The Grand Wazoo
Encyclopedia
The Grand Wazoo is a 1972 jazz fusion
album by Frank Zappa
. Composed and recorded during Zappa's period of convalescence following his assault in London, the album, along with its "twin brother" Waka/Jawaka
, represent Zappa's foray into big band
fusion
, the logical progression from Hot Rats
, which used a much smaller lineup. Zappa was also producer and principal composer for Jean-Luc Ponty
's album "King Kong
" during this period and this album may essentially be the 4th album in Zappa's jazz foray.
The Grand Wazoo was the last release on Zappa's Bizarre Records
label.
The Ryko re-master(1995) has tracks #1 and #2 reversed.
All songs by Frank Zappa.
and fusion
to deconstruct tempo
and harmony
in the free interaction of small sounds: "In a burlesque of feeding Christians to the lions (or tiraal leon in Mexican slang), the solution to the problem of Questions (individuals who don't like music) is a literal one: a tank of undifferentiated tissue."
"Eat That Question" features George Duke's piano playing and the recording of the Fender Rhodes electric piano in a novel way. Most recordings of the instrument prior to "Eat That Question" were not of comparable sonic quality or production value as Duke's performance on the piece. Before "Wazoo," two earlier albums of mostly instrumental work were released by Zappa, "Hot Rats" and "Burnt Weeney Sandwich." The album "Waka/Jawaka" followed "Wazoo." The instrumental makeup of "Wazoo" is largely a big band. It was the third album released in a period where Zappa used a wheelchair and was unable to tour after being assaulted and pushed offstage into an orchestra pit during a London concert.
"Eat That Question" is a vehicle for George Duke's electric piano and begins with a rubato intro followed by the entrance of the full rhythm section in time. On this and several other tracks Zappa plays a flat top acoustic/electric guitar using a wah-wah pedal and a Maestro phase shifter or Leslie speaker for a chorale effect. The Barcus-Berry transducer used was at the time a novel way of amplifying the instrument instead of using a traditional magnetic guitar pickup.
In this same period in analog recording the number of tracks available was expanding. Multi-track recording was changing rapidly with "sound on sound" being supplanted by "sound with sound" tape technology. "Hot Rats" had been released a few years prior to "Wazoo" and was recorded on one of the first 16 track tape machines. It featured multiple tracks of clarinets, flutes, saxophones, piano and organ parts played by a single musician, Ian Underwood. At the time of "Grand Wazoo" the compositions were arranged for large ensembles which were conceived as studio recording vehicles, rather than live, touring bands.
The Zappa Plays Zappa (led by Dweezil Zappa
) tours since 2006 regularly have featured "Eat That Question," with the song serving as a vehicle for both keyboard and guitar solos. Beginning in 2010, the ZPZ shows also have incorporated "Blessed Relief," usually introduced by Dweezil as an underappreciated Zappa composition.
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
album by Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
. Composed and recorded during Zappa's period of convalescence following his assault in London, the album, along with its "twin brother" Waka/Jawaka
Waka/Jawaka
Waka/Jawaka is an album by Frank Zappa, released in 1972. The album is the jazz-influenced precursor to The Grand Wazoo, and, as the front cover indicates, sequel of sorts to 1969's Hot Rats. Miles Davis's Bitches Brew-era influence is readily apparent on this and its sister album, The Grand Wazoo...
, represent Zappa's foray into big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
fusion
Fusion (music)
A fusion genre is music that combines two or more styles. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm, i a sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be divided...
, the logical progression from Hot Rats
Hot Rats
Hot Rats is the second solo album by Frank Zappa. It was released in October 1969. Five of the six songs are instrumental . It was Zappa's first recording project after the dissolution of the original Mothers of Invention...
, which used a much smaller lineup. Zappa was also producer and principal composer for Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty is a French virtuoso violinist and jazz composer.- Early years:Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians on 29 September 1942 in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano...
's album "King Kong
King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa
King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa is an album by French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty first released in 1970 on Liberty Records' World Pacific Records subsidiary label...
" during this period and this album may essentially be the 4th album in Zappa's jazz foray.
The Grand Wazoo was the last release on Zappa's Bizarre Records
Bizarre Records
Bizarre Records was a record label formed for artists discovered by rock musician Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen.Bizarre was originally formed as a production company...
label.
Side two
- "Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus" – 2:57
- "Eat That Question" – 6:42
- "Blessed Relief" – 8:00
CD release
The original Ryko release(1986) featured the vinyl track running order.The Ryko re-master(1995) has tracks #1 and #2 reversed.
All songs by Frank Zappa.
- "The Grand Wazoo" – 13:20
- "For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers)" – 6:06
- "Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus" – 2:57
- "Eat That Question" – 6:43
- "Blessed Relief" – 7:59
Personnel
- Frank Zappa – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals - Mike Altschul – woodwind
- Bill Byers – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Chunky (Lauren Wood)– vocals
- Lee Clement – percussion
- George DukeGeorge DukeGeorge Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...
