When Worlds Collide: A Very Special Evning Of Frank Zappa
Music
by Paul Donnelly
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. 25th February 2001.
The present day composer refuses to die according to Edgard Varese, a man with
legendary eyebrows. He also influenced the guy whose music an eager bunch of resurrectionists
revived in the Paul McCartney Auditorium. The Liverpool based band The Muffin
Men and the classical Ensemble 10:10 came together to re-create some of the compositions
Zappa produced in his thirty-odd creative years of genre-hopping and spanning.
Anyone hoping for songs about guys with spindles up their butts, dental floss
or hungry freaks daddy will have been disappointed but, judging by the audience’s
enthusiasm and good-humour, disappointment wasn’t even in the auditorium. And
I only heard one guy shout about not eating yellow snow.
The Muffin Men, a six piece, kicked off with selections mostly from 1969/70
material: "Chunga’s Revenge", "Peaches en Regalia" and "Son Of Mr Green Genes",
were all given a dusting off, reminding anyone who’d forgotten just how melodic
a composer Zappa could be. Guitarist, Carl Bowry, turned in what was to be one
of many exciting, hair-raising solos, while Andy Frizell and Martin Smith performed
the horn parts exceptionally. Bassist, Roddie Gilliard, humbly announced that
the ‘real musicians’ would be on next. No need for such modesty. The Muffin Men
were more than just a support band. They set the celebratory tone of the evening.
Ensemble 10:10, conducted by Carl Rundell, celebrated some of Zappa’s influences,
specifically Stravinsky and Varese. It was also, I think, a tribute to the way
Zappa opened listeners’ ears to other musics. The audience, who had been visibly
rocking moments earlier, were equally enthusiastic about Nicholas Cox’s supremely
animated solo rendition of Stravinsky’s "Three Pieces For Clarinet". The same
must be said of Rachel Lyons’ superb performance of the notoriously difficult
"Density 21.5", Varese’s piece for solo flute. But it wasn’t all solos. The Ensemble
joined forces for Varese’s spiky "Octandre", which was met with less than rapture
when it was first performed in public. However, this audience loved it! The Ensemble
closed with an arrangement of "Alien Orifice", one that was every bit as good
as my favourite version on Make A Jazz Noise Here. It is always interesting
to hear other arrangements of Zappa’s work since he kept on revisiting and perfecting
versions of many of his pieces. I think he would have approved of Ensemble 10:10.
After the interval both sets of musicians combined and produced some of the
highlights of the evening. They were also joined on vibes and percussion by Ian
Gardiner, whose role as M.C. had kept the audience informed and amused between
tunes. What they called "The Big Medley" included my personal favourite combination
of tunes : "Let’s Make The Water Turn Black", "Harry You’re A Beast", "Oh No!"
and "Orange County Lumber Truck". A selection guaranteed to make you bounce in
your seat, which is what much of the auditorium was doing. Both bands were so
obviously at home together it isn’t fair to single anyone out but I’m going to
do it anyway - Muffin guitarist Carl Bowry had us hanging from the rafters in
sheer ecstasy. At times he sounded like Zappa but most of the time he was completely
himself, unreeling long fluid lines and sharp-edged runs. Air sculpture, in Zappa’s
words. And it was great to see the obvious joy and delight on the faces of members
of Ensemble 10:10 as he took off on his extended, but never self-indulgent flights.
And I have to mention trumpet/flugelhorn Muffin Man, Martin Smith, who looked
like a cross between Alexei Sayle and Stan Laurel. He bounced and danced around
the stage and still had the breath to whip out excellent solos and join in the
intricate ensemble work.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, it did! The collective power
of all sixteen players took on "King Kong". It was a truly wonderful sound as
they unfolded the theme and breathed fresh life into an old favourite. They even
mutated it into the reggae-tinged version you can hear on Make A Jazz Noise
Here and threw in a bit of "Sunshine Of Your Love", a nod towards that other
superb live album, The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life.
When that was all over, musicians embraced, applauded each other and generally
radiated joy. The audience went berserk and gave them a standing ovation until
they got an encore. It was sheer gravy, to borrow the words of Raymond Carver.
Superlatives fail me. These musicians all put body and soul into the night and
the music, their obvious love and respect for Zappa’s work joined with that of
the audience. Long may they continue to deliver this memorable body of work to
the world.