MATS / MORGAN KICKSTARTER PROJECT

Please check out Morgan Ågren's Kickstarter Project.

The project presents some brand-new music, but it's mostly about getting Mats urgently needed hearing treatment.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/804823372/morgan-agren-mats-oberg-cds-dvds-urgent-hearing-tr

G3

spoiler alert...

Mar 27 Offenbach
Mar 28 Koln
Mar 29 Berlin
Mar 31 Groningen
Apr 2 Rome
Apr 3 Florence
Apr 4 Milan
Apr 6 Bilbao
Apr 7 Barcelona
Apr 9 Madrid
Apr 11 Zurich
Apr 14 Eindhoven
Apr 15 Lyon
Apr 16 Paris
Apr 17 Bordeaux
Apr 18 Toulouse
Apr 19 Nantes
Apr 21 Antwerp
Apr 23 Lille
Apr 24 Southend
Apr 25 Hammersmith
Apr 26 Bristol
Apr 27 Manchester
Apr 29 Portsmouth
Apr 30 Birmingham

THE ESPOO BIG BAND

A fine introduction to the Espoo Big Band.
From Finland.

With Marzi Nyman conducting (and playing the guitar solo !)
Marzi Nyman was also featured on the UMO Jazz Orchestra Plays Zappa album.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - POP LIISA - LIVE IN STUDIO - 15/16

• various artists: pop liisa - live in studio - 15/16
      (2018, cd, finland, svart records sre088) 

Svart Records has been releasing quite a number of radio sessions by various Finnish bands. They find a home in their Pop Liisa series.
All of the albums are released on vinyl but they also get a CD release.

As the title shows, "Pop Liisa - Live In The Studio - 15/16" combines both the 15th and the 16th vinyl release.
And that's very nice of them as volume 15 included Orfeus performing FZ's 'Magic Fingers' and volume 16 presented Hasse Walli & Zeus doing a 15-minute version of 'Willie The Pimp'.

Wowie Zowie !!

SPAGGUETTA ORGHASMMOND - OPIUM / THIS IS JAZZ

• spagguetta orghasmmond: opium / this is jazz
      (2018, ep, bel, rockerill records / love mazout)

This brand-new EP by Spageutta Orghasmmond presents two tracks: 'Opium' and 'This Is Jazz'.
Available from Rockerill Records.
http://www.rockerillrecords.com/250-spagguetta-orghasmmond-opium-this-is-jazz

'Opium' is a psychedelic oriental tune, while 'This Is Jazz' is pure Hammond organ madness.
Weird.

ITZA UCHEN

Around 1982, Brussels-based pop/rock band Itza Uchen released their first (and only) 7".
The band featured Anne Fontigny, Danny Trossat, Jean-Pierre Jonckheere, Lizzy, Pierre Vervloesem and Richard Morton.

In more recent years, Jean-Piere Jonckheere and Pierre Vervloesem reunited as Les Boucles Absurdes.

For those who want to check out Itza Uchen, there's a couple of tracks available on Bandcamp.

Here's 'Lassitude', also showing the superb cover of the 7" single !!

WALT FOWLER UPDATE

Walt Fowler can be heard on the latest album by the Steve Gadd Band.

http://exystence.net/blog/2018/03/24/steve-gadd-steve-gadd-band-2018/

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

SUN RA REMASTERED

A nice article about a recent Sun Ra remaster / re-release.

http://exystence.net/blog/2018/03/24/sun-ra-his-arkestra-of-mythic-worlds-1980-remastered-2018/

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

BUELL NEIDLINGER

Buell Neidlinger can be heard playing the bass on Jean-Luc Ponty's "King Kong" and "Cantaloupe Island" albums.
He started his career in Cecil Taylor's band.

http://surfingtheodyssey.blogspot.be/2018/03/cecil-taylor-and-buell-neidlinger-1989.html

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

SUN RA & HIS ASTRO-IHNFINITY ARKESTRA - SUN EMBASSY

• sun ra & his astro-ihnfinity arkestra: sun embassy
      (2018, lp, usa, roaratorio)

Thanks to yesterday's special delivery, I was able to give this brand-new Sun Ra release a first listen today.
9 tracks assembled from various recording sessions at the Sun Studios in Philadelphia between 1968 and 1969.
Nice.

Out on Roaratorio !
http://roaratorio.com/uncategorized/sun-ra-his-astro-ihnfinity-arkestra-sun-embassy/

HASSE WALLI & ZEUS - POP LISA - LIVE IN STUDIO - 16

• hasse walli & zeus: pop lisa 16
      (2018, lp, finland, svart records sre087) 

November 7, 1972, Hasse Walli's Zeus quartet did a radio session for Finnish Radio 2.
Next to Jimi Hendrix' 'Little Wing', Bob Dylan's 'All Along The Watchtower', and one original composition, the band also recorded a 15 minute version of Frank Zappa's 'Willie The Pimp'.

Great !

Out on both black and red vinyl.

Hassi Walli on the guitar :

BBC SCOTTISH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PERFORMS ZAPPA

the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra performs Zappa, Anderson and Ives
19:30 Thu 25 Oct 2018 Glasgow City Halls


Programme

Frank Zappa - The Perfect Stranger
Julian Anderson - The Imaginary Museum – concerto for piano and orchestra
Charles Ives - A Symphony: New England Holidays

Performers

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e9q2rz

The concert will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

VIOLENT ONSEN GEISHA - OTIS (1993)

• violent onsen geisha: otis
      (1993, cd, japan, endorphine factory edp-006)

Last week, I mentioned Violent Onsen Geisha, a Japanese one-man-experimentalist that had re-thought Captain Beefheart's 'Mirror Man'.
Well, the album cover that I pictured was the one from the 1996 (remixed) re-issue on the Rail Recordings label.
Here's the 1993 album cover, from the Endorphine Factory record label. Also with

BAYACOMPUTER - DISCO GLASS

• bayacomputer: disco glass
      (2018, cd, bel, rockerill records)

Bayacomputer released their first single "Stevie Smith" in 2016. Their new album, "Disco Glass" was released earlier this month.

