NEW PIECE BY EIDON

'景色 (Keshiki)'
by Eidon

NEW ALBUM BY THE ENSEMBLE MODERN

• Ensemble Modern, Peter Eötvös, Bob Rutman – Heiner Goebbels: Walden
     (2026, cd, --, ecm records)

 "Walden consists of a series of musical sketches inspired by the 1854 novel of the same name by Henry David Thoreau”, thus reads the short description of this project by Heiner Goebbels. But those familiar with the oeuvre of the German trans-media conceptualist and composer know that with Goebbels it’s never quite that simple. In his 1998 creation Walden, composed for expanded orchestra with speaker, Goebbels incorporates a wide-flung stream of inspirations and approaches, spanning excerpts from Thoreau’s “Walden”, soundscape-design in the spirit of audio plays, arsenals of outlandish instruments and sonic layouts as much at home in the avantgarde as they borrow from popular music, all brought to life with Peter Eötvös conducting and Bob Rutman a main figure in this project – in the role of the narrator.

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

RICK WAKEMAN TO RELEASE "RETURN TO THE RED PLANET" IN OCTOBER

Following his acclaimed 2020 album The Red Planet, Rick Wakeman makes a triumphant and inevitable return to Mars with "Return To The Red Planet", a sweeping new progressive work that fuses science, imagination and musical virtuosity into one of the most ambitious recordings of his career. 

STEVE VAI'S RHINE RIVER CRUISE

June 26 to July 3, 2027, Steve Vai will participate in a cruise on the river Rhine, travelling from Basel to Amsterdam.

https://toursandwine.com/svrhine1/

ANDY EDWARDS, CHANAN HANSPAL & SUNNY MOHINDRA - FOR JOHN

Chanan Hanspal (guitar), Sunny Mohindra (tablas) and Andy Edwards (drums) recorded a beautiful John McLaughlin tribute.

THE VANDALS - FEAR OF A PUNK PLANET

The Vandals' "Fear Of A Punk Planet" featured Dweezil Zappa, Moon Zappa, and Scott Thunes as special guests, although not all on the same track.

Orginally released on CD and on LP in 1991, it got some some exiting re-releases :

The Japanese edition, from 2001, had different artwork:

And later vinyl re-issues included a purple vinyl release by the Kung Fu Records label in 2015, as well as a purple splatter vinyl re-issue by Cleopatra Records in 2024.

Here's 'Hey Holmes', feat. Dweezil Zappa:

TED NUGENT & THE AMBOY DUKES

A couple of years ago, the Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes albums that were originally released on the Frank Zappa co-owned Discreet Records (in 1974) have been re-issued by the Purple Pyramid / Cleopatra Records label.

"Call Of The Wild" album got a vinyl re-release both on black and on white vinyl, next to a remastered CD edition.

"Tooth, Fang & Claw" got a vinyl re-release on red marble vinyl, next to a remastered CD edition.

JOHN TABACCO HAS A NEW ALBUM OUT: 'JUKEBOX ORACLE'

Earlier this month, John Tabacco released "Jukebox Oracle".

RICK BEATO TALKS TO DOMI AND JD BECK

 

MAURIZIO ODDONE

Guitarist Maurizio Oddone reworked George Duke / F. Zappa's 'Uncle Remus'.
But I guess there's quite some A.I. involved...

Maurizio Oddone · Uncle Remus (F. Zappa - G. Duke

)

 

THE BAND FROM UTOPIA AT THE BAKED POTATO, AUGUST 13 & 14

 

SNARKY PUPPY'S RABBIT HOLE

Snarky Puppy's Rabbit Hole,

August 3, 4, 5, 6, 2026

https://snarkypuppyrabbithole.com/

DOOM GONG AT ZAPPANALE 2026

The fantastic Doom Gong concert from Zappanale 2026 turned up at YouTube.

We had just arrived when they started with the intro to 'Strictly Genteel'.
And then they kicked off with 'King Kong' only to continue with some hyper-energetic original material.

Goosebumps all over again.

J.M. SMIG - SIT ON A SINGLE

Earlier this month, J.M. Smig added new artwork to his “Sit On A Single” album, previously released in 2015 and in 2021. The 2021 version adding ‘Dog Meat’ and ‘Peaches En Regalia’ as bonus tracks.

On the new artwork, J.M. Smig added:
“…because I want you to add a hairy, moly ass to your music collection for all your friends to see..”.

FIDO PLAYS ZAPPA - WHAT'S NEW IN BALTIMORE AND EASTER HAY

• Fido Plays Zappa: What’s New In Baltimore And Easter Hay
      (2026, download / streaming, --, bandcamp)

Swiss Frank Zappa tribute band Fido Plays Zappa has just released this mash-up of FZ’s ‘What’s New In Baltimore?’ and ‘Watermelon In Easter Hay’
It got recorded live at Sud Basel on April 9, 2026.

Lovely.

IN HIS LATEST 'SEARCHING FOR SPARKS' VIDEO PODCAST, TIM MOTZER TALKS MUSIC WITH JULIE SLICK

Tim Motzer:
here’s a fun and energizing chat with bassist Julie Slick on "Searching for Sparks" covering her latest news including an upcoming November-December 2026 tour with Emma Ruth Rundle, and many other new projects. We talk about her work with Adrian Belew, Crimson Projeckts, and Jerry Harrison’s Talking Heads tribute.

NEW ALBUM BY AGITATION FREE

How did this escape me?
Agitation Free has a brand-new album out !

Recorded live in Berlin in 2025:

• Agitation Free: Live In Berlin
      (2026, cd, Germany, mig)

PARITY - PARITY

• Parity: Parity
      (2020, download / streaming, --, bandcamp)

Athens, Greece-based duo Parity reworked and reharmonized the melody of FZ’s ‘Watermelon In Easter Hay’, added a new section, and used it as a vehicle for improvisation.

