No, no, no...not that Frank.  This Frank:

The music of Frank Zappa has long had appeal for both classically-oriented ensembles and jazz bands.  The influence of both genres on Zappa's music is apparent even on the first Mothers of Invention album from 1966, and over the course of his career he explored both kinds of music in depth.  For example, some of the soundtrack music for his 1971 film 200 Motels was very much influenced by 20th-century composers like Varese and Stravinsky and was performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta.  And at around the same time Zappa was recording big-band improvisational albums like The Grand Wazoo.

One of the earliest covers of a Zappa composition that I know of was by Woody Herman, of all people, who recorded a swinging version of America Drinks and Goes Home back in 1974. And classical/new-music groups have been devoting entire albums to Zappa's work since the 1980's.  So this week's I.W.H. will open with a selection of Zappa's music - including Peaches en Regalia, Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance, The Gumbo Variations and more - as interpreted by both.

Tuesday, 2/9/10 8-10PM    REBROADCAST Friday midnight after P5K