Like its immediate predecessor, Waka/Jawaka, The Grand Wazoo was a largely instrumental jazz rock album recorded during Frank Zappa's convalescence from injuries sustained after being pushed off a concert stage.
While Zappa contributes some guitar solos and occasional vocals, the focus is more on his skills as a composer and arranger.
Most of the five selections supposedly form a musical representation of a story told in the liner notes about two warring musical factions, but the bottom line is that, overall, the compositions here are more memorably melodic and consistently engaging than Waka/Jawaka.
The instrumentation is somewhat unique in the Zappa catalog as well, with the band more of a chamber jazz orchestra than a compact rock unit; over 20 musicians and vocalists contribute to the record.
While Hot Rats is still the peak of Zappa's jazz-rock fusion efforts, The Grand Wazoo comes close, and it's essential for anyone interested in Zappa's instrumental works.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers)Frank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 06:05 | 14 MB | 30 MB |
| 2 | The Grand WazooFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 13:19 | 30 MB | 75 MB |
| 3 | Cletus Awreetus-AwrightusFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 02:56 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 4 | Eat That QuestionFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 06:41 | 15 MB | 35 MB |
| 5 | Blessed ReliefFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 07:58 | 18 MB | 38 MB |
| 37 mins | 85 MB | |||||
| 37 mins | 198 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Altschul | Wind, Woodwind |
| 2 | Billy Byers | Trombone |
| 3 | Ed Caraeff | Photography |
| 4 | Chunky | Vocals |
| 5 | Lee Clement | Percussion |
| 6 | Alex Dmochowski | Bass |
| 7 | George Duke | Guest Artist, Keyboards, Vocals |
| 8 | Earl Dumler | Wind, Woodwind |
| 9 | Aynsley Dunbar | Drums, Guest Artist, Guitar |
| 10 | Tony Duran | Bottleneck Guitar, Guitar |
| 11 | Erroneous | Bass |
| 12 | Tony Esparza | Photography |
| 13 | Alan Estes | Percussion |
| 14 | Janet Ferguson | Vocals |
| 15 | Paul Hof | Special Assistance |
| 16 | Fred Jackson, Jr. | Wind, Woodwind |
| 17 | Sal Marquez | Bass, Brass, Guest Artist, Trumpet, Vocals |
| 18 | Joanne Caldwell McNabb | Bass, Brass, Vocals, Wind, Woodwind |
| 19 | Kerry McNabb | Engineer |
| 20 | Malcolm McNabb | Horn, Trombone |
| 21 | Janet Neville-Ferguson | Vocals |
| 22 | Tony Ortega | Wind, Woodwind |
| 23 | Joel Peskin | Saxophone, Woodwind |
| 24 | Don Preston | Bass, Keyboards, Mini Moog, Moog Synthesizer |
| 25 | John Rotella | Percussion, Woodwind |
| 26 | Cal Schenkel | Cover Illustration |
| 27 | Kenny Shroyer | Brass, Contractor, Spiritual Advisor, Trombone |
| 28 | Ernie Tack | Brass, Horn |
| 29 | Ernie Watts | Saxophone, Woodwind |
| 30 | Frank Zappa | Arranger, Composer, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals |
| 31 | Bob Zimmitti | Percussion |
The Mothers of Invention
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |