Composer Reacts to Frank Zappa - The Grand Wazoo (REACTION & ANALYSIS)

Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on Frank Zappa - The Grand Wazoo (Visualizer)
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0:00 Intro
00:46 Reaction
14:15 Analysis - Big Band -- And More!
19:31 Analysis - A Section Orchestration
26:06 Analysis - A Series of Lost Solos
31:12 Analysis - Experimental Exploration
36:57 Analysis - Wrapping Up on a Medley
38:59 Outro
#reaction #frankzappa #progrock

[@trashandcheese3636]

1. Error - At times the reviewer mistook brass instruments for wah'd guitar or keyboards - ditto certain commenters. 2. The two longer solos are from Bill Byers (trombone, some plunger-mute action) and Sal Marquez (cup-muted trumpet, fighting against the hand-signalled eruptions of noise). The mini-solos were Tony Duran and Frank Zappa (guitars), Aynsley Dunbar (drums) and Don Preston (synth). 3. Why look for an explanation? It's just a jam, bookended by a very nicely-arranged theme. In which the tempo accidentally drags, second time around.

[@brucecullenward7106]

Takes a few listens...grows on you. Blessed Relief...The final track is beautiful.

[@markdrechsler5660]

I’ve always enjoyed this song. I don’t care if it doesn’t know what it wants to be, in fact that’s part of the charm. To me it still sounds cohesive. Maybe that’s the result of hearing it a few (dozen) times.

[@absolutelypositively]

😊😊😅 8:27 8:28

[@nonstripedzebra]

Eat that Question is terrific too

[@chaosmos24]

My favorite Zappa album depending on the day. 'Blessed Relief' from this one is as beautiful piece of music as you will ever hear

[@rosshart9514]

Ja. Blessed Relief is one of the most beautiful, peaceful pieces of music there is.

[@goatuscrow4135]

Blessed Relief delivers on its promise fer sure.

[@bertgary5916]

Ditto on favorite album is Grand Wazoo "depending". Also, sometimes Uncle Meat (now). Sometimes One Size Fits All (yesterday!).

[@KahurangiSteez]

This is probably my favourite band that Zappa ever led, really interesting time for his music.. the year before this was recorded was zappas worst year of his life, first they had that massive fire on stage and lost all their gear (and inspired deep purples smoke on the water). Then just a few months later Frank was tackled off stage by a deranged fan and broke heaps of bones, nearly died and was in a wheelchair for a year. This is one of the four albums he wrote while stuck in his wheelchair and unable to play shows

[@markdrechsler5660]

Second worst year. I bet ‘93 was worse.

[@greggerypeccary]

Just as an aside... I suspect when Frank fell off the stage he also broke his guitar! He had the gold Les Paul he used to play at the time and I haven't seen later photos of him with it (he got the SG afterwards). If you look at the photo of when he's in the orchestra pit, you can see the guitar chord running down from the stage...

[@stevecompt]

I think it was one week after the fire when he was thrown off the stage.

[@greggerypeccary]

@@stevecompt Six days (Dec 4th/10th). So the Les Paul was ruined in the fire? I thought it was just the PA equipment/amps.

[@justaguy2365]

And he had to switch from a Wah pedal to a envelope filter. He uses it a lot on here

[@frozenbeefpie]

Its a muted trumpet, modulated by moving the muffler (mutes) in or out the trumpet bell. Excellent reaction and analysis as usual. You should try another Zappa Big Band: Waka Jawaka tittle track. So powerful in so many aspects, especially the trumpet.

[@timfeeley714-25]

Nothing like a little dust of the Grand Wazoo

[@WildwoodSon]

The album's theme is a battle of musical empires. War is chaos and this composition reflects that. After the battle, we get Blessed Relief, which is aptly titled.

[@alldayadventures5418]

One of the best and most complicated ZAPPA Tracks. To Me, this tune is exactly as described on the Album Cover... (2) different Music Ideas come together in a clash (or battle) and one style emerges as the Victor. At one point both factions are playing at the same time in the final battle of the bands... Just another way Zappa expressed that there are different and competing ideas in music. I made a great STOP MOTION Video for a Bicycle Assembly using this tune.