Belgian synth punk. 

http://www.rockerillrecords.com/238-bayacomputer-discoglass

Fun.

Here's the touring schedule :

24.03 @ Flabbergasted Festival, Essen (45127 - Germany)
25.03 @ Porno Diesel, Lausanne (1052 - Switzerland)
26.03 @ Excuse Bar, Saint-Étienne (42000 - France)
27.03 @ Le Farmer, Lyon (69002 - France)
28.03 @ La Makno, Genève (1204 - Switzerland)
29.03 @ Edera, Turin (10124 - Italy)
30.03 @ Lughè, Lugo (48022 - Italy)
31.03 @ Kraken, Milan (20122 - Italy)
01.04 @ Le Salopard, Bienne (2502 - Switzerland)
26.04 @ Le Biplan, Lille (59000 - France)
26.05 @ Maison de la culture de Tournai, Tournai (7500 - Belgium)
02.06 @ Rockerill, Marchienne-au-Pont (6030 - Belgium)
21.07 @ Rock Zerkegem, Zerkegem (8490 - Belgium)

MARBIN HAS A NEW ALBUM OUT

Album number 7 for Marbin : "Israeli Jazz".
Yes !!

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD - POLYGONDWANALAND

• king gizzard and the lizard wizard: polygondwanaland
      (2018, lp, bel, exag records)

Today, my vinyl copy of "Polygondwanalad" arrived.
Besides that it's an incredible album (I've been playing the download a lot), this vinyl version supports a good cause. Well done by Exag Records !!

http://exagrecords.com/

DAVID GOGO - BARE BONES

• david gogo: bare bones
      (2002, cd, canada, cordova bay rpr-0112)

Originally released as "Bare Bones (The Acoustic Blues)" in 2000 and re-issued in 2002 as "Bare Bones".
Includes David Gogo performing Captain Beefheart's 'Crazy Little Thing'.
Excellent album.

PIETER CLAUS' MOLTEN PENGUIN PROJECT TO PERFORM AT THE HAM SESSIONS

May 19, 20 and 21, another edition of the Ham Sessions will take place in Ghent, BE.

Check it out here :
https://www.hamsessions.be/ham-sessions-2018.html

One of the participating bands is Pieter Claus' Molten Penguin !!

NYTT LAND

NYTT LAND 'Oðal' CD (CSR249CD)

Siberian band NYTT LAND presents its new epic musical canvas. Working with the same unchanging 4 band-members, the musicians continue to revive the true magical sound of the Ancient North.

OĐAL...
HERITAGE...
PATH TO THE ROOTS...

Oðal is inspired by the traditional music of the indigenous peoples of Siberia, the Old Icelandic epic and the atmosphere of classic Norwegian black metal.

This time the album was recorded without using samples; all parts of the instruments were performed live. All songs were recorded and mixed in one of the technical quality best Russian studios, "Radio Sibir", which strongly affected the sound quality. All the sounds of nature were recorded in western Siberia and northern Norway.

For the first time the 4-year-old son of Natalia and Anatoly, Yuri Pakhalenko, took part. By this they emphasise the concept of the album - heritage.

As in the previous album, Fimbulvinter (CSR234CD), Oðal features the traditional Siberian overtone singing technique "kargyraa", but the overtone singing by vocalist Natalia Pakhalenko gives a special character to the sound. This is very unique, since this technique is a almost exclusively a male singing practice due to its physicality.


Out on the Cold Spring record label.

UNDERKARL - HOMO LUDENS

• underkarl: homo ludens
      (2012, cd, ger, rent a dog)

Underkarl recently released "Timetunnel 25". There previous album was called "Homo Ludens" and was from 2012 !
12 original compositions.
Great stuff.
Check it out here :

UNDERKARL - TIMETUNNEL 25

• underkarl: timetunnel 25
      (2017, cd, ger, rent an dog)

Underkarl's most recent release has the quintet doing what they do best. Re-interpreting, delving and deepening into jazz classics (or even solo sections from jazz classics).
Superb !!
The album starts with a great version of Sun Ra's 'A Call For All Demons' and the ride ends with Thelonious Monk and Steve Lacy's solo section from 'Evidence'.

Essential !!

Happy 25th anniversary, guys !!

STING - LOS ANGELES 1988

• sting: los angeles 1988
      (2002, 3cd-bootleg, ??, watch tower wt 2002076/77/78)

After performing 'Murder By Numbers' with the 1988 Zappa band, Sting added FZ's 'The Idiot Bastard Son' to the setlist for his 1988/07/27 concert in Los Angeles.

It never got released officially, but it did find its way to a couple of Sting bootleg recordings.
The 3CD set "Los Angeles 1988" is one of them.

DICKE LUFT - DROP IT!