– keyboards, vocals - Earl Dumler – woodwind
- Aynsley DunbarAynsley DunbarAynsley Thomas Dunbar is an English drummer. He has worked with some of the top names in rock, including Eric Burdon, John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Whitesnake, Sammy Hagar, UFO, and Journey...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Tony Duran – guitar, bottleneck guitar
- Erroneous (Alex Dmochowski) – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Alan Estes – percussion
- Janet Neville-Ferguson – vocals
- Fred Jackson, Jr. – woodwind
- Sal Marquez – bass, trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, vocals, brass - Joanne Caldwell McNabb – vocals, brass, woodwind
- Malcolm McNabb – trombone, horn, trumpet in D
- Tony Ortega – woodwind
- Joel Peskin – saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, woodwind - Don PrestonDon PrestonDonald Ward Preston also known as Dom DeWilde or Biff Debrie born September 21, 1932 in Flint, Michigan. Preston is an American jazz and rock and roll musician.-Biography:Preston was born into a family of musicians and began studying music at an early age...
– Mini Moog - Johnny Rotella – woodwind
- Ken Shroyer – trombone, brass, contractor and spiritual guidance
- Ernie Tack – brass
- Ernie WattsErnie WattsErnest James "Ernie" Watts is an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician. He plays saxophone and flute. He might be best known for his work with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and his Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist...
– tenor saxophone, C Melody SaxophoneC melody saxophoneThe C melody saxophone is a saxophone pitched in the key of C, one whole step above the tenor saxophone. In the UK it is sometimes referred to as a "C tenor", and in France as a "tenor en ut". The C melody was part of the series of saxophones pitched in C and F, intended by the instrument's...
(the "Mystery Horn") solo on "Cleetus Awreetus Awrightus", woodwinds - Robert Zimmitti – percussion
- Gerry Sack - phantom tambourine
Production
- Producer: Frank ZappaFrank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
- Engineer: Kerry McNabb
- Arranger: Frank ZappaFrank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
- Special assistance: Paul Hof
- Photography: Ed Caraeff, Tony Esparza
- Cover illustration: Cal SchenkelCal SchenkelCal Schenkel is an artist specialising in album cover design. He was the main visual collaborator for Frank Zappa and was responsible for the art and graphic design of many of Zappa's most well-known album covers. Schenkel's work is iconic and distinctive in style; a forerunner of punk art and...
- Spiritual advisor: Kenny Shroyer
- Contractor: Kenny Shroyer
Eat That Question
Eat That Question, the 4th track on the album, provides a humorous image of the tendency of free jazzFree jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
and fusion
Fusion (music)
A fusion genre is music that combines two or more styles. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm, i a sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be divided...
to deconstruct tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
and harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
in the free interaction of small sounds: "In a burlesque of feeding Christians to the lions (or tiraal leon in Mexican slang), the solution to the problem of Questions (individuals who don't like music) is a literal one: a tank of undifferentiated tissue."
"Eat That Question" features George Duke's piano playing and the recording of the Fender Rhodes electric piano in a novel way. Most recordings of the instrument prior to "Eat That Question" were not of comparable sonic quality or production value as Duke's performance on the piece. Before "Wazoo," two earlier albums of mostly instrumental work were released by Zappa, "Hot Rats" and "Burnt Weeney Sandwich." The album "Waka/Jawaka" followed "Wazoo." The instrumental makeup of "Wazoo" is largely a big band. It was the third album released in a period where Zappa used a wheelchair and was unable to tour after being assaulted and pushed offstage into an orchestra pit during a London concert.
"Eat That Question" is a vehicle for George Duke's electric piano and begins with a rubato intro followed by the entrance of the full rhythm section in time. On this and several other tracks Zappa plays a flat top acoustic/electric guitar using a wah-wah pedal and a Maestro phase shifter or Leslie speaker for a chorale effect. The Barcus-Berry transducer used was at the time a novel way of amplifying the instrument instead of using a traditional magnetic guitar pickup.
In this same period in analog recording the number of tracks available was expanding. Multi-track recording was changing rapidly with "sound on sound" being supplanted by "sound with sound" tape technology. "Hot Rats" had been released a few years prior to "Wazoo" and was recorded on one of the first 16 track tape machines. It featured multiple tracks of clarinets, flutes, saxophones, piano and organ parts played by a single musician, Ian Underwood. At the time of "Grand Wazoo" the compositions were arranged for large ensembles which were conceived as studio recording vehicles, rather than live, touring bands.
The Zappa Plays Zappa (led by Dweezil Zappa
Dweezil Zappa
Dweezil Zappa is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor.-Early life:Zappa was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of musician Frank Zappa and Adelaide Gail Sloatman, who worked in business. He is the second of four siblings: his older sister, Moon, younger sister Diva and younger...
) tours since 2006 regularly have featured "Eat That Question," with the song serving as a vehicle for both keyboard and guitar solos. Beginning in 2010, the ZPZ shows also have incorporated "Blessed Relief," usually introduced by Dweezil as an underappreciated Zappa composition.