Existing comment:
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
A figure of the American counterculture, composer and guitarist Frank Zappa (1940–1993) believed that "Anything, Any Time, Anywhere for No Reason at All" -- music, texts, interviews, films, statements, etc.––should be considered part of his aesthetic. This maximalist credo revealed as much about the eclectic sources that nourished his compositions as about his prolific and varied output. Born in Maryland and raised partly in California, Zappa became interested during his teenage years in the avant-garde classical music of Edgard Varèse, as well as in doo-wop, blues, and R&B. After graduating from high school he formed the band that would become the Mothers of Invention. In 1966 they released the seminal Freak Out! in which Zappa's acerbic humor, socially critical lyrics, and complex orchestral arrangements were already evident. The band performed together with different lineups until 1975. With them and on his own, Zappa recorded close to eighty albums of compositions ranging from jazz and electronica to concrete music and rock and roll.
George Rodriguez, c 1966 |