It got released on their “Parity” album, made available as a download through Bandcamp in 2020.

AGITATION FREE - LIVE KESSELHAUS BERLIN, APRIL 23, 2013

• Agitation Free: Live Kesselhaus Berlin April 23, 2013
      (2023, 2cd, Germany, mig)

True, I missed the Agitation Free concert at Zappanale.
According to some who were there, it was a highlight.

Well, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to catch the Rockradio broadcast afterwards.
It looks like I really did miss an impressive concert.

In the meantime, however, I was also able to enjoy one of Agitation Free's recent albums: a 2013 concert, released on CD in 2016, as a digital download in 2023.

Instrumental, psychedelic rock with lots of improvisations.
Great !!

Here's the Zappanale show:

VARIOUS ARTISTS - W.E.R.F. RECORDS - SKETCHES OF BELGIAN SUMMERS

The (Belgian) W.E.R.F. Record label has just released "Sketches Of Belgian Summers", a superfine sampler / introduction to the Belgian jazz artists that they have been releasing.

Highly recommended.

KEVIN KASTNING & PAUL WERTICO - INTERCHANGE TWO

• Kevin Kastning & Paul Wertico: Interchange Two
      (2026, download / streaming, --, bandcamp / greydisc)

Kevin Kastning has been featured on this blog several times already. He's an instrument inventor, but also a master of the contraguitar,
Paul Wertico performed and recorded with Pat Metheny, Larry Coryell and MarBin, amongst others, but he also had his own trio.

A meeting of these two musicians, where they spontaneously improvise, is a joy for the ear. The exploratory trip was recorded and can be enjoyed on "Interchange One" and "Interchange Two", both out on the Greydisc record label.

I love it.

Here's a piece from "Interchange One":

IBRAHIM MAALOUF'S SESSION AT THE CHELSEA STUDIOS

Ibrahim Maalouf - Full Session | Paste Magazine
2026 07 24

At the Chelsea Studios

00:27 - “Love Anthem”
06:54 - “LAS TROMPETAS DE NAEL”
15:35 - “The Smile of Rita”

JANET ROBIN & DAVID VITO GREGOLI - BECK'S BOLERO

Janet Robin and David Vito Gregoli have recorded 'Beck's Bolero'.

Here's the YouTube video:

GIOVANNI SOLLIMA'S NEW ALBUM WILL INCLUDE SEVERAL ZAPPA PIECES

Cellist and composer Giovanni Sollima will be releasing "Wild Love" next month, an album that will include pieces by both Francesco and Frank Zappa.

The tracklist:

-- info: Mick Zeuner

DARK THE SUPER JUST RELEASED THE TITLE TRACK OF HIS UPCOMING ALBUM

'How to Play Basketball in the Rain and Not Get Wet'
by Darko the Super

SNARKY PUPPY AT NORTH SEA JAZZ 2026

Snarky Puppy performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival on Friday, July 10, 2026, from 16:30 to 18:00. They played at the Maas stage in Rotterdam Ahoy alongside the Metropole Orkest, conducted by Jules Buckley.

1:19 - Waves Upon Waves
8:53 – Chimera
17:23 - Only Here and Nowhere Else
24:16 - As You Are But Not As You Were
36:18 - Between Worlds
44:22 – Recurrent
56:42 – Drift
1:02:48 - It Stays With You
1:18:03 - Shofukan

CLUB D'ELF - - - UPCOMING SHOWS

Club d'Elf - Upcoming shows

• Saturday July 25, 2026 - Bayside Bowl
   (58 Alder St, Portland, ME 04101)
• Friday July 31, 2026 - The Falcon
   (1348 US-9W, Marlboro, NY 12542)
• Saturday August 1, 2026 - The Word Barn
   (66 Newfields Rd, Exeter, NH 03833)
• Sunday August 16, 2026 - Zumix Summer Concert Series - Piers Park
   (Marginal St, EAST BOSTON, MA 02128)
• Saturday September 26, 2026 - Off Cabot
   (9 Wallis St, Beverly, MA 01915)
• Friday October 30, 2026 - Groton Hill Music Center
   (122 Old Ayer Rd, Groton, MA 01450)

NEW ALBUM BY DARKO THE SUPER

'Time Out (featuring ialive)' is track from Darko the Super's upcoming album "How to Play Basketball in the Rain and Not Get Wet" !

FLASHBACK TO 2008 WITH DENNY WALLEY IN CO DE KLOET'S RADIO SHOW

 Recorded by Paul B / Unicapb21 :

NEW ALBUM ANNOUNCED FOR THE OZRIC TENTACLES

"Harmonic Mind"
To be released in September.
LP on standard black vinyl, but also announced an purple vinyl, and on CD.

NEW ALBUM BY HEAT ON

Cuneiform Records just announced "150 Swirl", a second release by Lily Finnegan's "Heat On" project.

 

A NEW PIECE BY EIDON

'Più semplicemente'
by Eidon

ROBERT DAVIDSON - - - ZAPPA AND ME

A lot of people probably saw the picture of Frank Zappa sitting on the toilet before they had ever heard his music. Let alone that they knew who he was.

Taken by photographer Robert Davidson in a London hotel room in 1967, it became one of the best-selling rock posters in history. Zappa himself famously noted that he was more famous for sitting on the toilet than for his music.

I must have seen the picture before I started listening to Frank's music but, for me, that wasn't what triggered me to find out who the man in the picture was.
I got hooked when I found "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" and "Burnt Weeny Sandwich" in the public library. The album artwork pulled me in and the music blew me away.
Still, I can imagine that many people found the photo funny and subversive and thought it embodied the counterculture.

