BSQRD released a Frank Zappa tribute on her "Yesterday's Tomorrow" album.
From 2013 !
Growing up, our father would make my brothers and I mixed CDs of all my dad's favorite music from the 70s. Every CD he made us had to have Frank Zappa's Mudshark on it, because the Secret Word for tonight is Mudshark!
The track is called 'Secret Word (Tribute To Frank Zappa)' and it samples Frank Zappa.
Nothing can beat Tanino Liberatore's artwork for Frank Zappa's "The Man From Utopia" album, but this Rick Griffin comic book from 1972 (from the comixjoint archives) would also have been nice :-)
https://comixjoint.com/manfromutopia.html
-- info: Danny Mathys
Today, my musical adventure will start by exploring the works of Béla Bartók and Alexander Scriabin.
Music performed by the New York Philharmonic and by the BBC Orchestra, under the direction of Pierre Boulez.
Released in the beautiful Sony Classical series.
Norah Jones Is Playing Along with Ron Carter & Bill Frisell
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Does anyone remember this Sony Classical series from the early 1990's?
Performances on contemporary classical music, conducted by Pierre Boulez, with superb album covers and lots of info included?
The entire BEAT concert.
June 10, 2026
L'Olympia, Paris, France
Adrian Belew/Tony Levin/Steve Vai/Danny Carey
The second set has sync issues, but you can find the corrected upload of the second set below.
The second set, with the sync problems resolved:
The final concert of Gruppo Sportivo's final tour will be at the Bibelot Poppodium in Dordrecht, NL, on June 26, 2026.
This is the same Gruppo Sportivo that used Frank Zappa's 'Takes You Clothes Off When You Dance' as an intro for their 'Superman' song, originally released in 1977 on their "10 Mistakes" album.
Later Gruppo Sportive would perform at one of the Dutch Frank Zappa Days, organised by Guus Veldhuis. They re-named themselves The Rubbers Of Prevention for the occasion and even performed at Zappanale later on.
A clip from 10 years ago, performing a song from over 40 years ago:
RPWL will start an extensive tour in April 2027.
The German prog rock band RPWL was formed in 1997, originally as a Pink Floyd tribute band – frontman Yogi Lang’s voice bears a striking resemblance to that of David Gilmour. After a few years, RPWL switched to original material and, on albums such as World Through My Eyes (2005), Beyond Man And Time (2012) and Tales From Outer Space (2019), developed their own accessible prog rock sound in the style of Porcupine Tree and (the later) Marillion – though, of course, Pink Floyd is never far away.
Today, June 12, 2026, marks the release date for the new Goose album: "Big Modern!".
French Zeuhl and R.I.O. (Rock in Opposition) pioneers Rhùn released their first demo in 2008.
Their latest album, recorded live in 2024, captures their frenetic energy in peak form.
Recorded at the Soleil Zeuhl festival in Belleville, this 7-track album documents the 5-piece band's multi-instrumental lineup as they showcase their trademark avant-garde sound.
Compared to their previous albums, "Evil Erbez" is a departure from the tightly controlled, studio wizardry. Where "Tozïh" (2023) and "Tozzos" (2024) allowed for layered, astral noodling, "Evil Erbez" trades atmospheric pacing for raw, explosive, high-octane velocity.
Koenjihyakkei comes to mind.
I'd even call it avant-garde jazz.
"Evil Erbez" proves that Rhùn also is an incredible live act. And excellent addition to their discography.
Out on the Baboon Fish record label, and on Bandcamp.
Check it out:
-- info: Philippe Lamoot
If you're into instrumental rock guitar music, you definitely need to check out Neal Schon's "Universe" album.
Neal Schon joined Carlos Santana's band at a young age, only to become part of Journey at the age of 19.
"Universe" was Neal's eleventh album. The unlikely aspect of the album is the choice of songs.
Imagine having been a guitar hero all of your life, both as a solo artist and as part of one of the biggest rock bands around. And then you decide to record a bunch of songs that you like. Original material but also songs by Prince, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix,... All as instrumental versions.
Simply brilliant.
Neal Schon: I Believe (S. Wonder)
Yesterday, I received a digital download copy of "Notes With Attachments", the 2021 album by Pino Palladino and Blake Mills.
