A NEW DWEEZIL ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA DVD

Dweezil Zappa's New Year's Greetings included news about a new DVD :

"2015 will be a busy year! There is a lot of touring planned and there will be new music and a DVD available. It’s been quite a while since this has been possible. I’m very excited about sharing my new record with you as well as the “Apostrophe LIVE” DVD!

The editing for the “Apostrophe LIVE” concert is complete now. There are other things to do finalize the project such finish the stereo and surround mixes and do all of the artwork and authoring for the DVD. I am planning a PLEDGE campaign for the DVD so that anyone who may be interested can get their copy before it is released to the public."

Apostrophe DVD set list

1 Gumbo Variations
2 Yellow Snow
3 Nanook Rubs It
4 St Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast
5 Father O’Blivion 6 Cosmik Debris (with FZ)
7 Excentrifugal Forz 8 Apostrophe
9 Uncle Remus (with George Duke)
10 Stink Foot
11 RDNZL (with George Duke)
12 Pygmy Twylyte (Quaalude Thunder Version with George Duke)
13 Echidna’s Arf (with George Duke)
14 Inca Roads (with George Duke and FZ)
15 City Of Tiny Lites
16 I Promise Not To Come In Your Mouth
17 Cruisin’ For Burgers
Encore
18 Eat That Question (with George Duke)
19 Baby Snakes
20 Chrissy Puked Twice
22 Muffin Man (with FZ)

THE STRING TRASH PROJECT AND THE AMERICAN-EUROPEAN MOTHERS OF MUSIC - ZAPPA SPIELT FÜR BACH

• the string trash project and the american-european mothers of music: zappa spielt für bach
      (2014, cd, ger, stiftung johann-sebastian)

July 2014 had the String Trash Project and the American-European Mothers Of Music performing at the St Katharinenkirche in Hamburg as the opening concert for the Zappanale festival.
The String Trash Projects is Siglinde Koch-Sembdner on harp, backed by Peter Görs on guitar and Mick Zeuner on bass.
The American-European Mothers Of Music was a one-time project with Napoleon Murphy Brock on vocals, saxophone and flute, Mats Öberg on keyboard and harmonica, Benoît Moerlen on marimba and vibes, and Siglinde Koch-Sembdner on harp.

I happened to be at this concert and I remember remaining a bit dissatisfied.
The String Trash Project opened the concert and although Siglinde Koch-Sembdner sounded great on the harp, the guitar / bass accompaniment wasn't always flawless.
The second band, the A.E.M.O.M., did have the perfect line-up with former Zappa sideman Napoleon Murphy Brock on vocals and sax, with keyboard and harmonica wonder Mats Öberg, with marimba and vibes player Benoît Moerlen who has performed lots of Zappa material with French band Peach Noise, and with Siglinde Koch-Sembdner on harp, but they only performed four Zappa tunes...
The A.E.M.O.M. did open their set with a superb mash-up of Frank Zappa's 'Chunga's Revenge' and Wayne Shorter's 'Armageddon', but I could have done without the Albert Hey Melotte, Erik Satie, Frank Losser, Bernard Andrés, Kurt Weill, J.S.Bach and Anthony Newly pieces.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not someone who only listens to Zappa's music, but with this line-up...

Anyway, this "Zappa Spielt Für Bach" album does present two fine performances of the String Trash Project, and it does include an excellent concert by the A.E.M.O.M.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wishing you a healthy and happy 2015 !!

AUGUSTO PIRODDA QUARTET - A TURKEY IS BETTER EATEN

• augusto pirodda quartet: a turkey is better eaten
      (2014, cd, bel, el negocito records enr020)

Born in Italy in 1971, pianist and composer Augusto Pirodda moved to The Netherlands in 1998 to study at the Den Haag Conservatory. In 2002 he moved back to Italy, only to return to The Netherlands in 2005. Nowadays, he's living in Brussels.