It is an iconic picture and the story behind it is fascinating to say the least.
And that's what the upcoming "Zappa And Me" documentary will be about.

Robert Davidson at Zappanale 2026, picture taken by Andrew Greenaway.

Here's the link to the Kickstarter for the project:
https://www.wilddogworld.com/zappa-and-me-the-image-that-created-an-icon/

Although the Zappanale festival had existed for quite some years, the first 'international edition', with invited guests from all over the world and the inauguration of the statue, took place in 2002.
It's no surprise that the poster referred to the famous picture.

TU-NER

“Rendezvous Rodeo" by Tu-Ner is out now.

The new live album from Trey Gunn (10-string Warr Guitar), Pat Mastelotto (drums and percussion), and Markus Reuter (Touch Guitars T8) spans reimaginings of classic King Crimson pieces, compositions from each member's individual career, and a new take on a song Gunn and Mastelotto originally performed live with David Sylvian and Robert Fripp.

Catch them on tour:
07/28 — Old Saybrook, CT @ The Kate
07/29 — Woodstock, NY @ The Colony
07/30 — Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse
07/31 — Brooklyn, NY @ Shapeshifter Labs
08/09 — Hudson Falls, NY @ Strand Theater
08/10 — Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater
08/11 — Annville, PA @ The Allen Theatre
08/12 — Pittsburgh, PA @ City Winery”

ZAPPA'S 'PEACHES EN REGALIA' PERFORMED AT THE BBC PROMS 2026

BBC Proms: Prog Rock – A Fanfare for the Common Man
by the BBC Concert Orchestra under the direction of Robert Ames

It included Zappa's 'Peaches En Regalia', starting at 60 minutes into the recording.

• Aaron Copland (arr. ELP) – Fanfare for the Common Man (met Carl Palmer)
• Jethro Tull – Living in the Past
• Soft Machine – Out-Bloody-Rageous (Part 1)
• Genesis – A Trick of the Tail & I Know What I Like
• Renaissance – Northern Lights (met Jane Weaver)
• The Moody Blues – Nights in White Satin (met Jane Weaver)
• Van der Graaf Generator – Refugees (met Peter Hammill)
• Yes – And You and I
• Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells (Part 1)
  
  
• ELP – Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Part 2
• Focus – Sylvia
• Osibisa – Komfo
• Frank Zappa – Peaches en Regalia
• King Crimson – Medley (Schizoid Man / Wind / Court)
• Genesis – Entangled
• Gentle Giant – On Reflection
• Incredible String Band – Maker of Islands (met Gruff Rhys)
• Pink Floyd – The Great Gig in the Sky (met Vanessa Haynes)
• Supertramp – Crime of the Century
• Mussorgsky (arr. ELP) – Pictures at an Exhibition (Great Gate) (met Carl Palmer)

 

LARI BASILIO

My previous post on Patáx reminded me of the beautiful version of 'Man In The Mirror' by Lari Basilio !

feat. Siedah Garrett/Greg Phillinganes/Vinnie Colaiuta/Nathan East

PATAX

Recommended by Alfred G.: the flamenco funk Afro-Cuban mix of Patáx.

October 16 Colos-Saal, Aschaffenburg, Germany

October 17, 2026 - Leibniz-Gymnasium in Altdorf bei Nürnberg, Germany
(The Alberto Diaz Trio will be opening.)

AN UPDATE FROM DISCUS MUSIC

The CD was made available a little while ago already, but "Domestic Dragon" by the Eclectic Maybe Band has now also been released on Bandcamp!

NEW RESIDENTS EP ANNOUNCED

• The Residents: Eskimo Folk Tales EP
      (2026, 10” EP, UK, cherry red) – 2026 09 25

THE RESIDENTS return with an all-new EP - six new pieces picking up where their 'Eskimo' masterpiece left off!

https://mvdshop.com/products/the-residents-eskimo-folk-tales-10-inch

DWEEZIL ZAPPA AT THE MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME

THE ARTCHIPEL ORCHESTRA PLAYS ZAPPA

"Zappa Variations"
by the Artchipel Orchestra

Teatro Civico Roberto De Silva Rho (Mi) - 31/01/26

-

-

MAN & MACHINE - EARTHMAN

• Man & Machine: Earthman
      (2026, 10” ep, UK, fruits de mer records)

I got the opportunity to give the upcoming Man & Machine EP a listen and I liked what I heard.

Man & Machine is Tom Roche's project.
"Earthman" will be out in September.
Keep an eye out for this !

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 18 - - - SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

I enjoyed the four days of music by making choices. I picked out the bands that I really wanted to see and I deliberately stayed away from other ones.
Not because they did not sound interesting but only to avoid an overload.

Also, with Rockradio streaming the concerts on YouTube, I was hoping to catch up with some of the concerts I missed at a later stage.

Zappanale's Sunday morning started with Dutch band HALA.

I skipped seeing them live, but looking at the video, they sure sounded fine.
Contrary to Friday and Saturday, where we had high energy bands kicking off (respectively Doom Gong and Octafish), Sunday went for a softer approach.

Here's HALA, performing at the smaller Arf Stage.

If you want more HALA, check out their Bandcamp page:
https://halabandpage.bandcamp.com/

At 14h00, the Hilo Jazz Orchestra took the main stage.
This was something I really wanted to experience live and I enjoyed it a lot !
The band played a very long set but it felt like it was over in a flash.
Great vocals, excellent solos and superb musicianship.
Happiness all around. Both on stage and in the audience.
Top !!

