December 2003/January 2004
Issue 71

Broadway the hard way
Frank Zappa special, concept and research by Jon Newey, 8 pp

Ten years ago on 4 December 1993 guitarist/visionary Frank Zappa finally left the building leaving behind a huge legacy of pioneering music and outspoken opinions that has proved obliquely influential in shaping the style and attitudes of generations of rock and jazz musicians, while often upsetting their elders and certain establishment figures. In this eight page special Stuart Nicholson re-evaluates Zappa's jazz-oriented work and looks at the ways in which he made his mark on improvised music, Duncan Heining talks to Zappa's son Dweezil and many of the musicians who played with or were influenced by Zappa, while Laurie Staff dusts down his serious Zappa collection to guide you to the key jazz-related discs of his huge body of recorded work.