Frank Zappa an Eclectic Genius
ZapRatz
Frank Zappa an Eclectic Genius
David McKinley
Issue date: 12/3/08 Section: Entertainment
http://media.www.fchornet.com/media/storage/paper921/news/2008/12/03/Entertainment/Record.Rewind-3567393.shtml
The musical atmosphere of the past century could largely be described
as deconstructive, as musicians elect to pursue more popular,
relatable forms of the art, as opposed to elaborate composition.
In recent times, only one artist has defied this pattern, to take on
the persona of a true composer, while still avoiding self-indulgence.
That artist is Frank Zappa.
A tireless writer, Zappa released more than 50 original albums during
his lifetime.
What is more, each recording explores a different type of music.
Throughout his career, Zappa experimented with straight-forward rock
and roll, elaborate jazz fusion, rock opera, solo guitar and classical
music.
He was also a profound multi-instrumentalist and an innovative
creator, forging his own compositional technique, xenochrony, where
the artist extracts and then combines different excerpts from
unrelated pieces to form a new work.
"King Kong," from the album "Uncle Meat" is an excellent example of
Zappa's method. The set features a wealth of jazz and classical
performances that are interspersed with blues and even doo-wop
recordings, all of which culminate in "King Kong."
The track, more of a suite, is best described as a jazz fusion jumble,
the instruments in play are obviously not related, yet Zappa manages
to make the apparent lack of musicality appealing and sensible.
But abstractions were not what made Zappa's music so fascinating, he
was unarguably at his best while delivering his signature satirical
lyrical attacks.
"Sheik Yerbouti," released in 1979, was responsible for introducing
Zappa to a wider audience. The disc included "Dancing Fool," an attack
on disco music that ironically went on to become a '70s dance club
favorite.
But Zappa was working long before the late '70s and his penchant for
satire can be seen as early as his first album, the 1966 release,
"Freak Out!" a profound influence on The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band."
"Freak Out!" is a classic Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
combination, one of the first double-LPs and the premiere concept
album, a mixture of well-crafted pop, avant-garde sound portraits and
brilliant social commentary on pompous pop culture.
But "Joe's Garage" proved to be the mustached-virtuoso's finest hour,
a rock opera unlike anything that the most flamboyant moments of The
Who and Pink Floyd could achieve.
"Joe's" carries on Zappa's use of xenochrony, every guitar solo on the
album, save for those on "Watermelon in Easter Hay" and
"Crew Slut" can be found in an earlier Zappa presentation.
On Dec. 4, 1993, Zappa succumbed to prostate cancer, a disease that he
battled for the better part of three years.
He is remembered as the most prolific, sharp-tongued, genre-defying
composer that popular music has ever seen; a fierce critic of
censorship and an inspiration to the
music industry.
--
As of the day this message is being posted there are,
lacking an unexpected alternate outcome, 48 days
remaining in the imperial presidency of George W. Bush