The Ed Palermo Big Band Plays The Music of Frank Zappa

Ed Palermo Big Band, Ed Palermo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 16, 1997)
• Original Release Date: September 16, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astor Place Records
• ASIN: B000005EGN
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,033 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Peaches en Regalia

2. Toads of the Short Forest

3. Who Are the Brain Police?/Holiday in Berlin [Excerpt]

4. Twenty Small Cigars

5. King Kong

6. Aybe Sea

7. Waka/Jawaka

8. Sofa No. 1

9. The Little House I Used to Live In

10. We Are Not Alone

11. Wai, FN?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow., December 24, 1999

By 

John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ed Palermo Big Band Plays The Music of Frank Zappa (Audio CD)

Maybe you think listening to Frank Zappa for the music is like reading Playboy for the articles. If so, Ed Palermo wants to change your mind.

Palermo has set his big band (helpfully named "The Ed Palermo Big Band") the onerous task of playing some of FZ's instrumental music, which he wanted them to do because he has been a fan of FZ's for about three decades and desired to pay tribute to his longtime hero.

And boy, did he and they do a helluva good job. This isn't just a limp little set of copycat cover material; this is _big band_ music. _Really good_ big band music, with fresh, funky arrangements by Palermo himself. The real thing -- there are, like, horns and vibes and stuff all over it.

And these guys can _cook_. I won't single out any highlights for you; the album is full of them.

Palermo's selections are right on, his interpretations are original but entirely true to the Spirit of Frankness, his two decades with his band show in the precision-honed performances, and his sheer joy in FZ's music is obvious -- from the opening blast of the most buttkicking version of "Peaches En Regalia" since the tune's original release on HOT RATS, all the way to the closing number, "wai,fn?" (This last is an FZ-inspired composition by Palermo himself; all the other tunes are FZ's. I think "wai,fn?" must be an acronym for something, but I haven't yet figured out what. My best guess so far: "What am I, fopped niver?" [Note added later: the band's manager kindly dropped me a line and let me know that it stands for 'What am I, f***ing nuts?'])

And he must have worked his longsuffering band pretty hard, because they absolutely nailed it (not an easy job, as the London Symphony Orchestra can confirm). As Palermo writes in his liner notes, "The musicians in my band are of such high, virtuosic caliber that it is an honor for me to exploit them."

FZ fans will _really_ like this extremely cool CD. Actually, so will fans of big-band music. Now that I think about it, so will just about everybody else. If you've read this far, _buy_ this thang and make a jazz noise here.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This CD is truly the "Best of Zappa", March 29, 2002

By 

John Allen (Terre Haute, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ed Palermo Big Band Plays The Music of Frank Zappa (Audio CD)

I bought this CD without ever having heard any of the tracks and I have now listened to it more than any other CD that I have bought in the past five years.

This Ed Palermo CD is, in my opinion, loaded with all of the very best catchy little melodies that make Zappa's music so interesting. The thing that is most satisfying about this CD is that these guys are well-trained, professional musicians who obviously LOVE this music. The arrangements are full and lush, the playing is tight and disciplined, and well... just plain wonderful. A dyed-in-the-wool Zappaphile could not possibly listen to this disc without getting just a little bit misty-eyed.

I can't help but think that Zappa would really be happy with this work. I have to admit that I like some of the tracks on this CD even a little better than the originals. It is just tastefully excellent from beginning to end.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For true FZ afficionados, this is great jazz., August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ed Palermo Big Band Plays The Music of Frank Zappa (Audio CD)

Read the liner notes for this album and you understand why Ed Palermo plays Frank Zappa's music with passion and reverence. This guy just loves Zappa's music, and respectfully chooses and arranges some of the older, and less commercial, standards for classic "small" big band play. And the members of the band are incredible! But Ed Palermo on sax and guitar is the leader and the soul for these pieces. Peaches En Regalia has never sounded so tight, and Palermo's guitar work on Aybe Sea is so reminiscent of Zappa's guitar that I cried (quietly to myself). I wish Ed would do another album, because I just can't get enough of this guy's interpretations of Zappa's music. I realize it must be difficult for a musician as talented as Palermo to play other people's music, even that of Zappa, but these arrangements are so creative and personal that they are a fusion of Zappa and Palermo. Enough! If you think that Hots Rats was one of the most inspired albums of ALL TIME, then get this album because you won't be dissappointed. If you love modern, tight, small big band sound, then get this album. And if you want something to show off the '000s of dollars you've spent on your audio system, then get this ablum. Recording=***** Performance=*****