53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One Of Zappa's Most Accomplished and Ground-Breaking Works, July 14, 2004
This review is from: Grand Wazoo (Audio CD)
Thirty years after "Grand Wazoo" was released, it remains as much a stunning example of Zappa's uncompromising musical vision now as it did then.
Although it is accurate to say that it continued the Jazz explorations of "Waka Jawaka" or deserves to be compared with "Hot Rats" as one of Frank's most accomplished instrumental albums, this alone does not paint the full picture of what this album has to offer. "Grand Wazoo" is an astonishinng work of melodic inventiveness and orchestration, each of its tunes can leave you breathless with their wealth of ideas and ironic genius.
Zappa, as praised as he has been, remains deserving of further acknowledgement. What do I mean? This guy belongs to a very small and selected group of American composers without whom it would be literally impossible to think of American music, period.
Zappa -like Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington or Miles Davis, to name a few- in their own ways, were ... are! ... artists who transformed the musical genres they cultivated, and made them something they have never been before.
In Zappa's case, the amazing satirist he was or the tremedous guitar player he could be, often, overshadowed the seminal composer and arranger he's always been. This album does the latter complete and unarguable justice.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Z factor in a perfect GEM, January 18, 2006
This review is from: Grand Wazoo (Audio CD)
Hi guys! I'm just one of those hated Jazz snobs the last reviewer was talking about. Just Joking! But I'm really into Jazz old and new, that is my cup of tea. But I like Zappa's music too, because IT IS JAZZ for the most part (at least in albums like this one). I am completly aware that Zappa was a very talented music writer, intelligent and creative even if sometimes over indulgent with himself. But absolutly not here. And anyway we have to recognize that he produced an incredible amount of music in his lifetime and that he couldn't write only masterpieces of course, noone could. But here he did it! This is a masterpiece. Without any doubt. It's an instrumental album very entertaining, very sharp, not too much absurd (still considering it's a Zappa's record so a little it is but in a positive very refreshing way!). I love Zappa's instrumental music. He's so into the future. His music will always be light years ahead of our time. Varese, Barthok, dodecaphonic music meets Jazz harmonic sophistication and pulse and rock aggression. Plus the Z factor. The ZAPPA factor, his weird but extremely fascinating personality. The records that are much focused on his musical ideas instead of his irony and grotesque are the ones that I really prefer. This is one of the best. The opener or the last tune here for example are sooooooo good! But this whole album is a masterpiece in music! He was so great when he wrote things like these ... I'm listening to this album right now for the thousand time ... 4.00 of the first tune .. just a word, fantastic.
Some weeks later ... I want to add something to my review. (I want to say something about each tune). The more I go deep inside Frank's musical universe the more I find this album THE PERFECT GEM in his catalogue. Neither Waka jawaka, which comes second to me, could be considered beautiful as this one. GRAND WAZOO IS THE THING for me. Neither Hot rats which is splendid is as much great as the Wazoo. Now something about each tune.
1 Grand wazoo
Incredibly catching fusion of styles. Extremely melodic and groovin. Everything is here. This tune is exceptional. Some called it the Zappa's answear to Miles "So what", but this is a lot more than a D pedal (maybe was "Blessed relief"? the answear ... I don't know but who cares?). Sure it is a modal tune (Frank hated chord progressions to solo over, he liked modal vamps only) but there's more here as I told you. The theme, the rhythmn and the orchestration parts are far more elaborated and solos are no less fantastic than the "So what" excursions by Trane, Cannoball, Bill Evans and Miles. The bridges are equally superlative. I mean. This is one of my all time favourite tunes. ALL TIME FAVOURITE. The trombone solo here is something UNFORGETTABLE. Pure splendid jazz! And behind you can hear the orchestra pumping, growling, roaring wanting to come up front. Oh my god, GRAND WAZOO. This is really among my all time favourite tunes. FRANK, THANXS FOR THIS TUNE.
2 For Calvin
Pure Zappa's extravaganza. In the melody, harmony and orchestration. It starts weird and ends weirder. If you are not accustomed to strange harmonies and melodies this one can shock you a little bit. Anyway Zappa's awkward but splendid sense of melody and atmospheres is very clear here. The tune swings slow like a broken toy, or a broken watch ... at a certain point there are dissonations going on, you may think you don't know were you are, then a siren shout! These moments of entropy, of chaos are sublime, I swear, sublime. The drums is still alive behind, giving the pulse, confirming that the tune is not dead yet. Slowly we go on, following the trombone and the trumbet which are saying strange things, than the tune accelerate, you are completly disorientated .... than a genial absolutly genial orchestrated bridge part arrive!! I mean this is Zappa at his very weird best. Another crescendo! The tune comes to the end. Frank you did your VERY VERY best for sure in this album.
3 Cletus
A strange very melodical romp begins at the end of Calvin's song, it's Cletus. And here we are again with Frank's melodical genius. Piano is up front here. Than strange voices take the first places. It's delightful. Something that you can't miss. Its pure ingenuity is something marvellous which only a true pure genius can communicate without sounding childish.
4 Eat that question
George Duke steals the show here. This is quite an unbelievable tune. This is fantastic. A funky fist in your face, the more challenging tune of the album from a technical standpoint. The melody is perfect, catching, hard, a really fantastic riff played in unison by the electric piano and the guitar. The rhythmn section works effortlessy on this hard funky vamp. Everything flows easy and hard at the same time. Duke's solos on the Fender Rhodes range among the very best jazz stuff I have ever heard (I own and Know thousands Jazz records). The energy of this tune is so dramatic! Exceptional. What a band! When you think the tune is over the theme returns harder than ever. Wow! It leaves you speechless! What an orchestrated riff! I mean. No words here. THIS IS PERFECTION IN MUSIC! (Frank's fuzz guitar tone here is expecially cool too).
5 Blessed relief
This tune closes one of Zappa's greatest achievement. GRAND WAZOO. Blessed relief is a calm, soft, delicate tune, unforgettable. It begins as a dreamy ballad but then evolve in a magic melodic line and after that in an unbelievable spotlight for the soloists. When the theme, the melodic line returns you wonder where you have been in the last minutes. Away. Lost in a beautiful dream.
This was Frank. Grand Wazoo is Frank at his best. If this man wasn't a musical genius .. I don't know who we can call that way. Grand Wazoo.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Big Band Zappa at its finest, December 23, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Grand Wazoo (Audio CD)
This album, in my opinion, is the highlight of Zappa's greatest period of work. The horn - dominated numbers fit perfectly with Frank's unique wah - wah style and George Duke's impressive keyboard work to produce an album that has lasted through time. From the long title cut to the ultra-funky keyboard riff of "Eat that Question" to the impressive, jazzy, and spacey sounds of "Blessed Relief," this album is definitely worth buying if you are into FZ's jazz-fusion instrumental works. Other albums that I would characterize with this album are: Hot Rats, Waka-Jawaka, Studio Tan, and Sleep Dirt. Get this CD and groove to FZ at his finest.
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