Thursday, August 25, 2016

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

PINK FLOYD & ZAPPA AT AMOUGIES ON AN OFFICIAL RELEASE

There's a new Pink Floyd box announced :
"Pink Floyd - The Early Years 1965 - 1972"

The box will include
10 CDs, 9 DVDs, 8 Blu-ray Discs, and 5 Singles (7")

Track 13 on Disc 13 is :

'Interstellar Overdrive'

with Frank Zappa:
Music Power & European Music Revolution, Festival Actuel, Amougies
Mont de l'Enclus, Belgium, 25 October 1969

Will this be the audience recording? Or did the recordings from the movie turn up?


THREE NEW ZAPPA ALBUMS ANNOUNCED FOR OCTOBER

Zappatite will be released in September, but...

Meat Light: The Uncle Meat Project / Object, 3 CD

Little Dots, CD

Chicago '78, 2 CD

will be released by the ZFT in October...

-- info: Facebook, Zappateers, Amazon




Sunday, August 21, 2016

NEW KING CRIMSON BOX




King Crimson fans are treated to another box release !
"On (And Off) The Road"
11 CD, 3 DVD-audio, and 3 blu-ray discs.

More info here:
https://www.dgmlive.com/news.htm


SUN RA / MERZBOW ALBUM ARTWORK

Artwork for the Sun Ra / Merzbow album :

the CD

the LP

ZAPPATITE ALBUM COVER

You've probably already seen it, so here it is again: the album cover of the soon-to-be-released compilation :"Zappatite".


SUN RA / MERZBOW - STRANGE CITY


Out 29th September: Sun Ra | Merzbow Official 'Strange City' CD / LP / Shirt (CSR228CD / CSR229LP)

Officially licensed from Irwin Chusid of the SUN RA estate, Cold Spring’s Justin Mitchell negotiated rare and unreleased tracks from the SUN RA archive to be remixed and treated by Masami Akita. The tracks incorporate the jazz power of SUN RA, carried into brutal excess by the legendary Japanese artist, MERZBOW.

This release is available in two distinct editions: 180gm black vinyl, with a limited 200 only for Cold Spring mailorder on yellow vinyl, both with download code – and a matt laminated digipak CD. Please note that both formats have completely different music!

Free release stickers when purchased directly from Cold Spring!

....................................................................................
https://soundcloud.com/coldspring/sets/sun-ra-merzbow-strange-city
....................................................................................

CD (CSR228CD)

1. Livid Sun Loop (32:11)
2. Granular Jazz Part 2 (34:03)

LP (CSR229LP)

A1. Granular Jazz Part 1 (17:50)
B1. Granular Jazz Part 3 (13:22)
B2. Granular Jazz Part 4 (5:05)

ADRIAN BELEW SCORES MUSIC FOR NEW ANIMATED FILM & RELEASES FLUX ALBUM


Guitar Icon Adrian Belew Scores Music For New Animated Film & Releases “FLUX” Album!

Nashville - Guitar icon Adrian Belew has recently scored the music to “Piper”, a short movie by animation studio Pixar, which was released on June 17th! The six-minute production tells the story of a small bird that lives on a beach, and must challenge herself to find food while avoiding treacherous waves. It was screened before “Finding Dory”, the full-length sequel to 2003's “Finding Nemo”.

Says Adrian, “I've visited Pixar four times and it never ceases to thrill me – so much creativity and technology in one place.”

Adrian Belew's soundtrack to “Piper” is now available digitally through amazon and iTunes.

Meanwhile, Belew continues work on the latest additions to his FLUX project, including an album called FLUXbybelew and an in-app addition entitled FLUXation. FLUX is 'music which is never the same twice'. To accommodate the original concept FLUX was released on iTunes as a music app for iPhone and iPad (the only one of its kind, available on iTunes at bit.ly/FLUX_cd) with the app downloaded, you press Play to activate 30 minutes of music, songs, sounds, and visuals which will never happen again in quite the same way. that's because of some very clever algorithms and a huge amount of content. But it is not feasible to have the same thing occur on a CD, so Adrian asks that you always play the CD in “shuffle” mode. This will give as close an approximation to the way he intended this music to be experienced as can be offered in this format.

FLUX is not meant to be listened to in the same running sequence every time. In order to eventually make all FLUX material available on CD, this will be an ongoing series, updated as needed. Adrian's hope is that you will make your own playlist from the content of all the CDs, then put the entire playlist in shuffle and enjoy FLUX: music that is never the same twice!
Says Adrian, “For those who only have the first FLUX CD, this will double your fun. For those of you who have the FLUXbybelew app, the FLUXation pack will add another half an hour of music and visuals to your FLUX stream, creating even more possibilities. Also included in both these releases are new songs not available anywhere else.”

Adrian Belew finally launched his FLUX music creation environment after 36 years of planning and development. It's now available as an iOS mobile device app, and promises “a new and exciting way to experience music.”

Says Adrian, “Technology has changed our lives so dramatically. Our ability to multitask is greater, but our attention spans are shorter. Modern music does not reflect these changes – most music has remained unaltered, still made in the same format used for over 60 years: the three to five minute song. Nothing wrong with that, but how about an alternative?

“FLUX is an ever-changing variety of songs, sounds and visual art that comes at you in quick, exciting pieces. You get exposed to a lot of content quickly and every listen is new. It will never happen the same way for you or anyone else.

While the system currently features only Belew's music, and isn't open to any other input, he hopes the concept can be expanded. He told Something Else Reviews: “I really believe it's something that could be used in many different artistic mediums, and that people will use it different ways.”

Adrian Belew is a legendary guitarist well-known for his diverse travels around the musical map. He is a multi-instrumentalist whose solo records are critically acclaimed. His moving singing voice and prolific songwriting has endeared a loyal fan base of music lovers. His music is being discovered everyday by more and more listeners thirsty for great music with a creative standard not often pushed by the commercial music industry.

Adrian first appeared on the guitar-world radar when he toured with Frank Zappa who later said, “Adrian reinvented electric guitar”. Adrian's signature tones, unique use of effects and whammy bar remains completely different, and his techniques continue to be a huge influence on today’s guitarists. He was guitarist, songwriter and frontman Progressive Rock Powerhouse King Crimson for over 30 years. “Discipline”, Adrian's first record with King Crimson, is listed among the most important rock records ever made.

