As we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of the beginnings of fusion , it’s fitting that UME has released in a giant 6 disc format a collection of Frank Zappa’s most important album, 1969’s Hot Rats.
1969-70 were the halcyon days of fusion, as rock and jazz finalized their successful marriage in a series of exciting albums. Just a few included Miles Davis’ In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew, the debut albums of Blood Sweat and Tears as well as Chicago (then known as Chicago Transit Authority), Tony Williams’ Lifetime, Soft Machine’s Third, King Crimson’s In The Court of the Crimson King, Larry Coryell’s Spaces and the first Santana album. And, while Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew could be arguably the first crossover from jazz to rock, without a doubt the rock album that fused over in the other direction was Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats.
This was Zappa’s first album since leaving The Mothers of Invention, and, as with Miles, he keeps hints of his roots (in this case satirical rock) and brings in jazz artists such as Ian Underwood(who also played with Lee Ritenour and Freddie Hubbard) on clarinet, flute, piano and sax, a pre-Mahavishnu Jean-Luc Ponty on violin, studio stud drummer John Guerin to bring in the bona-fides, and even R&B er Johnny Otis is invited to sit in with son Shuggie for a hip little gosple groove.
Just like Davis’ seminal album, Zappa’s final 43 minute product (as this multi-disc set displays) was a result of voluminous and lengthy jams and experimentations, finally edited down into a palpable meal from a wide ranging smorgasbord of filling delights.
The final product is an amazing mix of short and concise tunes and instrumental journeys. Captain Beefheart, fresh out of the studios from his own wild Trout Mask Replica, brings in raucous vocals to the swampy funk of “Willie The Pimp” along with plugged in violin and gritty stomp from the piano and rhythm team. There are a number of variations of the three minute beauty “Peaches En Regalia” (with Shuggie’s hip bass line) that display a fascinating work-in progress, with the final product still sounding fresh and lyrical. Zappa’s guitar and Underwood’s sax are the apotheosis of fusion during “ The Gumbo Variations” with the horns sounding exciting as they sear over the galloping horns and Max Bennett’s dancing bass on “Son Of Mr. Green Genes”.
The material not previously released gives enticing insight to the musical mind of Zappa at this stage in his life. First of all, he was a sui-generis guitarist, with his work on the 30 minute free for all “ Big Legs” displaying a wide range of sounds and ideas, finally being edited down to “Big Legs”. Secondly, he was at heart a master of melody,and while he tried to hide it with his acrid satirism, pieces like the Middle Eastern “Little Umbrella” (with Underwood’s rich soprano) and melodic and dramatic “It Must Be A Camel” show a soft core over r his prickly pear outer skin. Zappa’s guitar musing on “Arabesque” is the work of a m aster mind, with other recently brought to light gems include a handful of “Piano Music”, the first time official release of “Bognor Regis” and a collection of th ings like “Transition”, unedited masters of “Twenty Small Cigars, “Toads of The Short Forest,” Directly From My Heart To You”, and boogie-ing “Lil’ Clanton Shuffle”. Other vault obscurities include mono single versions of some of the tunes and even a promotional ad for the album.
Like the Miles Davis sessions that led to Bitches Brew and The Jack Johnson sessions, the original album, while seminal during its original release, was like an ice berg of what actually transpired in the studio. This wonderful boxed set takes you underwater, and you’ll love the view.