• dicke luft: drop it!
      (2017, cd, ger, obst)

Fans of Frank Zappa's music will probably recognize the German Obst record label as the source of many albums by Dietmar Bonnen.
Last year, Obst released the latest album by brass band Dicke Luft.
Lots of familiar themes, lots of fun.
From 'Mission Impossible' to Frank Zappa's 'Big Leg Emma'.

http://dickeluft.de/

http://dickeluft.de/files/Audio/2010-jetzt/Huelsenbusch[2].mp4

MISTER BIRD

Photographer Gie Knaeps, also known as Mister Bird, had his pictures placed in magazines like Hitweek and Humo.
He has an expo at Cultural Centre ' 't Getouw' in Mol, BE that will end next weekend.
(Feb 25 > March 25, 2018)

With a focus on the pictures that he took between 1968 and 1972, there's also a fine picture of Frank Zappa on display, taken at the Amsterdam 1970 show.
Frank's in good company with The Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Randy Newman, and lots of others.
Nice. Very nice.

CLOUDS - LEGENDARY DEMOS (VINYL VERSION)

• clouds: legendary demo
      (2007, lp, usa, hydra head records hh666-131)

Part three of the Clouds trilogy.
Clouds recorded "Legendary Demo" in 2006 and released the album in 2007 on the Hydra Head records label. (Wonder if SHIELD knew about this...)
The album included a composition called 'Magic Hater' that ends with the repeated riff of Frank Zappa's 'Willie The Pimp'.
It got released on CD in the US and also in Japan (with obi and bonus booklet).

Next to these two CD releases, the album was also pressed on vinyl and made available in a limited edition of 400 numbered copies. With different, silk-screened album artwork. Pictured above.

Want to check the album out ?
It's on bandcamp :

FLYWHEEL - MY CAREER MELTDOWN

• flywheel: my career meltdown
      (2002, 10", france, z & zoé records zaz14)

Australian band Flywheel released their version of Captain Beefheart's 'Harry Irene' on their "My Career Meltdown" 10" release.
Nice release with an outstanding (beautifully song / acoustic version of) 'Harry Irene'.

It got released on the French Z & Zoé Records label in 2002.

STEVE HACKETT GUESTS ON DAVE KERZNER'S NEW ALBUM

from Glass Onyon PR :

Dave Kerzner Releases New Music Video “Dirty Soap Box” Featuring Steve Hackett

Sound of Contact co-founder Dave Kerzner has released a new music video from his second solo album “Static”. It's for his song “Dirty Soap Box” which features a guest appearance from the legendary Steve Hackett, former guitarist of Genesis.

“I wanted to make reference to my deep rooted influences of early Genesis in this song,” says Kerzner. “Having Steve Hackett join us for this modern day 'Broadway Melody' type adventure through current events completed the picture for me.”

This is the second guest appearance from Steve Hackett on Kerzner's songs. Previously Hackett guested on Kerzner's song “Stranded” from his debut album “New World”. Other musicians featured on “Dirty Soap Box” are guitarist Fernando Perdomo, drummers Nick D'Virgilio of Big Big Train and Derek Cintron with bassist Matt Dorsey also from Sound of Contact.

EVIL DICK & DAVE JACKSON

For fans of experimental music :

The collaborations between Evil Dick (piano) and Dave Jackson (sax, percussion) has been titled "Lounge Suite Extrapolation".

PUGH & RAINROCK - ETT STEG TILL

• pugh & rainrock: ett steg till
      (1975, lp, sweden, wea records)

"Ett Steg Till"  by Pugh Rogefeldt and his Rainrock band got recorded in 1974. It got released as a 2LP set in 1975 and re-released on CD in 1989.
It's a folk-rock album, in Swedish.
It includes Don Van Vliet's 'Peaches', turned into 'Langt Ut Pa Lande'.

Here's the title track :

CLOUDS - LEGENDARY DEMO (JAPANESE EDITION)

The "Legendary Demo" album by Clouds that I mentioned earlier (because of the song 'Magic Hater' that ends with a repeating 'Willie The Pimp' riff), has also been issued in Japan.

Comes with an obi and an extra japanese booklet.

Here's the album cover (with obi and sticker) : 

• clouds: legendary demo
      (2007, cd, japan, daymare recordings)

DISCO-DACKE - NILS DACKE SPELER PARTY-ORGEL VOL.7

• disco dacke: nils dacke spelar partyorgel, vol. 7
      (1979, lp, sweden, scranta salp 1021)

Some might call this Party-Organ, I would prefer to label it Muzak or Easy Listening.

During the late 70's, Nils Dacke made a number of records on which he transformed various hits in an easy listening mush.
Volume 7 included his take on Frank Zappa's 'Bobby Brown'.

Here's a sample of volume three :

EXCLUSIVE PIERRE VERVLOESEM USB CARD RELEASE

Very limited Pierre Vervloesem USB card release!
http://off-recordlabel.blogspot.be/2018/03/exclusive-pierre-vervloesem-usb-card.html

NORDMANN - NORDMANN

• nordmann: nordmann
      (2014, 10"+cd ep, bel, consouling agency / de werf records)

To make their discography complete, data for the first Nordmann release have been added to the United Mutations Archives.
One year before their first album, "Alarm" (2015), Nordmann had already  released a 10" with three tracks. Some copies of the 10" also included a CD with the same tracks.

Excellent material.
You should check it out.

FREAK'S AMOUR - APPEAL TO MY ROCKET

• freak's amour: appeal to my rocket
      (1998, cdr, usa, private release)

In 1998, experimental rock band Freak's Amour released "Appeal To My Rocket".
Released in a limited run on CDR, the album included a coverversion of Captain Beefheart's 'Orange Claw Hammer'.

Main man behind the project, Stuart Werner, added :

On this recording I interpreted a version of 'Orange Claw Hammer (OCH)'.  I've listened to Captain Beefheart since high school and I had the pleasure to see the Captain in 1980.

The story behind covering "Orange Claw Hammer " is that a friend gave me the printed lyrics to all the material on Trout Mask Replica. I started reading and reciting the lyrics while listening to Trout Mask. I always loved OCH and focused in on that song. I found myself tooling around with some found sounds and loops. I then saw a connection between OCH and the test recordings. I put them together and the results are what you hear on "Appeal ..."

Great stuff !
A superb addition to The Magic Family, bands recording the music of Captain Beefheart.

NEW VLEK ALBUM ANNOUNCED

Teaser new album VLEK: ‘’Music on the far site of the moon”

I wonder if it will include their 'Return Of The Son Of Mr.Green Genes"...

STEVE VAI ON NTR RADIO

NTR Radio & podcast interview with Steve

This Sunday, March 18th , Mr. Vai & Co de Kloet will discuss the creation of Pink & Blows Over in Co Live!

Co will also air the Complete Version so it turns into yet another SV Special at NTR!

It will air at 20.00 hrs Local Dutch Time (12:00 PDT, 15:00 EDT) on NTR Radio and is released right after the broadcast as a podcast.

Download this, and all the other Co Live! podcasts right here.
https://itunes.apple.com/nl/podcast/ntr-co-live-podcast/id1250922661?mt=2

IMAGINE RAYMOND - S/T

• imagine raymond: s/t
      (2018, cd, bel, w.e.r.f. 152)

Previously called Wofo, Imagine Raymond has made a remarkable album.
From the liner notes :

Wofo initially focused on Raymond Scott's accomplishments as a jazz composer, performing his combustile nuggets from the 30's with an appropriate energy and sense of humor, delighting in the eccentricity, exotic melodies and irresistible glee. True to the cartoonish spirit of the music, but enlivened with that one missing ingredient: improvisation. However, Wofo's Scott tribute was radically altered from within. Adding the old school skills of new member Dijf Sanders (electronics, keys), the band, now called Imagine Raymond, switched its focus to Scott's electronic period as well.

The striking effect is that these re-workings of the mysterious, eerie and unpredictable electronic compositions are steered towards jazz territory - because of the instrumentation, the added rhythms - but with a schizophrenic twist. Many of the eccentricities and tics of the originals are kept intact, but at the same time, the septet adds its very own, rich flavor. Combined with a few older compositions by Scott and one original contribution, their interpretations find an electro-acoustic middle ground between the old and the new.

The compositions were re-constructed and meant to be experienced with the brand new visual associations of Victor Van Rossem, who mimics some of the band's techniques during live performances, adding another layer of interaction. Raymond Scott was said to have been not much of a people's person (electronic equipment was so much easier to deal with), but something tells me he would have loved this accomplishemnt, which is equal parts loveing tribute and stubborn re-invention.

I love it !
Highly recommended !

in concert :

April 14, '18 : CC de Muze, Heusden
April 17, '18 : Filmhuis, Mechelen
April 18, '18 : Handelsbeurs, Gent
April 19, '18 : De Werf, Brugge
April 20, '18 : CC Casino, Koksijde
April 24, '18 : Flagey, Brussel
April 26, '18 : Casino, St Niklaas
April 27, '18 : Rataplan, Antwerpen
May 10, '18 : CC Het Perron, Ieper

SUN RA - OF ABSTRACT DREAMS

Read more about this recent release here :
http://exystence.net/blog/2018/03/15/sun-ra-of-abstract-dreams-2018/

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

THE DISCO BISCUITS - TRANCE FUSION RADIO BROADCAST 01 / 02

• the disco biscuits: trance fusion radio broadcast 01 / 02
      (2017, 3lp+2cd+dvd box, usa, nugs net)

The Disco Biscuits celebrated the 15th anniversary of the "Trance Fusion Radio Broadcast" albums by releasing this amazing box set.

The box contains 3 lp's, each of them housed in a seperate record sleeve, plus and extra sleeve that contains two cd's and one dvd.
"Broadcast 02", originally released in 2003, includes the band performing Frank Zappa's 'Pygmy Twylyte'.
As the DVD offers a video recording of "Broadcast 02", this one has 'Pygmy Twylyte" as well.

Fine music.
FZ's 'Pygmy Twylyte' fits in perfect.

The band keeps adding 'Pygmy Twylyte' to their setlist.
Here's a more recent recording :

CLOUDS - LEGENDARY DEMO

• clouds: legendary demo
      (2007, cd, usa, hydra head records hh666-131)

In the liner notes of the "Legendary Demo" album, garage-punk-rock band Clouds thanks 5 people: Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart and three others.

Two of the tracks do indeed sound a lot like they were based on a couple of Zappa tunes.
And 'Magic Hater' even ends with a repeating 'Willie The Pimp' riff.

No. Not this one. But it'll give you an idea of what the album sounds like.

FZ FOR ALEX

'FZ For Alex' is an arrangement of (pieces of) various Frank Zappa compositions by Andrea Chenna.

Recordings can be found on Alessandro Carbonare / Andrea Dindo's "No Man's Land" album as well as on Alessandro Carbonare / Tetraktis Percussion's 'Invenzioni" album.

Here's a live performance of 'FZ For Alex" by Alessandro Carbonare (clarinet) and Aki Kuroda (grand piano) :

ALESSANDRO CARBONARE AND ANDREA DINDO - NO MAN'S LAND

• alessandro carbonare and andrea dindo: no man's land
      (2013, cd, italy, velut luna 07000)

I recently got hold of a copy of Alessandro Carbonare's collaboration with the Tetraktis Percussion Ensemble, and album entitled "Invenzioni" on which they performed 'FZ For Alex', a short and fine arrangement of Frank Zappa's 'Inca Roads.