Adrian has had a career that commands both awe and respect from fellow musicians and loyal fans, from his first solo record “The Lone Rhino” to The Atlantic Records hit album “Mr. Music Head” or any of his other 20 solo records that push sonic boundaries while maintaining artistic integrity. Adrian shreds on guitar but also writes beautiful songs that will make you cry. Yes, Adrian has taken his fans on a wild ride through countless world tours and albums with David Bowie, Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson, NIN and Paul Simon. He truly is the Twang Bar King!

http://adrianbelew.net/


A ZAPPATIKA UPDATE


One has to admit that Zappatika knows how to connect to their audience.
Not only did they release "The Pony Suite" album to sell during concerts (you know, the album that featured Ike Willis, Denny Walley, Jeff Hollie, Craig 'Twister' Steward, and Ed Mann) but they also take care of their other merchandise.

How about this "Zappatika" pin?
http://www.zappatika.org/shopping/


CAPTAIN BEEFHEART - LIVE AT KNEBWORTH 1975



More Beefheart vinyl.
"Live At Knebworth 1975" is a limited edition vinyl release on the Ozit Records label.
Record Store Day 2016 release, on orange vinyl.
Data have been added to the United Mutations Archives.

BLU-SPEC CD ?

In times where more and more artists have a hard time finding a record company and can hardly sell any cd's, I find it fascinating that other parts of the world have another approach.

The last couple of years, Sony Music Japan has been releasing a number of CD's that have been produced using Blu-Spec technology, resulting in so-called Blu-Spec CD's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-spec_CD

As I was too intrigued, I recently purchased my first Blu-Spec CD: Steve Vai's "The Story Of Light".
Sounds pretty good. But so did the original / regular release.
I guess I would have to compare the two next to each other...
And, no, it did not come with an mp3-download code.


MORE CAPTAIN BEEFHEART ON VINYL

At least two Gonzo Multimedia albums have been released on vinyl by the Let Them Eat Vinyl record company :
"Somewhere Over Detroit", 2LP
"Somewhere Over Paris", 2LP

Both got released in 2015.


CAPTAIN BEEFHEART - FULL MOON HOT SUN



Initially released on CD by Keyhole, the album was also made available on vinyl.
'Radio broadcast recording' of the 1974/04/22 Kansas concert.
This vinyl edition omits the latest track of the CD.


SUN RA - FRIENLY LOVE

The Italian Sinner Lady record label released a 'new' Sun Ra album.
Recorded in 1973.
Released in a limited edition of 79 copies plus 15 copies with folder cover and additional pictures.
In fact, it's a vinyl version of the Evidence recorde label CD.

"A rare live performance of Sun Ra's "Friendly Love" suite – presented here at a level that makes for some of the most "out" material you'll hear from the Arkestra a the time – and a record that may well be one of Sun Ra's moodiest of the 70s! Ra himself plays organ and a variety of keyboards – all with a very dark quality that even makes the organ sound quite unique – and the reed players in the group have a wonderful ear for texture, with some mouthy performances at times that really blend with the group's strong use of percussion. Players include Kwame Hadi and Atakatune on congas, Eloe Omoe on clarinet, John Gilmore on tenor, Danny Davis on alto, Marshall Allen on oboe, and Danny Ray Thompson on baritone."

-- additional info: Danny Mathys

ZAPPANALE #27 - PART 14 - THE GOOD-BYE SESSION

At Zappanale, the video crew records a number of main stage shows. They've been doing this since 2007. Recordings of these shows a being made availabe at the festival ground, but only in a very limited edition of 20 or so copies.
I like the concept. It offers the opportunity to re-live some of the concerts.

I've already mentioned the DVDR-recording of The Muffin Men, Lex Bronkowitz Orchestra, The Magic Band, Hazmat Modine, The Grandmothers with the Yellow String Quartet, ZBMF, The Dorf, and Paul Green's Rock Academy.
The last one in this year's series is a recording of the "Good-Bye" session. This is the final moment on the main stage where musicians from different bands and ensembles join for a jam or for playing some Zappa music.
Rather chaotic most of the time, but it always carries some interesting moments and combinations as well.



Orchestrated by Paul Green, the Good-Bye Session started with The Muffin Men, Denny Walley, Ed Mann and a couple of Rock Academy kids. I also saw Alli Bach on stage, and Rupert Kettle,
And I heard 'King Kong',


ZAPPANALE #27 - PART 13 - Z.E.R.O.

Our American friends from Z.E.R.O. made a very impressive appearance at the Zappanale festival, a little while ago.
Not only did they bring along their brand-new second album, they also performed at the expo in the center of Bad Doberan, and they did a dazzling show at the festival ground.

The album is called "Z.E.R.O. Tolerance" and it's excellent.
I know that I have mentioned it before but you really need to check this one out.
All compositions by Frank Zappa, but re-arranged, re-worked, and treated with a lot of respect (and humour) by Z.E.R.O.
As a bonus, it features Ike Willis (on 'King Kong').
Superb !!

Here's a short fragment of the first concert that Z.E.R.O. did at Zappanale. It's an indoor gig / at the expo room : 'Sofa' and 'Who Are The Brain Police?'. Recorded by TPS.
I was sitting next to TPS. If you listen closely, you can hear me have goosebumps.


People who supported the funding of "Z.E.R.O. Tolerance" received a CDR with various bonus material.

The CDR looks like this :

It includes a video with Ike Willis, plus some 20 demos and instrumental mixes of songs that eventually made it onto "Z.E.R.O. Tolerance".
Or not.

Here's another TPS video snippet. This time it's Alli Bach, performing Zappa's 'The Black Page', tap dancing.
And people ask me why I go to Zappanale...


Saturday, August 20, 2016

YELLOW STRING QUARTET - S/T

Cellist, composer and sound-artist Friedemann 'Fried' Dähn is working in classical, contemporary and electronic music as well as in media and video arts.