After the Hilo Jazz, it was time for the Miserablen Husos on the Arf Stage.
Zappa in Hessisch (German).
We had already seen most of the bandmembers on Saturday as part of the Filthy Brillos band.
I only caught part of this concert as we also mixed and mingled (and got something to eat) but what I heard and saw sounded great.
With Chato Segerer on bass !

Great fun. And these guys can play !!

And then, it started raining again. It wasn’t raining as heavily as we’d seen earlier but it did mean that we had to watch the Mahavishnu Project show from in the big tent.
Still a nice view and excellent sound.
Having seen a large part of the amazing Mahavinshnu Project's Saturday show, where they performed the music of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, I guess my expectations were set a bit too high.
Sure, an excellent performance, but I would have preferred a bit less Jan Hammer & Jeff Beck and some more fusion Zappa, although the rendition of 'Cause We've Ended As Lovers' brought tears to my eyes...

Anyway, the nitpicking aside, it was great to see this live.

The YouTube broadcast got cut halfway through the show, which is a pity, but it will give you a taste of what it was like:

The Mahavishnu gig was followed by the Goodbye Session.
Gregg Bendian (Mahavishnu Project) who was asked to lead the session, mentioned that the wanted to avoid having forty musicians on the stage.
He also would like to know in advance who would be participating so that he could discuss the pieces that he would like to perform, for which he would prefer a piece by Jeff Beck, one by Mahavishnu and one by Frank Zappa.
I guess not all musicians were that familiar with the music that Gregg proposed, so he switched it to an improvisation, leading into a FZ guitar piece.
An excellent decision.
Next to the Mahavishnu Project, we recognized members of the Hilo Jazz Orchestra, and Fred Händl.

Completely saturated, we did not stay for Putan Club.

Nevertheless, happy.
Very happy.
Glad to have seen these beautiful concerts live.
And to have shared this experience with some fine people from around the world.

Zappanale rules !

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 17 - - - HAPPY TOGETHER

 Saturday, July 18, 2026,

Dear diary,
I enjoyed another episode of "Peter's Adventures in Zappanaleland".

The Yo Cats trio started the festivities over at Café Zikke.
Keyboards, guitar and drums.
Playful and funny.
Fred (on keyboards) had brought along a new album. Sort of a bootleg. Solo piano performing Zappa. More on this later.

The second morning event saw Pamela Des Barres reading from her "I'm With The Band" book.
I've read the book and I expected translations into German (which is nice but also very time consuming), so we skipped this.

In all, the Café Zikke location was very nice. It's sort of a pedestrian passageway to a parallel street where the Café Zikke terrace and some additional benches give room to the audience and the band is staged on the other side of the passageway.
Lovely.

Our afternoon started with Octafish on the Arf Stage on the festival ground.
An energetic and powerful opener. Exactly what a festival needs.

Next, the Hilo Jazz Orchestra brought the energy level down again with their Hawaiian reggae, only to revive it with some Frank Zappa tunes. Nice.

At 16h30, the highlight of the day: Tante Tofu performed their rock opera.
We've seen Tante Tofu in several incarnations but this new band is the best we've seen so far.
Great vocals, two guitars, a great sounding electric wind instrument,...
Loved it.
Being all mesmerized, I forgot to take a picture but I'm sure some will turn up soon. 

Also right up my alley was Mentat Routage.
Vocal artist (and jazz cornet player) Médéric Collignon lifted the performance to an extra level.
I loved their improvisation and the way that they approached the Zappa compositions. My only remark would be that they shouldn't have used the lyrics of the Zappa songs. It sounded a bit sloppy (and even onomatopoeic most of the time).
But as I said, I did like their improvisations and the way the approached the compositions. A lot.

And then, the Filthy Brillos took over the Arf Stage.
Energetic, chaotic, funny, and musically brilliant.
Born out of necessity at a previous gig, the band featured members of Yo Cats & the Husos (MSRBLN HRNSN).

This was FUN (in capitals).
There were too many great moments: Christian's guest appearance on vocals, the a cappella version of 'Happy Together', the switching of instruments, the amazing guitar solos,...

Our day finished with The Mahavishnu Project, performing Mahavishnu.
Amazing.
What a day.

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 16 - - - THIS IS WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR

Friday morning felt like Saturday morning. But that was because of the extended pre-party on Thursday.
It was an additional day to the festival that took place at the Arf Stage, a very nice gift from the Arf Society.

Friday morning started with two concerts in the center of Bad Doberan, at Café Zikke.
Smalltape was the first one to take the proverbial stage. Performing a solo set, we heard more intimate versions of some of the songs that had been performed by the larger band on Thursday.
I really like it.
Philipp (Nespital) made great use of his loop station, resulting in optimal use of guitar, keyboards and vocals. Progressive rock in a solo setting. Very nice.

Smalltape performed at 11h00.
At 12h00, the (Petit) Halo Jazz Orchestra was up.
Lounge jazz, a couple of Frank Zappa tunes ('I'm The Slime' and 'Road Ladies'), and a handful of Hawaiian reggae tunes.
A fine start of the day.

And, yes, the Mexican Pope was there as well :-)

(Mick, Angel & yours truly)

Around 14h00 Doom Gong set things in motion on the festival ground.

We walked in just in time to hear a snippet from "200 Motels" after which they switched to an exhilarating version of 'King Kong'. Goosebumps.
Doom Gong's original material is pretty high-energy. Great to listen to and great to watch as well.
I'll be on the lookout for some video snippets...

"VKB Plays Tom Waits" was nice. Great voices, lovely harmonies, surprising instruments and sounds.

Lovely. And they performed a Zappa tune. I can't stress enough how much I like that bands do the effort to add a Frank Zappa tune to their setlist when performing at Zappanale. That's what makes the Zappanale experience even more special.