The first piece of the album, 'Just Wrong', had me all puzzled. It felt like there were a lot of clues to Frank Zappa's early music / Mothers Of Invention area. Was it the chord structure, parts of the melody, the instrumentation? I still can't lay my finger on it. But it sure got me intrigued.
Did I get the same reaction to the other tracks on the album?
Well, not really, but I did really enjoy the other pieces as well.
All instrumental.
Experimental, jazz-adjacent, and genre-defying soundscapes.
Andrew Greenaway posted some excellent news on https://www.zappanews.co.uk/.
Kickstarter coming soon to help Wild Dog Film finish this documentary about Robert Davidson and his iconic photo of Frank Zappa
https://www.wilddogworld.com/zappa-and-me-the-image-that-created-an-icon/
Here's a promising concert fragment. It's from a while ago already, but as the ensemble is preparing a Zappa tribute album at this very moment, this might be one of the pieces...
For their latest project, Pili Coït uses King Solomon's "Song Of Songs" as an inspiration.
The duo got expanded and the sound got more complex.
Experimental and fascinating.
-- info: Danny Mathys
The latest Frank Zappa album, "Zappa '66 Vol. 1" has also been released in Japan.
Even available in Europe.
And as it happens, so is the recent "Whisky A Go Go" set.
Over the nine expansive tracks on "Feathered Creatures", celebrated sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee and genre-bending jazz guitarist Mark Lettieri chart a path through myriad subgenres of music – IDM’s skittering breakbeat tension, progressive rock’s epic, flowing sweep, and the entrancing lushness of Indian classical music – making for a true sonic journey that’s remarkable in its effortlessness. Chatterjee and Lettieri make boldness sound easy on "Feathered Creatures", and as a result their work sounds like two interlocking pieces of one brilliant puzzle.
The bones of "Feathered Creatures" were already being excavated by Chatterjee, as he’d been hard at work on some of the music featured on the record before meeting Lettieri near the end of 2023. The pair first came in contact as jazz fusion collective Snarky Puppy’s tour schedule rolled through India, which resulted in Chatterjee sitting in for a performance or two. “He played a couple songs with us and I was totally blown away by his skill,” Lettieri recalls. “I’d never really heard sitar played like an electric guitar. I immediately cornered him in the green room and was like, ‘You got to show me how you do that.’”
I've only heard a couple of tracks YouTube, but this sounds excellent.
14 paintings, 36" x 36";
Each cut into 9 12" squares;
Which totals to 126 unique album covers.
Here's one of the larger paintings, also depicting 9 album covers :
The driving force behind Intige Taluure is two persons: Jean-Marie Mievis and Kim Duchateau.
Their music is unpredictable (to say the least) and "Bananafishing" is no exception.
From ethereal scenes to eclectic pieces, "Bananafishing" presents 5 tracks. The title track has to be played at 45 rmp and takes up the entire side A. The four remaining songs on side B are at 33 rpm
Theatrical. Experimental.
Songs but also spoken word sections.
A variety of guest vocalists.
Diverse instrumentation and an organ / synth sound that makes me think of The Residents.
This is an amazing record.
The Evolution of the Trio
Now in our 16th year in this formation, the band has grown immensely.
Let's THRAK Again lives deeply within the spiritual world where King Crimson compositions dwell, even pulling in specific motivic elements from the classic THRAK album. We describe it as instrumental chamber music, but the chamber is enormous, loud, dark, and experimental. We purposely designed and arranged these pieces to be performed live as a raw trio, without leaning heavily on electronic safety nets. It is intricate, beautiful, and in your face.
"Repeated listening will be absolutely necessary to fully grasp everything happening beneath the surface."
The Tale of Two Reels
We aren't just releasing one version of this album. We are releasing two entirely distinct experiences mixed by two different Italian masters: Reel One (mixed by Stefano Castagna) and Reel Two (mixed by Fabio Trentini).
These aren't just slightly tweaked audio files. They feature completely different mixes and entirely different track orders. Let each reel wash over you as its own separate journey. The shifting track sequences and sonic architectures allow an entirely different emotional landscape to unfold.
Later this month, "200 Motels" will be performed in Geneva, Switzerland.
Here's a short preview:
"Timeless" is a brand-new 10 track compilation featuring rare and unreleased studio recordings from Prince's legendary vault.