[@swordfishtrombone]

So, ... where is the link to this video?

[@bert0522]

To me Zappa was a genius. I own everything by him that I can get my hands on or afford. Jim

[@bertgary5916]

Two guys named Bert agree!

[@muskett00]

For those in North West, UK, I would highly recommend Manchester's 'Matt and Phred's' Bar as one of the best live Jazz venues. They also do great pizzas and excellent cocktails.

[@BenGreen1980]

This song is a great example of what Zappa called "project object". He saw his entire body of work as being part of a single thing. In this case, there are melodic allusions to multiple other songs in Grand Wazoo, so it becomes a kind of meta narrative linking those other songs together.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

Every time I encounter Zappa on a reaction channel I feel a twinge of guilt that I haven't done a deep dive for him yet because I've either massively enjoyed or been extremely intrigued by everything I've heard, and given my love of prog, jazz, classical, fusion, and weird/original music in general, I really should've made him a priority. My best defense is that his massive discography makes it hard to program playlists around unless I want to listen to nothing but Zappa for weeks/months! This was definitely another intriguing track, feeling like a quirkily scored soundtrack for... well, what for indeed? I can imagine much of this accompanying some cool 70s exploitation films ala the kind Tarantino liked (and sometimes imitates). It's got that down and dirty funkiness, but at times it's also too complex or brainy, but that combination itself is Zappa in a nutshell with his liberal mix of styles.

[@CriticalReactions]

I've been given a paraphrasing of the liner notes so I'll paraphrase them again for ya 😅 This is about two warring bands battling only with notes, no bloodshed. It's basically an interpretation of the album art in music form.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

@@CriticalReactions Makes sense! I just interpreted as Zappa experimenting with polyphony, which wasn't completely uncommon in jazz, especially the more complex big bands.

[@joshuabruner9676]

34:50 As a teenager, Zappa listened to Edgard Varese.

[@TyroneEpps]

Great reaction😊 !

[@wowwhywow]

it is a trumpet or cornet...with a mute AND a wah wah-

[@bertgary5916]

Sal's trumpet solo is with harmon mute, plunger in, using his left hand to cover and uncover the plunger, producing the wah-wah effect. No wah-wah pedal or other electronics needed.

[@spankduncan1114]

Dunbar's drumming on this phenomenal.

[@antidote7]

There are hoards of amazing Zappa compositions I would recommend over ones given you so far. Pieces from the Yellow Shark like G-Spot Tornado, Dog Breath variations/ Dog Meat, Be Bop Tango, Songs from Roxy and Elsewhere like Cheepnis, Son Of Orange County, Billy The Mountain, Greggery Peccary. "Sofa" from live in New York, Inca Roads, Andy, and so many more...

[@landrec2]

Listen to this man.

[@greggerypeccary]

I can't see what's wrong with Grand Wazoo and Big Swifty... I prefer the live versions from Wazoo (always found the performances and production on Grand Wazoo to be a little tired), but still... classic Zappa.

[@antidote7]

@@greggerypeccary I wouldn't say there is anything wrong with them. In my opinion, looking at Zappa's extremely vast catalog, in composition and improvisation, they are just way down on my list.

[@antidote7]

Even from the Grand Wazoo album, if I would choose a striking piece, it would be Cleetus Awreetus Awrightus.

[@antidote7]

I will add that when listening to Zappa, its good to know some of his material follows Zappas concept of, Anything Anytime Anyplace For No Reason At All (or AAAFNRAA)

[@rk41gator]

A fine Zappa track.

[@ganazby]

Superb. Thanks, Bryan.

[@lassekristoffersen5906]

Me? Just happy to hear Zappa.

[@meltipton7254]

I believe it was a trumpet with a Harmon mute and a wah pedal, a la Miles Davis.

[@bertgary5916]

Sal's trumpet solo is with harmon mute, plunger in, using his left hand to cover and uncover the plunger, producing the wah-wah effect. No wah-wah pedal or other electronics needed.

