THE RETURN OF THE SON OF...

I have seen his Zappa Plays Zappa band many times in the past few years, and I have witnessed the band evolving into something special. Early on, the group played Frank's music pretty much note for note as it appears on the many albums released during his all too short, but very prolific, lifetime. Often, stunt casting, having a few of FZ's old bandmates on stage, was employed to give the music the old feeling, and generate excitement in the crowd.

But Frank Zappa's music isn't meant to be played that way. It was always all about the "eyebrows", those little thinks the band would through into the music at a whim, that would make every concert something special. I can't say I blame the band for starting out the way they did. That music is some of the most difficult to perform on the planet. But now that they have mastered it, they are now making the music come alive, adding their own riffs and improvisations, and tailoring the instrumental sections to their own strengths.

Nowhere is this more evident than in this album's rendition of King Kong. Here, the piece swirls around as band members take turns at center stage, with familiar rhythm tracks from other famous FZ songs creeping in (Fifty Fifty is the most notable). Billy The Mountain gets updates as well, and is played in is full splendor (the "Just Another Band From L.A." recording has lot's edited out).

Dweezil has never shied away from his father's most complex pieces, and here find him mastering such treats as Andy, Inca Roads, and once again, Zombie Woof.

I love it that Dweezil has carried on his father's music, but I would like to hear what he can come up with for himself, now that he understands what FZ was about.

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