And the expos, of course. Here's Angel with the expo on his latest project, which started as a t-shirt design.

At 18h00, from London, UK: The Lovers Of Invention.
An amazing show !!
Trombone, saxophone, marimba, guitar (x 2), bass, drums, keyboards,...
What a sound. And Jonah Hitchens, what a voice.

And shortly after the concert had finished, we were informed of the upcoming storm. It would be short and powerful, but it would also be gone within an hour, so everybody was advised to leave the festival ground and to take shelter.

The schedule was moved back with one hour.
We didn't stay and drove back to the hotel.

So we missed Agitation Free and their video show, but that's OK as we were more than happy with what we had seen and heard.

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 15 - - - "HEILIGE TAUSEND GRANATEN", WAS FÜR EIN GEWITTER

What a joy it is, to arrive in Bad Doberan.
All friendly faces.

The festival started with Superthousand, a band with a Pink Floyd vibe. They sounded great.

Next up was Smalltape. Melodic progressive rock. Loved it. Perfect festival vibe.

In between, I did have a short chat with Gregg Bendian and Neil Alexander from the Mahavishu Project.
Ben Rubie was still in Hamburg as his violin needed repair, but everything should be fine before they hit the stage on Saturday (and Sunday).
Two different sets. I'm really looking forward to this.

We also ran into Turbulator (who performed at Zappanale last year). After his move from Australia to the UK, he's finished the work on his studio and he's making progress working on original material as well as working on some Zappa material. Sounds promising.

I also talked to Fred Händl who shared the reason for the delay of his "Zappa Album": the artwork is being done by none other than Cal Schenkel (and that takes time). Wowie zowie !

And shortly thereafter, a heavy downpour and accompanying thunderstorm took over the festival.

Despite the changing weather conditions, Icarus Burns had taken the stage. Don't know what happened to Black Zappath...
As the rain didn't stop, we headed back to the hotel. I'm also curious to find out if Chato performed at the Zappateers tent later on...

Anyway, it's Friday now. The weather's looking good and today's line-up is very promising.
To be continued.

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 14 - - - MUSIC FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE

"Music from the other side of the fence", as Captain Beefheart once said.

The phrase perfectly summarizes the spirit of Zappanale, the legendary annual Frank Zappa tribute festival held just outside Bad Doberan on the German Baltic coast. 

Zappanale isn't a traditional festival; it celebrates progressive rock, jazz, classical, and avant-garde music—deliberately stepping "to the other side of the fence" of mainstream music.

This year, the rock sound seems more present but that's just a coincidence.

The best thing about the festival is that you get to watch and listen to the music alongside like-minded people.
They’re few and far between where we live, but here in Bad Doberan, there’s an exceptionally high concentration of them.

I’m looking forward to sharing my fascination with Sun Ra or The Residents, but I'm also eager to learn about music and musicians that I've never heard of.

Next to the freaks and friends that I'll be meeting tomorrow, I also re-acquainted with some childhood buddies. It seems that they have this thing going with HVV. Good for them.

And I forgot to mention the Michelle Records store yesterday. Also in Hamburg.

A nice shop & a happy customer :
Sun Ra's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow", an expanded re-issue of the 1977 album.

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 13 - - - THE ROAD TRIP TO BAD DOBERAN

What's a road trip without a mandatory stop to some of your favourite record stores?
In this particular case, it's Zardoz Records and Groove City Records in Hamburg.

I was convinced that my little list would lead to positive results, but I guess the items were not that obvious.

With both record store having a vast selection of soul, jazz and hip hop, I was looking for
- a coloured vinyl re-issue of J Dilla's "Donuts"  (sampled FZ)
- another coloured vinyl edition of Madvillany's album (sampled FZ)
- the coloured vinyl version of Madlib's "Rock Kondukta Pt 2" (sampled FZ)
- another coloured vinyl edition of Med, Blue & Madlib's Bad Neighbor" (sampled FZ)
- the coloured vinyl edition of Quasimoto "The Further Adventures Of..."

I did come across the black vinyl edition of the Quasimoto album, with very interesting artwork, referring to Sun Ra and to Frank Zappa on the album cover, but I ticked this one off my list quite a while ago already...

Anway, we have another day in Hamburg today.
No record stores, I guess, but mentally preparing for Zappanale...

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 12 - - - THE SUNDAY PREVIEW

The third day of a festival.
Everyone and everything will move slower.
Even the obsrever.
Especially in the morning.

Looking at the bands, however, Sunday will be far from slow.

There will be no warm-up shows in the village center, but that's OK because the festival ground will start shaking around 12h00 already.

12h00 Hala

Emphasizing on the narrative aspects, Dutch band Hala brings fairy-tale like compositions.
Seems perfect for a Sunday morning.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/hala-nl

13h30 The Hilo Jazz Orchestra

On Sunday, for their second performance, the Hilo Jazz Orchestra will perform the music of Frank Zappa.
There's an excellent video on YouTube of one of the Zappa concerts. It's the concert they did with Dweezil Zappa and with Ike Willis.
In Bad Doberan, it will be without the special guests, and with a smaller orchestra, but we'll only get one chance to see this (unless we travel to Hawaii, that is).

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/hilo-jazz-orchestra-usa

16h00 Die Miserablen Husos

Zappa in German.
Translated, phonetically reproduced, or re-imagined.
I've seen them a couple of times and this is fun.
It will be an entertaining break between the Hilo Jazz Orchestra and the Mahavishnu Project.
Featuring Chato Segerer (whose Zapped band made a remarkable appearance at Zappanale last year) on bass.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/die-miserablen-husos-de

17h30 Mahavisnhu Project

For their second Zappanale gig, the Mahavishnu Project will perform the music of Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck and Jan Hammer.
That's a lot of Zappa on Sunday, but probably / hopefully with a different approach by each band.

