Funky Nothingness

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Let’s Go! – weekly SiriusXM show with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray – makes Season 3 debut on September 4 Dutchcharts.nl – Frank Zappa – Funky Nothingness" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023. The Funky Nothingness sessions — built around the steady groove of drummer Aynsley Dunbar and bassist Max Bennett — catch Zappa in harvesting-ideas mode. The group explores vintage swamp blues (Lightnin’ Slim’s “I’m a Rollin’ Stone”) and early R&B (covers of Hank Ballard’s “Work With Me Annie” and “Annie Had a Baby,” sung by Don “Sugarcane” Harris), as well as whimsical originals built on older styles (the doo-wop send-up “Sharleena”). It’s joyriding, lane-changing music — the atmosphere is loose and easygoing (for a Zappa project). There are few conceptual overlays to manage. Disc three opens with two lengthy percussion pieces: “The Clap” parts one and two. They’re not essential, but it’s nice to have them in full. There’s another version of “Chunga,” this time going long enough to take up a whole LP side. And there’s also the full version of “Tommy/Vincent Duo” which at 20 minutes is enough to satisfy any Zappa fan who wants to hear him and Dunbar really cutting loose with the tapes rolling. You don’t really get this freewheeling experience on any of the records he released at that time. The Clap" (CD3: Zappa/Hot Rats '70 More Session Masters & bonus Nothingness - Unedited Master - part I)

Was the guitarist and composer’s aesthetic fully formed out of the gate, from those ribald first works with the Mothers of Invention? Or was there some sort of galvanizing moment a bit later on, as Zappa’s skills fell into alignment with his ambition, when his intentions clarified and his options multiplied? Another awe-inspiring jam is Tommy/Vincent Duo II, showcasing the magic between Zappa and Dunbar in their earliest days together. An unedited version, which stretches to nearly 22 minutes long, appears on Disc 3. Travers writes, “By 1970, Frank had worked with some great drummers between The Mothers and the L.A. studio scene… (but) Aynsley took things to another level. It’s easy to understand how Frank would be excited to see where their chemistry would take them musically. Here is audio proof.” If you love Frank Zappa’s music and his work around the time of Hot Rats and Chunga’s Revenge, then Funky Nothingness is an absolutely essential spin for you. ’Nuff said. And then, in the middle of all this output, Zappa assembled another band and carved out time for something that might seem curiously extra: jamming. National Music Centre to Present Panel of Indigenous Voices on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Funky Nothingness was produced and assembled by Ahmet Zappa (Frank’s son) and Zappa historian Joe Travers. “It’s very rare to find that amount of music from one set of sessions that has gone unheard for such a long period of time,” Travers notedin a press release. Finally, there’s a few weird odds and ends: “Halos and Arrows,” a fragment where Zappa overdubs himself with layers of guitars (it’s perhaps a cousin to “Nine Types of Industrial Pollution”), “Moldred” which is a slowed-down and overdubbed bit from “Tommy/Vincent,” and “Fast Funky Nothingness” which bookends the set with another bluesy guitar jam.

Funky Nothingness preserves a number of "Tommy and Vincent" jams between Zappa and Dunbar, skillfully playing off one another with an intuitive connection and matching high energy. The first two jams were mixed by FZ in 1970; the third, newly-mixed one is the full, unedited, 22-minute master on which Zappa starts off on bass and moves to guitar. Naturally, some moments feel meandering while other improvised themes beg to be expanded upon, a testament to both players' virtuosity. An interesting treat is an alternate version of “Work With Me Annie/Annie Had A Baby.” A song Zappa never really finished in the studio, this one is newly compiled from various takes and edited together for a fully-formed take. Is that messing with the gospel? I don’t think so – it’s a more engaging listen than hearing all the incomplete takes in a row. THREE-DISC EXPANDED DELUXE EDITION CONTAINS OUTTAKES, ALTERNATE EDITS, AND UNEDITED MASTERS FROM LITTLE KNOWN RECORDING SESSIONS Some of these songs will be familiar to Zappa devotees. "Chunga's Revenge," included in Funky Nothingnessin three separate versions, was refigured as the title song from Hot Rat's follow-up, a cover of 1950s bluesman Lightnin' Slim's "I'm a Rollin' Stone" transformed into "Stink-Foot" from 1974's Apostrophe and Chunga's Revenge's closing song "Sharleena" is featured inan earlier 12-minute version.The original material is similarly arresting. A hypnotic "Chunga's Revenge" recorded in the basement of Zappa's Laurel Canyon home and subsequent "Basement Jam" debut here; an edit of the recording was released in surround sound on the 2004 DVD-A release QuAUDIOPHILIAc. Indeed, much of the material here would make sense on an expanded edition of 1970's Chunga's Revenge. "Sharleena" closed that album. Former Turtles Flo and Eddie took the lead vocals, lending it their trademark pop sound. (That rendition was intended to be released on 45 RPM but the single never materialized.) The liner notes here reveal that Zappa described this Record Plant take as "the funky version." It's an apt tag as it leans more heavily into the blues than the released recording and features Sugarcane Harris' bluesy vocals. It's also nearly three times as long, featuring an extended improvisation with incendiary solos from Harris and Zappa before the proper song is restated. (This "Sharleena" was issued on 1996's The Lost Episodes in a remix; Funky Nothingness presents Zappa's original 1970 mix.) Reed, Ryan (June 30, 2023). "Frank Zappa's Funky Nothingness Is Full of Meandering, Revelatory Jams". Spin. Photo Gallery: Parkway Drive with The Amity Affliction, Northlane and Make Them Suffer at Toronto’s RBC Echo Beach Ultratop.be – Frank Zappa – Funky Nothingness" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

