The Grand Wazoo

by The Mothers

The Grand Wazoo cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: November 27, 1972
  • Label: Bizarre, Reprise
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 36:58
  • Community rating: 4.39/5 from 9 ratings

Artists on this release: Ernie Tack, Erroneous, Mike Altschul, Malcolm McNabb, Janet Neville-Ferguson, Alan Estes, Bob Zimmitti, Don Preston, Ken Shroyer, Chunky, Bill Byers, Aynsley Dunbar, Sal Marquez, Johnny Rotella, Tony Duran, Earl Dumler, Ernie Watts, Lee Clement, Tony "Bat Man" Ortega, George Duke, Frank Zappa, Joel Peskin, Joanne Caldwell McNabb

Album Notes & Community Reviews

'The Grand Wazoo' documents Frank Zappa's ambitious, large-ensemble jazz-fusion arrangements, composed and recorded while he was convalescing from a 1971 on-stage assault. A primarily instrumental work, the album expands upon the big-band concepts of its predecessor, 'Waka/Jawaka', utilizing a collective of over twenty musicians to execute complex, through-composed pieces. The production emphasizes intricate horn and woodwind sections alongside rock dynamics and extensive solos, marking it as a significant and sophisticated entry in Zappa's instrumental-focused output of the early 1970s.

Genres

Descriptors: fusion, improvisational, satirical, complex, ensemble

Tracklist

  1. The Grand Wazoo (13:18)
  2. For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers) (06:05)
  3. Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus (02:56)
  4. Eat That Question (06:40)
  5. Blessed Relief (07:59)

Credits

More from The Mothers: full discography