On the above pictured "No Man's Land", Alessandro Carbonare (clarinet) teamed up with Andrea Dindo (grand piano). This album, however, includes a much longer version (almost nine minutes) of 'FZ For Alex'. As it seems, the piece does indeed start with parts of 'Inca Roads' but it does include a number of other familiar Zappa melodies as well. Arranged by Andrea Chienna.

Very nice.

It seems that the Carbonare / Tetraktis recording only presented a first part of the piece.
Here's a live (and longer) version of the Carbonare / Tetraktis performance of 'FZ For Alex' :

COSMO JONES BEAT MACHINE - MARRIED WOMAN / SAFE AS MILK

• cosmo jones beat machine: married woman / safe as milk
      (2016, 7", finland, karkia mistika records kar-70)

This 7" by Finnish blues band Cosmo Jones Beat Machine has Don Van Vliet's ' Safe As Milk' on the b-side.
Excellent !!

Here's a live version of 'Married Woman':

KHRUANGBIN

Languid grooves and drifting soul with a cinematic dreaminess.

From Austin, Texas : Khruangbin.

THE WHITE STRIPES - LIVE IN DETROIT

• the white stripes: live in detroit
      (2017, 3lp, usa, third man records  tmr524-526)

Last year, The White Stripes released a beautiful 3lp box set called "Live In Detroit".
A box with 3 lp's. Each album with its own (cut-out) album cover. Black, red and white vinyl. And three replica show posters.
Just beautiful.

The package presents The White Stripes in concert in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
Excellent performances combining original material with great blues classics.
One of these classics is Don Van Vliet's 'Ashtray Heart' !!

ALEX MACHACEK

FAT will doing a short tour to promote their new album.

FAT - Fabulous Austrian Trio
= Alex Machacek + Raphael Preuschl + Herbert Pirker

18.4. Bruckmühle,Pregarten
19.4. BLUE TOMATO, Wien
20.4. KiK-Kulturverein Kunst im Keller Ried
21.4. Kulturmüµ, Hollabrunn
02.5. Opus Jazz Club, Budapest
04.5. Kunst & Kultur Raab
05.5. SYRNAU, Zwettl
11.5. Blackbox im Musiktheater des Landestheater Linz

ORFEUS UPDATE

The recent vinyl release of the 1973 radio session by Orfeus (on which they played Frank Zappa's 'Magic Fingers') will be released on CD in combination with the soon to be released vinyl album of Hasse Walli (performing 'Willie The Pimp').

Those 70's Finnish bands sure knew their Zappa.

Svart Records !

https://www.svartrecords.com/product/pop-liisa-15-16/#

CONDOR GRUPPE INTERVIEW ON BELGIAN RADIO

Here's a nice interview with Condor Gruppe where they discuss the new album (and the link with Sun Ra).
In Dutch :
https://radio1.be/reizen-tussen-planeten-met-condor-gruppe

HASSE WALLI & ZEUS

The Finnish SVART record label will be releasing a recording session by Hasse Walli & Zeus.

Hasse Walli is the legendary guitarist behind early Piirpauke and Blues Section. Between these two groups Walli had a short-lived quartet called Zeus, whose short lifespan lasted from 1972 to 1973. No studio recordings exist, but the band did record a live session on air. After laying in the archives for 45 years Svart are proud to present the world premiere of Zeus!

The session included Hasse Walli performing 'Willie The Pimp'.

Available on LP on March 23.

CONDOR GRUPPE

Condor Gruppe just released their new album. Their third one : "Planetary Travels".
They're doing a couple of concerts to celebrate.

16.03: Roma – Antwerp
17.03: AB – Brussel
30.03: NEST – Ghent
18.04: Het Depot – Leuven

Here's a track from their precious album, their tribute-to-Moondog-album :

And the original :

IDRIS ACKAMOOR AND THE PYRAMIDS

Strut presents the brand new album from cosmic jazz travellers The Pyramids, led by saxophonist Idris Ackamoor, ’An Angel Fell’. “I wanted to use folklore, fantasy and drama as a warning bell,” explains Ackamoor.
“The songs explore global themes that are important to me and to us all: the rise of catastrophic climate change and our lack of concern for our planet, loss of innocence and separation... but positive themes too, the healing power of music, collective action and the simple beauty of nature.” Produced by Malcolm Catto of The Heliocentrics, the album was recorded during an intense week at Quatermass studios in London and is one of the deepest, richest works yet from a band reaching their highest creative peak since the early ’70s.

ALBUM OF THE DAY ON BANDCAMP : SUN RA'S "OF ABSTRACT DREAMS"

read all about it here :

https://daily.bandcamp.com/2018/03/13/sun-ra-of-abstract-dreams-review

MORE CLASSICAL ZAPPA

The weekend before their Paris concert, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg will present "200 Motels" in their home-town !!

September 21, 2018.

part of the Musica Festival

http://www.festivalmusica.org/page/franckzappa

ZAPPA GUITAR SOLOS

from Br1ntag's private collection :

This is a 24 guitar solos collection, recorded live at the Roxy Theatre, Hollywood (Los Angeles), 09 & 10 December 1973.
You can find all these solos in their exalting original context in the new "The Roxy Performances" official box set.

THE MANOLO CABRAS QUARTET

Next Friday, the Manolo Cabras Quartet will be performing at 'De Singer' jazz club in Rijkevorsel.