And this will lead into the Goodbye Session, and then it's finished on the main stage.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/mahavishnu-project-usa

21h00 Putan Club

The final concert on the Arf Stage will be by the Putan Club, a groovy, energetic duo from France and Italy.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/putan-club-it-fr

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 11 - - - THE SATURDAY PREVIEW

 Saturday, again, will be a packed schedule.

Two additional morning sessions at Café Zikke (Alexandrinenplatz 2):

11h00 Yo Cats

Featuring Fred Händl (keyboards) and Jakob van der Linden (bass), the duo will perform the music of Frank Zappa.
Fred mentioned that he is bringing some goodies along: A limited edition CD(R) with a live recording of some Frank Zappa pieces. He also said  that he has good news to share about the Frank Zappa tribute album he's been preparing (for quite a while).

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/yo-cats-nl

12h00 Pamela Des Barres will give a lecture, also at Café Zikke.

For those at the festival ground, Jim Cohen will do one of his famous lectures. This will be fun as well.
I've seen and heard Jim on various occasions, and this has always been very interesting.

11h00 Jim Cohen

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/jim-cohen-usa-de

And then it's time for the wake up call as Octafish will take the Arf Stage.

13h30 Octafish

This will be good. I've enjoyed their previous Zappanale appearances, and I love their albums.
Recommended !!

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/octafish-de

15h15 Hilo Jazz Orchestra

For their first main stage performance, the Saturday one, the Hilo Jazz Orchestra will be performing the music of Trever Veilleux.
Think Hawaiian reggae.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/hilo-jazz-orchestra-usa

16h45 Tante Tofu, feat. Pamela Des Barres

Masterminds Christianne Seebach and Andreas Steinhardt, plus Christian Frerichs, Bernd Matthias, Marc Rinderspacher, and Claire Reich will be performing their latest production: rock opera "ScheiLa".
And, yes, with a special appearance by Pamela Des Barres.
This should be fun.
Tante Tofu performed a play last year, "When Zappa Met Bach" and that was hilarious.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/tante-tofu-de-feat-pamela-des-barres-usa

18h30 Mentat Routage - The Brothers Of Dimension

French collective Mentat Routage with special guest Médéric Collignon will pay tribute to the music of Frank Zappa.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/mentat-routage-brothers-of-dimension-fr

20h30 Filthy Brillos

Born out of necessity, the Filthy Brillos combine musicians that happened to be around during the latest edition Heubach festival. Appearantly, it worked.
Expect the music of Frank Zappa, maybe even with a twist.

I really like the concept. In my mind, Zappanale should try to emphasize on these kind of projects. One-off experiments.
I remember the time when bands that performed at Zappanale added a Frank Zappa piece to their repertoire. Just for the occasion.
Or musicians from one band, sitting in with another band.
It's a pity that we lost these kind of surprises.
Let's see if the Filthy Brillos can turn the tide for more future experiments.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/filthy-brillos-nl-de

22h00 The Mahavishnu Project

The Mahavishnu Project will be performing on Saturday and on Sunday.
On Saturday, the band will focus on the music of the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/mahavishnu-project-usa

00h30 Guts Pie Earshot

Guts Pie Earshot will close the night. Check out the video in the below link. It's just two musicians: Patrick Reerink on cello, and Jean Jacobi on drums.
But their sound is huge.
"Instrumental psychedelic dance- punk" might indeed be an apt description.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/guts-pie-earshot-de

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 10 - - - THE FRIDAY PREVIEW - - - WHEN PLANNING WILL BECOME ESSENTIAL

On Friday, the musical activities will kick off in Bad Doberan town.
Two 'warm-up' events have been scheduled at Café Zikke (at Alexandrinenplatz 2).

11h00 Smalltape

The Thursday gig will be with a larger band, while this more intimate setting will be a solo concert by  Smalltape / Philipp Nespital.

12h00 The Petit Hilo Jazz Orchstra

10 musicians from the Hilo Jazz Orchestra are flying over to Bad Doberan. They'll perform on the main stage twice, but part of the ensemble will also do a 'warm-up' at Café Zikke on Friday.

In the meantime, the Kosmische Brocken documentary is shown at the Kamp Theater, and things will start over at the Rennbahn as well.

12h00 Pamela Des Barres Meets Jim Cohen

At the same time, over at the festival ground, Jim Cohen will invite Pamela Des Barres in his red sofa.

Around 14h00 the actual festival will start, switching between the (smaller) Arf Stage and the (larger) main stage.

14h00 - Doom Gong

This sounds like fun. Lots of energy.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/doom-gong-usa

16h00 - the VKB band

"Re-inventing the music of Tom Waits."
The VKB Band will be performing at the Arf Stage. Judging by the clips I've seen on YouTube, this seems to be the perfect place for them.
Looking forward to this !

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/vkb-band-usa

18h00 - OFFICIAL OPENING, and concert by The Lovers Of Invention

The London-based Lovers Of Invention.
The band that I definitely want to see. I even considered going to London to see one of their gigs.
It was said that there were plans to get them to perform at the MOSAE Zappa festival last year, but, for some reason, that didn't or couldn't happen.
Very excited to see them.
If you check out some of their YouTube videos, you'll notice that at one time, Emma Rawicz was part of the band. Give her recent projects a listen as well.
Also worth mentioning is guitarist and lead vocalist Jonah Hitchens's "The Snake Boys" project. They have an album out (on Bandcamp) with their version of FZ's 'Cosmik Debris'.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/the-lovers-of-invention-uk

20h00 - Brique

There will be no cooling down after The Lovers Of Invention when Brique will take the Arf Stage.
Experimental music. Featuring Luc Ex (from The Ex) on bass !

