J.M. Smig's most streamed album: "All The Cancer", from 2018.
Check it out !
J.M. Smig's most streamed album: "All The Cancer", from 2018.
Check it out !
Another archival release by Men & Volts: "Packrats".
"Packrats" was on the second album by Men & Volts, Hootersville. It is here presented in its original released form along with rehearsals that show its development, live performances, and five versions recorded by other ensembles that appeared on their albums. Each track has the personnel and other credits listed with it.
https://askoschoenberg.nl/performances/boulez-100/?lang=en
Here's 'Répons', performed by the Ensemble Intercontemporain, directed by Matthias Pintscher.
Recorded in 2015.
Last Friday we went to see "Requiem Voor De Onwerkelijkheid", a beautiful play / opera / requiem by Silbersee.
At the concert hall in Tilburg, NL. The perfect location.
Text by Toon Tellegen, music by Corrie van Binsbergen.
Performed by Hans Croiset (narrator), Corrie van Binsbergen (guitar), Albert van Veenendaal (piano) and an amazing group of vocalists (and musicians): Carolina Alves-Luis, Tom Jansen, Donneke Jansonius, Sterre Konijn, Sarah Marieke van Lieshout, Fernando Linares-Correa, Nestor Martinez Jara, Lodewijk Meeuwsen, Christina Plein, Carl Refos, Wilma Schilte, Florian Slangen, Fee Suzanne de Ruiter, Georgi Sztojanov, en Leo de Visser.
The play itself is indeed unreal, bizarre and chaotic, but also endearing. And it's in a fine balance with the music that keeps it all on track.
Stunning. Visually and musically.
Add the breathtaking costumes and stage setting, and you will understand that this was something that we had never experienced before.
If you get the opportunity,...
February 28, 2025, saw the release of "Potamos". and album / project by Harris Lambrakis (Ney), Gilad Atzmon (woodwind), Vironas Ntolas (guitar), Xrisostomos Boukalis (double bass), and Nikos Sidirokastritis (drums).
Joe Newman's Ass & Hammer project released a second album earlier this year.
If you're familiar with Joe's Rudy Schwartz Project, you know that you'll have to give this a listen !
In 2004, Kiss bass player and vocalist Gene Simmons released “Asshole”, an album that included a track called 'Black Tongue'.
'Black Tongue' was built around an unused Frank Zappa guitar riff. The piece even featured Dweezil, Ahmet, Moon and Gail Zappa on background vocals.
The album got released on CD (only) in 2004.
Nothing new, you might say.
But... about two years ago the original album got bootlegged on vinyl.
Out on silver-colored vinyl with a printed inner sleeve and a poster.
Corrie van Binsbergen
November 28, 2025
'Bimhuis', Amsterdam, NL
BIMHUIS commissioned Corrie van Binsbergen to compose a piece.
Know as composer, guitar player and band leader, Corrie van Binsbergen, will be using snippets of text, lines of poetry, phrases from interviews with artists, film dialogues and more to make up the libretto underlying her new composition.
It will be performed by a septet of mostly young musicians with whom Van Binsbergen has not worked previously.
Corrie will direct the text samples on stage and may even take up the guitar.
Make a note in your calendar !
PS: this the Friday night that the Mosae Zappa festival will kick off in Heerlen...
Next to the two long pieces, 'Objects Outlive Us' and 'The Overview', the deluxe version presents a handful of bonus tracks, including the mesmerising 'Orchestral Objects'.
"Dark Side Of The Rock 2" festival, in Tarbes, France, with
https://www.parvis.net/sites/default/files/fichiers/20250314_depliant_darksideoftherockII_sfp.pdf
The Real Frank Zappa Book (Portuguese version)
Artwork by Antéro Valerio (who you should know as the art designer for the Inventionis Mater albums).
The official launch is said to be soon.
"Nancy Never Knew", new album by Supersister !
A new studio album by the now famous ‘super trio’ Leon Klaasse (drums), Rinus Gerritsen (bass) and primal Supersister Robert Jan Stips.While Pierre Boulez's birthday is being celebrated in several music halls (he would have turned 100 in 2025), a new book has been announced:
Catalogue de l’œuvre de Pierre Boulez
by Alain Galliari
https://librairie.philharmoniedeparis.fr/ecrits-compositeurs/catalogue-oeuvre
Fabrizio Fulvio Fausto Fiale released three Frank Zappa pieces through Bandcamp.
In 2023 already.
Check it out !!!
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A Portuguese translation of the Real Frank Zappa Book should be out.
Or should be out soon.
The album will be out in May. Keep an eye out for it.
As a teaser, here's 'Silver Birch'
Diving into the Soft Machine discography & line-ups !!
Here's the playlist for the next couple of days.
The Vegetarians are preparing a compilation album.
It might be called "Uncle Meatless Favourite Recipes" and it is said to include their latest hit single !!
Billy James recorded and released several interviews with the early Mothers Of Invention.
He released these on cassette in the early ninetees on his Electrik Yak label.
1992. That must have been when I first contacted him.
As the Ant-Bee, he made bizarre psychedelic music. It featured some of the old Mothers.
He even covered Zappa's 'Son Of Orange County' on one of these early tapes.
As GlassOnyon PR, he worked promo for different artists for which I received updates from time to time.
I never met Billy in person, but I know I'll miss him.
Get your vinyl or cassettes out (or click on the below YouTube link), and let's play some Ant-Bee music today !
Kaslo (British Colombia, Canada)-based guitar player and composer Jay Danley released “Great Googly Moogly!” in February 2025.
Subtitled “Music Inspired By Frank Zappa”, the album presented 7 tracks and depicted FZ on the album cover.
Thank you, https://www.zappanews.co.uk/, for pointing me in this direction !
Fun !!
A fine addition to The Others Of Invention.
German ensemble Modern String Quartet released Frank Zappa's 'G-Spot Tornado' on their "Fever" album in 2008.
More info soon.
Farlise - Twenty Small Cigars
From https://elmundodetulsa.com/farlise-twenty-small-cigars-frank-zappa-single-resena-descargar/
The instrumental project Farlise , led by veteran Castellón musician Juan Carlos Tomás (Juanki) , delivers a masterpiece of reinterpretation with their new single, “Twenty Small Cigars” . This release, a preview of their highly anticipated debut album titled “Mountains, Some Seabed And A Supermarket” , not only pays homage to the genius of Frank Zappa , but also redefines the theme with a unique and captivating identity.
Officially released on several digital music platforms, including Bandcamp:
Farlise - The Black Page #1
Dutch fusion phenomena Richard Hallebeek has shared the stage with Dweezil Zappa on several occasion.
Flash-back with some clips
2013
2015
2019
-- info: zappanews.co.uk
To be released later this month, on the Rhythm And Blues Records label:
Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Live In Europe 1968
Out on the Modern Harmonic record label:
Sun Ra - Uncharted Passages
CD and 2LP (yellow vinyl) release.
..., the tape was eventually identified as a mostly unreleased July 1977 performance by Ra at a downtown NYC "jazz café" called The Axis-in-Soho.
Prague-based jazz / indie pop ensemble Mindless Motion has just released their first EP: "Little Madness".
6 tracks.
Quite enjoyable.
Check it out !
Tom Collier recorded a fine version of FZ's 'Magic Fingers'.
It got released on his "Boomer Vibes, Volume 1" album in 2023.
Tom elaborated on Frank Zappa:
When I first arrived in Los Angeles in 1975, I was called to be a substitute percussionist for Frank Zappa's orchestra concert in Royce Hall, on the UCLA campus. As it turned out, I was able to participate in the rehearsals and play the concert when one of the other percussionists got sick. Later on, after Ruth Underwood "retired" from his band, Frank asked me to take her place. However, I had other projects I was working on and didn't want to go on the road for the next 10 months. He asked me again in 1979 after I had moved back to Seattle, but once again I was involved in projects I couldn't give up for months of traveling. So, the timing was never right for me to join his band.
Peace,
Chato
For quite a number of years, the St. Katharinenkirchd in Hamburg hosted a pre-Zappanale event.
Entitled "Zappa Spielt Für Bach", the concerts ranged from classical over rock to jazz, featured former Zappa sidemen as special guests, and included music by FZ next to contemporary and classical pieces of music.
A number of these concerts were also issued on CD. Great stuff.
I just read on Facebook that there will not be a "Zappa Spielt Für Bach" concert this year.
On the very same Facebook, Steffen Schindler added:
But if a young, aspiring artist with a first-class ensemble were to initiate a continuation of this concert series with a more contemporary focus (her original compositions and a touch of Zappa), would you go there? And would "The Black Page" and "Sad Jane, First Movement" be suitable choices for the Zappa part?
To be continued ?
Recorded live on February 1st, 2019, at The Baked Potato, Studio City, Los Angeles.
Featuring Theo Travis (sax, flute, piano), John Etheridge (guitar), Roy Babbington (bass), John Marshall (drums).
Soft Machine / progressive rock and jazz / Canterbury.
Showcasing Theo Travis and John Etheridge !!
Love it.
From 2020.
Out on CD by MoonJune Records, Dyad Records (UK), and June Dream (Japan), while Tonefloat released a vinyl version.
I'm enjoying to the Bandcamp digital download (and expecting a CD copy to arrive soon).
Recommended listening !
Thanks to my pal Danny, I now also have the 'regular' version of the latest Z.E.R.O. album.
top: the pre-released limited CDR version
bottom: the album, released by the Cordelia Records label
All Zappa stuff with contributors / guests from all over the world.
Next up in MoonJune's Soft Machine remastered series is "Abracadabra".
Plus two bonus tracks.
Due out in May, but already available for pre-order.
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Catching up. Listening to some albums that I bought a little while ago.
"Zoji", released on the MoonJune Records label in 2020, features Mark Wingfield on guitar, Jane Chapman on harpsichord, and Adriano Adewale on percussion (and vocals).
What a fine interaction between those three musicians. And I love how the harpsichord contrasts Mark Wingfield's guitar tone.
Great melodies and beautiful soundscapes.
Recommended listening !!
Both remastered versions of "Floating World Live" and "Drop" arrived today.
Nice.
Both albums carry the same album cover as the earlier editions. They even have the same number on the spine (mjr007 and mjr023), so that might be a bit confusing.
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