ccxli. ZAPPA, Frank: Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder

ccxli. ZAPPA, Frank (1940-1993)

Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder

Three versions

1. from: Joe's Corsage (2004)
recorded 1965
FZ, guitar, vocals
Ray Collins, vocals
Roy Estrada, bass
Jimmy Carl Black, drums
(3:29)

2. from: The MOFO Project/Object (2006)
recorded 1966
Vocal Ovedub Take 2
(3:46)

3. from: Freak Out! (1966)
(3:41)

Frank loved greasy love songs. As long as they weren't too sincere.

and the wordless background vocals:

A year ago today
Was when you went away
But now you come back knockin' on my door
And you'll say you're back to stay,
But I say ...

Go cry
On somebody else's shoulder
I'm somewhat wiser now
One one whole year older

I sure don't need you now
And I don't love you
Anymore

You cheated me baby,
And told some dirty lies about me
Fooled around with all those other guys
That's why I had to set you free
I sure don't need you know
And I don't love you
Anymore

[here FZ adds the 7th to make the G a G7 -- dominent to C; a nice modulation to the sub-dominant]:

Yeah girl today
Well, you went away
And now you come back cryin' cryin'
Darling please let me in

[and he returns to G thusly]:

But I don't need you [C]
No, I don't love you anymore [C Minor]
So go lean on ... go cry on [A7]
Somebody else's door [D7-G]

Go cry
On somebody else's shoulder
I'm somewhat wiser now
And one whole year older
I sure don't need you now
And I don't love you
Anymore (Oh, my darling!)

Go ahead and cry
Go ahead and let the ters fall out of your eye
(Darling)
Let 'em fall on your dress
Who cares if it makes a mess?
I gave you my high school ring
At the root beer stand,
We had a teenage love baby
I thought it was sharp
It was really so grand ... but

You cheated me baby
And told some dirty lies about me
Fooled around with all those other guys
That's why I had to get my khakis pressed
I sure don't need you now
And I don't love you
Anymore

(Ba-ay-by)
Baby,
I love you so much darling
(I, oh, I love you)
Why don't you dig me?
(Ba-ay-by)
I ... I dig you
But you don't dig me
(Oh, I need you)
I don't understand what it is
(Ba-ay-by)
I ... I had my car re-upholstered
I got my hair pressed
(Oh, I love you)
I got a nice pompadour job on it
(Oh, my baby)
I bought a new pair of shoes
(Oh, my love)
I got some new khakis and I met you
And we were gonna go out and get a Coca-Cola ...

ccxl. BJÖRK: Human Behaviour

ccxl. BJÖRK (1965-       )

Human Behaviour (1993)
B, vocals, keyboards
Garry Hughes, keyboards
Oliver Lake, reeds
Corky Hale, harp
Marius de Vries, keyboards
Nellee Hooper, drums, percussion
Luís Jardim, bass, drums, percussion
Talvin Singh, tabla
Bruce Smith, drums, percussion
Martin Virgo, keyboards
Paul Waller, keyboards
Jon Mallison, guitar
Mike Mower, brass
Jhelisa Anderson, backing vocals
(4:15)

from Debut.

With a beat sampled from Antônio Carlos Jobim, Björk's bouncy syncopated song is an intense earworm.

The lyrics are from the point of view of an animal (a bear in the video) who is warning his fellow creatures about human behaviour. (We'll go with the British spelling, cuz that's how she wrote it!)

**

In the age of audio and video's marriage, she's one of the best at smoothing over the bumps:

ccxxxix. BECHET, Sidney: Mood Indigo

ccxxxix. BECHET, Sidney (1897-1959)

Mood Indigo (1941)
SB, clarinet
Charlie Shavers, trumpet
Willie "The Lion" Smith, piano
Everett Barksdale, guitar
Wellman Braud, bass
Sid Catlett, drums
(3:13)

from: The Sidney Bechet Story: Blues in Thirds.

A dreamy cover of this Ellington smash hit!