Zappa/Hot Rats ’70: Session Masters & Bonus Nothingness” spans the second and third discs. Among these outtakes, alternate edits, unreleased masters of songs from the period, and improvisational recordings is “Tommy/Vincent Duo III (Unedited Master),” which finds Zappa and Dunbar squaring off on nearly 22 minutes of guitar/drum improvisation. With this welcome offering of three and a half hours of unheard studio Zappa that follows one of his most celebrated albums, one can’t help but wonder what else might eventually escape from the Zappa vault. ( www.zappa.com) Setting realistic expectations, it is thus important to go into any Funky listening session not expecting it to sound like Return of the Son of Hot Rats. In fact, Funky Nothingness is its own thing betwixt and between, as Zappa was exploring new sounds for what would ultimately lead to the next incarnation of The Mothers of Invention.Offiziellecharts.de – Frank Zappa – Funky Nothingness" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 2, 2023. Funky Nothingness, as an album, is special in that it features at least three written compositions, three cover versions, and multiple instrumental jam-oriented segments, all previously unreleased,” vaultmeister Joe Travers said in a statement. “It’s very rare to find that amount of music from one set of sessions that has gone unheard for such a long period of time.” Frank Zappa remains one of the most fascinating musicians and composers of his generation. Zappa was a rare individual who was equally skilled playing and writing in a number of different genres and styles, Funky Nothingness represents the brief era of a band which deserved to last longer than it did. Early on, Zappa realized the importance of recording whenever possible, as an impromptu studio jam or concert highlight might otherwise be lost for good. Especially after he dissolved his original Mothers of Invention band in 1969, Zappa sought out the best musicians possible. By the time of his death he had amassed a sizable library of unissued studio and concert performances. With the time Zappa spent composing, rehearsing bands and going on the road, it is little wonder that there was insufficient time for him to go through his entire archive to locate hidden treasures for release.

Together the group recorded hours’ worth of original compositions, inspired covers and extended improvisations that drew from Zappa’s R&B and blues roots, while blending influences of the emerging jazz fusion scene. Largely instrumental, these recordings showcased the guitarist’s virtuosity, while offering what could have easily been the sequel to Hot Rats, had it ever been released. Funky Nothingness includes numerous extended jams and workouts in the spirit of Hot Rats, but with a different production aesthetic and a feel leaning more towards vintage R&B at times. All that ultimately makes this Funky music lean more toward the underlying vibe that would emerge on Chunga’s Revenge. Funky Nothingness, as an album, is special in that it features at least three written compositions, three cover versions and multiple instrumental jam-oriented segments, all previously unreleased,” Travers explains. “It’s very rare to find that amount of music from one set of sessions that has gone unheard for such a long period of time.”From here, one gets into the meat and bones of this set: two hours of alternates and outtakes. There’s a little bit of everything: unedited takes of “Sharleena” and “Transylvania Boogie” (which originally appeared in 1970’s Chunga’s Revenge), and alternate versions of “Chunga’s Revenge” and “Twinkle Tits.” The alternative version of “Chunga’s” has more heft than the take on disc one with strong soloing from Zappa; it also runs over 16 minutes, which is maybe why it didn’t fit in there. It’s of a piece with “Willie the Pimp” from Hot Rats in showing how Zappa’s guitar playing was growing with leaps and bounds in the late 1960s. With Dunbar’s drumming, it might even top that performance. The version of “Twinkle,” meanwhile, shows a more stripped down take – no overdubs, so it’s like being a fly on the wall at these sessions. Music Superstar YOSHIKI Will Become First Japanese Artist to be Immortalized in Cement at the World-Famous TCL Chinese Theatre Hollywood Disc Two includes a nearly 15-minute long unedited version of the full take of “Sharleena” which includes an alternate vocal part, additional overdubs and a longer guitar solo than the version first heard on The Lost Episodes collection! Another awe-inspiring jam is “Tommy/Vincent Duo II,” showcasing the magic between Zappa and Dunbar in their earliest days together. An unedited version, which stretches to nearly 22 minutes long, appears on Disc 3. Travers writes, “By 1970, Frank had worked with some great drummers between The Mothers and the L.A. studio scene…[but] Aynsley took things to another level. It’s easy to understand how Frank would be excited to see where their chemistry would take them musically. Here is audio proof.”