Download - A Different Zappa Emerges
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AdifferentZappaemergesinepic'operapantomime'ByRipRenseSpecialtoTheJournalTheMilwaukeeJournal,December18,1994
FORTHELAST10yearsofhislife,FrankZappaworkedobsessivelyon"Civilization:PhazeIII,"asprawling,113-minuteepic.Itmarkedthemostcomplexandambitiousmusicalexperimentingofhiscareer.
Finishingthemassiveworkassumedanincreasingurgencyafterthemusician/composerwasdiagnosedwithcancerin1990.Hemadethelastminoradjustmentsonlyweeksbeforehisdeath,at52,onDec.4lastyear.
"Civilization:PhazeIII"wasreleasedearlierthismonthmailorderonlyonZappa'sownBarkingPumpkinRecords.
"Ithinkit'sverymuchaboutfinishinghislife,"saidGailZappa,hiswidow."Iwouldcallthishismasterwork.Hesaidthatafterhefinishedthis,hehadnothingmoretodo.Iaskedhim,'Isthereanythingelseyouwanttotellmeabout?'Hesaid,'No,I'vedoneeverythingthatIcan.'"
MattGroening,creatorof"TheSimpsons"andafriendofZappa's,describedthepiecethisway:"Listeningtoit,itfeelslikeFrankwastryingtocramasmanymusicalideasaspossible,oneaftertheother,intothispiece.It'sverythic
kanddenseandoverpoweringasalisteningexperience.EvenifyouthinkyouknowFrankZappa'smusic,Idon'tthinkanybodycouldbesufficientlypreparedforthepowerhousethisthingrepresents.
PLANNEDPRODUCTION
LinernoteswrittenbyFrankZappadescribetheworkas"anoperapantomime,withchoreographedphysicalactivity(manifestedasdanceorotherformsofinexplicablesocio-physicalcommunication)."Justbeforehisdeath,ZappaexplainedthetheatricalconceptfortheworktochoreographerJameyHampton,oftheISODanceTroupe,andGroening,whoareplanningtostageaproductionofthework.
"Frankwasveryspecificabouthisideasforit,"saidGroening."Hewantedtou
seold-fashionedstagecraft,nothingfancy,noTVmonitors."
"Civilization:PhazeIII"culminatesacomposingcareerthatbeganwhenateenageZappawasfirstinspiredtoputmusicalnotesonpaperafterhearingtheworkofavant-gardecomposerEdgardVarse.
AlthoughthelikesoftheLondonSymphony,PierreBoulezandKentNaganohavechampionedandrecordedZappa'sworks,heisironicallybestknownfornovelpop-rocksatireslike"ValleyGirl"(sungwithdaughterMoonUnit),"DancingFool"and"JesusThinksYou'reaJerk."
ComposedlargelyattheSynclavier,asophisticatedcomputer-drivensynthesizercapableofproducingpracticallyanyimaginablesound,"Civilization:PhazeIII"
isbasicallyorchestralintexture.Aboutone-thirdofitwasperformedbytheEuropeannewmusicgroup,EnsembleModern.Conceptuallyandstylistically,theworkisacontinuationofZappa's1967avant-gardeballet/narrative,"LumpyGravy,"andhis1966album"We'reOnlyinItfortheMoney,"whichhassometimesbeencalledthe"cynicalflip-sideof'Sgt.Pepper'."
"Ithinkthat'PhazeIII'isperhapstheultimatedestinyofthisparticularaspect[ofZappa'swork],"saidGailZappa.
"'PhazeIII'probablystartedofftobeonething,butbecauseheworkedsohar
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dtofinishitbeforehedied,itbecamesomethingalittledifferentthanheoriginallyintended."
MAIL-ORDEREXPERIMENT
Whyreleaseitmail-orderonly?
I'mdoingitthisway,"shesaid,"asanexperiment,becauseIwantedtoseewho'sreallyoutthere,andhowmuchattentionthey'replayingtotheimportanceofhavingFrank'smusicintheirlives."
Couldthemail-orderprocesshinderexposureofthemusic?(Thealbumwilllikelybemarketedinmusicstores"atsomepoint.")
"Itmayseemunfair,inmanyways,totreathismusicthisway,"shesaid."Buthegavethisrecordtome.And[itis]ofparticularimportancetomepersonally.IwantedtomakeitavailabletothosepeoplewhoareloyalfansofFrankinthiscountry...withouthavingtorelyonanindustrythatneversupportedFrankinanywayasacomposer."
Thereare19piecesofmusicin"PhazeIII,"interspersedwitharunningdialogueleftoverfromthe1967"LumpyGravy"sessionsandnewdialoguerecordedbyMoonUnitZappaandZappaassociates.For"LumpyGravy,"Zappapromptedfriendsto"rambleincoherently"intomicrophonesplantedinsideapiano,theneditedthei
rvariousspeechesintoanabsurdistcommentarythatpunctuatedoriginalorchestralmusic."PhazeIII"continuesthattradition,asZappa'sCDlinernotesexplain.
"In'Civilization:PhazeIII,'wegetafewmorecluesaboutthelivesofthepianodwellersandnotethattheexternalevilshaveonlygottenworsesincewefirstmetthem."
CoverartbyUriBalashov(whosemisspellingof"Phase"waspromptlyadoptedbyZappaastheformaltitle)depictsamassivepianoatopamountainous,fearsomecivilization.Withorwithoutthe"pianodweller"story,themusicof"Civilization:PhazeIII"standsasthemostdenseandintricatestuffZappaevercreated.Atleastoneofthetitles,"BeattheReaper,"wouldseemtogrimlyattesttot
hecircumstancesunderwhichcomposerworked.
Groening,alongtimeadmirerwhobefriendedZappalateinlife,describedthesoundas"Stravinsky-esqueorchestraltuneswithConlonNancarrowtirelessforwardpropulsionpresentedwiththemostcuttingedgetechnology"adding,inmoreaccessibleterms:"ThismusicshouldfinallygetZappatakentrulyseriouslyasacomposer.Thereisnothingelseincontemporarymusicthatsoundsanythinglikeit.I'llbelisteningtothispiecefortherestofmylifethat'sforsure."
Perhapsthecenterpieceoftheworkisan18-minute,six-movementcompositiontitled"N-Lite."Zappainsistedthetitlewasmerelyaconvenient,andquiteabsurd,computerlabel,ashesaidina1992conversation."It'snotreallyadramaticstory.Youhaveonlyeightletterstonamethesethingsinthecomputerprogra
m."
Groeningremainsunconvinced.
"Ithinkthatwaspartofhisartisticstancetonotallowhimselftobepinneddown,"hesaid."Heclaimedtherewasnomeaningtothetitle'N-Lite.'Itwasjustanamethecomputerassignedtothepiece.Idon'tbelievethat.Isitabouttheendoflight?Enlightenment?'"
Inanyevent,itnamesmusicthatwasabreakthroughandadepartureinZappa's
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long,remarkablecareer;musicthatportendsthingsthatwill,tragically,nevercome.
"It'scalledmortality,"saidGailZappa."Ithink['PhazeIII']hasalottodowithFrankknowingthathewasn'tgoingtobeabletorealizealotofthingsthathewantedtodo.Sothenyoudowhatyoucan.Partofitisanexpressionofthat.Idon'tthinkhewasinahurry,asmuchashewaspragmaticandsaid.'Icandothis.'Iseeitasabigtime'ThanksFortheMemories,'insomeways."