Record Reviews

FRANK ZAPPA ~ THE GRAND WAZOO ZAPPA 3849 (Barcode: 824302384923) ~ USA ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1972 Released: 2012 This is a reissue / remaster of the 16th album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, originally released in 1972. Together with its predecessor “Waka / JawakaFind albums with this title” it represents Zappa’s exploration of the Jazz influenced Big Band / Orchestral music, which was light-years ahead of its time. The album presents five lengthy tracks, almost completely instrumental, all composed by Zappa. The lineup that Zappa put together in the studio to record this music is an absolute dream team of about twenty superb instrumentalists, mostly Jazz oriented players, which includes keyboardist George DukeFind albums by this artist, bassist Alex DmochowskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Aynsley DunbarFind albums by this artist, woodwinds players Mike AltschulFind albums by this artist and Fred JacksonFind albums by this artist, trumpeters Sal MarquezFind albums by this artist and Malcolm McNabFind albums by this artist, trombonist Billy ByersFind albums by this artist and many others. The album is a logical succession to Zappa’s growing interest in composing and arranging music for big ensembles, exploring multi-layered approach and incorporating Jazz oriented soloing. It is another step in the period that started with the recording of “Hot RatsFind albums with this title” (1969) and was followed by “Burnt Weeny SandwichFind albums with this title” (1970) and the a.m. “Waka / Jawaka” (1972), which explored similar tendencies. Since this is instrumental music, it lacks Zappa’s ironic / satirical lyrics about the issues that were in the center of his social awareness, and concentrates on his strictly musical vision, which appears here in its full glory. Zappa was a completely unique composer / arranger and the concept of using big orchestral arrangements outside of the Jazz Big Band idiom appeared only in Brass Rock, which he expanded into Fusion, pioneering that specific stylistic approach. Overall, although this music is now half a Century old, it sounds as fresh as it did when first heard and lost absolutely nothing of its power and everlasting beauty. This album remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb music, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Side Note Frank Zappa created a vast recorded legacy during his lifetime, which is continuously being expanded using music recorded and stored in his extensive vault. The albums officially released and approved by Zappa are numbered sequentially in the "Official Release" series, from #001 to the last release so far #126. The albums between #001 to #062 were released during Zappa's lifetime and all the others were released posthumously. There are countless unofficial / bootleg releases on the market as well. Zappa's catalogue was remastered for CD release twice: in 1995 for the RykodiscFind albums on this label releases and again in 2012 for the ZappaFind albums on this label Records / UniversalFind albums on this label releases. The Zappa / Universal program includes 60 releases, which cover the entire catalog released during his lifetime (62 releases, except #013 "200 Motels" and the three Box Sets #043, #046 and #049 called "The Old Masters vol.I / II / III"), and 6 posthumous releases (#064, #065, #067, #068, #093 and #094), which were also included.

Updated: 22/09/2022Posted: 09/01/2022

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend