Make a Jazz Noise Here [LIVE] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Frank Zappa

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 2, 1995)
• Original Release Date: June 1991
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Live, Original recording remastered
• Label: Zappa Records
• ASIN: B0000009TK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,365 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
One of three releases showcasing his talented but short-lived 1988 big band, Make a Jazz Noise Here features Zappa's group on extended jams, some of his most ambitious instrumental works, and a few requisite concert favorites. Only Zappa would sandwich Igor Stravinsky's Royal March From L'Histoire Du Soldat the theme from Bela Bartok's Piano Concerto No. 3 between his own "City of Tiny Lights" and "Sinister Footwear, 2nd Movement," and only he could pull it off. The first disc is the strongest, featuring big band arrangements of "Eat That Question," "Black Napkins," and "Big Swifty," and climaxing with an amazing, slow-groove rendition of "King Kong". Some of the longer jams will be of most interest to fanatics, but the performances are solid throughout, and even the biggest neophytes will appreciate these renditions of some of Zappa's most daunting material. --Andrew Boscardin

From the Label
Originally released in '91, the third title culled from the 1988 tour. A double live CD, this one includes such classic Zappa compositions as "King Kong," "The Black Page," "Dupree's Paradise" and "Strictly Genteel," as well as pieces from Bartok and Stravinsky. For good measure there's a still-topical improvised vocal piece, "Star Wars Won't Work."

True to its title, this disc spotlights the instrumental side of the 1988 band, in some ways the most accomplished group Zappa ever had. Combining some familiar names from previous bands (bassist Scott Thunes, drummer Chad Wackerman) with a few new faces (guitarist Mike Keneally, later to emerge as a promising pop songwriter), the band's main feature was a five-piece horn section, which handled a mind-boggling supply of original and cover material; while the size and expense of the band lost FZ a bundle of cash on the road.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arrr, Arrr, Arrr..., April 12, 2000

By	Frank C. "Frank C." (Huntington, NY United States) - See all my reviews

That's the noises jazz guys make when they are improvising or blowing their wad as some like to call it. Well, Zappa used to poke fun at these people and there is no exception on this outing. But let the truth be known - for the musician's on the stage for this particular incarnation of Zappa music are all amazing jazz musicians and all have prodigious chops to show off all that talent (and therefore have the right to poke fun at themeselves). This group of twelve of the best musicians on the planet (in any genre of music) play like I've never heard any before them. There are so many amazing moments on these two discs that I could write an entire book on this one album. But a few highlights (especially for the jazz cats) - the guitar solo by Frank on the tune "Cruisin' For Burgers" might as well be the greatest guitar solo you'll ever hear in this lifetime. Another amazing moment is the middle section of "Alien Orifice" where guitarist Mike Keneally realizes Zappa's impossibly difficult scored melody (and if that wasn't enough - listen to this same passage how it is doubled on marimba, alto, tenor, bari, trumpet, trombone, and keyboards). This music is mindblowing on all accounts, and lover's of great progressive rock (Crimson, Genesis, Yes, and others) who obviously respect talented musicians owe it to yourself to check out this disc -it will leave you speechless. Another amazing Zappa record in his MAMMOTH catalog. Full of jazz noises too, in all the right places...

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazingly tight band playing very well, November 13, 2003

By	Muddy Moe (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews

If you're new to Zappa's catalogue then it can be very daunting to decide what to try out. The man had so many releases and jumped across so many styles that there's no real guarantee that any particular release will do it for you.

This album is great for any of you who want to hear Zappa leading a TIGHT, TIGHT band playing mostly instrumental music. There are plenty of "jams" in the jazz sense of the word, not the Grateful Dead sense of the word. In other words, instrumentalists improv within a tight technical structure but the full band never drifts out into unrehearsed meanderings. More than any other release since Waka/Jawaka, this album makes me appreciate Zappa as a composer and bandleader. The man was a force!

Having heard well over half of Zappa's output before picking this up, I was a little surprised that it became one of my favorite listens almost immediately. I didn't realize just how good the '88 band was. And, I confess, the relative paucity of stage antics and jokes is actually somewhat refreshing. I just want to hear them play!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as Zappa ever gets!, July 2, 2003

By	"ghengisadonis" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

The 1988 Zappa band doing a lot of what they did best - instrumentals that allow for a lot of unusual improvisation.
What is there to say that other reviewers haven't said already?
A few useful facts - "When Yuppies Go To Hell" is a medley (of sorts) combining the tune also known as `The Dessicated Number' with improvisatory moments from at least five different shows. "Big Swifty" incorporates the infamous `Readers Digest' Medley of well-known classical themes. "Star Wars Won't Work" is an odd guitar solo originally bolted onto a rendition of "Stairway to Heaven". "Dupree's Paradise" is the one and only version on this tour where Zappa "took the tune outside" (excuse me, that's jazz-speak for "added some far-out collective improvisation"). The Stravinsky/Bartok medley doesn't appear on all pressings of the album - make sure your copy has it.
And at last, some opinions. "Black Napkins" benefits from having no guitar solo, there's no way Zappa could follow Walt Fowler and Albert Wing's contributions. "The Black Page" gets the most imaginative arrangement since '76. "Sinister Footwear 2" is arguably the definitive version - no synthesizer arpeggio, no inappropriate guitar solo, just the horns in all their glory. "Cruising for Burgers" is also a best-ever arrangement, and "Strictly Genteel" is nearly the best (there's the vocal version to consider).