Nolan Cook ;whom you remember as the guitar player for The Residents, has a new project: NIFNAR.
NIFNAR just released 'I'll Give You One Day To Remember'.
Recommended listening !
Zu has a new album out, "Ferrum Sidereum".
2 LP and/or CD.
Out on the House Of Mythology record label.
And they have just announced the release of their third album, "Rendezvous Rodeo".
Due out on July 31, but we can already enjoy some music through Bandcamp.
Eventually, the album will also be released on CD !
Masters of improvised music, Tu-Ner also reworked King Crimson tunes for "Rendezvous Rodeo".
Upcoming concerts :
07/28/2026 - Old Saybrook, CT @ The Kate
07/29/2026 - Woodstock, NY @ The Colony
07/30/2026 - Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse
08/09/2026 - Hudson Falls, NY @ Strand Theater
08/10/2026 - Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater
08/11/2026 - Annville, PA @ The Allen Theatre
08/12/2026 - Pittsburgh, PA @ City Winery
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Available on Bandcamp,
as a 2 LP set on purple coloured vinyl plus a blu-ray (with the documentary);
and as a 2 CD set plus the blu-ray.
Belgian space / prog rock band Quantum Fantay has a new album out: "The Butterfly Effex".
I remember that the band played at Zappanale once. Quite some time ago already.
I don't recall the actual concert, but I do know that I enjoy their albums.
Their latest release "The Butterfly Effex" delivers a 75-minute cosmic journey.
It perfectly balances hypnotic loops and patterns with beautiful melodies.
Check out my favourite track, 'Xemuta':
-- info: Danny Mathys
Bear McCreary's "Singularity" album was quite enjoyable.
Bombastic, theatrical and featuring a bunch of special guests...
As there's also a companion graphic novel, I thought I'd give that a try today. While listening to the album.
It's a nice combination.
An interesting story that I hadn't really captured while listening to the music.
And excellent artwork.
comicbook.jpg)
Blue Eyes can’t stop being reborn. He tumbles from life to life, from one unthinkably strange universe to the next—the only constant being that, one way or another, everything he learns to love is lost. But when Blue Eyes finally catches up to a mysterious figure he’s seen recurring throughout his lives, he realizes he might just have a chance to escape his cursed immortality—or, at the very least, exact revenge for it.
From 17 to 20 July 2025, the 34th Zappanale took place in Bad Doberan on the Baltic Sea. “Music Across” was there once again and interviewed all the musicians; these interviews can be heard in several “Music Across” programmes, alongside live recordings from the concerts.
Among the artists were Zappa alumni Bobby Martin and Ray White, and, believe it or not, 92-year-old Don Preston, who made music history with Frank Zappa’s “Mothers of Invention”, was also there. In this third programme on the Zappanale 2025, you can hear interviews and music from “The Dangerous Kitchen”, “Möwe und die Ölmützen”, “Zappalot” featuring the composer, film director and former guitarist of Helge Schneider, Sandro Giampietro, “The Dorf” and the “Yuval Ron Trio”, all from Germany.
The fourth and final programme on the Zappanale 2025, on 6 July 2026, will feature 92-year-old Don Preston, Finnish conductor, composer and guitarist Jukka Iisakkila, “Tō Yō” from Japan, and Zappanale organiser Wolfhard Kutz.
Cavern Deep, the Doom Metal band from Umeå, Västerbotten, Sweden, recorded FZ's 'Muffin Man' in 2021.
The band has released several albums but, unfortunately, this fine version of 'Muffin Man' can only be found on YouTube.A. I. generated apparently.
YouTube only ?
Blood Diaper is a parody death metal project whose satirical, AI-generated tracks have been featured on the Adult Swim network. The music—ranging from Frank Zappa covers to "old fart anthems"—is released on the SHIM SHAM RECORDS YouTube channel, which specializes in "fake records for real people".
The Fall's 1995 "Cerebral Caustic" album included their version of FZ's 'I'm Not Satisfied'.
The album will get a re-release later this year. On black vinyl, on coloured vinyl, and even as an expanded 5 CD set.
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The Heliocentrics, Marshall Allen, Knoel Scott Ft. Bilal: Nuclear War
Strut proudly presents Nuclear War, a powerful collaboration between UK collective The Heliocentrics, Sun Ra Arkestra legends Marshall Allen and Knoel Scott, and vocalist Bilal - issued on limited-edition “hazardous” orange and yellow vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day 2026.
