| Album notes by Joe Travers
|
| Vaultmeister Notes
|
| “Little Dots” is the audio sequel to “Imaginary Diseases” - released in 2005. It consists of additional music compiled from master tapes that were hand-picked and worked on by the Maestro himself. All masters were transferred at the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen in 2004. Most of these performances were scattered amongst various reels, some incomplete, all found in the Vault. Frank would work with material from this line-up on and off, but sadly nothing was ever officially released during his lifetime. “Imaginary Diseases” was the first release to feature the “Petite Wazoo”, a short-lived 10-piece ensemble with an emphasis on brass and woodwind instrumentation (with maybe even a little steel drum on the side… ▶)
|
| To quote Gail Zappa:
|
“This is the 10-Piece Band as ordained by FZ who also called it the Mothers of Invention, although at this point in time and space this entitlement was more a marketing device and part of the conceptual continuity. For everyone on the other side of the speaker cabinets however, it will always be the Petite Wazoo”.
|
| A tour was booked that took the band through the U.S. & Canada during the end of October through December 1972. During this tour, many new compositions were introduced for the first time.
|
| “Little Dots”, the piece, makes its debut on this release. “Cosmik Debris” is the first version which predates the issued master on “Apostrophe (’)” in 1974. “Rollo” can now be heard in its initial and complete three-movement form. There were also many instances where Frank would challenge the group to on-the-spot improvisations, or just hit ‘em with a good ol’ nasty blues as evident on “Kansas City Shuffle”.
|
| Album notes by Malcolm McNab - July 2016
|
| The Petite Wazoo
|
| In September 1972 I travelled to Europe with the Grand Wazoo - a 20-piece orchestra with Frank Zappa, me and my wife Joann Caldwell. We played in London (at The Oval), Berlin, Rotterdam, The Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden, New York and at the Hollywood Bowl. The Grand Wazoo was made up of classical and studio musicians working in Los Angeles. It was a great experience for me. The music was challenging and very, very creative and spontaneous. In Berlin we did the world premiere of “The Fighting McNabs” featuring yours truly and my ex-wife Joann Caldwell in a duel with our instruments. Frank had picked up on our constant arguing and fighting on the tour and surprised both of us by announcing a live marital therapy session with trumpet and bassoon. He created a musical dialogue between the instruments which became more and more heated and intense as he conducted the exchange with his unique style of conducting. I am not quite sure if it was therapeutic, but after that we became quite aware that someone was listening to all of our daily bickering.
|
| Grand Wazoo was about a two week tour and the group lasted only that long - never to perform in that format again! After that wonderful and memorable tour, we toured in October, November and December with Petite Wazoo a 10-piece band with five brass:
|
| Myself and Gary Barone - trumpets
|
| Bruce Fowler, Glenn Ferris - trombones
|
| Multi-instrumentalist Tom “Bones” Malone - trumpet, piccolo trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, saxophones and flute
|
| Earl Dumler - woodwinds, including bass oboe and Eb contrabass sarrusophone
|
| Tony Duran and Frank Zappa - guitars
|
| Dave Parlato - bass
|
| Jim Gordon - drums
|
| We rehearsed Frank’s demanding and intricate music which we played with always the possibility of improvising something on the spot. We toured in the United States, mostly going out on weekends to: Philadelphia, PA; Kansas City, MO; Montreal, Quebec; Syracuse and Binghamton, NY; Passaic, NJ; Waterbury, CT; Richmond, VA; Charlotte, NC; Columbia, SC; Commack, NY; Washington D.C.; Providence, RI; Wichita, KS; Lincoln, NE; Vancouver, BC; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; and San Francisco, CA.
|
| Before that “touring” was when Frank called me to come up to the house to hear me play a tune he had composed on his guitar. The piece of sheet music he put before me was entitled “The Malcolm McNab”. To say that it was just about the most challenging manuscript ever put in front of me is still an understatement. I proceeded to try and read it for him. I continued practicing that page for the next thirty some years. The line eventually became part of a larger work called “Farther O’Blivion”. It was played to a tango beat and, if that wasn’t difficult enough, Zappa asked me to dance while I played it!
|
| That is an example of how Frank encouraged his sidemen to push the envelope and get to be “badder MFs”. We all became better musicians because of his creativity and imagination.
