The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #51

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    Quote Originally Posted by TruthHertz
    Jazz or not. Argue or not. Frank was funny and like so much humour, it was full of truth. One of his best lines:

    Attachment 49941
    Shut up and play yer guitar

    Time to practice... fun thread!
    David
    Wonderfully fitting, he's pictured playing a Clownburst.

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  3. #52

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    Quote Originally Posted by sunnysideup
    ...... he remains the US's greatest satirist, at least to me as a foreign Brit.




    Dunno about greatest, but yeah, I liked his satire more than his music....

  4. #53

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    Frank was bigger than jazz. Much of his recording and touring was to make money to finance his serious art. Listen to his full body of work and you can tell the difference, even though there are places where the line gets blurry. He paid the Mother's a salary out of his pocket to work on his music even when they weren't recording and touring, that's dedication to your art, and darn expensive.

    He was not afraid to be a vulgar loud mouth fool in pursuit of artistic freedom, and freedom of speech. He was a crusader on the front lines in the battle against artistic censorship, because if corporate America had the freedom to make money any way it saw fit, he thought artists should be able to do the same without interference, feed their families too.

    Here's some Frank recorded before 1970...what other "rock" musicians were doing this then? Anyone who knows Eric Dolphy's work, especially OUT TO LUNCH knows this tune is no joke, it's an honest tribute, and it's no small coincidence that Zappa used vibes/marimba in the Mothers.

    Is it jazz enough?


  5. #54

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    Like him, loathe him or love him...Zappa was such a true "character" and that to me seems missing these days in genuine form.

    He surely was a truly great creative mind (one of many) from the San Berdoo/Inland Empire area...I'm sure his efforts blazed the way for many greats who followed.

    Jazz itself was being blown up, stretched and taken to places during his career that would leave the form of music hardly recognizable. I think from the sidelines he was part of that though never really entrenched in the classic sense...there were plenty of others already doing that...for him, with him, oblivious to him....

    So is the answer to the original question then is.... "N'Yes?" :-)

  6. #55

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    The last vinyl record I bought... I listened to this a lot which I think for some, like me, would be what it takes to really appreciate it. Zappa's last album.

    Zappa describes The Yellow Shark as one of the most fulfilling projects of his career

  7. #56

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    Quote Originally Posted by rfmando
    He surely was a truly great creative mind (one of many) from the San Berdoo/Inland Empire area...I'm sure his efforts blazed the way for many greats who followed.
    Actually Frank along with Capt Beefheart are from Lancaster CA, in the high desert north of L.A. which is where I live currently. A few around here remember Frank, Beefheart's drummer is living back out here again. A number of musicians move here cheaper and more laid back than L.A. but still can get to L.A. in 90 minutes depending on traffic. There is a house outside of town in the hills that is said to be Eddie Van Halen's hideaway to escape L.A. Carmine Appice was living here until a couple years ago, Carol Kaye lives up the freeway a bit. It was said Skunk Baxter lived here for awhile lots of musicians have spent time in Lancaster CA.

  8. #57

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    Quote Originally Posted by fep
    The last vinyl record I bought... I listened to this a lot which I think for some, like me, would be what it takes to really appreciate it. Zappa's last album.
    I don't think FZ had much to do with that project, beyond letting them get on with it. I think it's the best of the various 'orchestral' projects though, really well executed and really captures the essence of his music

  9. #58

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    Quote Originally Posted by rahsaan
    I don't think FZ had much to do with that project, beyond letting them get on with it. I think it's the best of the various 'orchestral' projects though, really well executed and really captures the essence of his music
    I believe he composed all the music including reorchestrating the older tunes and writing new music for the project and had the ensemble come to L.A. to his studios for rehearsals. He is the only one with composer credits on the album (there are no orchestration credits on the album, had to be Zappa).

  10. #59

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    Quote Originally Posted by rfmando
    Like him, loathe him or love him...Zappa was such a true "character" and that to me seems missing these days in genuine form.

    He surely was a truly great creative mind (one of many) from the San Berdoo/Inland Empire area...I'm sure his efforts blazed the way for many greats who followed.

    Jazz itself was being blown up, stretched and taken to places during his career that would leave the form of music hardly recognizable. I think from the sidelines he was part of that though never really entrenched in the classic sense...there were plenty of others already doing that...for him, with him, oblivious to him....

    So is the answer to the original question then is.... "N'Yes?" :-)
    As for San Berdoo, check out this song from the 50s film His Kind of Women. Some nice backing guitar on this one.


  11. #60

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    Quote Originally Posted by NSJ
    I’m not easily offended. I certainly don’t have any heroes . I think he would fit in perfectly for these times: he was an iconoclastic “Ironic” contrarian who like to offend everybody, one of those “enough about me what do you think about me ? “ types. That pretty much fits today like hand to glove.

    I find myself always drawn to serious, thoughtful musicians to don’t take themselves seriously and have genuine humility in spades . I.e., the exact opposite of attention gathering iconoclasts .

    The comedy routine that was “have I offended someone” is interesting for like three seconds and gets old really fast. One can say he pretty much helped pave the way for a Beavis and Butthead world.

    That’s why I said I was pretty much drawn to a lot to his instrumental work from hot rats to most likely to the period of Babysnakes. As he entered the 80s, I lost interest but that’s not just because of him, mostly music sucked as we entered the gated reverb and Synclavier and DX7 World. He wasn’t unusual in that regard. Look at Joni Mitchell’s 1980s music compared to her amazing 1970s output.
    Thanks.
    It seems like a lot of people are annoyed by 80's music so we must have been doing something right.

  12. #61

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    I think Frank Zappa was a Frank Zappa

  13. #62

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    Quote Originally Posted by NSJ
    I’m not easily offended. I certainly don’t have any heroes . I think he would fit in perfectly for these times: he was an iconoclastic “Ironic” contrarian who like to offend everybody, one of those “enough about me what do you think about me ? “ types. That pretty much fits today like hand to glove.

    I find myself always drawn to serious, thoughtful musicians to don’t take themselves seriously and have genuine humility in spades . I.e., the exact opposite of attention gathering iconoclasts .

    The comedy routine that was “have I offended someone” is interesting for like three seconds and gets old really fast. One can say he pretty much helped pave the way for a Beavis and Butthead world.
    Hmmm... I see your point... But I think I give Zappa some more credit in his humour, and Mike judge too (need to rewatch B&B and King of The Hill....)

    Perhaps we can ultimately connect this internet meme culture and the 4chan world of trollery, but Zappa (like Mike Judge, Trey Parker and Matt Stone) I think had a deep sense of humanity and right and wrong.... South Park and B&B are all about nuance under the hood...

    Reading Zappa, there was a real sense of outrage at problems in the world, a distaste for state violence, prejudice and hypocrisy.

    At the same time, someone who was in sometimes politically to the left, sometimes to the right, but always worth listening to...

    True some the humour hasn't aged well and there's is an intrinsic misogyny to the rock band/groupie culture Zappa. In a sense, he commented on what was happening anyway. In any case, some of the humour is in poor judgement and offensive on a human level... I doubt Dweezil will cover the Illinois Enema Bandit anytime soon...

    But no reason to dismiss every joke he made. Sometimes he NAILED it.

    That’s why I said I was pretty much drawn to a lot to his instrumental work from hot rats to most likely to the period of Babysnakes. As he entered the 80s, I lost interest but that’s not just because of him, mostly music sucked as we entered the gated reverb and Synclavier and DX7 World. He wasn’t unusual in that regard. Look at Joni Mitchell’s 1980s music compared to her amazing 1970s output.
    Gated reverb is what the kids are into now...

  14. #63

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    the Illinois Enema Bandit is dope blues song though. What's wrong with it?

    And there you go, Dweezel, killing it!



    Also, ''intrinsic misogyny to the rock band/groupie culture''... What does it mean?

  15. #64

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    I stand corrected.

    It's also an extended rape joke based on crimes that actually happened. YMMV.

    Michael H. Kenyon - Wikipedia

  16. #65

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
    Lets just celebrate his legacy. At least I will.
    Me too. He will always be a great influence on me.

  17. #66

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    Quote Originally Posted by christianm77
    I stand corrected.

    It's also an extended rape joke based on crimes that actually happened. YMMV.

    Michael H. Kenyon - Wikipedia
    BTW - I say this not to be 'holier than thou' - this was one of my favourite tunes off Live in New York. And I would support FZ's free speech in writing words that people might find offensive for whatever reason.

    But when you start thinking about it.... Made me pretty uncomfortable liking it once it had been pointed out to me.

    Free speech doesn't mean things should go unchallenged, and just because I think FZ was one of the Good Guys and a musical genius doesn't mean I think everything he wrote is beyond reproach... But as I say YMMV....

  18. #67

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    Ah.. Frank Zappa...big smile! I saw 25-30 shows from the early ones to the last ones. Every one great but "Shut up" was amazing. I brought half a dozen of my friends who were not necessarily Zappa fans but every one still talks about that show. I do wish he was still with us now.
    thanks John

  19. #68

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    Only Zappa plays Zappa for me ... pretty amazing though!

  20. #69

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    Quote Originally Posted by christianm77
    Only Zappa plays Zappa for me ... pretty amazing though!
    what about Dweezil Zappa?

  21. #70

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    I guess Frank liked this Oliver Nelson tune enough to cover it. The guy had good taste in jazz, IMO.


  22. #71

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    Quote Originally Posted by kris
    what about Dweezil Zappa?
    Zappa plays Zappa = Dweezil

  23. #72

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    As said above, Zappa was unique. He was not a jazz guitarist, but he played jazz fusion of the highest order. Several of his records--Grand Wazoo, Live at the Roxy, Overnight Sensation, One Size Fits All, are among the best fusion albums ever made, IMHO.

    His anarchic streak and ironic wit and scatophilia have made it a challenge for mainstream listeners to appreciate him, but there's no doubt he was the real deal.

    Who said Zappa can't play over chord changes? Listen to the albums listed above, also Hot Rats. The guy could play, but he wasn't coming from the Christian/Wes tradition. I don't know if he could play Giant Steps on request, but with his facile mind and talent I bet he could with a little woodshedding. He did prefer to play over straightforward vamps, as did Herbie Hancock, Miles and a lot of other jazzers, especially during the fusion period.

    He knew chord changes in and out, and orchestrated his own work for big band and orchestra, despite being entirely self-taught. A true savant of the musical world.

    Re' the Tedesco quote, remember Tedesco was payed to play crap like the Green Acres theme...not that I'm knocking him, he was a great guitarist. I have little doubt he could play Zappa but he would have to work at it like a Mother (pun intended), cause that s**t is hard. Looking at that picture I have to feel there is a lot of mutual admiration there.

    And not to put too fine a point on it, but Frank was more financially successful than virtually all jazz guitarists of his generation, with the possible exception of Benson.

    Last point--what's going on with the Zappa kids is very sad. I am highly sympathetic to Dweezil, especially as he played and recorded with his dad. Maybe Zappa didn't make the right preparations for what would happen to the music after Frank died--I suspect entrusting Gail with the legal authority was a mistake. But the crap going on now has nothing to do with the music Frank performed in his lifetime.

  24. #73

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
    Who said Zappa can't play over chord changes? Listen to the albums listed above, also Hot Rats. The guy could play, but he wasn't coming from the Christian/Wes tradition. I don't know if he could play Giant Steps on request, but with his facile mind and talent I bet he could with a little woodshedding. He did prefer to play over straightforward vamps, as did Herbie Hancock, Miles and a lot of other jazzers, especially during the fusion period.
    This sort of thing I find very tiresome... Why do we have to label a player as one thing or another? Obviously there is such a thing as the 'jazz guitar tradition', but is it really encapsulated being able to burn Giant Steps on request? Could Wes or CC? Or Grant Green for that matter? (I doubt it actually.)

    I would always rather judge a musician by the music they make than some inferred 'jazz credentials' - if that's burning GS, so be it, if not, I'm not going to be thinking about it.

    OTOH Some 'jazz buffs' I've encountered actually seem to think that way, they want the jazz credentials... I think that odd... I mean Wayne Krantz can probably play the shit out of GS but I really don't see that as relevant to the music he is making now. Also, players can't always do the stuff they did 20 or 30 years ago....

    FZ was not a ‘Jazz Guitarist’ because he did not phrase or swing like one... He was kind of his own thing, and his sense of time and phrasing is pretty much unique to him. This is not a cat who was going to construct flowing eighth note lines... That would have been boring and tropish I think, for his particular musical imagination.

    Back in the day his music was classified as rock (albeit weird rock) and he played to rock audiences at rock venues (Miles would get into that too, later the fusion movement).... Nowadays, he'd be on the jazz circuit, because all instrumental Western non-classical music is apparently jazz.

    I think FZ had an ambivalent relationship with jazz - loved Roland Kirk, Dolphy and other individual artists - profoundly antipathetic to the world of straightahead gigs and ii-V-I's. In his autobio he mentions having done some fake book gigs lol.
    Last edited by christianm77; 01-28-2018 at 09:11 AM.

  25. #74

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    What genre is this music?



  26. #75

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    Quote Originally Posted by NSJ
    When Tommy Tudesco and Joe Pass met Frank Zappa at NAMM:

    "Taken from another angle: when Zappa met Tommy Tedesco and Joe Pass---Zappa is famous for making fun of jazz. The problem is: he couldn't play any.

    Excerpt:

    "The story goes like this according to Joe Pass and I'm paraphrasing: "Tommy and I were both very excited to hear the Frank Zappa would be gracing our small stage that day at the NAMM show." Joe went on to say "In fact I was nervous, my palms were sweating, I had read and heard that this man was one of the greatest guitarists and composers of all time, like a modern day Mozart."

    "We played a set, we waited, no Zappa, we played another set, still no Zappa. By this time, the suspense was killing both Tedesco and myself," (myself meaning Joe Pass.)

    "At last, we see a dark haired man wearing a black long cape surrounded by a flock of worshipers coming toward our stage. We had to stop playing because there was complete chaos around our booth as Zappa was signing autographs and his fans were trying to touch his garment."

    "After an hour of worship and autographs, he picks up a guitar and bangs out a couple of loud bar chords. Zappa turns to Tommy and asks, 'What do you guys what to play?'" Joe Pass started to rattle off tunes like Giant Steps, a John Coltrane classic, hey, Joe said, "we figured this Zappa guy is the best, lets play the most demanding music possible."

    "After requesting more then two dozen standards, we realized this guy couldn't play any standards, not one. We ended up playing a TOO loud 12 bar blues, that's all Frank could play. It was pathetic."

    I remember reading this too. No he WAS not a jazzer.

    Live at the Fillmore East (I think it was called) was something I played when my parents were at work, good heavens it was nasty. And funny. It would not go over in these PC times.

    I saw him live once. They played one blues tune. He played it very well, it was by far the most satisfying thing he played all night. I can't remember any other song they played, although Dinah Moe Humm was probably on the set list. Great lyrics on that one. Wow.