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/brique-fr

22h00 - Agitation Free

German krautrock / space rock pioneers Agitation Free will take the main stage at 22h00.
Founded in Berlin, Germany in 1967 - Disbanded in 1974 - Reunited briefly in 1998, 2007 and 2012, and they're performing again !!
The band has released 10 albums (half of these being live albums) and has another live album scheduled for later this year.
I'm listening to their "Live Kesslhaus Berlin 2013" while I'm typing this !!

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/agitation-free-de

24h00 - W3LTR4UM

German psychedelic improvisation band W3LTR4UM will be the final band on Friday.
Sounds like a fitting finale for Friday.

https://www.zappanale.de/en/artists-z-35/w3ltr4um-de

STEVE VAI UPDATE

BREAKING NEWS FOR ALL STEVE VAI FANS

JUNE 2027 IS “VAI IN HOLLAND” MONTH

JUNE 2027 MARKS AN UNPRECEDENTED PROJECT FOR A SINGLE COMPOSER/PERFORMER.

IN A SERIES OF EVENTS THE LEGENDARY STEVE VAI WILL PRESENT AND BE PRESENTED AS ONE OF THE MOST RELEVANT COMPOSERS AND VIRTUOSOS OF HIS TIME.

June 3:
The Chamber Music Of Steve Vai
In the Singer Theatre in Laren, Steve’s chamber music will be performed by violinist Joe Puglia, the North Sea String Quartet and pianist Ralph van Raat. The evening will be hosted by Steve Vai himself, together with his long-time associate Co de Kloet. The evening will consist of Vai classics in special arrangements as well as two world premieres. More information available soon!

June 6:
Steve Vai & Residentie Orkest: A Symphonic Celebration
Steve Vai’s orchestral works with two world premieres
Yes, Steve’s birthday!
Steve himself will perform with the legendary Residentie Orkest from The Hague, under the baton of Jukka Iisakkila. Besides some repertoire pieces, never before performed orchestral pieces, two world premieres will be featured.
A special project with young composers will be presented as well.

June 11:
Steve Vai & Metropole Orkest
A reunion!
Vai and the Metropole Orkest will present an exclusive live performance of Vai’s compositions for orchestra and rock band. The show will include previews of a future release of new Vai/Metropole studio recordings! Again, Jukka Iisakkila conducting.

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 9 - - - UPDATES FOR THURSDAY

In recent years, when arriving in Bad Dobaran on Thursday afternoon, we would usually park the car near the Drümpel Parkplatz and take the short walk to the Zappa statue.
It's the best place to realise that one has entered the Zappa universe as there will be other music freaks checking out the statue, and it's close to the place where those who have arrived by train will get on the Molli (in the Mollistrasse) to go to the festival ground.

Up until a few years ago, upon our arrival, we would also visit the expo at the Zappanale office at the market place (Am Markt). Unfortunately, this space is no longer available but the good news is that the expo has moved to the festival ground.

And we don't want to loose too much time as this year's pre-party has evolved into an entire day of music.

The pre-party will take place on the festival ground, at the "Arf Stage".
Free entrance for those who have a festival ticket !
For those who want to attend but don't have a festival ticket, a contribution of 10 euro will be asked.

14h00 = opening or the pre-party
14h00 - Superthousand
16h00 - Smalltape
18h00 - Blanck Zappath
20h00 - Icarus Burns

And not at the festival ground, but scheduled to appear at the Zappateers tent at the camping ground:
22h00 - Chato Segerer

Wolfhard Kutz, the main man behind the festival, added that Zappanale is the only festival that can take place at the Rennbahn this year. 
Restrictions and even bans have been imposed on all festivals, but fortunately an exception was made for Zappanale because it has been running for so long.

I'm glad that this exception was made and I'm already looking forward to all of the familiar (and new) faces. And ready to discover some new music.

THE ALMOST THREE - LIMITED

• The Almost Three: Limited
      (2019, cd, Germany, pottpeople)

Released as a teaser for the (at the time) upcoming "It's Just Music" album, "Limited" presented 10 tracks. 5 studio tracks and 5 live recordings.
The 5 studio tracks would later get a spot on "It's Just Music".
The live tracks included a fine version of 'Whippin' Post'. Not the Zappa arrangement of the Greg Allman tune, but closer to the original.

In all, an excellent album !

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 8 - - - SPECIAL GUESTS

This year's Zappanale will feature two Special Guests from the Zappa Universe

Pamela Des Barres

With Pamela Des Barres, we welcome one of the most dazzling personalities in rock history to Zappanale #35.
As a member of the legendary GTO’s, an author, an actress, and a firsthand witness to the era, she was part of Frank Zappa’s creative circle. In the late 1960s, she worked for the Zappa family and later became part of the GTO’s, a band mentored by Frank Zappa. Their album *Permanent Damage* was released in 1969 on his label, Bizarre Records. Pamela also appeared in Zappa’s film *200 Motels*.
At Zappanale, you can meet Pamela in person during a Q&A session. She’ll be signing books and sharing stories about her encounters with Frank Zappa and numerous other legends of rock history.

A very special highlight awaits you on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. on the ARF Stage: Together with Tante Tofu, Pamela will perform the GTOs’ song “I’m in Love with the Ooo-Ooo Man” live for the first time.
56 years after its creation. It will also be featured in the rock opera *SchieLa*.

 

Robert Davidson

We’re also pleased to welcome Robert Davidson as a special guest at Zappanale.
His name may not be immediately familiar to everyone, but his most famous photo certainly is: Robert Davidson photographed Frank Zappa in the bathroom, creating one of the most recognizable and widely circulated images in Zappa history.
For decades, the legendary poster hung in countless teenagers’ bedrooms, shared apartments, music clubs, and record stores. Now you have the rare opportunity to meet the photographer behind this iconic image in person.
At Zappanale, Robert Davidson will talk about how the photo came to be, his encounter with Frank Zappa, and his work as a photographer.