Nicola Andrioli - piano
Jean-Paul Estievenart - trumpet
Marek Patrman - drums
Manolo Cabras - bass


Video clip from the album "Melys in Diotta" out March 2017 on El Negocito record label.

CHARLES ULRICH'S BOOK

is available for pre-order:

http://www.newstarbooks.com/book.php?book_id=1554201462

ZAPPANATION ROCK OPERA

Sean Noonan's Zappanation.

https://www.seannoonanmusic.com/zappanation-rock-opera

SUN RA - OF ABSTRACT DREAMS

New Sun Ra album out on the Strut Records label.



Strut and Art Yard present another exclusive from the vast catalogue of cosmic jazz pioneer Sun Ra: a previously unreleased radio session most likely recorded at the WXPN FM radio studios in Philadelphia, 1974-5.

CONDOR GRUPPE UPDATE

Here's another teaser for the new Condor Gruppe album, "Interplanetary Travels".

LIVE

16.03: ROMA – ANTWERP, BE
17.03: AB – BRUSSEL, BE
30.03: NEST – GHENT, BE
18.04: HET DEPOT – LEUVEN, BE

TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA REUNITE

From Glass Onyon PR

Todd Rundgren's Utopia Reunite!

Reuniting for First North American Tour in 32 years - Releasing Limited Edition “The Road To Utopia” Box Set

FOR 32 YEARS, FANS HAVE BEEN CLAMORING FOR A REUNION - The wait is over.

No longer able to turn a deaf ear to the unceasing requests from fans and the media alike, Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, Willie Wilcox and Ralph Schuckett are reuniting for their first North American tour since the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded. Presented by Sirius XM and produced by Live Nation, TODD RUNDGREN’S UTOPIA will be performing across North America beginning on April 18.

In celebration of the upcoming reunion tour, Friday Music will be releasing a 7-disc box set, THE ROAD TO UTOPIA: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS (1974-82). This limited edition collection will bring each of their seven classic albums to life, now in first-time CD digipak gatefold covers featuring the original album artwork elements, rare inner sleeve art, newly written commentary from the band, and more. The box set has a scheduled street date of April 20. Fans can pre-order now at Friday Music, Amazon and Record Store Day.

ROAMER

Swiss Art Rock band Roamer has just released their debut album.

A combination of rock, jazz rhythms and pop melodies.
Nice.

Here's 'Sunday Morning' from a recent EP :

ANAKATA ENSEMBLE - UBIQUE

• anakata ensemble: ubique
      (2017, cd, italy, dodicilune dischi ed385)

I hadn't heard the Anakata Ensemble before I got "Ubique" in the mailbox.
All that I knew was that the Anakata Ensemble is an Italian quartet that included a couple of Zappa pieces on their latest album.

To be honest, "Ubique" is a superb album.
An excellent choice of musicial pieces (Ryuichi Sakomoto, Stravinsky, Debussy) next to some original compositions, performed in an exquisite way.
The same applies to the Zappa pieces: 'Run Home Slow' (!!), 'Let's Make The Water Turn Black' and 'Uncle Meat'. Love the arrangements and the performance.

Marco Silletti: guitars * Laura Rosa: flute, piccolo * Alessandra Gho: violin * Maria Grazia Reggio: guitars

Recommended !!

ZAPPA WEEKEND IN PARIS IN SEPTEMBER

Saturday Sept 29 and Sunday Sept 30 in Paris, France

Le Grand Wazoo - Ensemble Intercontemporain
The Yellow Shark - Ensemble Intercontemporain
200 Motels - Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg

https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/programming/thematic-weekends/zappa-weekend

NORDMANN - ALARM!

• nordmann: alarm!
      (2015, cd, bel, de werf)

As I've just added the data for the latest Nordmann album to the United Mutations Archives, I figured I should mention "Alarm!" as well.
This is Nordmann's first full album and it's superb.
Slow, energetic, ...
Excellent.

Again, in a beautiful package. Artwork by Ignace Devoldere.

ANOTHER SNIPPET FROM THE ZAPPA VAULT

There's snippets, but there's also snippets :

Here's nineteen seconds of the Zappa band in 1976, with Lady Bianca.

NORDMANN - THE BOILING GROUND

• nordmann: the boiling ground
      (2017, cd, bel, v2 records)

Nordmann is a jazzrock quartet from Ghent, Belgium. The band formed in 2012 (students at the  jazz conservatory) and released their first EP in 2014.
The first full album saw the light of day in 2015. "The Boiling Ground" is their second album.
Superb artwork by Sammy Slabbinck and great music.

Here's the teaser :

STELLAR SWAMP - - - 4 NIGHTS OF PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC

Stellar Swamp
4 nights of psychedelic music in Belgium.


March 23 @ Café Charlatan (Gent):

• The Glücks
• Wooden Indian Burial Ground
• Tubelight

March 30 @ Atelier 210 (Brussels):

• Tomaga
• Vanishing Twin
• Flamingods
• Why The Eye?

March 31 @ Magasin4 (Brussels):

• Action Beat
• Housewives, Kurws
• The Psychotic Monks
• Milk TV
• House of John Player

April 06 @ Vecteur (Charleroi):

• Snapped Ankles
• Strange Cages
• Spookhuis

POIL UPDATE

Get your PoiL t-shirt out !
PoiL's going on tour.