In 1989 he completed his studies with Johannes Goritzki at the Düsseldorf music conservatory "with exellence", after having taken part in additional master classes with Boris Pergamenschikow, Heinrich Schiff, Michael Flaksman and Misha Maisky.

Between 1990 and 1993 he has been cellist of the well known Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt, where he had the possibility to work with K.-H. Stockhausen, Ornette Coleman and Frank Zappa, to mention only a few.

Fried Dähn & The Yellow String Quartet performed Zappanale #23 in 2012, at Zappanale #26 in 2015 and more recently, at Zappanale #27, in combination with The Grandmothers.

On the above pictured "YSQ" album, the ensemble performs Frank Zappa's 'Uncle Meat', next to pieces by Igor Stravinsky,  Terry Riley (!!) and Joseph Haydn to name just three.

Very nice.

And now, for something completely different, a more experimental side of Fried Dähn :



MIKE KENEALLY - SCAMBOT 2

Earlier today, while listening to the fabulous "Scambot 2" and "Inkling" albums, I added the data for this latest Mike Keneally album to the United Mutations Archives.
Both discs are great, but especially the "Inkling" album surprised me.

Mike plays a lot of instruments on this album, but it does feature some familiar names : Joe Travers, Ben Thomas, Pete Griffin, Bryan Beller, Marco Minnemann, Rick Musallam,...

Love it.

There will be a regulare, single CD version of this album out as well, but do yourself a favour and get this 2CD-edition.




RUSS STEDMAN - GRUMPY LAZY

With a title like "Grumpy Lazy", you just know that it's an album that you need to check out.

Russ Stedman's latest release "Grumpy Lazy" does not only show some great artwork, the music is pretty impressive as well. All original material, except for a REO Speedwagon cover, and Frank Zappa's 'Duodenum', you know, the Lumpy Gravy theme.
Great !!

Available through Bandcamp.
https://russstedman.bandcamp.com/album/grumpy-lazy



ZAPPANALE #27 - PART 12 - LEX BRONKOWITZ ORCHESTRA


My personal highlight of Zappanale #27 was the concert by the Lex Bronkowitz Orchestra.
Was it because it was the first band on the first day? Was it because I was still fresh and cheerful? Or was it because they played an astonishing set of mash-up Zappa tunes?

An amazing concert.

Luckily, the concert got recorded by the Zappanale video team, so I was able to enjoy it once more this morning.

Enjoy two little snippets from June and February concerts and check out the band's first album, if you haven't already.






ZAPPANALE #27 - PART 11 - THE MAGIC BAND

One of the highlights of the first day of the Zappanale festival : The Magic Band.

John French is the only original Magic Band member that's still in the band, but he's doing a superb job.
The other guys in the band, Max Kutner, Eric Klerks, Andrew Niven and Brian Havey, did an excellen job as well.
Great !
With special guest Denny Walley adding guitar on a couple of Van Vliet tunes.

Recorded by the Zappanale video team and made available on a limited run of DVDR's.

Here's a little snippet I found on YouTube.



ZAPPANALE #27 - PART 10 - THE MUFFIN MEN

Who would have thought that, 25 years after starting a band to perform the music of Frank Zappa, those lads from Liverpool would have shared the stage with Jimmy Carl Black, Don Preston, Bunk Gardner, Ike Willis, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Mike Keneally, Ray White, Robert Martin and Denny Walley.

The Muffin Men performed at the first day of the Zappanale Festival, July 15 and added Ed Mann to the list.

The Muffin Men with Denny Walley and Ed Mann.
And special guest Candy Zappa (Frank's little sister) joined the band on stage for 'Cosmik Debris'.

setlist
  • Sofa #1 - Jam
  • Peaches En Regalia
  • Crew Slut
  • City Of Tiny Lites
  • Tryin' To Grow A Chin
  • Easy Meat
  • Village Of The Sun
  • Jones Crusher
  • Trail Of Tears (Geronimo Black)
  • Grown So Ugly (Williams)
  • Suction Prints
  • Cosmik Debris***
  • If I Could Only Be Sure (Nolan Porter)
  • Directly From My Heart To You (Penniman)
  • Advance Romance
  • Whipping Post (Allman)
  • I Want You Kong (Beatles vs. FZ)
  • Improv - Eat That Question
I loved it.
The concert got recorded and was made available in a very limited edition during the festival.




ZAPPOSTROPHE 133 AND 134

Our friends from the Czech Frank Zappa Fan Club recently put out two new issues of the Zappostrophe fanzine.
It had been a while, but they keep going steady and have reached n° 133 and 134 !!
It's all in the Czech !
Check out their website for more info :
http://zappa-mypage2.webgarden.cz/

Issue n°133 focusses on The Zappa House and also has an article on Napoleon Murphy Brock's "George Duke Tribute Tour".


Issue n°134 is all about the "Roxy The Movie" album, the recent Prague concert "Orchestra En Regalia", and it includes a lengthy interview as well.


Friday, August 19, 2016

TOM SCOTT


Tom Scott With The California Dreamers - "The Honeysuckle Breeze"

This 1967 album features Max Bennett , Carol Kaye , Jimmy Gordon, Gene Estes and Emil Richards, musicians that also worked with Frank Zappa.

Here's the link:
http://hot-butt-head.blogspot.be/2016/08/tom-scott-with-california-dreamers.html

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

ZAPPATITE, A NEW ZAPPA SAMPLER

Announced on Amazon, "ZAPPAtite", a new Zappa album / sampler.

1. I'm The Slime
2. Dirty Love
3. Dancing Fool
4. Trouble Every Day
5. Peaches En Regalia
6. Tell Me You Love Me
7. Bobby Brown Goes Down
8. You Are What You Is
9. Valley Girl
10. Joe's Garage
11. Cosmik Debris
12. Sofa No. 1
13. Don't Eat The Yellow Snow
14. Titties & Beer
15. G-Spot Tornado
16. Cocaine Decisions
17. Zoot Allures
18. Strictly Genteel



Monday, August 15, 2016

ZAPPANALE #27 - PART 9 - HAZMAT MODINE

NYC-based Hazmat Modine celebrated 10 years of touring with a short stop in Bad Doberan.