We’re looking forward to a special weekend filled with great music, exciting encounters, and plenty of stories from the Zappa universe.

GLENN FERRIS

 Glenn Ferris contributed to this 1994 album:

• Ravy Magnifique, Archie Shepp, Chico Freeman, Glenn Ferris: Meeting
      (1994, cd, France, night & day)

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

ANDREAS RAUSCH - - - THE DOG & FRANK ZAPPA

 -

MADHOUSE

Madhouse is the creation of Prince, teaming up with reed man Eric Leeds.
This collaboration resulted in two albums, "8" and "16", both filled with instrumental jazz-funk, Prince-style.

Madhouse released two albums, both in 1987 and on the Paisley Park record label.
The albums are rather difficult to find and both have been counterfeited including the Madhouse singles as bonus material.

Both albums had been on my want list for quite a while, so when I recently came across the counterfeits, I did not hesitate.

 

• Madhouse: 8
      (????, cd, --, paisley park n108)
      = “8” + two bonus tracks

• Madhouse: 16
      (????, cd, --, paisley park n116)
      = “16” + 4 bonus tracks

Here's a the official video for 'Ten' :

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 7 - - - AN UPDATE FROM THE ZAPPANALE TEAM

Dear Zappanale visitors,

We’re in the final stretch of preparations and are very much looking forward to welcoming you soon to Zappanale #35.

There are also some changes to the festival grounds: Both stages will be moved closer to the lawn, and the gravel area will be subdivided once again. This will create a closer atmosphere, more energy, and an overall cozier festival grounds.

For all dance enthusiasts, we’re making sure there are no benches directly in front of the stages this year. This will leave plenty of room for dancing and a real party vibe.

We have a request regarding the campsites: Please leave large PA systems at home. We want all visitors to be able to get some rest at night. The particularly loud campers from previous years will be relocated elsewhere this time.

After careful consideration, we’ve decided against switching to Rostocker Pils and thereby lowering the beer price by 50 cents. But there’s other good news: This year, you’ll also be able to pay cashless at the beer stands.

Preparations for 2027 are already underway. At Zappanale, there will once again be a pre-presale at the current ticket price. This will continue for some time after the festival. We’ll simply have to add the applicable sales fees to the price. We’re also offering pre-presale tickets that include a vehicle for the campsites. There will be no additional fees for campers in 2027 either.

Initial talks with bands are already in full swing, and we’re once again receiving many exciting applications.

BEAT, WITH ADRIAN BELEW, TONY LEVIN, STEVE VAI AND DANNY CAREY

For those who missed the tour, a recording of the June 24, 2026, concert at the 013 venue in Tilburg, NL, turned up on DimeADozen.

And don't forget that the band has an album (+ blu-ray) out as well.

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 6 - - - THE SCHEDULE

The below schedule will decide what I'll be doing from Thursday to Sunday.

JAMES BRANDON LEWIS QUARTET - OMNI

The James Brandon Lewis Quartet (Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones and Chad Taylor), has just released "Omni".

• James Brandon Lewis: Tenor Saxophone, Compositions
• Aruán Ortiz: Piano
• Brad Jones: Bass
• Chad Taylor: Drums

Over the last decade, tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis has fine-tuned a powerful sonic philosophy he calls Molecular Systematic Music. He began with simple musical scales, and now his work spans a complex, beautiful twelve-tone system. 
Molecular Systematic Music is a modern system that uses biological and mathematical concepts—like DNA sequencing and chemical bonds—to map out new paths for melody and rhythm.

On "Omni", James Brandon Lewis merges these complex rules with the deep, soulful feeling of church gospel.

Beautiful.

-- info: Danny Mathys

NEW (ARCHIVAL MUSIC) ALBUM BY BRAND X

This live album by Brand X, released in collaboration with MoonJune Records - and take note: for the first time ever, fully owned by the legitimate band owners, and all proceeds go to Percy Jones and estates of John Goodsall and Robin Lumley.

https://officialbrandx.bandcamp.com/merch/brand-x-theory-of-nothing-2cd-limited-edition-3

MUZE JAZZ ORCHESTRA PLAYS ZAPPA

The Muze Jazz Orchestra.
From Belgium.
Recorded quite a while ago already, but what a great performance !

A NEW PIECE BY EIDON

'Flutter By'
by Eidon

JOHN WONDERLING

John Wonderling's "Day Breaks" album got released in 1973. 
Extremely hard to find, it got re-issued in 2017, both on LP and on CD.

Among others, the album featured Jim Pons, Jim Gordon, Ansley Dunbar and Jim Keltner.

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

A SUN RA UPDATE

It's hard to keep track of the Sun Ra discography, but these two titles have recently been spotted.

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow"

"Do The Impossible"

AN UPDATE FROM CHATO

Chato Segerer just shared his upcoming gigs !

F.O.S. BROTHERS - 1ST APRIL

• The F.O.S. Brothers Band: 1st April
      (1990, cassette, UK, private release)

I don't recall if I already mentioned this cassette release.

Recorded on the 1st of April 1990, the F.O.S. Brothers released the recording on cassette in an oversized box. The album kicked off with the band performing FZ's 'The Torture Never Stops".
The Zappa song would get re-recorded and re-released on cassette and on CD in later years.

I'm assuming the cassette got released the same year that it got recorded.
I came across this one by accident earlier this year, browsing the internet. And it was for sale. No further comment needed.

The oversized box: