Frank in Zagreb/Ljubljana
Say that 5 times fast. In the Fall of 1975 Frank and his band were invited mid-tour two play two shows in Communist Yugoslavia. Still in the throes of the Cold War and the Eastern Block back in the mid 70’s this was a previously unforeseen and of course for Zappa it was a momentous occasion.
At the time Frank had a very transitional group touring with him, emanating from the ashes of a failed one month rehearsal, Frank fired all but two members of the ensemble (heard on the 2014 Vault release Joes Camouflage) and started fresh with some old friends and some new. From the previous ensemble as heard on Bongo Fury from the previous tour with Captain Beefheart, only Napoleon Murphy Brock and Terry Bozzio remained. Returning on bass from the original Mothers, Roy Estrada and on keyboards new tour addition Andre Lewis on keys. It was with this outfit Frank and his band crossed the Iron Curtain for the first and only time. By this point in the tour Norma Jean Bell entered on sax and vocals for a short stint with the band, she would be gone by New Years. This band then continued on to Oceana and Europe in the Spring of ’76.
In a very important, yet purely Zappa-esqe way the band is sloppy yet some how as tight and professional as Frank had always demanded. There is a loose quality to this outfit, mainly owing to its transitional nature, as they only had several weeks to rehearse. Only Bozzio would return in the Fall of ’76 as Frank now had the basis for his sound he would keep up until the Spring of 1979 sojourn to Europe.
Way back in 2003, 10 years after his death, the Zappa Vault series would begin with the release of FZ:OZ. In 2002 a call went out to the online masses (I was a frequenter of the late alt.fan-frank.zappa newsgroup) to patronize this release. One would get a special limited release digital-pack of the show from Sydney Australia with your name discretely (very much so I cannot find my own, I promise I’m in there somewhere) printed inside the liner notes.
One Drummer…So Many Drums
Terry Bozzio made his debut Zappa appearance on the previous tour in the Spring of 1975, the “Bongo Fury” tour with Captain Beefheart (more on this at a later date…maybe). The only holdovers from that tour are Bozzio and the vocalist, Napoleon Murphy Brock, so there is little continuity here from last tour to even the next. The tenor of the band had changed, no more George Duke, no more double (or even triple percussion). There are only three setlist holdovers from the previous tour. Each version a Tour de Force on both releases. Bozzio adds a driving force to the music, whereas his predecessor Chester Thompson was based more in the jazz idiom. Chester could drive the band with his swing and finesse (and his killer right foot), while Bozzio is a more ornate, orchestral drummer. Bozzio drives the band from the front out as his attack with Zappa is more rock based. He plays on top of the beat, driving the rhythm section. On this concert with the more limited Roy Estrada and Andre Lewis; he would find his perfect match the next year by bringing in his friend Patrick O’Hearn. That rhythm section is far more collaborative, the bass filling in the gaps and offering a jazzier perspective. Examples of this can be heard on subsequent tours. Here the attack is more straight blooze (sic), allowing Zappa his most outrageous blues based riffing. The repertoire from the previous years is gone, the jazzy intricacies of the Be-bop Tango, Orange County Medley and other more difficult demanding passages found its way out. Check out Roxy and Elsewhere and Helskinki for further examples…if you haven’t already. If you are reading this you might know this all too well. The simpler tones this band is more than able to achieve shines on this album more than it had done previous. Other commentators may well point out the sonic differences between the two gigs released here. The sound is broader and thicker here than it had been on the aforementioned OZ release and the Joes Manage from 2008.
From a further repertoire standpoint its interesting to note the timing of this release. Earlier this year saw the Erie 6 cd set of three two disc shows from Pennsylvania from 1974 (2 shows) and 1976. These sets offer a wide variety of songs and configurations than the music from this particular tour. FZ managed to hold over some early Mothers Material from the Spring 1974 show above to this one, Napoleon being the lone vocal holdover (aside from Frank, but that goes without saying). Norma Jean Bell plays some great alto playing in counterpoint to Brock’s own tenor, yet Bell is a jazzier player. Brock had the main parts covered and Bell as a fine soloist in her own right. Tellingly, for about 6 years Zappa did not employ another horn player in his working live bands. The ensuing tours were more rock band based and there was not a ton of jazzier improvisation. Tommy Mars was able to provide his own synthesized horns until he was eventually replaced…by a horn section.
Essential Listening
FZ In Oz – Vaulternative Records 200
Erie – UMe 2022
A Mean Idea To Call My Own 