Barksdale opens things up, with Shavers taking the first chorus. Then Sid comes in on the low register of his clarinet, sweetly moving through the B section --

The three of them take it out as an ensemble improv. Beautiful, sensitive interpretation of a classic tune:

ccxxxviii. BECHET, Sidney / PILAFIAN PROJECT: Petite Fleur

ccxxxviii. BECHET, Sidney (1897-1959) / PILAFIAN PROJECT

Petite Fleur (1952)
Sidney Bechet and His All-Stars
SB, soprano saxophone
(4:50)

Petite Fleur (The Last Tango)
PILAFIAN PROJECT
Sam Pilafian, tuba
Scott Zimmer, soprano and alto saxophones
John O'Reilly, drums, percussion
(6:55)

from: Meltdown.

Bechet's wide vibrato sounds strange to today's ears -- but he plays with great subtlety and passion.

**

I met Sam at Interlochen in 1967 and again in 1969. I remember he was the first tuba player in memory to win the Concerto Competition -- a highly competitive event every summer which brought out the greatest violinists, pianists, occasionally a flautist, or oboe player -- but a tuba player to win that -- that was really special! (He probably played the Vaughn Williams, although I can't remember)

In '69, I wrote a graphic-notation piece for him which he performed magnificently. We traded CDs in 2000, and I was very saddened to hear he passed away a few years ago.

**

The Bechet video features some stunning images of petite fleurs and other flora and fauna ...

ccxxxvii. MODERN JAZZ QUARTET: Autumn in New York

ccxxxvii. MODERN JAZZ QUARTET

Autumn in New York (1956)
Milt Jackson, vibraphone
John Lewis, piano
Percy Heath, bass
Kenny Clarke, drums
(3:40)

from: Django.

If you happen to wonder who could have written such a lovely song, consider the career and life of Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dukelsky, born in 1903 into a noble family of mixed Georgian-Austrian-Spanish-Russian descent, and who was admitted to the Kiev Conservatory at age eleven and studied with Reinhold Glière and befriended Prokofiev.

Escaping the civil war, his family made their way to America, where he immediately met Jacob Gershowitz, who suggested he truncate his last name to "Duke" and Vernon Duke was born (at the suggestion of the aforementioned George Gershwin, who had done the same!)

Dukelsky actually composed a lot of classical music before turning to songwriting. He wrote a ballet for Diaghelev -- Zephyr and Flora -- to critical acclaim.

April in Paris (1932) was his first big hit, followed a few years later by this one -- which was not written for any specific show, but which he offered to the producers of Thumbs Up! -- a revue which opened in late '34 and closed in May of 1935.

**

Jackson can be heard softly moaning and grunting, but it shouldn't bother you too much. The quartet is always solid, Lewis on the beat, Clarke smooth with brushes.

ccxxxvi. LLOYD, Charles: Forest Flower: Sunrise/Sunset

ccxxxvi. LLOYD, Charles (1938-       )

Forest Flower: Sunrise/Sunset (1967)
CL, tenor saxophone, flute
Keith Jarrett, piano
Cecil McBee, bass
Jack DeJohnette, drums
(18:01)

from: Forest Flower.

September 18, 1966.

A lot of stoned hippies got turned onto jazz with this tune. Just read the YouTube comments. My favorite:

"Used to smoke up and lie back in the dark and let it take me away ... a dozen years later I was playing in punk bands while secretly listening to Steely Dan. Go figure!"

and then someone responds:

"Cuz you didn't practice your scales like Keith and Jacky Terrasson did ..."

**

Well, I still practice scales at age 70, and I'll never play like Keith. Listen at 1:16!

ccxxxv. CAPTAIN BEEFHEART: Beatle Bones 'N' Smokin' Stones

ccxxxv. CAPTAIN BEEFHEART (1941-2010)

Beatle Bones 'N' Smokin' Stones (1968)
CB, vocals, harmonica
Alex St. Clair, guitar
Jeff Cotton, guitar
Jerry Handley, bass
John French, drums
(3:23)

from Strictly Personal.

"I'll tell you one thing I didn't like -- The Beatles saying that they were going to 'turn you on.' I've never heard anything so ridiculous in all my life. No man or woman can turn another person on. The minute you hit the air you're on ... the idea of trying to turn someone on, that's the biggest concession stand I've ever heard." -- CB

**

Strictly Personal (original title: It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper) -- Beefheart's second album -- was eventually disowned by the Captain.

