A Dedicated Musician
By Phil Gould
"This is going to take a little while to get everything ready, but we are going to play for a long while."
So said Frank Zappa at Winterland last Friday night [1], as he and his constantly changing group, The Mothers Of Invention, showed once again what true Zappa fans have known all along.
Zappa is a musical genius with an extreme dedication to his music and his audience.
The show opened very casually. The stage was still being set up when Zappa walked out and started helping. Once everything was ready he took about five minutes to check the sound levels of every instrument.
When it came time to check percusionist Ruth Underwood's bass drum. Zappa said "I want it loud enough so they can feel it in their scrotum."
The Mothers mainly played jazz, concentrating on their older material. Most of it was from their "Uncle Meat" album. A couple of their numbers were "Dog Breath" and "Uncle Meat."
The music was a blend of rock, jazz and sometimes classical. Zappa used a wide variety of odd instruments for a rock band, including kettle drums, an xylophone, marimba congas, a violin and various keyboard instruments.
Often the group sounded like a symphony orchestra and many times like anything but a rock band. But Mothers fans know they aren't really a rock band. They are one of a kind in the musical world.
Perhaps most enjoyable was Zappa himself. When he wasn't playing guitar, he was conducting his "orchestra" and often incorporating the audience into his numbers.
Zappa is a pleasure to watch and listen to. He is very relaxed on stage and confidently takes command of the whole show.
Toward the end of his concert, in the middle of a number, Zappa came to the microphone.
"Theoretically, this is the end of the concert. But we're not going to make that big exit and come back out for an encore. We'll just keep on playing."
Again sincere dedication to his music and his audience.
1. March 30, 1973. Zappa had concerts in Winterland, San Franciso, two days in a row, March 30 and 31. Warm-up bands were Foghat, Ruben and The Jets. (Zappa Gig List)
No tapes and setlists of these concerts are known.
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