-rock power trio from Asheville, NC

The latest Ahleuchatistas release features main man Shane Parish on guitar, with Trevor Dunn on bass, and Danny Piechocki on drums.

Recommended listening !!

EUGENE CHADBOURNE UPDATE

To those that subscribed to his Head Of Books project, Eugene Chadbourne sends out banjo / guitar improvisations on a daily basis.

The latest one (Sept 2, 2024) was entitled 'Hurricane Mother of Space Cadet Princess'.
Somehow I link this to Moon Zappa's book...

Unrelated, here 'One More Road To Cross':

https://youtube.com/shorts/hrPJvix3FeE?si=AXjZj6hN5RLcqkro

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD

• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Fishing For Fishies
      (2019, cd, --, flightless) – 2019-04-26
      (2019, lp, --, flightless / ato)
      (2019, download / streaming, --, --)

After having released five albums in 2017, after which the band toured extensively.
Their next release, "Fishing For Fishies", got released in 2019. It was their fourteenth album.

Less challenging and less surprising as their previous releases, the not so secret word for "Fishing For Fishies" is Boogie.

ROCKTAILS WITH SPECIAL GUEST DIVA ZAPPA

Rocktails with Ahmet Zappa, with special guest Diva Zappa.