THE ED PALERMO BIG BAND PLAYS THE MUSIC OF FRANK ZAPPA (Astor Place)released in 1997
THE ED PALERMO BIG BAND PLAYS THE MUSIC OF FRANK ZAPPA (Astor Place)
released in 1997
MK involvement: guest guitarist on three tracks
Comments:
I can't conceal the fact that this album, wonderful though it is and a thorough triumph for my bud Ed, makes me sad. That's only because I had to dash into the studio, record my little parts, and dash out again in seemingly a matter of minutes, thanks to the extremely tight recording schedule to which Ed was forced to adhere. As a result my cameo on "Peaches" does not convey anything close to the vibe it should. My solo on "Aybe Sea" starts off tentatively but ends up telling a fairly nice story (nothing compared to Mike Stern's virtuoso turn on "Who Are The Brain Police?/Holiday In Berlin", but there's no logical reason why my solo SHOULD be as good as Mike Stern's) - unfortunately the end of the story, a little collage of "Inca Roads" and "Yo' Mama", has been swept away by the tides of anti-creative corporate evilness and cannot be heard here. "We Are Not Alone" has a long coda featuring an "Abbey Road"-esque series of guitar solos - it goes Palermo, Stern, Keneally, Palermo, Keneally, Stern. My tone bites (not in a good way). I was using an unfamiliar amp but I'm not making excuses - an experienced stylist should be able to have his way with any tin can with string attached through which he's forced to play. The day I showed up for this session wasn't one of my most inspired, and what makes me sad is that a few months before this recording session Beer For Dolphins performed on a bill with the Ed Palermo Big Band, and I played with Ed for practically the entirety of his two sets, not just as guest soloist but as a member of the ensemble, playing parts, and sheer magic occurred from start to finish. I'd hoped to be able to recreate some of that in the studio with Ed and it just wasn't possible - I was merely a guest, after all, and I'm glad just to be a part of it. In any case this CD is invaluable as a document of Ed's vital, intelligent and downright fun arrangements of Zappa material - Ed has every reason to be proud of the result. The definitive Palermo/Keneally document is still to come, I reckon.
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