Sun Ra: Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Strut proudly presents the first definitive expanded reissue of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Sun Ra’s 1977 session recorded at the Bluebird in Bloomington, Indiana, presented in a new 3LP vinyl set or across 2CD's."The Unbelievable Truth", an album by Elton Dean & The Wrong Object, has been re-released on Bandcamp with a 9-minute bonus track !
https://ugoki.bandcamp.com/album/the-unbelievable-truth
Two new pieces by Corrie van Binsbergen!
Opium Otilka Quartet - - - 'De Harmonie Der Scheuren' (C. van Binsbergen)
Opium Otilka Quartet - - - 'Voer Voor Struikrovers' (C. van Binsbergen)
De Casino is a music venue in the centre of Sint Niklaas, a nice little Belgian town.
September, October, and November, De Casino will host a number of jazz afternoons.
Sunday afternoon at 16h00, there will be some great bands to enjoy / discover :
Charlie Haden Quartet West: 'Hello My Lovely', from the "Haunted Heart" album.
-- info: Jan van Kemenade
I mentioned Giorgio Libera's second album, "What's All This Noise For?", a little while ago.
In the meantime, I also got hold of his first album: "Red Powder", released on CD in 1998.
"Red Powder" is a wild, genre-bending ride. The record seamlessly mashes up jazz-fusion, blues, and progressive rock, while unmistakably wearing its primary influence—the eccentric, satirical genius of Frank Zappa—on its sleeve.
Across six sprawling tracks, Libera crafts a complex, kaleidoscopic musical journey. Opener "Red Powder" sets the stage with frenetic energy, quickly followed by the genre-splicing grooves of "Grease In Greece". The compositions are dense, often relying on jarring time signatures, intricate fretwork, and playful, unexpected detours.
While the music occasionally flirts with classical Indian music, orchestral motifs, and contemporary electronic sounds, the guitar is always front and center. It isn't an album for passive listening; rather, it’s a demanding and highly rewarding experience for those who appreciate avant-garde musicianship. If you are a fan of quirky, heavily arranged, zany instrumentals, this debut is a hidden gem.
Here's 'Grease in Greece':
Miquel Alvarez' "Martinete A Trane",
With Perico Sambeat on the saxophone !
-- info: Jan van Kemenade
Arthur Barrow:
This is a composition that I started on about ten years ago. I thought it would be nice to write something that is a bit nostalgic for a change. Hope you like it.
credits
released May 26, 2026
Composed, recorded, mixed, and produced by Arthur Barrow.
Performed by Arthur Barrow with Tommy Mars on Hammond organ at the end of the tune.
Mastered by Bob Rice.
Frank Zappa's "ZAPPAtite" got released in 2022. It was album #106.µ
In July the album will be re-issued:
- black vinyl 2 LP
- pink swirl vinyl 2 LP
- CD
ZAPPAtite dishes out an 18-track feast of Zappa's tastiest tracks — spanning psychedelic rock mutations and jazz-rock excursions to orchestral oddities, sharp satire, and other sounds unsuitable for polite dinner company.
Consider it a convenient gateway into the Zappaverse for the uninitiated, and a neatly packed reminder of the classics for those who already know better.
Available for the first time on vinyl as a 2LP pink swirl vinyl or 2LP black edition — both housed in gatefold jackets complete with a collectible "menu" insert. Also, available on 1CD. Come hungry.
The Furious Bongos commented:
First video from our performance at Syraucse Jazz Fest 6/27: City of Tiny Lites, with special guests Andre Cholmondeley (Project/Object) and Bruce McDaniel (Ed Palermo Big Band). More to come!
Green Seagull takes you back in time.
Their bandcamp page adds:
Green Seagull are a London, UK-based baroque psych pop band, taking influence from the likes of The Left Banke, The Zombies, and The Association.
Released on the Spinout Nuggets record label, "Smoke And Mirrors" sounds as it got recorded in the late sixties. And I mean that in the most positive way.
Beautiful songs with nice references to classic pop songs, great harmonies, perfect for radio airplay.
Also noteworthy is the fact that all of the bandmembers wrote songs for this album !
I enjoyed "Smoke And Mirrors" as a digital download, but the album is also available on LP and on CD.
