Record Reviews

FRANK ZAPPA ~ ROXY BY PROXY ZAPPA 20017 (Barcode: 824302001721) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1972 Released: 2014 This is the 99th album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, released posthumously in 2014. The music was recorded live in concert at the Roxy Theatre, Hollywood, on 9 & 10 December 1973 by Zappa and the Mothers Of InventionFind albums by this artist. It is a companion release to the albums “Roxy & ElsewhereFind albums with this title”, “Roxy: The MovieFind albums with this title” and finally “The Roxy PerformancesFind albums with this title”. The album presents thirteen tracks, all composed by Zappa. The accompanying booklet includes a lengthy article by Ruth UnderwoodFind albums by this artist, describing the circumstances and the music included on the album. The lineup of the Mothers includes, in addition to Zappa on guitar and vocals, saxophonists Napoleon Murphy BrockFind albums by this artist, trombonist Bruce FowlerFind albums by this artist, keyboardist George DukeFind albums by this artist, percussionist Ruth Underwood, bassist Tom FowlerFind albums by this artist and drummers Ralph HumphreyFind albums by this artist and Chester ThompsonFind albums by this artist. Despite the fact that the music recorded at the Roxy appears on several albums, each and every track on these albums is completely unique, either being a different version or different mix or overdub. Considering that this lineup of the Mothers was one of the greatest, as was the material, every last note of these recordings is worth its weight in gold. The music is one of the most Jazz oriented Zappa projects, which this team manages to perform brilliantly. As usual with Jazz oriented music, the instrumental improvisations are very diverse on each version of the same tune played during the different shows, and they are always delightfully brilliant. Although most of this music is instrumental, Zappa’s introductions / commentary between the tracks is as zany as always and bitterly sarcastic, and includes one of my favorites: “Perverts help to make normal people look good”. Overall, although this music is now almost fifty years 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.

Updated: 23/01/2022Posted: 23/01/2022

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