|
| Those gigs with the Petite Wazoo are some of my favorite memories. We did a lot of weekend runs out to the east and the south. The one gig that really stands out in my memory was Columbia, South Carolina. At the sound-check before the concert there seemed to be an absence of the usual aroma of that popular weed / cannabis in the arena. The opening act was Tim Buckley and his band. Before going on stage I was backstage doing a very careful and necessary warm up. From time to time, as musicians often do, our drummer and another band member were locked in a backstage restroom down the hall engaging in some of those bad boy habits - when suddenly a couple of young guys in jeans and jean jackets broke down the door to the bathroom and dragged these two miscreants out in handcuffs. My warm up came to a very quick conclusion as I dropped my jaw and saw them hauled off to jail five minutes before our appearance onstage. Now what? The drummer and another important member were gone for the night. Obviously we could not play the planned program.
|
| With the drummer from Tim Buckley’s band, Maury Baker, and what was left of the Zappa band, we proceeded to make up the entire performance, improvising along with Frank’s unique conducting and creative influence and of course, great guitar solos. The trauma of the event for me continued as I tried my best to cough up some of my meager improvisation skills, an early experience for me. Well, as I remember, the concert went on and the two suspects were bailed out of jail the next morning by our road manager with cash he kept for such occasions. The band left town and I imagine that these two guys lost money that weekend.
|
| Actually, the drummer, Jim Gordon, went on to murder his own mother with a hammer a decade or so later. Rumor has it he still resides in Atascadero State Mental Hospital to this day. When Gail Zappa wanted to send a new CD release of the Petite Wazoo to all of the band members, she asked me to find the mailing addresses of the musicians. All except the incarcerated percussionist Jim Gordon!
|
| This release includes some random concerts of the Petite Wazoo on tour. As a special bonus, this recording includes about 20 minutes of that improvised South Carolina appearance.
|
| Album notes by Maury Baker - March 2016
|
| My Experience With Frank Zappa
|
| On November 5, 1972, I played a concert with Frank Zappa in Columbia, SC. I was playing drums in Tim Buckley’s band, the opening act for Frank on his “Petite Wazoo” tour.
|
| Jim Gordon was the drummer for Zappa at the time. Circumstances arose that prevented Jim from playing that night so Frank came into our dressing room (we had finished our set) and asked me to play.
|
| The evidence of that night is here. With this recording, I get to hear a part of history that I was honored to participate in.
|
| This is not only a rare glimpse into the improvisational skills of these players, but what happened in these twenty-four plus minutes was a true Zappa composition, composed and directed by Frank in real time.
|
| Interesting, that years earlier in New York, the avant-garde composer, Edgard Varèse and I met in the Village, on “positively 4th street…”. Varèse was one of Zappa’s favorite composers, having had a profound influence on Frank’s music. Varèse invited me to his apartment to listen to his music and talk about percussionists. Unfortunately, I was unable to accept his gracious invite.
|
| Seems there were signs back then that foresaw our eventual meeting. After having played with a number of Frank’s band members over the years, it was kind of prophetic that the opportunity arose for us to play together.
|
| My deepest appreciation goes to Joe Travers for solving the drummer mystery and asking me to share my thoughts.
|
| Newspaper extract - Gamecock, Columbia, South Carolina - November 6, 1972
|
| Township arrests
|
| Two members of Frank Zappa’s “Mothers of Invention” band were arrested last night at Township Auditorium for possession of cocaine.
|
| Horn player Gary Barone and drummer James Gordon were arrested during an intermission in the show between 10:45 and 10:55 according to Sgt Galvin of the Columbia Police Department narcotic squad.
|
| Both musicians posted $5,000 bond and were released to their attorney.
|
| When the Mothers appeared on stage Frank Zappa prefaced the performance with: “Our regular drummer couldn’t be here tonight because he has a peculiar malady”.
|
| At the end of the performance the crowd at the auditorium began screaming “more, more” as is the custom for requesting an encore. Zappa, however, cut the show short saying that circumstances beyond his control prevented extending the performance for another number.
|
| Gordon was a member ot “Derek and The Dominos”.
|
| [FZ] The mystery man came over
|
| An’ he said: “I’m outasite”
|
| He said for a nominal service charge
|
| I can reach Nervonna t’nite
|
|
|
| If I was ready, willing an’ able ▶
|
| To pay him his regular fee
|
| He would drop all the rest of his pressing affairs
|
| And devote his attention to me
|
| But I said:
|
|
|
| “Look here, brother, who you jivin’ with that cosmik debris?
|
| Look here, brother, don’t you waste your time on me”
|
|
|
| The mystery man got nervous
|
| An’ he fidget around a bit
|
| He reached in the pocket of his mystery robe
|
| An’ he whipped out a shaving kit
|
|
|
| Well, I thought it was a razor
|
| An’ a can of foamin’ goo
|
| But he told me right then when the top popped open
|
| There was nothin’ his box won’t do
|
|
|
| With the oil of Afro Dytee
|
| An’ the dust of the Grand Wazoo ▶
|
| He said: “You may not believe this, little fella, but it’ll cure your asthma too!”
|
| An’ I said:
|
|
|
| “Look here, brother, I just can’t go for what you say
|
| Well, I’ve been on the streets since Tuesday
|
| Now, why don’t you just go away?”
|
|
|
| [Instrumental]
|
|
|
| “I’ve got troubles of my own” I said
|
| “An’ you can’t help me out
|
| So take your meditations an’ your preparations
|
| An’ ram it up yer snout”
|
|
|
| “BUT I’VE GOT A KRISTL BOLE!”
|
| He said, an’ held it to the light
|
| So I snatched it all away from him
|
| An’ I showed him how to do it right
|
|
|
| I wrapped a newspaper ‘round my head
|
| So I’d look like I was Deep
|
| I said some mumbo jumbos then
|
| I told him he was goin’ to sleep
|
|
|
| I robbed his rings an’ pocket watch
|
| An’ everything else I found
|
| I had that sucker hypnotized
|
| He couldn’t even make a sound
|
|
|
| I proceeded to tell him his future then
|
| As long as he was hanging around
|
| I said: “The price of meat has just gone up
|
| An’ your ol’ lady has just gone down…”
|
|
|
| Look here, brother, who you jivin’ with that cosmik debris?
|
| Go spread that stuff around San Francisco
|
| But don’t you waste none of your time on me
|
|
|
| Thank you
|
|
|
| Thank you
|
| [FZ] OK, now… now we’re gonna play something that contains within… within it… its own devious little boogie. But before you get to the boogie there’s a bunch of weird stuff on either side of it. And the name of this tune is “Little dots”. And it features Dave Parlato on bass and Jim Gordon on drums, grinding it out.
|
|
|
| [Instrumental]
|
| [FZ] There was a man and a dog
|
| Squattin’ on a log
|
| He had him bitin’ on a stick
|
| Until the bark was all gone
|
|
|
| “Here, little fella
|
| Sit up and beg
|
| Open your jaws
|
| And lift up your leg”
|
|
|
| That little doggie’s name was Rollo
|
| His little doggie dealie was hollow
|
|
|
| A little while later on
|
| Further down the road
|
| There was a lady and a man
|
| Who was about to get blowed
|
|
|
| “Here, little fella
|
| Sit up and beg
|
| Open your jaws
|
| And lift up your leg”
|
|
|
| That little husband’s name was Rollo
|
| And his old lady’s name was Swallow
|
|
|
| “Rollo, if you love me, do like I told ya
|
| And fetch unto me a baroque magnolia”
|
|
|
| [Instrumental]
|
|
|
| [FZ] Thank you
|
| [FZ] Thank you
|
| Suppose we were to just sort of make something up, right here on the stage, would that be offensive to you?
|
| OK
|
| Blues, jazz? Suppo— Suppose it was none of the above. Suppose some of those other things crept into it periodically. All we’d like to do is just to extend our imagination a little bit up here and see what happens. OK?
|
| (Alright. Let’s start off with uh… with the steel drum, and the bass, and the baritone oboe)
|
| I wonder what this will sound like
|
| If it’s too crappy, we’ll quit
|
| (Alright. You’re ready? How about… let’s do it… do it a waltz)
|
| You can dig it, couldn’t you?
|
| [Audience] Yeah
|
| [FZ] One, two, three, one, two, three
|
|
|
| [Instrumental]
|
| [Instrumental]
|
|
|
| [FZ] We’d like to thank you very much for coming to our concert tonight. Hope you enjoyed it. We’re gonna… This song isn’t exactly over yet. It’s almost over. But I just wanted to tell you we appreciate the fact that you came down here tonight. And now, for the thrilling conclusion of that invented song…
|
|
|
| [Instrumental]
|
|
|
| Thank you! Good night!
|
 Photo by Bernard Gardner.jpg "(Front) Photo by Bernard Gardner")
.jpg "(Booklet)")
Songs list
| 
Title origin
|