Zappa Plays Zappa
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dweezil ZappaBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: NTSC
Running Time: 205 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-04-29
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Razor & Tie
Movie Reviews of Zappa Plays Zappa
Movie Review: Jaw-droppingly intelligent music
Summary: 5 Stars
WARNING: at the time of this review, the product description here on Amazon is just plain wrong. It states that the band "duet" with Frank via video on the tune "Chunga's Revenge." Neither that song nor any other duet with Frank is on the dvd, cd, or dvd/cd version of this release.
That aside, this is an delightful release. Dweezil has selected some of his dad's most accessible tunes, assembled an utterly amazing band to perform them, toured the world for months, and captured for our video amusement and amazement the performances of two consecutive nights.
The songs are among the most popular from Frank's catalog, emphasizing the albums Over-Nite Sensation, Apostrophe', and Roxy & Elsewhere. That was a period in Frank's career when all of his skills hit their zenith together for the first time - his uniquely classical sensibility of long sections of composed instrumental complexity, interspersed with a jazzer's delight of great chord progressions underlying portions of free improvising, overlaid with pure rock band distorted tones, and pop vocal melodies, but minus most of the scatalogical explorations that alienated some listeners (and prevented radio play) a little later in Frank's career.
Dweezil's band is comprosed of mostly unknown musicians, of such a caliber that each of them could easily have been in any of Frank's bands. The one exception, and a brilliant decision on Dweezil's part, was to include Napoleon Murphy Brock on lead vocals, from Frank's band of the mid-70's, and indeed those three key albums listed above. Several reviewers have noted Napoleon's obvious delight at the performances of these tunes by this band, and his delight becomes ours as we discover what he already knows - these kids nail some of the most complex music ever written, at least in the rock realm, and make it look easy, and fun.
A couple of other Frank alumni, Steve Vai and Terry Bozzio, are on this dvd as well, but appearing in cameos in the middle and again at the end. Frankly (pun intended), these are the weaker parts of the show. These guys are phenomenal players, but part of what is so delightful about this concert is the ego-free devotion of the core band to this wonderful music, and the purity of that is somewhat disrupted by inserting "special guest stars."
The video production is as astonishing as the music. The average in-concert dvd is taken from a recording of the video that is on the side screens at the show, or a tv broadcast of a show along the tour. It's usually pretty well-done, but with several cringe-inducing moments where we're stuck looking at the wrong guy, such as the guitar player taking it easy while the sax player solos his brains out, just not where WE can see it. Or, just lots of shots of band members playing the song, mindlessly quick-cut mtv-style for no apparent reason...
None of that here - this video is comprised of many shots, true, and they cut from camera to camera rapidly, but it's different: every single shot is on-screen for a reason. We see the bass player when he is doing something intricate, we see the sax player when she reacts to something the drummer did, we see Dweezil as he points to who gets the next solo, we see guitar and keyboards side-by-side while they play a complex melody in unison. There's a lot of shots because this is intricate music played by 8+ musicians, so there's a lot going on, at almost all times. But not only are no details missed, but while this writer has repeatedly enjoyed many of these tunes for 30+ years since their original release, the video has actually revealed, through the intelligence of the editing, little compositional details that I had never noticed before. Amazing...
Great tunes, a fabulous band, superior video production - what's not to like? This release is recommended for those who have been lucky enough to see one of these shows, as well as those that haven't. If you are a fan of Frank's music, it is essential. If you're not, this would be a great way to get to know some great music that you've been missing.
Summary of Zappa Plays Zappa
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