He claimed to have not known that producer Bob Krasnow was going to cover everything up with heavy phasing and reverb (accounts diverge on whether or not Beefheart was aware) ... but it still a great listen no matter what.

For years the lyrics were reproduced as "Strawberry Fields Forever."

Listen carefully: it's "Strawberry Feels Forever."

**

Beatle Bones 'n Smokin Stones
the dry sands fall
the strawberry mouth strawberry moth
strawberry caterpillar strawberry butterfly
strawberry feels
'n all the winged eels slither on the heels of today's children
strawberry feels forever

Yeah roosters oh glass roosters tend to your eggs
in a [...] clean white wood farmhouse
tractors are clawin, people are crawlin
Trees in a row, I'm in a coach and I approach
red blue yellow sunset
'n I've set 'n you've set 'n I've loved 'n you've loved
'n I've seen 'n you've seen
Chalk man has just made his mark and crumbled
the dark the light the dark the day
Porcelaine children see through white lights
so cracker bats
cheshire cats named the dark the light the dark the day
Blue veins through grey felt tomorrows
sail your sailboat, yellow feathered kind
blowin in from palms swayin in circles
red blue yellow sunset
well I've set 'n you've set 'n I've loved 'n you've loved
'n I saw 'n you saw
strawberry feels forever

ccxxxiv. COREA, Chick: Captain Marvel

ccxxxiv. COREA, Chick (1941-2021)

Captain Marvel

Two Versions

1. from Light as a Feather (1973)
CC, Fender Rhodes electric piano
Stanley Clarke, bass
Joe Farrell, flute
Airto Moreira, drums, percussion
Flora Purim, vocals, percussion
(4:52)

2. from Forever (2011)
CC, keyboards
Stanley Clarke, bass
Lenny White, drums
(4:12)

(1) Even during the debut recording of this beautiful samba-rhythm, slippery-changes masterpiece, Chick doesn't play it straight the first time through. He waits for the D.S. to let Farrell play the melody -- pretty much as written.

(2) Almost 40 years later, the core trio takes it on with barely any reference to the details of the original chart. 

ccxxxiii. GENTLE GIANT: Schooldays

ccxxxiii. GENTLE GIANT

Schooldays (1972)
Kerry Minnear, keyboards, vibraphone, percussion, vocals
Ray Shulman, bass, violin, guitar, vocals
Gary Green, guitar, percussion
Derek Shulman, vocals
Malcolm Mortimore, drums
Philip Shulman, saxophones, vocals
Calvin Shulman, boy's voices
(7:35)

from: Three Friends.

How long is ever isn't it strange

**

It's truly amazing to think of all the music that managed to get recorded in the old days that wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell today.

GG was one of those types of outfits that even a major record label like Columbia would take a chance on ...

**

The idea for this album came about simply from normal conversations within the group. You know how people often reminisce about old school friends and wonder whatever became of them; or the people who surprise us with their successes or failures. Anyway, the theme in this album is based on three people -- friends at school but inevitably separated by chance, skill and fate.

I think we all can relate to that. Except that the English schoolboy thing is so unique. You can hear it in the music. The somewhat banal lyrics are saved by the more interesting music, which goes through various key and tempo changes ...

**

The bell rings
And all things
Are calling
The day's past
The play's cast
Remember
September
When we were
Together
Together
Together
Schooldays the happy days when we were going nowhere
Schooltime the happy time when we were feeling no care
Schooldays when we three said that we'd be friends forever
How long is ever isn't it strange
Schooldays together why do they change
Did kites fly
And I spy
And you cry
To run fast
Or come last
You know how
We made vows
They're gone now
We made friends
We broke friends
No more friends
Remember
Remember when we
Together
Went to the sea
Was it real or did we dream. The days of children gone.
Seagull's scream and pink ice cream and the deep blue sky
And the waves seem high and golden sand and the town
brass band plays on
Wait for me
Wait for us always
Wait for me
Wait for us to come
Mister Watson wants to see you in the master's room. It's
about the work you should have done and I think you
must go now.

ccxxxii. ZAPPA, Frank: Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance

ccxxxii. ZAPPA, Frank (1940-1993)

