Strictly Genteel A Classical Introduction To Frank Zappa Music Cd

Frank Zappa - Strictly Genteel A Classical Introduction To Frank Zappa

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Strictly Genteel: A Classical Introduction to Frank Zappa      Artist : Zappa      List Price : $16.98 USD        Your Price : $16.98 USD      ProductGroup: Music      Release Date : 1997-05-20      Studio : Zappa Records      Label : Zappa Records      Avg. Customer Rating : (5 reviews)

Reviews Customer Reviews for Strictly Genteel A Classical Introduction To Frank Zappa      Highly Enjoyable Introduction To A Side Of Zappa      Rating:      As the other reviewers point out being more of a Zappa fan than I, knowing Frank Zappa's music is an adventure since his unclassifiable genius at play is hard to grasp based on his output of some 60 albums while his eclecticism was hardly matched. There were none like him in the rock world and if one looks to composers like Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus as models within jazz then perhaps you can appreciate Zappa's brilliance. This is a wonderful compilation spanning some 12 albums that together flows with great sound and sequence making this a highly highly enjoyable pleasure in it's own right.     Customer Reviews for Strictly Genteel A Classical Introduction To Frank Zappa Cd      Classical (rather than classic) Zappa      Rating:      This collection of instrumentals is aimed at devotees of classical music who want to understand why many take Zappa so seriously. There's none of the adolescent silliness that has caused some to regard this brilliant freethinker as a misogynist, and almost none of the fervid, wildly imaginative guitar playing that his fans have come to know and love (the exception being the majestic, note-bending, sustain-dripping "The Duke of Prunes"). Eschewing strings as too saccharine, Frank's music (and this collection especially) relies heavily on woodwinds, horns, and the inevitable percussion instruments including piano. Himself a former percussionist, Frank has always favored long staccato runs by marimba and xylophones. This tendency reached its nadir with the synclavier, the programmable keyboard that was Frank's main preoccupation in his later years, represented here by "G-Spot Tornado". Some of these pieces ("Little Umbrellas", "Run Home Slow Theme") feature the insistent beat associated with rock and roll, but others show the influence of Edgar Varese, like the programmatic "Pedro's Dowry" which stumbles along by fits and starts like the recalcitrant mule it describes. Zappa always believed that any sound was a valid tonal color for his art, including non-traditional instruments, and some of these compositions even feature sounds of unidentifiable origin, such as "Dwarf Nebula" and "Uncle Meat: Main Title Theme". The two pieces by "Francesco Zappa" (which this reviewer assumes is one of Frank's put-ons until proven otherwise) have a more staid baroque feel while "Dupree's Paradise" and the title track have plenty of classical grandeur, particularly in the use of horns, reminiscent of Copland. Zappa's legions of devoted fans will probably already have most of these tracks, and may find the shortage of farcical humor and rock and roll instrumentation a serious drawback. This one is really an introduction to the master's serious compositional skills for the uninitiated classical fan who is looking for something a little different. For them, this ranks as a 5-star selection.