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Frank Zappa - Jazz from Hell CD (album) cover

JAZZ FROM HELL

Frank Zappa

 

RIO/Avant-Prog

3.43 | 273 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Evolver
Special Collaborator
Crossover & JR/F/Canterbury Teams
4 stars Frank Zappa found the perfect band to play his difficult compositions. It's called his Synclavier.

Don't let the fact that this album woke the Grammy voters from their self congratulatory stupor long enough to give Zappa the award for best instrumental album, This is not the mainstream pap that usually gets lauded by "The Academy". This is very complex, and very entertaining, and completely impossible to categorize music. Zappa calls it "Jazz From Hell", but there is no improvisation it it. I would probably say that it is closer to classical than anything else, but even that doesn't say much.

Frank's personality is all over the music. The odd timing, chord structure, and even some of his guitar phrasing come through in the pieces.

The one oddball is St. Etienne, a guitar solo taken from one of his live concerts. Honestly, I would have rather had more Synclavier.

Evolver | 4/5 |

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