22.02 Bobble (LILLE - FR)
23.02 Ecuries du biéreau (LOUVAIN LA NEUVE - BE)
24.02 Complexity festival (HAARLEM - NL)
09.03 Le Périscope (LYON - FR)
21.03 Cerice (TULLE - FR)
22.03 Javanaise (RIVIERES - FR)
23.03 Le Cap (TOULOUSE FR)
24.03 Astrolabe (ORLEANS - FR)
29.03 Embobineuse (MARSEILLE - FR)
30.03 Gare de coustellet (MAUBEC - FR)
07.07 Festival Paradisiac Fields (LANDRECIES - FR)

DAVID GOGO - BARE BONES (THE ACOUSTIC BLUES)

• david gogo: bare bones (the acoustic blues)
      (2000, cd, canada, ragged pup records

Canadian blues artist David Gogo recorded a great version of Don Van Vliet's 'Crazy Little Thing'. It can be found on his 2000 "Bare Bones (The Acoustic Blues)" album.
10 tracks. Next to the four original pieces, David also performed songs by Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and Johnny Winter, amongst others.

Beautiful !!

Here's a recent song (or a recent version of an old song)  :

TWANG - SECOND SLAM

• twang: second slam
      (2000, cd, usa, muddy river records mrcd0235)

On their website, Twang explain:
Twang is an electric string band (with drums) from the Boston/Worcester megalopolis. We've been playing out together since January 1999 in bars and restaurants, although three of us have been together since our 1980's old time string band 'The Chicken Chokers'.

We play original songs - written by Paul Strother, Bob Jordan, Taylor Smith, and James Reidy. We cover 1950's-60's country hits, Michael Hurley, Holy Modal Rounders, mento, jug rock, rags, skiffle, Hawaiian, guitar instrumental, and some of the old time fiddle & banjo tunes.

Bob Jordan plays hollow electric guitar (Harmony Rocket) and baritone guitar. Jim Reidy plays National tenor guitar and banjo. Paul Strother plays telecaster. Robbie Phillips plays a one string bass he made called a 'Wombat'. Emily Jackson plays the knockout cocktail drum set. On the CD Taylor "Chip" Smith plays pedal steel and fiddle and Mickey Bones plays various drums, tubs, chairs, grates, refrigerator drawers and, of course, bones.

The "Second Slam" album includes a track called 'Willie & Sadie' and it's a mix of Frank Zappa's 'Willie The Pimp' with some traditional music, with original contributions from PK Strother.
Yep, it's with a twang...

Give it a listen hete:
http://honkingduck.com/twang/music/splash.shtml

QUASI - THE SWORD OF GOD

• quasi: the sword of god
      (2001, cd, usa, touch and go tg227cd)

Portland-based alternative rock band Quasi has quite a number of albums out.
Their 2001 "The Sword Of God" features none other than Stanley Jason Zappa on the outro saxophone solo.

JOE SATRIANI DOCUMENTARY GOT AIRED ON AXS TV

"Beyond the Supernova" is a tour documentary that offers a glimpse into Joe Satriani's mind while he performs music from “Shockwave Supernova” through Asia and Europe as he looks back on his career. We’ll go behind the scenes of the “Surfing To Shockwave World Tour” featuring performances from Joe, Mike Keneally, Bryan Beller, and Marco Minnemann, as well as cameo appearances by guitarists Steve Vai and Guthrie Govan!

PREMIERED OCT 14 2017 AT MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
MARCH 6 2018 ON AXS.TV

FREDDIE W. - SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

• freddie w.: something wicked this way comes
      (1989, lp, sweden, radium 226.05 - ra050) 

Freddie Wadling was a Swedish singer and actor. He passed away in 2016.

In 1986, he recorded Frank Zappa's 'Trouble Every Day' with rock band Cortex. In 1995, he took part in two performances (with Denny Walley, Jimmy Agren, and Mats & Morgan) performing the music of Captain Beefheart, resulting in an excellent album on the UAE label.

His first solo album, "Something Wicked This Way Comes" got released in between those two projects. It's a fine release and well worth checking out.
The vinyl version of "Someting Wicked" has a nice little surprise: side B starts with one minute of the band performing Captain Beefheart's 'Ella Guru'. It's a seperate track. It doesn't go into the next track. You have to move the needle if you want to go to the next song. Bizarre.
And watch out :  the CD does not include this little gem.

Here's Freddie, live in 2010 :

A MESSAGE FROM THE MIKE KENEALLY STORE

From the Mike Keneally newsletter:

No matter what year it is, March is always the third month. That's kind of amazing and to celebrate it, everything at the Keneally Store is one-third off for the entire month of March. This is the biggest discount ever and we hope you take advantage of this to finally grab that one album (or three) you still haven't gotten, buy a T-shirt for your considerate neighbor who smiles at you all the time, or fill your phone up with album downloads. Have at it! Use the promo code "THIRD OFF" at checkout to claim your discount.
Your March One-Third Off sale prices will show up in your shopping cart at checkout.


Reason enough for me to give (the deluxe version of) "Sluggo" another spin. What a great album. And what an amazing bonus ("Live At Mama Kind" with Mike playing FZ's 'Inca Roads' !!)

Check it out :
https://store.keneally.com/

IMAGINE RAYMOND PLAYS RAYMOND SCOTT

Imagine Raymond is the latest project by Michel Mast.
The ensemble pays tribute to the great Raymond Scott.