THE EVOLUTION OF
Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance

Eight Versions

1. from The Lost Episodes (1996)
recorded 1961
FZ, guitar
Danny Helferin, piano
Chuck Foster, trumpet
Tony Rodriguenz, alto saxophone
Caronga Ward, bass
Chuck Glave, drums
(3:51)

2. from Lumpy Gravy, Part II (1968)
recorded 1963
FZ, guitar, bass, drums, percussion
Allison Buff, vocals
Paul Buff, organ
(1:55)

3. from Joe's Corsage (2004)
as I'm So Happy I Could Cry
recorded 1965
FZ, guitar, vocals
Ray Collins, vocals, tambourine
Roy Estrada, bass
Jimmy Carl Black, drums
(2:43)

4. from We're Only In It For The Money (1968)
recorded 1967
FZ, guitar, piano, vocals
Ian Underwood, piano, woodwinds
Don Preston, keyboards
Euclid James Motorhead Sherwood, soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone
Bunk Gardner, woodwinds
Roy Estrada, bass, vocals
Billy Mundi, drums, vocals
Jimmy Carl Black, drums, trumpet, vocals
Arthur Barrow, 1984 mix new bass tracks
Chad Wackerman, 1984 mix new drum tracks
(1:32)

5. from Joe's Camouflage (2014)
recorded 1975
FZ, guitar, vocals
Denny Walley, guitar, vocals
Robert "Frog" Camarena, vocals, guitar
Novi Novog, viola, keyboards, vocals
Napoleon Murphy Brock, vocals, saxophone, keyboards
Roy Estrada, bass
Terry Bozzio, drums
(1:55)

6. from Joe's Menage (2008)
recorded 1975
FZ, guitar, vocals
Norma Jean Bell, alto saxophone, vocals
Napoleon Murphy Brock, tenor saxophone, vocals
André Lewis, keyboards, vocals
Roy Estrada, bass, vocals
Terry Bozzio, drums, vocals
(2:10)

7. from FZ:OZ (2002)
recorded 1976
FZ, guitar, vocals
Napoleon Murphy Brock, tenor saxophone, vocals
André Lewis, keyboards, vocals
Roy Estrada, bass, vocals
Terry Bozzio, drums, vocals
(2:02)

8. from You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 (1992)
recorded 1978
FZ, guitar, vocal
Shankar, electric violin
Denny Walley, slide guitar, vocals
Tommy Mars, keyboards, vocals
Peter Wolf, keyboards
Ed Mann, percussion
Arthur Barrow, guitar
Patrick O'Hearn, bass
Vinnie Colaiuta, drums
(3:46)

Zappa's earliest efforts at writing catchy melodies is evident in (1) and (2) -- by 1963. In '65 he put some "love" lyrics to it (3)

"going back again to see that girl / I left behind me when I went out / to see this great big world / I know I love that girl / And I hope that she still wants me to be / Her one and only guy / Going back to see the girl I love / And I'm so happy I could cry"

Zappa would quickly disassociate himself from such pap by the time of the Money release (4). The song is now in a form with lyrics and melody cleverly married.

(5) is from a rehearsal (Novi!) and (6) (7) and (8) are from live performances from the mid- to late-70's.

ccxxxi. KENEALLY, Mike: I Was Not Ready For You

ccxxxi. KENEALLY, Mike (1961-       )

I Was Not Ready For You (2000)
MK, vocals, guitars, keyboards
Bryan Beller, bass
Marc Ziegenhagen, keyboards
Jason Harrison Smith, drums
Tricia Williams, percussion
Rick Musallam, guitar, vocals
Evan Francis, alto saxophone, flute
Chris Opperman, trumpet
(3:20)

from: Dancing.

Mike has moved on, and in 2013 wrote:

"Dancing was written and recorded at a time when I was a very different person than I am now, and one whom, when I look back, I don't care for too much. I won't get into the gory details but I think I was suffering from a messiah complex and midlife crisis at the same time. Dangerous combination. I was making changes in my life without heeding the feelings of others, but I felt that all my actions were shepherded and approved of by cosmic forces. (As Frank Zappa would have said, "phewwwwww.") In a year's time I would settle down a lot and produce Wooden Smoke, by which time I'd achieved some calmness, but by my standards, Dancing documents me at my most insufferable -- so it's a bit hard for me to listen to it.