[@pipco121234]

G’day , bought this album when it came out, wore it out more than once , this album and Waka /Jawaka he did when he was recouping for a year after nearly being killed by a fan who pushed him into the orchestra pit at the Albert Hall, Zappa used to say ‘you have to put the eyebrows on it’. This is called a variation on the basic theme, and Patite Wazoo only ever toured🎼🎶

[@bertgary5916]

Wore mine out, too. Big Swifty: Sal Marquez double-tongues all over the place.

[@stevedotwood]

Feels very connected when you hear it for the Nth time. Would be interesting to hear Waka/Jawaka after this. Similar feel. Love his fusion era

[@NondescriptMammal]

Anyone familiar with Zappa's vast catalog will probably agree that he was an exceptionally talented and creative composer, few songwriters in the rock era were even in the same league as Frank. The London Symphony Orchestra recorded two full albums of music composed and arranged by FZ in the 80s.

[@parrytonneath]

You have to listen to it a couple of times, and it becomes melodic as a nightingale. For me, I anticipate almost every note. The same goes for Beefheart. Just a complete Zappa freak, I suppose. For most people, Zappa's music sounds like fingernails screeching down a chalkboard.

[@CriticalReactions]

Zappa is hit and miss for me. His background influences are so varied that there's so many kinds of compositions that he's capable of.

[@runtt01]

When listening to Frank Zappa you have to throw out everything you know and learned about music and composition. He loved to turn things upside down, layer multiple genres over each other. Nothing was taboo. Jazz, classical, rock, fusion, soul, blues, folk. He's all of that and yet none of that. He's simply Zappa.

[@williamfarr8807]

A lot of, if not all of, Zappa’s instrumental music is program music. There is a short story written by Zappa on the gatefold of the original album.

[@cojaysea]

It’s great stuff but I still love holiday in Berlin full blown and the little house I use to live in from Burnt weeny sandwich as the best classical Zappa songs .

[@owenicus]

It might help if you track down the story of the grand wazoo. Might help you understand little more.

[@bobgordon236]

I love his 'Blue Tootsie Pie' and 'Cooder''. Wonderful tunes.

[@Monetize_This]

I honestly think Frank was doing a kind of loving parody of the kind of bombastic and often meandering fusion that Miles and alumni were producing at the time. It purposely Flounders around at different points sounding like it’s gonna go off the rails…I gotta say I do like Don Preston’s moog solo here ( as well as on Waka/Jwaka) is a Highlight. Like most of Frank’s instrumental writing it’s not really jazz in that it goes into simple Single chord Vamping for the solos…

[@wirralnomad]

Looking for issues that ain't there! It is brilliant, my favourite Zappa track and album, also it totally reminds me of the music we had playing in many American action films of the mid 60's to mid 70's, usually Steve McQueen or Clint Eastwood films like Bullett and Dirty Harry, even Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, it has that movie jazz sound going on, superb!

[@bertgary5916]

I had that experience listening to Bill Chase the other day. LOVED him. Now, sounds a little too much like Hawaii Five 0! To my ears, the Grand Wazoo (also early 70s) aged much better.

[@bertgary5916]

I think a composer would know what a harmon mute is.

[@CriticalReactions]

Not just a composer -- a jazz trumpet player who owns a harmon mute. Yeah....that one's a little embarrassing. Brain farts happen though 😅

[@bertgary5916]

@CriticalReactions Grand Wazoo was my favorite song on my favorite album for years. Still among my top 5 albums. Thanks for reacting to it. It deserves new listerers. ---Bert

[@supasoulproductions]

The trumpet player might be using a plunger mute over the harmon mute to get that harmon tone and the wah effect at the same time.

[@progperljungman8218]

Well, this just totally works for me! 😊 Don't know what it is about my music listening, but I usually don't get "stories" in my head and don't "search" for them either. Whenever I have a story context going in I do of course connect the music to that. But otherwise it's just the music by itself that grabs me. Maybe emotional perception is the right description but then pictures/events connected to those emotions should turn up(?) It's not that I lack imagination or anything. Guess I'm just weird... Speaking of jazz (and more?) being more engaging live, Zappa recorded most (if not all after some point) of his performances and often released live albums - with the first (often only) release of songs being a live recording. Often with heavy post production including overdubs and stuff. Maybe he'd agree that live magic exceeds studio performances but couldn't help but perfecting them before release... This was pretty early in his career since he was active as a composer until his death in 93.

[@CriticalReactions]

I always figured I had an overactive imagination. It's not just music that causes my mind to jump to making things up. All sorts of art and even just mundane life events do as well. I think my mind just likes to find patterns in completely unrelated things. I didn't realized Zappa was still alive so recently. I know I was just barely alive but I always viewed him as someone from "before my time." To know we were alive at the same time blows my mind for some reason.

[@progperljungman8218]

@@CriticalReactions Maybe you should check out some of the classical works from his last years.

[@ganazby]

@@CriticalReactions To have been alive while Frank was alive is indeed mind blowing! Btw, what holds this together is the groove. Frank was very percussion focused. Varese’s ‘Ionisation’ was one of his favourite pieces.

[@kosta929]

The whole zappa family, you can throw in the trash 🤣 🤣 🤣

[@spankduncan1114]

​@kosta929 By any other name, a bitter moron is still a bitter moron.

[@gramps6334]

The musicians he had around him were top notch. They played his most complex pieces live. An awesome show to have seen.

[@colemantrebor6574]

Steve Vai played with Frank Zappa

[@progperljungman8218]

Yup. He was "discovered' by Zappa.

[@kosta929]

The whole zappa family, you can throw in the trash

[@peeper6785]

How can you pick up on so much stuff on one listen? I wish I had your gifts. I agree with you about the improvisations on this track - Zappa often chose not to feature improvising musicians other than himself on his recordings - I think he was wise to do this. I disagree with you about recorded improvisation being uninspiring - there is plenty out there to sample but it takes a lot of effort to find it, and music critics are too often not good judges. Thanks

[@RichieG]

Huge Zappa fan here and while I find the entire track enjoyable as it is I expect that's due to my familiarity with it. That said, I completely agree that if the one-track was rather three separate stand-alone pieces I might even enjoy it more. For another instrumental Jazz inspired piece if you haven't already heard the gumbo variations you absolutely should. I'd say it's better than Grand Wazoo.

[@robertdugmore6688]

It's a pity Bryan didn't read "The Legend of Cleetus Awreetus-Awrightus that is on the inside of the front cover of the record.

[@TommiBrem]

To me Zappa is like zapping through channels. I love it. Matches my attention span.

[@spankduncan1114]

Muted trumpet through a "ring modulator."

[@bertgary5916]

Sal's trumpet solo is with harmon mute, plunger in, using his left hand to cover and uncover the plunger, producing the wah-wah effect. No wah-wah pedal or other electronics needed.

[@jammygitt]

Bordering on avant garde but still accessible. Not my Top 3 Zappa albums but might scrape Top 10. If I could only take one artist's catalogue with me it would be FZ

[@fposmith]

Check out "Keep It Greasy" by Zappa ! Check out the groove and the drummer ! It's the "best" !

[@michaelhudson2912]

Can I get a reaction to Virgin Steele's "Emalaith" please?

[@william7108]

Yeah listen to some Miles Davis might catch the drift here

[@RichieG]

Could the unidentified trumpet sound just be a mouth piece alone?

[@CriticalReactions]

I had actually thought of that but when I first heard it but dismissed it based on the way the notes are produced. But I suppose it's always an option. An unlikely one but I've been proven wrong by ambitious musicians before :)

[@bertgary5916]

Sal's trumpet solo is with harmon mute, plunger in, using his left hand to cover and uncover the plunger, producing the wah-wah effect. No wah-wah pedal or other electronics needed.