Jon Birdsong, cornet
Mattias Laga, clarinet
Michel Mast, tenor sax
Stijn Engels, piano
Xavier Verhelst, bass
Jonathan Callens - drums
Dijf Sanders, electronica
Victor Van Rossem, video

There's a tour, and there's an album.

the album :
http://www.dewerfrecords.be/nl/catalogus/imagine-raymond

the tourdates :

March 06, '18 : try out Concertstudio Wilde Westen Kortrijk
March 20, '18 17u/17u30 : afsluiting Jazzforum Leuven, 30CC Schouwburg
April 14, '18 : CC de Muze, Heusden
April 17, '18 : Filmhuis, Mechelen
April 18, '18 : Handelsbeurs, Gent
April 19, '18 : De Werf, Brugge
April 20, '18 : CC Casino, Koksijde
April 24, '18 : Flagey, Brussel
April 26, '18 : Casino, St Niklaas
April 27, '18 : Rataplan, Antwerpen
May 10, '18 : CC Het Perron, Ieper

http://www.imagineraymond.be/

VIOLENT ONSEN GEISHA - OTIS

• violent onsen geisha: otis
      (1996, cd, japan, rail recordings toct-9319)

Rolf Semprebon says :
Violent Onsen Geisha, a one-man band consisting of cinema and music journalist Masaya Nakahara from Tokyo, is one of those musical entities that defy categorization. Otis offers up everything from brutal assaults of feedback noise in the realms of Merzbow and Masonna to a tacky Casio keyboard playing "Greensleeves" to collages of plunderphonic sound bites from movies and old records, mostly in English, to someone plunking amateurishly on a bass or a keyboard and mouthing tones or grunting. Covers of songs by Captain Beefheart and Joni Mitchell are virtually unrecognizable. One could compare Otis to Negativland with an industrial edge, or Ground Zero , or maybe even as a Japanese update to LAFMS (LA Free Music Society) bands like Le Forte Four , and still not quite get at the strange way Nakahara twists through his collages of sound, with strange segues and abrupt changes. Moving from one style to another in a schizophrenic haze, VOG 's irreverent mishmash of junk culture ripped apart.

The above pictured album is in fact a remixed re-release of the 1993 album with the same name. With some added material.
The album is said to include Captain Beefheart / Don Van Vliet's 'Mirror Man' (as it is listed as such on the album tracklist), but to be quite honest, I didn't really recognise it. Or anything else on the entire album, that is.
Weird? Well, squared...

Here's the first track from the album. Listed as 'Mirror Man'. My CD-player, however, lists this as 'Intro' and lists the next track as 'Mirror Man'.
Still,... fascinating.

JOE FIEDLER - BIG SACKBUT

• joe: fiedler: big sackbut
      (2012, cd, usa, yellow sound label)

A little while ago, I learned that Joe Fiedler recorded Sun Ra's "A Call For All Demons" on his "Big Sackbut" album. A closer look even revealed that the album also included Captain Beefheart / Don Van Vliet's 'Blabber And Smoke'.

"Big Sackbut" not only is the name of the album. It's also the name of Joe Fieder's quartet.

Joe Fiedler: trombone
Ryan Kebrle: trombone
Josh Roseman: trombone
Marcus Rojas: tuba

Yes. Three trombones and one tuba !!
I'm listening to the album while I'm typing this, and it's superb. Not just for the coverversions, but also for the original material !

And if Joe's name rings a bell, that might be because he has recorded with the Ed Palermo Big Band and with Fast 'n Bulbous...

Superb !!

Here's some recent stuff:

DWEEZIL ZAPPA

EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL - LIKE THE DESERTS MISS THE RAIN

• everything but the girl: like the deserts miss the rain
      (2002, cd-promo, uk, virgin) 

In 1993, Everything But The Girl released their version of Captain Beefheart / Don Van Vliet's "My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains" on their CD single "I Didn't Know I Was Looking For Love".

In 2002, the track got re-released on "Like The Deserts Miss The Rain", a promotional album.

THE WRONG OBJECT PLAYS ZAPPA

Belgian prog-jazz sextet The Wrong Object is working on not one, but two albums to be released in 2018. While the first comprises original compositions, the second is devoted to the music of Frank Zappa and is meant as a tribute marking the 25th anniversary of his untimely death.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-wrong-object-plays-zappa-new-album#/

NEW ANDREAS SCHAERER RELEASE

Andreas Schaerer (who you know from Hildegard Lernt Fliegen) has a new album out :
"A Novel Of Anomaly"

Check it out here :

R.STEVIE MOORE HAS A NEW ALBUM OUT

R.Stevie Moore's 2011 "Advanced" (vinyl) album is getting a CD-release.
With lots of bonus tracks.
On the Cordelia record label.

http://www.cordeliarecords.co.uk/Pages/Buy%20Records.html

Here's a muppetized sample

FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS - HAVE A LITTLE TUSH

• frank zappa & the mothers: have a little tush
      (2017, 2cd, uk, left field media lfm2cd567)

Semi-official 2 CD release of the 1974/11/23 East Lansing concert (broadcast on the radio).
Superb show, with an impressive Mike Urso (of Rare Earth) on the bass, replacing Tom Fowler who had broken his arm...

frank zappa * napoleon murphy brock * jeff simmons * mike urso * george duke * ruth underwood * bruce fowler * ralph humphrey * chester thompson

The best sounding version is available at Zappateers.

THE ARF DOSSIER VOL.95

The Arf Society fanzine.

the arf-dossier no.95 - 2018/03
incl.

• leserpost
• info behind the photo(s)
• the hot platters heaven from the arf office
• frank zappa holt sich beim "fritz" das einser-menü
• the fine but unauthorized cd kaleidoscope
• the rare pictures gallery
• musizieren wie das genie - mats/morgan band in duisburg
• news from belgium - live from United Mutations
• the vinyl bootleg releases
• back in time, vol. XI
• ullis ecke