Blues, Americana, Rocksteady, Balkan folk, Calypso, ...
It's all part of the mixture that Hazmat Modine presented at Zappanale.


Most of the main stage concerts got recorded and were made available during the festival.
Limited edition DVDR.


THREE NEW SUN RA RELEASES ANNOUNCED

The Modern Harmonic record label is about to release the following 10" albums :

Sun Ra : Rocket Number Nine
http://modernharmonic.com/post-link/?Product=/sun-ra-rocket-number-nine-10-ep.aspx
Sun Ra : Lady With The Golden Stockings
http://modernharmonic.com/post-link/?Product=/sun-ra-lady-with-the-golden-stockings-10-ep.aspx
Sun Ra : Nuclear War
http://modernharmonic.com/post-link/?Product=/sun-ra-nuclear-war-10-ep.aspx
and, a re-release on Sundazed :
NRBQ : Interstellar
http://modernharmonic.com/post-link/?Product=/p/1361-NRBQ-Interstellar-10-EP.aspx


ANTON & THE HEADCLEANERS

It has been too long, so here's a little update on Anton & The Headcleaners !!

Next Sunday, in concert in Würzburg, Germany

Freakshow-in-Concert LATE Matinee
ANTON & the Headcleaners
Sunday, August 21 at 17h00
at the 'Immerhin Würzburg' club in Würzburg, DE



MIKE KENEALLY'S SCAMBOT 2 SONG DIARY, SIDE FOUR!

In the meantime, I did receive my copy of the EXCELLENT new Mike Keneally album, but I still need to add the data to te United Mutations Archives.
Meanwhile, let me share part four of Mike's notes for "Scambot 2".

Mike Keneally says :

Ladies! Gentlemen! Cats!

Scambot 2 is now whirling around the globe to all who pre-ordered; thank you for doing that, those of you who did! The rest of you can now simply order it if you like, never mind the "pre." And for those who prefer the digital route, Scambot 2 is now officially available as a download (and, when ordered directly from the Keneally Store, the full digital booklet is included with purchase). Again as a reminder, the album Inkling is only available with the 2-CD physical edition of Scambot 2. I hope those of you who've received it are as enamored of the album design as I am. Kudos again to Atticus Wolrab - he did truly beautiful work on this album and I am grateful.

And now, I'll dither a bit about the final four songs on Scambot 2 – the eighteen-minute-and-four-second "side four" of the vinyl two-record set which does not yet exist but perhaps will some fine day...


Freezer Burn

The feeling of the beginning of this song was trapped in my head for months before I started recording it. If I knew anything about Scambot 2, I knew it was going to have one song that started with a vibe like a slow early-ish Pink Floyd track, replete with long held organ chords. Didn't know what any of the chords were yet, I just had this vibe in mind for a long time, and in fact I think it intimidated me for a while, enough that I avoided concretely starting the song for quite a while. Finally one day I was in the studio with Mike Harris and had gone as far as I could on the other stuff I had been working on, and he said "what's next?" I knew I couldn't put it off any longer. I decided on a working title (which, of course, stuck) and an opening chord, and made my way from there.

I had also had it in mind that the song was supposed to be seven minutes long, for some obscure numerological reason. On that first day of working on the song with Mike H., we laid down basic ideas for four sections totaling seven minutes.

I wasn't fully satisfied with the fourth section though – it was forced, something to achieve this basically arbitrary length. It was a fine feeling about a year later when I officially shaved off the final section (at one point I'd shaved off the third section [the ultra-spacey bit that starts at 4:17] as well, in a fit of overzealous pruning, until Sarah saw me listening to it in headphones and blissing out heavily and asked me "what the heck are you cutting that section out for? You obviously love it!").

There was also a lot of chatter in my head about whether or not this song should have lyrics. Scambot 2 is obviously a more lyric-oriented album than Scambot 1 was, and I had decided to let the lyrics be more explicit about driving and reflecting the plotline. So I tried a couple of times to begin work on "Freezer Burn" lyrics, and got nowhere with it. Finally one day I imagined a lead guitar in that opening section playing the role of a vocalist – something probably inspired by Satriani. To generate melody ideas I improvised three takes of lead guitar, then carved away until I arrived at a set of melodic statements I enjoyed – then learned those statements, and we recorded a new performance of them as the main lead guitar (you will still hear fragments of the original three improvised takes, dancing around the main guitar).

The second part is obviously Wooden Smoke-influenced, and I was real happy to get some of that flavor into Scambot 2. Part of that texture is due to none other than the much maligned 80s-era digital synth, the Yamaha DX-7. This poor box has been excoriated in the past, but it can really provide an interesting flavor, especially the fake jazz guitar setting which has a real nice pluck and sonorousness to it. (I also used quite a bit of distorted DX-7 on "In The Trees." You can make some really nasty industrial noise with it [just ask Trent Reznor], especially when you decide to pump it through your guitar pedalboard and go nuts.)

I give a special "yo!" to Jeff Berkley – I used his lap steel guitar as a major component of that ultra-spacey third part. I'd never played lap steel before, but it was a simple enough part that it didn't give me conniptions. There's definitely a major Steve Howe influence at play on this last section.


Scores of People

The title and opening lyrics of this song have been around since I was writing lyrics for The Mistakes in 1995, so when I claimed that Scambot 2 has been under construction since the late '90s, I guess I was technically mistaken. But for many years, the song consisted of nothing more than that title and those opening lyrics, and I believed for a long time that I would never go any further with them, that those few components comprised everything intelligent I could say on the subject of abuse of authority.

I did the music for the first part of this song (the lyric part) during the sessions for Scambot 1. I still only had the first few lyrics, but I wrote the music based on what I had, and presumed the rest would come eventually. I finally hit upon a set of lyrics that felt both germane to the plot and also managed to stand on their own. I think they work both as a sincere reflection of ideals I have and as a slightly parodic look at "cause"-oriented popular music.

The second part, the long piano-based instrumental, is a piece I wrote on Fender Rhodes when I was 16 years old. Gregg Bendian and Doug Lunn really shine on this section. I think there are three Bendian performances superimposed in this section; choosing things that he played and mixing them "just so" was seriously fun, completely my idea of a good time in the studio. The brilliance of Mike Harris also comes to the fore here. Hopefully all you headphone people are having a good time with this one.


Cold Hands Gnat

This was actually recorded before the version of "Cold Hands" that was on Scambot 1. I recorded this one at home, except for the acoustic piano which was later overdubbed at Scott's place. It was done as a songwriting demo, but it had a feeling about it that was so different from the version I did for Scambot 1, and I always had love for this version.

I think the gnat voice is endearing, but when Joe Satriani heard it he was terrified by it. You just never know how these things are going to hit people.


Proceed

The band track (me, Musallam, Beller, Travers) was recorded at Tom Trefethen's Remora Recorders studio in 2008 during the same sessions that produced the basic tracks for "Life's Too Small," "Cornbread Crumb," "Popes," "The Scorpions" and "Tiny Red Bug." It was a very productive couple of days. Trefethen (who engineered the early albums of Ambrosia that I love so much) is a pretty legendary figure with very deeply ingrained ideas about how to do things in the studio, and he surely knows how to create a specific vibe – for one thing, he designed his studio to look like a cave, with rough walls resembling rock, and he takes great pains to mic things up according to principles he's held dear since the '70s. We recorded the basic tracks to analog tape, and later brought them into the digital realm for overdubs. I can REALLY hear the benefits of analog recording on all these tracks, especially in the drum sound, which is insanely satisfying to my ears.

Lyrically this song was meant to invoke something of The Who's "Welcome" from Tommy, which was sort of an inside-joke reference to Scambot's status as a "concept album." But after a couple of attempts at writing the lyrics over a period of years, I finally realized exactly what this song should accompany in the story, and the lyrics emerged pretty effortlessly (with special thanks to Sarah for a couple of important suggestions that greatly improved matters).

The song intentionally leaves Scambot 2 on a note of anticipation – it works as a conclusion, I think, but also leaves one hanging slightly (that last chord isn't a resolving chord, exactly). That works for me in two senses: there will be a Scambot 3, so I didn't feel like I needed to wrap things up definitively at the end of Scambot 2; and there's a whole other album (Inkling) in the same physical package as SB2, and I think the end of "Proceed" segues very nicely into the beginning of "Presence" on Inkling.

More about which, soon!

ZAPPANALE #27 - PART 8 - PAUL GREEN'S ROCK ACADEMY


It started in 2003 (Z#14) when Paul Green came to Bad Doberan and amazed the crowd with the kids / students that he had brought along.
The saga continued at Zappanale #16, 17, 19, 20 and 21.
Zappanale #25 saw the Wilmington School Of Rock in action, with Eric Svalgard.
And this year, Zappanale #27, Paul Green returned, this time with his Rock Academy students.

As always, it's a pleasure to see young kids, students, performing the music of FZ. It's not always as tight and structured as we would like it to be, but seeing young folks play this music is fun.
Having Ed Mann and Denny Walley on stage as well, is a nice supplement.


A DVDR video recording of the show was made available at the festival.



ZAPPANALE #27 - PART 7 - THE GRANDMOTHERS

The 27th edition of the Zappanale festival had a beautiful surprise: The Grandmothers (Don Preston, Bunk Gardner plus Chris Garcia) would be performing together with Fried Dähn's Yellow String Quartet, and would feature special guest Ed Mann.

The combination Grandmothers / Yellow String Quartet had already been tested and approved in Oslo last year.
At the Zappanale, the Yellow String Quartet was able gave Don and Bunk a lot of freedom. The quartet (plus Chris) kept it tight, while the former Mothers Of Invention could do their thing.
It worked.
Add Ed Mann, who added soundscapes and nice improvisations
It was great.


The show got recorded on video and was made available on DVDR at the festival.


STEVE VAI TOURDATES


Alien Guitar Secrets Master Class

09/18/16 Fiorano (Modena), Italy - Teatro Astoria
09/19/16 San Giovanni alla Vena (Pisa), Italy - Blitz Live Music Pub
09/20/16 Roma, Italy - Planet Live Club
09/21/16 Cagliari, Italy - Auditorium Comunale
09/23/16 Foggia, Italy - Teatro Giordano
09/24/16 Martirano Lombardo (Catanzaro), Italy - Sala Cesare Nava
09/25/16 Palermo, Italy - Teatro Santa Cecilia
09/26/16 Verona, Italy - Teatro Astra

Tour: Passion & Warfare 25th Ann. Tour

10/08/16 Riverside, CA, United States - Fox Performing Arts Center
10/09/16 Las Vegas, NV, United States - House of Blues
10/11/16 San Diego, CA, United States - House of Blues
10/12/16 Ventura, CA, United States - Majestic Ventura Theatre
10/13/16 San Fransisco, CA, United States - The Filmore
10/14/16 Sacramento, CA, United States - Ace of Spades
10/16/16 Portland, OR, United States - Revolution Hall
10/17/16 Nanaimo, BC, Canada - The Port Theater
10/18/16 Kelowna, BC, Canada - Kelowna Community Theatre
10/19/16 Calgary, AB, Canada - Jack Singer Concert Hall
10/21/16 Saskatoon, Canada - O'Brian's Event Centre
10/22/16 Winnipeg, Canada - Burton Cummings Theatre
10/23/16 Burnsville, MN, United States - The Ames Center at Burnsville Performing Arts Center
10/25/16 Northfield, OH, United States - Hard Rock Live
10/26/16 Milwaukee, WI, United States - The Pabst Theater
10/28/16 Grand Rapids, MI, United States - The Orbit Room
10/29/16 North Tonawanda, NY, United States - Riviera Theater
10/30/16 Kitchener, ON, Canada - Centre in the Square
11/01/16 London, ON, Canada - London Music Hall
11/02/16 Ottawa, ON, Canada - Algonquin Commons Theatre


Z.E.R.O. TOURDATES

Z.E.R.O., performing the music of Frank Zappa

Z.E.R.O. putting together a short Northwest tour in September to support our new CD - Tolerance. The line up for the Z.E.R.O. Tolerance 2016 Tour will consist of Ike Willis, Prairie Prince, a special guest all the way from Europe, (former keyboardist from Zappatika) Fred Händl. Remaining members include Rupert Kettle on Lap Steel/Guitar, Rob Morgan from The Squirrels on vocals. and Kevin Crosby (Pojama People, The Squirrels) on Bass/Ukulele. This is a special edition of Z.E.R.O. that may just be a one shot deal.

09/08 Portland, OR @ Dante's
09/09 Arlington, WA @ The Mirkwood
09/10 Shoreline, WA @ Darrell's Tavern
09/11 Tacoma, WA @ B Sharp Coffee House


SCULPT

Sculpt,
featuring Randy,
music by The Residents

http://www.e-flux.com/announcements/loris-greaud-sculpt/

SCULPT: EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT FOR NOWNESS - A FILM BY LORIS GREAUD (2016) from GREAUDSTUDIO on Vimeo.


Sunday, August 14, 2016

ZAPPATIKA AND FRIENDS - THE PONY SUITE

After their Zappanale concert (July 2015), Zappatika decided to tour The Netherlands and The UK.
In support of this tour, the band produced this CD. The mini-album presented 'The Pony Suite', which had only been available as a download, plus two tracks from the Zappanale concert, plus one rehearsal outtake.

The Zappanale pieces feature (flashback to Joe's Garage !) Ike Willis, Jeff Hollie, Craig 'Twister' Steward, Ed Mann and Denny Walley as special guests. That's tracks 2 and 3.
Track 4 is the rehearsal outtake.
  1. The Pony Suite
  2. Eat That Question
  3. Crew Slut
  4. Filthy Habits
The album is available from the Zappatika website !
http://www.zappatika.org/


ZAPPANALE #27 - PART 7 - ZBMF

They call themselves Zappy Birthday Mister Frank which I think is a weird kind of a name to celebrate the music of Frank Zappa, but then again, you could also call them ZBMF...

The ZBMF project was started by Manu Eveno and Vincent Milleret. Actually, it was a project in three parts. Part one : getting Zappa Plays Zappa to perform in Blois, France. Part two : having Dweezil presenting a master-class (in cooperation with the music conservatory of Blois). Part three: putting together a band to perform the music of FZ.

It's this third part, that band, that took the road to Bad Doberan.
The band had already done a couple of Zappa concerts in 2015 (also opening for the Band From Utopia). A concert at the Zappanale was to be the next step.

ZBMF performed at Zappanale on Saturday. They brought a set of highlights from Zappa's career.
The concert got recorded and was made available in a very limited edition on DVDR.

Here's a snippet from the Zappanale performance :


If my info is correct, the band will be doing another Zappa concert next October, (2016 10 12 - Nancy Jazz Pulsations festival).

Here's the data for the DVDR:


ZAPPANALE #27 - PART 6 - THE DORF

July 17, 2016, German band The Dorf performed at Zappanale.
First band to perform on Sunday, they played from 14h00 until 15h30.

Very dynamic, very energetic.
Orchestrated chaos. I thought it was great.

As a little bonus, one of the pieces that they performed, included a number of Frank Zappa quotes.

Here's a little fragment of The Dorf from a couple of years ago.


The performance of The Dorf got recorded and a video DVDR was made available in very limited quantity during the festival.


ALCATRAZZ - DISTURBING THE PEACE

Alcatrazz' "Disturbing The Peace" got released a bit over thirty years ago, in 1985.

Fronted and founded in 1983 by former Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnet, the band had started out with Yngwie Malmsteen on the guitar. When Yngwie left after two albums, the band started looking for a new guitar player.

So the next album, "Disturbing The Peace" featured a young Steve Vai who had previously worked with Frank Zappa and had just put out his "Flex-Able" solo album.
Also in 1985, a Japanese record label released "Power Live", a VHS video tape that presented Alcatrazz in concert in Japan in October 1984, also with Steve Vai at the guitar.

Earlier this year, HNE Records re-released both "Disturbing The Peace" and "Power Live" in one CD / DVD package
And if that's not enough, the "Disturbing The Peace" album includes 9 bonus tracks: an anti-drunk driving promo single, 7 guitar instrumental demos, and one Steve Vai rehearsal.

Top.



Wednesday, August 10, 2016

TOHPATI'S SAVE THE PLANET ON BANDCAMP




FRANK AND GAIL ZAPPA AUCTION

JULIEN’S AUCTIONS ANNOUNCES PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF FRANK & GAIL ZAPPA

http://www.juliensauctions.com/press/2016/frank-and-gail-zappa.html

One can order the catalogue.


Tuesday, August 9, 2016

NEW ALBUM BY STICK MEN


http://stickmen-moonjune.bandcamp.com/album/prog-noir




JOE SATRIANI TURNED 60

Happy birthday, Joe.



PIERRE VERVLOESEM - HOME MADE

Two years ago, the Off Records label started re-releasing Pierre Vervloesem's albums. An excellent idea, as most (if not all) of Pierre's albums have been out of print for quite some years.
Originally released in 1994 on the Carbon 7 label, "Home Made" has been remastered and augmented, including three bonus tracks.
I'm one of those lucky bastards that has the original album, but I recently downloaded this album anyway. It's a superb album. Required listening for melomaniacs and guitar aficionados.
I hear a lot of Zappa-influences, but I imagine that Pierre has listened closely to Adrian Belew as well. Above all, however, it sounds like Pierre Vervloesem.

I'm pretty sure that some of you will be glad to hear that "Home Made" includes '4/12/1993', a one-minute-of-silence tribute to Frank Zappa.
Bonus tracks 'Zozorro (live)', 'Bon Courage (live)' and 'Phillip (demo)' are a nice addition to the lot.

Highly recommended.

http://off-recordlabel.blogspot.be/2014/06/ovd004-pierre-vervloesem-home-made.html



SUN RA - BLUE YORK



The Italian Jeanne Dielman record label recently released "Blue York".
I've read on numerous places that this album contains unreleased material but, unfortunately, this is not true.
"Blue York" includes the bonus tracks from the "Continuation" album.

"Continuation" is a vinyl release from 1970. It got re-released on CD in 2013 with a batch of bonus tracks. All of these bonus tracks are now to be found on this new "Blue York" release.


Monday, August 8, 2016

FRANK ZAPPA - DANCE CONTEST

In times when the ZFT is making some new material available and various lucrative record companies are releasing so-called radio show broadcasts, there's still room for 'genuine' bootlegs.
Here's "Dance Contest' that I found on one my recent trips.
The album includes parts of the 1977/10/31 Felt Forum show. You know, the one that led to the "Baby Snakes" movie, with a guest appreance by Janet The Planet...

If you want to hear it in the best available quality, and for free, check out the Zappateers website.
If not, there's still "Dance Contest".

And now, for something completely different,
Denny Walley and Janet The Planet



Sunday, August 7, 2016

FRANK ZAPPA - FRANK ZAPPA FOR PRESIDENT

Frank Zappa made fun of politics throughout his entire career. For "Frank Zappa For President", the Zappa Family Trust dusted off an alternate mix of 'Brown Shoes Don't Make It', a couple of 1988 live tunes, and 4 synclavier pieces.
Zappa album #105.

Excellent !

Data has been added to the United Mutations Archives.

  1. overture to "uncle sam"
  2. brown shoes don't make it (remix)
  3. amnerika (vocal version)
  4. "if i was president"
  5. when the lie's so big [1988/03/25 - nassau coliseum, uniondale, ny]
  6. medieval ensemble
  7. america the beautiful [1988/03/25 - nassau coliseum, uniondale, ny]


FRANK ZAPPA - THE CRUX OF THE BISCUIT

Zappa album #104 sheds its light on the 1974 "Apostrophe (')" album. The disc presents 15 tracks: alternate mixes and other pieces of the puzzle that were used to construct the final album.
This is superb.
Exellent liner notes by Simon Prentis on the different tracks but also on the Project/Object and on the way that FZ put together his pieces and albums.

Good job, ZFT.

Data has been added to the United Mutations Archives.
Here's the tracklist :

  1. cosmik debris
  2. uncle remus (mix outtake) (frank zappa / george duke)
  3. down in the dew (alternate mix)
  4. apostrophe' (mix outtake) (frank zappa / jack bruce / im gordon)
  5. the story of "don't eat the yellow snow / st. alphonzo's pancake breakfast"
  6. don't eat the yellow snow / st. alphonzo's pancake breakfast (live)
  7. excentrifugal forz (mix outtake)
  8. enery frontier (take 4)
  9. energy frontier (take 6 with overdubs)
  10. energy frontier (bridge) (frank zappa / jack bruce / im gordon)
  11. cosmik debris (basic tracks - take 3)
  12. v don't eat the yellow snow (basic tracks - alternate take)
  13. nanook rubs it (basic tracks - outtake)
  14. nanook rubs it (session outtake)
  15. frank's last words

As a little extra, here's Lionel Hampton's 'Midnight Sun". Pay attention at 00:16.
And then listen too Zappa's 'Nanook Rubs It' from 00:10 on.



Saturday, August 6, 2016

DWEEZIL ZAPPA JOINED DEEP PURPLEON STAGE

Dweezil joined Deep Purple on stage to perform "Smoke On The Water".
But apparently they also played 'Peaches'.


Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water - Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland - 16 July 2016, with Dweezil Zappa

Setlist

The Planets, Op. 32 (Gustav Holst song)
Highway Star
Bloodsucker
Hard Lovin' Man
Strange Kind of Woman
Vincent Price
Contact Lost
Uncommon Man
The Well-Dressed Guitar
Lazy
Demon's Eye
Hell to Pay
Keyboard Solo
(w/Ozzy Osbourne's Mr Crowley)
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin'
Peaches en Regalia (Frank Zappa cover) (with Dweezil Zappa)
Smoke on the Water (with Dweezil Zappa)

Encore:
"Smoke on the Water" jazz snippet
Hush
Bass Solo
Black Night (ZZ Top's "La Grange", Jimi… more )


PIERRE VERVLOESEM, TEUN VERBRUGGEN, ADRIEN LAMBINET

New album by Pierre Vervloesem, Teun Verbruggen and Adrien Lambinet :

"Live At Pelzer Jazz House"

Experimental music !!
Perfect for a Saturday (or any other day of the week).
Download-only, but only 3 € !!

http://off-recordlabel.blogspot.be/2016/07/ovd016-pierre-vervloesem-teun.html



ED PALERMO IN CONCERT (AND MORE)

Tonight, August 6, 2016, the Ed Palermo Big Band will be performing at the Falcon in Marlboro, NY.
The show is entitled "Commencement Ceremony" and it something that you need to see.


There's a quite spectacular story accompanying this announcement. One that I already shared with my Facebook buddies a couple of days ago, but it does add some credibility to the above statement: this is a show that you need to see.

First, let me tell you a bit more about my unbelievable story.
Last week we went to Manhattan on a city trip. Five days. Tuesday to Sunday.
So it's Thursday, July 28. We had just done some sort of hop on hop off bus tour through Harlem and The Bronx and we wanted to go for a bike ride in Central Park (you know, tourist stuff).
As it was hot outside we first wanted to go to the hotel to freshen up a little bit. Must have been around 3 pm.
Walking down 8th avenue, in Manhattan, I saw someone with a Zappa t-shirt going in the opposite direction. I yelled "Zappa t-shirt!!" which I thought was great as I was wearing one myself as well.
And then I recognised the face above the Chunga's Revenge t-shirt. It was Ed Palermo. So I walked up to him and introduced myself...
After a short chat, Ed invited us to a rehearsal of the Ed Palermo Big Band later that very same day.
What are the odds......

A bit later that very same day, Inge and I locked the kids in the hotel room (they're 15 and 20 and had a big tv-screen at their disposal. There's no child abuse involved), and went to the rehearsal of the Ed Palermo Big Band.

Ed and the band were rehearsing the "Commencement Ceremony" concert. The show that they will be performing at the Falcon (Marlboro, NY) tonight.
Piano, violin, bass and drums were up the stage while the horn section was placed in half a cirle, facing the stage.

There were a couple of chairs in front of the stage for some students / colleagues of Ed, and a bit aside were the chairs for Inge and me.
Ed introduced us to the band and told us that we were going to have a private concert.

The rehearsal (or should I say show) was spectacular. Lots of musical mash-ups, including some superb Zappa music, and a lot of hilarious moments.




I can't give any details as that would spoil the surprise for those that will be attending the concert, but it was amazing.



Two hours of goosebumps, 21 pictures and a couple of movie snippets later, at least two very happy people left the building.
Thanks again, Ed. We had the time of our life.




Thursday, August 4, 2016

KNOEL SCOTT 1989


Sun Ra Research - Knoel Scott April 1989




FREAK OUT! LISTENING SESSION AT THE AB IN BRUSSELS, OCTOBER 16


https://www.abconcerts.be/nl/agenda/evenementen/classic-album-listening-session-50-years-frank-zappa-freak-out/19899/


Golden jubilee of Zappa’s debut

Introduction in Dutch by Zjakki Willems

Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention released their first album in 1966: Freak Out! In many ways, it was a milestone of musical history in terms of both music and recording technique. Before Freak Out! who would ever have dared to think that doowop and rhythm & blues could seamlessly cross into classical avant-garde? Not to mention the satirical lyrics, the artwork, Suzy Creamcheese, the multiplicity or the conceptual continuity.

Before we listen to the album in its entirety, it will be introduced in Dutch by Zjakki Willems (radio maker and Zappa fan right from the start)

Classic Album Listening Session: 50 years
AB launches a new series: CALS 50 years! In this series we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of a number of legendary albums with an intimate listening session. On each occasion, the Golden Anniversary will be introduced by an expert/fan of the album in question, after which the classic will be heard under the most optimal circumstances.

-- info: Philippe


ALLAN HOLDSWORTH'S BLUES FOR TONY ON BANDCAMP

The 2009 album, "Blues For Tony", now on Bandcamp.

ALLAN HOLDSWORTH guitar
ALAN PASQUA keyboards
JIMMY HASLIP bass
CHAD WACKERMAN drums

http://allanholdsworth-moonjune.bandcamp.com/album/blues-for-tony

FLAT EARTH SOCIETY IN CONCERT

Get your marker !

Flat Earth Society in concert

August 20, 2016 : Lisboa Na Rua - A Arte da Big Band, Lissabon, Portugal

September 15, 2016 : Stadsschouwburg Brugge, BE (Feathers and Bells)

October 1, 2016 : Red Star Line Museum, Antwerpen, BE (S.S. Belgenland - filmconcert)

October 15, 2016 : Bozar Brussel, BE (Avantgardski)

October 19, 2016 : De Singel, Antwerpen, BE (Avantgardski)



FLAT EARTH SOCIETY INTERVIEW GHENT JAZZ

Flat Earth Society feat. Mauro Pawlowski, performing Zappa at Ghent jazz.


Tuesday, August 2, 2016

ZAPPA MUSIC ON DUTCH RADIO 4 IN HALF AN HOUR


in half an hour, Radio 4 will broadcast the concert by Reichsteiner and Caget, performing Zappa, a.o.

= 21h30, dutch Radio 4

part of the

20:00 - 22:30 h Zomeravondconcert
Presentatie: Christiaan Kuyvenhoven

Orgelfestival Haarlem
Yves Rechsteiner, orgel en Henry-Charles Caget, percussie
In première II: Concert met o.a. wereldpremière compositie Gavin Bryars voor orgel en percussie
Opname van 28 juli 2016, Philharmonie, Haarlem


ZAPPA AT DE PHILHARMONIE IN HAARLEM JULY 28

A bit too late to attend, but on Dutch Radio tonight
http://www.radio4.nl/zomeravondconcert/uitzending/409538/zomeravondconcert

July 28 - 21h00 Philarmonie Haarlem, NL

Rechsteiner (organ) and Caget percussion)

PROGRAM

Emerson, Lake & Palmer
· Fanfare for the Common Man (1977, theme by Aaron Copland)

Pat Metheny (1954)
· First Circle

Gavin Bryars (1943)
· Jimmy Smith in Paradise (2016) - for organ and percussion

Frank Zappa (1940-1993)
· Black Page
· Echidna’s Arf (Of You)
· Watermelon in Easter Hay
· Dog breath, Uncle Meat
· Yo Mama
· Let’s make the water turn black

Here's a link to the brochure.
http://www.organfestival.nl/files/f0v4lblx.pdf
The concert is mentioned on page 17.

-- info : Wim

OUTREACH FESTIVAL IN SCHWAZ AUSTRIA

August 04 - 06, 2016

Check it out at :
http://outreachmusic.org/

Here's a clip of what one might expect.

A piece by american composer Gene Pritsker :


FAT (Raphael Preuschl / Alex Machacek / Herbert Pirker) will be performing at the OutReach festival as well !!





XAVI REIJA HAS A NEW ALBUM OUT

Drummer and composer Xavi Reija has a new album out.
The Xavi Reija Trio, featuring Dusan Jevtovic and Bernat Hernandez, recorded on tour : "Live At RZZ Barcelona".



Monday, August 1, 2016

ALBUM COVERS FOR THE NEW CHARLES BOBUCK RELEASES

Data has been added to the United Mutations Archives :


  • hardy fox / charles bobuck: swords of slidell
        (2016, cd, austria klanggalerie gg228) - limited edition of 300 copies



  • charles bobuck: later tonight
        (2016, cd, austria klanggalerie gg229) - limited edition of 300 copies



NEW CHARLES BOBUCK RELEASES ON KLANGGALERIE LABEL

from the Klanggalerie website :

After this, we will have the first two releases of our new sublabel called "TOOK". TOOK is a label created by us with Hardy Fox to present limited edition releases by ex Residents composer Charles Bobuck. The first two items will be a soundtrack album to the iBook "Swords of Slidell", and a CD single entitled "Later tonight", a cover version of a song by Pet Shop Boys. Both will be limited to 300 copies only and can only be ordered through the Klanggalerie web shop. After this, there will be a regular new Bobuck album, "Bobuck plays the Residents".

http://www.klanggalerie.com/gg229