Zappa At Madison Square
In 1993 musician Frank Zappa died of cancer, leaving behind a momentous body of work that ranged from comedic pop satire to full blown orchestral compositions designed to be performed on rock instrumentation. This year his son, Dweezil Zappa put together a band consisting of talented young musicians and a few special-guest alumni from his father's band to bring the elder Zappa's work back to the stage.
On October 31st I attended one of these performances at the theater at Madison Square Garden. The concert had special significance because Frank Zappa had a tradition of performing in New York City on Halloween night. One of these concerts during the late 1970's was immortalized in the film Baby Snakes.
When attending performances I often complain that concerts don't have the same feel that they did during my youth. They seem to lack the sense of communal celebration that concerts used to possess. On this night, perhaps owing to the elderly status of so many of the likely X-hippies in attendance, the concert did have a sense of open friendliness where strangers chatted and shared covertly passed pot pipes with one another. Plus there was a level of enthusiasm for the music and performers that one rarely sees at concerts today.
Precisely at 8PM the band took the stage to begin a three-hour performance. The large band consisting of a drummer, a percussionist/marimba player, two keyboardists who also played trumpet and saxophone, a bass players, a singer and saxophonist named Napoleon Murphy Brock who was one of the alumni of former Zappa bands, and two guitarists that included the younger Zappa. Plus special guests drummer/singer Terry Bozzio and famed guitarists Steve Vai.
The extraordinary technical ability of the musicianship required to perform Zappa's music is far beyond the level of most players. 99.9 per cent of your favorite pop rock bands would never be able to cut it.
The song selection focused on Zappa's recordings from the 1960's and 70's. The band performed the complex compositions with meticulous precision. Dweezil managed to copy his father's unique soling styles with enough accuracy to lend credibility to the role he inherited. What he lacked was his father's stage presence. Frank Zappa acted as ringleader for a musical circus. Further, Frank carried a large chip on his shoulder that fueled his artistic output. His disdain for the inanity of pop culture gave his music and performances its satirical edge.
In compassion, Dweezil's stage presence was understated. Onstage his attitude was respectful of the music he was attempting to bring to the world in hopes of securing his father's legacy as a great modern composer. At times, before beginning a song he and other band members would describe the conditions under which it was originally composed, treating the compositions as historical artifacts that they seemed to be in awe of.
While music performed was certainly challenging to any listeners, the three-hour concert had a well thought out flow with a few show business flourishes to make the event exciting to the audience. The first section of the concert focused on some of Frank's older comedic material such as Don't Eat The Yellow Snow and I Am The Slime From Your Video.
By midway through the show Zappa alumni and founder of the 80's pop band Missing Persons, Terry Bozzio was added to the ensemble to sing three disco era songs, I'm So Cute, Tryin' To Grow A Chin, and Punky Meadows. Then while sitting behind a second drum kit, Bozzio and Dweezil discussed the infamous composition known as The Black Page. Titled as such because there was so many notes written on the sheet music that the page was filled from top to bottom with black specs.
From this point the music shifted into a segment of incredibly complex music that showed exactly how innovative Zappa's compositions actually are. As an endless barrage of frenetic melody lines flowed over the crowd one felt like you were listening to music from another dimension. Zappa's use of unusual modalities for his melodic scales made the melodies seem alien to the ear, which for most people is accustomed to only hearing music in a traditional and blues scales. At one point the sounds filling my head were so overwhelmingly complex that mind was unable to comprehend it all. It gave one a feeling of jubilant madness. The creative freedom and imagination in those compositions were a harsh reminder of just how conformist and safe rock music has become over the last twenty years.
Then just as the audience might be on the verge of exhaustion guitarist Steve Vai (Known for his work with David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Public Image Limited, and a string of solo albums) took the stage to provide some star power to the event. Vai looked like a rock and roll archetype with his tall lanky body, leather pants and long stringy locks of blonde hair.
Taking over lead guitar duties for the next three songs he quickly showed why his broad vocabulary has allowed him to distinguished himself as something much more than just another heavy metal guitarist. His technique displayed a wide range of stylistic approaches. When playing he seemed to completely lose himself in every note he played both body and soul. Before leaving the stage he traded solo lines back and forth with Dweezil in a friendly guitar duel.
Throughout the show singer Napoleon Murphy Brock not only handled Zappa's vocals parts with dexterity, his energetic performance and often comedic dancing added an extra visual element to the proceedings. He was obviously having a great time and enjoying every moment onstage.
The show ended with the Haloween appropriate The Torture Never Stops, a song that allowed Dweezil ample time to improvise during the extended solos. For the final solo he seemed to break away from his father's style and fall into his own more traditional soloing style.
For the encore the full band, including Bozzio and Vai took the stage for two last numbers. Throughout the night much of the material was unfamiliar to me, and given the complexity, was challenging even for a longtime fan. Most popular songwriters have a goal a finding a simple melody that sticks in your head the first time you hear it. Doing so is considered the key to having a hit record and making lots of money. The problem with simple melodies is that they quickly grow tiresome to the ear. Frank Zappa did not share those goals. Although his music was filled with strong melodies, his aims led towards innovation and creative exploration.
On the final song of the night, although it too had many complex melodies and rhythmic changes, it was a song I had been listening to for many years and was familiar with it from beginning to end. As the song played it occurred to me that these complex arrangement are just as easy to listen to as a simple melody once one takes the time to become familiar with them, but unlike a simple melody, Zappa's compositions offer the rewards of a deeper level of musical pleasure and stimulating entertainment.