After years of playing with various jazz musicians across Europe, Augusto Pirodda made his first solo record in 2007. The album was entitled "Moving".
2011 saw the release of his second album, "No Comment", with Gary Peacock on bass and Paul Motian on drums. It got released on the German Jazzwerkstatt label.

And now there's "A Turkey Is Better Eaten" for which Augusto invited rhythm section Manolo Cabras on double bass and Marek Patrman on drums. Manolo Cabras hails from Italy and is a long time collaborator of Augusto Pirodda. Czech drummer Marek Patrman teaches at the Antwerp Jazz Academy and has worked and recorded with Erik Vermeulen and Ben Sluys to name two.
Alto sax player Ben Sluys completes the quartet. His lyrical playing style creates the perfect counterpoint to the more experimental approach of Augusto.

"A Turkey Is Better Eaten" is a fascinating album.
Worth checking out.

Released on the El Negocito record label.
http://www.elnegocitorecords.com/releases/eNR020+.html

Here's Augusto Pirodda, Manolo Cabras and Marke Patrman (without Ben Sluys) in concert in Brussels, November 2011.

FRANK ZAPPA - THE COMPLETE BBC TV BROADCAST

• frank zappa: the complete bbc tv broadcast
      (2014, 2lp + cd, ??, ??)

Here's another bootleg release. I found this one in July, I think. It's a 2LP set with the music that was broadcast on a recent BBC documentary, if I'm not mistaken.
2LP's: one on blue and one on mauve / lilla / purple vinyl.
As a bonus, the album included a CD entitled "Bamboozled By Circus Krone". I don't get the link with the vinyl album, but that's probably me...
The set was produced in a limited edition of 300 numbered copies.

the vinyls

and the CD :

ZAPPA / MOTHERS - ROXY BY PROXY

As far as I know, the "Roxy By Proxy" album by three different parties: by the ZFT, by Mark Logan, and by 'Dal Vivo'. The latter one did not only produce a standard jewelcase edition, but also a version that came in a 10" cardboard booklet. Nice. Very nice.

There's also a 2 LP vinyl bootleg version. Two to be exact. One on green vinyl and a second one on red vinyl.
Predictable and illegal.

Here they are:

and

MICHAEL CHAPMAN - RAINMAKER

• michael chapman: rainmaker
      (1969, lp, uk, harvest)

Michael Chapman - Rainmaker (1968 uk)
http://therockasteria.blogspot.nl/2014/12/michael-chapman-rainmaker-1968-uk.html,

featuring Alex Dmochowski and Aynsley Dunbar who both played with Frank Zappa.
Data has been added to the United Mutations Archives.

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

CHAOS OF THE HAUNTED SPIRE - LIVE AT TRIX

• chaos of the haunted spire: live at trix
      (2014, download, bel, rat records rat 028)

Andrew Claes (sax and laptop) and Teun Verbruggen (drums, electronics) are Chaos Of The Haunted Spire.
Earlier in 2014, the duo released an album (on cassette) that was recorded live in concert at Trix Antwerp in 2012.
Special guests that evening were Sickboy Milkplus (electronics) and Pierre Vervloesem (bass).
Experimental / improvised music.

Out on Rat Records.
http://www.ratrecords.biz/

OSTRICH VON NIPPLE - UPRIGHT jERKER

Ostrich Von Nipple - Upright Jerker

from the "Quantifies Absurdity" album.

THE RESIDENTS - THE 12 DAYS OF BRUMALIA + PRELUDE TO THE TEDS

• the residents: the 12 days of brumalia + prelude to the teds
      (2014, cd, usa, mvd6611a)

Released on November 4, 2014, by the MVD label, this album collects "The 12 Days Of Brumalia", "Prelude To The Teds" and "Boneless Boy".

"The 12 Days Of Brumalia" got released by RalphAmerica in 2004 (1000 copies) and "Prelude To The Teds" got released in 1993 by the Hello Recording Club.
"Boneless Boy" was a download-only from earlier in 2014.