[@erikahlander3489]

As already been noted: This is part of what was composed during the long period of recovering after the two accidents, Dec 4 & 10, 1971. What was composed during this period - the albums Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo albums (+ probably more used later) sticks out as more emotional than the rest of his production. He was probably on the spectrum and handling his injuries and pain of course influenced the composing. On the other side of the Album is the piece "Blessed relief" refering to his use of analgesic (probably his only drug use). To me it sticks out as the (only?) harmonic pieces he ever released. Maybe to be compared with this piece (The Grand Wazoo).

[@greggerypeccary]

Please, you're supposed to say "on the spectrum", you don't want to "offend" anyone... /s Are you sure this stuff is his most emotional? I always found some of the tracks on Burnt Weeny Sandwich to be uncharacteristically gentle, plus Watermelon is obviously very emotional (no-one is allowed to perform it, so obviously it has a special meaning to the Zappas).

[@erikahlander3489]

@@greggerypeccary Thanks! Corrected. English is not my first language. But, your not a genius and normal at the same time. It is my personal opinion. There are several pieces as beautiful - but not restful at the same time.

[@greggerypeccary]

@@erikahlander3489 I was actually joking, because Zappa was known for being offensive. I don't think Zappa was autistic at all. If you watch the live performances you can see he was really good at socializing with the audience (much better than most musicians). I think he was just very cynical, due to being highly intelligent and to his experiences such as how the freaks in LA were treated and , especially, the way he was sent to prison (I really see that as a breaking point, where he gave up on mainstream society, stopped making cheesy pop songs and went the freak way).

[@kosta929]

Zappa was last shit

[@progperljungman8218]

@Greggery Peccary He might very well have been "on the spectrum of autism", just not in a disabling way. Many great geniuses are, and in the end, it's only a labelling of some personality features to so.e extent. All "authistic" people being anti-social is a myth. I've met many with lots of sensitive skills - and humour 🙂

[@proactividade]

Há dois tipos de ouvintes de Zappa. Os que percebem a língua porque tiveram muito contacto com ela e os que vêem-se gregos porque lhes soa a chinês.

[@mistertimoj]

Don’t worry son, you just need to listen to more of frank… I am on my 50th year and still enjoy the journey… With all due respect … when you say “it doesn’t know what it wants to be“, shows that you don’t know very much about the man. If you want to journey along with HIS musical adventure, you will begin, slowly to understand how Ingenuous and frivolous your comment was. Because Frank Zappa KNEW what he wanted to hear. He made these players practice and practice until it was what he wanted…

[@mistertimoj]

That’s a sax with a wah way pedal

[@bertgary5916]

Sal's trumpet solo is with harmon mute, plunger in, using his left hand to cover and uncover the plunger, producing the wah-wah effect. No wah-wah pedal or other electronics needed.

[@jameskent2759]

ah, the analysis is pedestrian. You have no background for this work. Most obvious correction is the mystery horn, which demonstrates the circular breathing technique, and, was performed by genius Ernie Watts on an soprano sax. Yer not equipped to critique this work.

[@spankduncan1114]

I thought Ernie's mystery horn was a C clarinet.

[@bobgordon236]

Ernie's horn is a geeze trumpet@@spankduncan1114

[@kb4446]

Hey somwone stole my eyeglasses! I cant hear anything

[@bertgary5916]

Funny and sad.

[@lassekristoffersen5906]

Is it wrong to feel a bit sorry for this composer.....

[@DogBreath-fo9of]

WTF! THIS GUY COULDN'T WRITE A FART ! ZAPPA HAD MORE TALENT IN HIS LITTLE TOE . DURRTT.

[@timcardona9962]

As a Zappa fan I really admire your honest take here. IMO, this is the weakest track on the album. The others are much more cohesive and sure of what they are

[@CriticalReactions]

In retrospect, I appreciate what Zappa is doing here. From the liner notes the song is about a war between two groups of musicians but the war is fought with literal music -- no bloodshed. So it's basically two songs clashing for dominance. I still don't find it all that enjoyable to listen to, especially at the end, but I can see what he was going for and respect the decision to make it.

[@bertgary5916]

​@@CriticalReactions The basic theme: Dump. Doo-dah. Dump. Doo-dah. Dump Doo-dah. Doo-bah-dee-doo-bah. Rinse and repeat ...