Having said that, I acknowledge that my issues with the album are entirely personal, and that it's a lot of people's favorite album I've done; I've often seen people online recommending it as a starting point for newcomers to my music, It is a strong bunch of material, and the arrangements were painstakingly arrived at and really nicely performed ... I shouldn't trash talk the album. It has brought a lot of people a lot of pleasure and I'm happy about that."

**

"I just played a droning B-natural for a long time ... I started adding other notes, but I didn't want to let go of the B, so I found a simple progressional which allow the B to stay on top: A-Flat Minor, A2, A-Flat Minor, G Major. I liked the droniness and sad inevitability of that progression and the rest of the music fell into place in very short order."

**

Interesting. I'm one of those folks who consider this some of Mike's finest material, and -- yes -- I would recommend it as a starting point for those new to his music.

A lot of it rocks loud and hard. And there's gotta be at least a million ways to subdivide that bar in two!

**

I never passed out under your piano
Honed my tan in your console's glow
A million ways to subdivide that bar in two

Schedules were not coordinated
Nor sudden whims anticipated
I might have seen your deeper shade of blue
But I was not ready for you

We never were the crime-avenging twins
But maybe heaven knows what we could have been

I'll file away the lyrics uncompleted
Record over the call I wish I'd heeded
And go on to do what we were meant to do
When I was not ready for you

And I can feel your smile above this din
I hope you like it, outside looking in
I'll file away the lyrics uncompleted
Record over the call I wish I'd heeded
And go on to do what we were meant to do
When I was not ready for you

ccxxx. KENEALLY, Mike: Inglow

ccxxx. KENEALLY, Mike (1961-       )

Inglow (2012)
MK, everything
Allen Whitman, additional voices
(4:49)

from: Wing Beat Fantastic.

Co-written with Andy Partridge.

Inglow
Slow motion snow crow
Inglow

Did we ebb and How there?
It was long ago
I saw you
Glowing

**

Cryptic stuff.

ccxxix. MAYS, Lyle: Eberhard

ccxxix. MAYS, Lyle (1953-2020)

Eberhard (2021)
LM, keyboards
Bob Sheppard, saxophone, woodwinds
Steve Rodby, bass
Jimmy Johnson, bass
Alex Acuña, drums, percussion
Jimmy Branly, drums, percussion
Wade Culbreath, vibraphone, marimba
Bill Frisell, guitar
Mitchel Forman, keyboards
Aubrey Johnson, vocals
Rosana Eckert, vocals
Gary Eckert, vocals
Timothy Loo, cello
Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, cello
Eric Byers, cello
Armen Ksajikian, cello
(13:03)

from: Eberhard.

Wade Culbreath's calm marimba opens things up for our last trip with Lyle. Everyone joins in for the journey.

"I am really overwhelmed and moved. It is impossible to express my thankfulness and gratitude that Lyle produced that CD." -- Eberhard Weber

ccxxviii. METHENY, Pat: San Lorenzo

ccxxviii. METHENY, Pat (1954-       )

San Lorenzo (1978)
PM, guitars
Lyle Mays, keyboards
Mark Egan, bass
Danny Gottlieb, drums
(10:13)

from: Pat Metheny Group.

I will never forget the day in 1978 when the needle first hit the vinyl on this masterpiece. My friends and I listened in stunned silence to music that would change our lives forever.

And San Lorenzo -- the first track -- began it all.

Lyle's solo is particularly gorgeous:

ccxxvii. ZAWINUL, Joe: In a Silent Way

ccxxvii. ZAWINUL, Joe (1932-2007)

In a Silent Way (1971)
JZ, keyboards
Herbie Hancock, electric piano
George Davis, flute
Woody Shaw, trumpet
Earl Turbinton, soprano saxophone
Miroslav Vitous, bass
Walter Booker, bass
Billy Hart, percussion
David Lee, percussion
Joe Chambers, percussion
(4:49)

from: Zawinul.

Miles had already recorded his version, and here Zawinul records his own composition with a group that would greatly resemble the Weather Report of the very near future (except no Shorter on this track).

Joe fills space that was empty in Miles's version. It's great to have both.

ccxxvi. TUERFF, Tom: Baby Boomer

ccxxvi. TUERFF, Tom

Baby Boomer (2000)
TT, shabby guitar playing, questionable vocals, bongos and bodhran
Nancy L. Freeman, really spiffy backing vocals, percussion
(3:18)

from: Something to Sell at My Gigs.

Tom lives up the road apiece (Phoenix) and we traded CDs in 2000. I definitely got the better of the deal. His songs are uniformly hilarious -- I love the way he sets up an expected rhyme and then changes up on you -- and I love Nancy's parenthetical echoes ("let's not go there") ...

This one in particular is funny considering the approximate age we share:

**

It's Friday night again and here we are
I'm starin' at this girl across the bar
I only wish that she could see
I'm twice the man I was at 23

Sometimes I don't know why I bother
I'm old enough to be her

OLDER BROTHER

I ain't getting old
it's just a rumor
Thats what i've been told
Cuz I'm a baby boomer
Baby boomers never age
We just turn a page
Just turn a page
(ha ha ha stayin' alive)

High school reunion 20 years
(high school reunion 20 years)
The guys all look like Norm from Cheers
(they all look like Norm from Cheers)
Talked to some guy i didn't know
(I didn't know him either)
Still i tried to have a good time though

Well all the ladies i once lusted
had all gone gray and saggy-buuss ...

IN THE EYELIDS

And I ain't changed at all
Still have a sense of humor
I've been [...] a ball
Cuz i'm a baby boomer
And baby boomers don't go gray
Or go away
We don't go away
(Pray please go away)

Baby boomers invented youth
(Baby boomers invented youth)
Ask anyone of us its the truth
(Yes it is)

Baby boomers invented sex
(We invented sex)
Who knows what we'll think of next
(When will we have more sex?)

We all drank up that 60's cup
(We drank from that cup)
We ain't gonna give it up
When we were young we owned the land
(When we were young we owned the land)
Walked without sunscreen on the sand
(Walked without sunscreen on the sand)

Made love to everything that moved
(let's no go there)
Didn't matter, we were in the groove

Now by body has an answer
this mark upon my skin is ca ... ca ... ca ...

INTERESTING

It's a brand new mole
Can't be a tumor
That's what I've been told

Cuz I'm a baby boomer
And baby boomer's never die
We just deny
We just deny
We just deny

ccxxv. EVANS, Bill: Peace Piece

ccxxv. EVANS, Bill (1929-1980)

Peace Piece (1958)
BE, piano
(6:44)

from: Everybody Digs Bill Evans.

Two chords: CMaj7 to G9(sus4).

It's what BE does on top with his right hand that makes this a stunning recording.

**

Chuck Israels:

"Peace Piece is an example of the depth of Evans' compositional technique ... the improvisation starts simply over a gentle ostinato, which quickly fades into the background. Evans allows the fantasy that evolves from the opening motive (an inversion of the descending fifth in the ostinato) more freedom than he would in an improvisation tied to a changing accompaniment. He takes advantage of the ostinato as a unifying element against which ideas flower, growing more lush and colorful as the piece unfolds. Polytonalities, cross rhythms [and dissonance -- LS] increase in density as the ostinato undulates gently, providing a central rhythm and tonal reference. The improvisation becomes increasingly complex against the unrelenting simplicity of the accompaniment, until, near the end, Evans gradually reconciles the two elements."

**

You can't copyright two chords, so Lady Blackbird "borrowed" the idea for her 2021 song "Fix It."

ccxxiv. BEATLES, THE: Slow Down

 ccxxiv. BEATLES, THE

Slow Down (1964)

Two versions

John Lennon, vocal, guitar
Paul McCartney, bass
George Harrison, guitar
Ringo Starr, drums
George Martin, piano
(2:56)

Larry Williams, composer, vocal, piano
Jewell Grant, baritone saxophone
Plas Johnson, tenor saxophone
René Hall, guitar
Ted Brinson, bass
Earl Palmer, drums
(2:57)

from: Long Tall Sally EP.

Sometimes it's fun just to post something because it's somewhat obscure.

Larry Williams (1935-1980) was one of those dudes who had great success followed by great tragedy (drugs, violence).

The song is just a basic blues.

**

Just imagine the Parlophone execs during this period: "Product! More product!"

This EP (June 19, 1964) featured four songs, all covers except one, an early John song, I Call Your Name.

George's solo (1:40) is pretty lame, transcribed here if only to show you how much he improved over the years.

You can also hear an unusually poor performance by Martin on piano (his rhythm is frequently uneven) ...

ccxxiii. DAVIS, Miles: Vonetta

ccxxiii. DAVIS, Miles (1926-1991)

Vonetta (1967)
MD, trumpet
Wayne Shorter, tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock, piano
Ron Carter, bass
Tony Williams, drums
(5:41)

from: Sorcerer.

• THE quintet. There has never been another like it. Listen to the way these guys listen to each other! Williams's playing in particular makes this music so unique ...
• Cicely Tyson on the cover. [they would marry in 1981; divorce in 1989]
• A Shorter tune. Laconic. Slow Burn.
• Solos by Miles, Wayne and Herbie ...

ccxxii. ZAPPA, Frank: RDNZL

ccxxii. ZAPPA, Frank (1940-1993)

RDNZL (1973)
FZ, guitar, vocals
George Duke, keyboards, vocals
Tom Fowler, bass
Ruth Underwood, percussion
Bruce Fowler, trombone
Napoleon Murphy Brock, tenor saxophone, flute, vocals
Ralph Humphrey, drums, percussion
Chester Thompson, drums, percussion
(4:59)

from: The Roxy Performances.

This is from the Early Show on 12/10/73; I saw the Late Show. Same jaw-dropping performances; the best live concert I ever attended.

RDNZL

ccxxi. ZAPPA, Dweezil: Thunder Pimp

ccxxi. ZAPPA, Dweezil (1969-       )

Thunder Pimp (2006)
DZ, guitar
(3:39)

from: Go With What You Know.

It took the Dweez a long time to realize that his father was the genius that he was. At first, all DZ wanted to do was to play like Eddie Van Halen (not that there's anything wrong with that!)

Of course, his famous dad could make things happen -- like introducing his son to Eddie and Steve Vai.

And learn to play the guitar he did.

**

His birth certificate says Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa. The nurse refused to put down "Dweezil" on the form, and he later went to the appropriate bureaucrat and had it legally changed back to Dweezil.

• In the 1980's, he was working as a VJ on MTV, but got fired for bad-mouthing the music channel on The Howard Stern Show.
• It was the same year he made this album that he began Zappa Plays Zappa.
• He dated Lisa Loeb, married and divorced Lauren Knudson, and has two kids from that marriage (Zola Frank and Ceylon Indira).
• When Gail died in 2015, Frank's four kids were put in a terrible position, due to her leaving 30% of the estate to two kids (Ahmet and Diva), and 20% to the other two (Moon Unit and Dweezil).
• Ahmet actually sent his brother a cease-and-desist order when Dweezil was going on tour with "Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa." In response, DZ renamed the tour "50 Years of Frank: Dweezil Zappa Plays Whatever the Fuck He Wants -- The Cease and Desist Tour."
• In May 2018, the four kids said they had all made up.
• Moon:
• "Gail managed to make 20 million dollars disappear with the team she had in place, the team the ZFT (Zappa Family Trust) has lovingly kept in place. Does NO-ONE think this is INSANE? Why keep the same team that sank the ship, especially if a secret deal was struck a year earlier with no financial improvements ... OR is there secret cash in offshort accounts or secret LLC's in all their names? I was never paid for Valley Girl ... I think that might have brought in a little green ..."
• The house I visited in June 1989 on Woodrow Wilson Boulevard was sold to Lady Gaga, who has since re-sold it ... Moon again:
• "I wanted to turn our childhood home into a bed and breakfast/museum/retreat cnter where fans could pilgrimage and artists could record on sacred soil. I wanted to cook meals for you in the real Dangerous Kitchen and teach you yoga in my childhood living room. I wanted Dweezil to give you a master class on music in the home studio playing the guitars he inherited. I wanted Ahmet to give you a tour of his old bedroom and let you slide down the firepole and I hoped you'd watch Bruce Willis movies with Diva in her old bedroom with the glitter floors while she kept steady hands diligently continuing to knit her mile long scarf. I'm sorry the fans will only have 'Zappa approved' dry goods and experiences from two of us instead of four. I wanted to write and direct a bio pic and do a 3-D doc on my dad and record an album of songs of my dad's I curated that girls and prudes like me might like with Pharrell Williams producing. I wanted to write and assemble the first four person family memoir about our awesome dad. Just some of my stillborn ideas ... Oh well.

ccxx. PARKER, Evan/The Transatlantic Art Ensemble: Boustrophedon (In Six Furrows): Finale

ccxx. PARKER, Evan (1944-       )/The Transatlantic Art Ensemble

Boustrophedon (In Six Furrows): Finale (2008)
EP, soprano saxophone
Roscoe Mitchell, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone
Anders Svanoe, alto saxophone
John Rangecroft, clarinet
Neil Metcalfe, flute
Corey Wilkes, trumpet, flugelhorn
Nils Bultmann, viola
Phillipp Wachsmann, violin
Marcio Mattos, cello
Craig Taborn, piano
Jaribu Shahid, bass
Barry Guy, bass
Tani Tabbal, drums, percussion
Paul Lytton, drums, percussion
(6:19)

from: The Art Ensemble of Chicago and Associated Ensembles.

"There were not many steps. I had counted them a thousand times, both going up and going down, but the figure has gone from my mind. I have never known whether you should say one with your foot on the sidewalk, two with the following foot on the first step, and so on, or whether the sidewalk shouldn't count. At the top of the steps I fell foul of the same dilemma. In the other direction, I mean from top to bottom, it was the same, the word is not too strong. -- Samuel Beckett, The Expelled

Two tight, time-tested networks of players are connected here. Parker's writing for the ensemble mediates between them, and between the compass points and geographical regions they could be said to represent. The title, Boustrophedon, alludes to this mediation. A Greek word meaning "turning like an ox while ploughing," it was a method of writing ancient manuscripts in which the first line would run from left to right, the second from right to left and so on, as if furrowing a field.

"I wanted to use some of the big chords that Slonimsky talks about," Parker says, 'the mother chord' and the 'grandmother chord' --- all these very big all-interval structures -- primarily to hear what they sounded like."

ccxix. MITCHELL, Joni: Stay in Touch

ccxix. MITCHELL, Joni (1943-       )

Stay in Touch (1998)
JM, guitar, keyboards
Mark Isham, trumpet
(2:58)

from: Taming the Tiger.

This is really something
People will be envious
But our roles aren't clear
So we mustn't rush
Still
We are burning brightly
Clinging like fire to fuel
I'm grinning like a fool
Stay in touch
We should stay in touch
Oh, stay in touch
In touch

Part of this is permanent
Part of this is passing
So we must be loyal and wary
Not to give away too much
Till we build a firm foundation
And empty out old habits
Old habits
Stay in touch
We should stay in touch
Oh, stay in touch
In touch

During times like these
The wise are influential
They can bear the imperfections
They can keep the harmony
No doubt about it
No doubt!
That's always been a tricky one for me,
So
We should just surrender
Let fate and duty shape us
Let light hearts remake us
Let the worries hush
In the middle of this continent
In the middle of our time on earth
We perceive one another
Stay in touch
We should stay in touch
Oh, stay in touch
In touch

ccxviii. DOLPHY, Eric: Gazzelloni

ccxviii. DOLPHY, Eric (1928-1964)

Gazzelloni (1964)
ED, flute
Freddie Hubbard, trumpet
Bobby Hutcherson, vibraphone
Richard Davis, bass
Tony Williams, drums
(7:25)

from: Out To Lunch.

Named after the great flautist, Severino Gazzelloni, who Dolphy admired.

The 13-bar head is repeated, and then ...

The beginning of Eric's solo (0:32) is beautifully transcribed by Adam Stokes:

Hubbard takes over from Eric -- mid-trill -- at 2:52. Both Davis and Williams (18-years-old! "Tony doesn't play time, he plays pulse" -- ED) are all over the place, leaving a wide space for Freddie to inhabit ...

Hutcherson's solo begins around 4:12 -- again with the rhythm section in a relaxed free-fall (Davis is walking at first); out to dinner, perhaps!

Around 5:40, Davis's amazing solo begins with double-stops.

The head comes back and they're out ... for some sort of good meal!