Frank Zappa

Defining Zappa with these 3 examples is reductive: his work is so vast, original, beautiful and complex that one truly needs to listen to it and re-listen to it.

To me, he is a reference point: a guitarist and a composer among the greatest in the history of all music. In my opinion, he deserves immense credit for taking melodies and rhythms that apparently did not go together and fusing them with a mastery and expertise that I would say is almost perfect.

An example that comes to mind is this:

Open content (youtube)

I am learning to get to know it thanks to my boyfriend. Just yesterday we were listening to The Grand Wazoo and it is truly a masterpiece. But I wouldn't know if I could define it as jazz...

camy86 wrote:

Defining Zappa with these 3 examples is reductive

In reality, being in the Jazz section, I already thought it was beyond the maximum possible ...

I did not write that they are his most representative works; I was referring explicitly to the "jazz trilogy"; even Thallo has doubts about a possible attribution in this field, I would also like to read other opinions

I am also a bit skeptical about labeling Zappa as Jazz; the fact is that it is difficult to label him in any way, from rock to progressive, to contemporary music, orchestral albums like Studio Tan etc. In fact, he seems to me to be one of the most eclectic and prolific musicians of the last century.

DrJellyfish wrote:

In fact, he seems to me to be one of the most eclectic and prolific musicians of the last century.

Thinking of an eclectic musician, Chopin comes to mind. I can't relate the two by going from this term; in the end, what exactly do you mean?

And wiki, for one reason or another, isn't helping me ....

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclettismo

Eclectic Chopin... ?? Someone who wrote almost exclusively for piano??

Precisely, eclectic, one who chooses ... not one who chooses everything

The term eclecticism (from the Greek eklektekós from ekleghein, to choose, to select) indicates, in the field of arts and sciences, the attitude of one who chooses what is related from various doctrines

...related precisely was the pf

Dear Bit....if you want to tell things, TELL THEM.... but if you don't know things, DON'T TELL THEM!!! (;-P)

ECLECTIC: said of someone who successfully dedicates themselves to different activities

opp. (from Zingarelli 2009): ECLECTIC: one who dedicates themselves to different studies, disciplines, or activities.

On more than one occasion I have heard the eclectic Chopin being called... probably by mistake

well... if we really want to use this term, improperly, we could consider it in a relative sense and not in an absolute sense, in the sense that Chopin expressed himself almost exclusively in the pianistic field while in his writing, focusing on his intentions, his musical gestures, something eclectic could be glimpsed, as he constantly maintains, in my opinion, an improvisational character that, while respecting the aesthetic canons of coherence and variety, maintains a frequent tendency toward change in a broad sense.

ScalaQuaranta wrote:

one might glimpse something eclectic

His nocturnes are born from the fusion of 2 figures, pianist and singer. Many say of Chopin that his music IS limited to the piano, others say that HE chose to play the piano.

In fact, after all, he considered himself only a pianist.

Zappa won't be offended if we make a digression on the subject ...and I hope Tronky won't be either

Far from me the idea of sparking a controversy. I meant to say, should it not be clear, that it is difficult to label F.Zappa. Without bringing Chopin into it.