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Project/Object returns to ST94 to tap Zappa’s music
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Since Frank Zappa died in 1993, his music has enjoyed a remarkable posthumous career. His albums are still in print and easily available on CD, but that’s true of John Lennon and Jerry Garcia, too. What makes Zappa unique among the rock stars of his generation is that his work is continually being rearranged, performed and recorded by musicians outside the rock sphere. A search of his name at Amazon.com turns up recent recordings by classical ensembles, big bands and even a Baroque chamber orchestra.
In other words, Zappa is not just an oldie, an object of ’60s nostalgia. He is on his way to becoming a classic in the mold of George Gershwin, another American composer whose music has been mined and adapted by generations of singers and instrumentalists.
Project/Object, which returns to Sellersville Theater 1894 this weekend, adheres more closely to the format Zappa established for his stage shows, particularly those from the late 1970s and early ’80s. André Cholmondeley, guitarist, Zappaphile and driving force behind the group, likes the sound of the stripped-down rock groups — guitars, bass and drums overlaid with some synthesizers and vibraphone — that Zappa employed after his mid-’70s flirtation with big, horn-laden orchestras.
In an interview Dec. 17, Cholmondeley said he is comfortable calling Project/Object a tribute band, although he prefers the term “salute.”
Neither term is quite accurate. In the first place, Project/Object does not reproduce Zappa’s recorded tracks note for note, in the manner of a Beatles tribute band or an Elvis impersonator.
Among his influences, Cholmondeley lists a large number of great guitarists besides Zappa among his influences, and he brings bits of all of them into his guitar solos.
“Doing Frank’s music, I do get into a headspace,” Cholmondeley said. “I don’t mimic it at all. I go for some of the sound. I study some of his elements, and I use a guitar similar to one of his. When [jazz pianist] Keith Jarrett plays Bach, he gets into the Bach headspace. He practices harpsichord music for six months.”
In the second place, Cholmondeley has a knack for befriending Zappa’s original band members, and their presence onstage with him elevates Project/Object from a salute to a reunion.
Sunday’s lineup will include Ike Willis, who appeared at Project/Object’s previous gig in Sellersville, and Ray White, beloved of Zappa fans for his grinding, bluesy vocals on “The Legend of the Illinois Enema Bandit.”
Zappa had a famously raunchy sense of humor, and White, who counts five ministers and a bishop in his immediate family, found himself tongue-tied back in the ’70s when his mother asked him about his new job. Continued...
In other words, Zappa is not just an oldie, an object of ’60s nostalgia. He is on his way to becoming a classic in the mold of George Gershwin, another American composer whose music has been mined and adapted by generations of singers and instrumentalists.
Project/Object, which returns to Sellersville Theater 1894 this weekend, adheres more closely to the format Zappa established for his stage shows, particularly those from the late 1970s and early ’80s. André Cholmondeley, guitarist, Zappaphile and driving force behind the group, likes the sound of the stripped-down rock groups — guitars, bass and drums overlaid with some synthesizers and vibraphone — that Zappa employed after his mid-’70s flirtation with big, horn-laden orchestras.
In an interview Dec. 17, Cholmondeley said he is comfortable calling Project/Object a tribute band, although he prefers the term “salute.”
Neither term is quite accurate. In the first place, Project/Object does not reproduce Zappa’s recorded tracks note for note, in the manner of a Beatles tribute band or an Elvis impersonator.
Among his influences, Cholmondeley lists a large number of great guitarists besides Zappa among his influences, and he brings bits of all of them into his guitar solos.
“Doing Frank’s music, I do get into a headspace,” Cholmondeley said. “I don’t mimic it at all. I go for some of the sound. I study some of his elements, and I use a guitar similar to one of his. When [jazz pianist] Keith Jarrett plays Bach, he gets into the Bach headspace. He practices harpsichord music for six months.”
In the second place, Cholmondeley has a knack for befriending Zappa’s original band members, and their presence onstage with him elevates Project/Object from a salute to a reunion.
Sunday’s lineup will include Ike Willis, who appeared at Project/Object’s previous gig in Sellersville, and Ray White, beloved of Zappa fans for his grinding, bluesy vocals on “The Legend of the Illinois Enema Bandit.”
Zappa had a famously raunchy sense of humor, and White, who counts five ministers and a bishop in his immediate family, found himself tongue-tied back in the ’70s when his mother asked him about his new job. Continued...
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“I came home after the first tour and my mother said, ‘Can I hear the album?” White recalled, speaking by telephone Dec. 18 from his home in Plainwell, Mich.
“What I do is, I evade — really cool, like a bullfighter.”
Finally, he told her, “Mother, I’m doing a scene in a movie. I can act it out, but that’s his take on life. I try to express it the best I can, but it’s not me.”
Then, in her old-Southern manner, she asked him whether it was appropriate for a woman to send a man flowers: She wanted to thank Zappa for the opportunity he had given her son.
“It just moved me,” White said. “She [already] knew the music.”
The more he spoke with his employer, however, the more he found they had in common. An outspoken agnostic, Zappa regularly mocked religion in his songs, and White, the bishop’s son, was uncomfortable with songs like “Heavenly Bank Account” until one night when Zappa said to him, just before they went onstage, “Ray, look, it’s not that I don’t believe in God. It’s that I don’t believe in the guys who are trying to rip Him off.”
“I said, ‘Oh, dude, let’s go,’” White said. “If you’re doing a job for someone else, do the job they ask you to do. They can rant and rave all they want to. If you want the job, stay there. If you don’t, go home.”
White wanted the job, and he stayed.
Now he is back, for a moment, leaving his Michigan basement, where he is editing an album of his own, to revisit a peak in his career. And like the Baroque ensemble noodling through “Orange County Lumber Truck,” he is still discovering new approaches to Frank Zappa.
“I think there are so many facets to his music, you could listen to one phrase and then go somewhere, have dinner and come back and listen to it again and hear something else,” he said. “That’s what makes it so delicious to me.” Continued...
“What I do is, I evade — really cool, like a bullfighter.”
Finally, he told her, “Mother, I’m doing a scene in a movie. I can act it out, but that’s his take on life. I try to express it the best I can, but it’s not me.”
Then, in her old-Southern manner, she asked him whether it was appropriate for a woman to send a man flowers: She wanted to thank Zappa for the opportunity he had given her son.
“It just moved me,” White said. “She [already] knew the music.”
The more he spoke with his employer, however, the more he found they had in common. An outspoken agnostic, Zappa regularly mocked religion in his songs, and White, the bishop’s son, was uncomfortable with songs like “Heavenly Bank Account” until one night when Zappa said to him, just before they went onstage, “Ray, look, it’s not that I don’t believe in God. It’s that I don’t believe in the guys who are trying to rip Him off.”
“I said, ‘Oh, dude, let’s go,’” White said. “If you’re doing a job for someone else, do the job they ask you to do. They can rant and rave all they want to. If you want the job, stay there. If you don’t, go home.”
White wanted the job, and he stayed.
Now he is back, for a moment, leaving his Michigan basement, where he is editing an album of his own, to revisit a peak in his career. And like the Baroque ensemble noodling through “Orange County Lumber Truck,” he is still discovering new approaches to Frank Zappa.
“I think there are so many facets to his music, you could listen to one phrase and then go somewhere, have dinner and come back and listen to it again and hear something else,” he said. “That’s what makes it so delicious to me.” Continued...
Project/Object,
with Ike Willis
& Ray White,
performing the music
of Frank Zappa,
with special guest
Mandrake Project,
will take the stage
of Sellersville Theater 1894,
Main Street & Temple Avenue, Continued...
with Ike Willis
& Ray White,
performing the music
of Frank Zappa,
with special guest
Mandrake Project,
will take the stage
of Sellersville Theater 1894,
Main Street & Temple Avenue, Continued...
Sellersville, PA 18960,
Sunday, Dec. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $39.50, cabaret;
$25, regular.
Info: 215-257-5808
or www.st94.com.
Sunday, Dec. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $39.50, cabaret;
$25, regular.
Info: 215-257-5808
or www.st94.com.
Since Frank Zappa died in 1993, his music has enjoyed a remarkable posthumous career. His albums are still in print and easily available on CD, but that’s true of John Lennon and Jerry Garcia, too. What makes Zappa unique among the rock stars of his generation is that his work is continually being rearranged, performed and recorded by musicians outside the rock sphere. A search of his name at Amazon.com turns up recent recordings by classical ensembles, big bands and even a Baroque chamber orchestra.
In other words, Zappa is not just an oldie, an object of ’60s nostalgia. He is on his way to becoming a classic in the mold of George Gershwin, another American composer whose music has been mined and adapted by generations of singers and instrumentalists.
Project/Object, which returns to Sellersville Theater 1894 this weekend, adheres more closely to the format Zappa established for his stage shows, particularly those from the late 1970s and early ’80s. André Cholmondeley, guitarist, Zappaphile and driving force behind the group, likes the sound of the stripped-down rock groups — guitars, bass and drums overlaid with some synthesizers and vibraphone — that Zappa employed after his mid-’70s flirtation with big, horn-laden orchestras.
In an interview Dec. 17, Cholmondeley said he is comfortable calling Project/Object a tribute band, although he prefers the term “salute.”
Neither term is quite accurate. In the first place, Project/Object does not reproduce Zappa’s recorded tracks note for note, in the manner of a Beatles tribute band or an Elvis impersonator.
Among his influences, Cholmondeley lists a large number of great guitarists besides Zappa among his influences, and he brings bits of all of them into his guitar solos.
“Doing Frank’s music, I do get into a headspace,” Cholmondeley said. “I don’t mimic it at all. I go for some of the sound. I study some of his elements, and I use a guitar similar to one of his. When [jazz pianist] Keith Jarrett plays Bach, he gets into the Bach headspace. He practices harpsichord music for six months.”
In the second place, Cholmondeley has a knack for befriending Zappa’s original band members, and their presence onstage with him elevates Project/Object from a salute to a reunion.
Sunday’s lineup will include Ike Willis, who appeared at Project/Object’s previous gig in Sellersville, and Ray White, beloved of Zappa fans for his grinding, bluesy vocals on “The Legend of the Illinois Enema Bandit.”
Zappa had a famously raunchy sense of humor, and White, who counts five ministers and a bishop in his immediate family, found himself tongue-tied back in the ’70s when his mother asked him about his new job.
“I came home after the first tour and my mother said, ‘Can I hear the album?” White recalled, speaking by telephone Dec. 18 from his home in Plainwell, Mich.
“What I do is, I evade — really cool, like a bullfighter.”
Finally, he told her, “Mother, I’m doing a scene in a movie. I can act it out, but that’s his take on life. I try to express it the best I can, but it’s not me.”
Then, in her old-Southern manner, she asked him whether it was appropriate for a woman to send a man flowers: She wanted to thank Zappa for the opportunity he had given her son.
“It just moved me,” White said. “She [already] knew the music.”
The more he spoke with his employer, however, the more he found they had in common. An outspoken agnostic, Zappa regularly mocked religion in his songs, and White, the bishop’s son, was uncomfortable with songs like “Heavenly Bank Account” until one night when Zappa said to him, just before they went onstage, “Ray, look, it’s not that I don’t believe in God. It’s that I don’t believe in the guys who are trying to rip Him off.”
“I said, ‘Oh, dude, let’s go,’” White said. “If you’re doing a job for someone else, do the job they ask you to do. They can rant and rave all they want to. If you want the job, stay there. If you don’t, go home.”
White wanted the job, and he stayed.
Now he is back, for a moment, leaving his Michigan basement, where he is editing an album of his own, to revisit a peak in his career. And like the Baroque ensemble noodling through “Orange County Lumber Truck,” he is still discovering new approaches to Frank Zappa.
“I think there are so many facets to his music, you could listen to one phrase and then go somewhere, have dinner and come back and listen to it again and hear something else,” he said. “That’s what makes it so delicious to me.”
Project/Object,
with Ike Willis
& Ray White,
performing the music
of Frank Zappa,
with special guest
Mandrake Project,
will take the stage
of Sellersville Theater 1894,
Main Street & Temple Avenue,
Sellersville, PA 18960,
Sunday, Dec. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $39.50, cabaret;
$25, regular.
Info: 215-257-5808
or www.st94.com.
In other words, Zappa is not just an oldie, an object of ’60s nostalgia. He is on his way to becoming a classic in the mold of George Gershwin, another American composer whose music has been mined and adapted by generations of singers and instrumentalists.
Project/Object, which returns to Sellersville Theater 1894 this weekend, adheres more closely to the format Zappa established for his stage shows, particularly those from the late 1970s and early ’80s. André Cholmondeley, guitarist, Zappaphile and driving force behind the group, likes the sound of the stripped-down rock groups — guitars, bass and drums overlaid with some synthesizers and vibraphone — that Zappa employed after his mid-’70s flirtation with big, horn-laden orchestras.
In an interview Dec. 17, Cholmondeley said he is comfortable calling Project/Object a tribute band, although he prefers the term “salute.”
Neither term is quite accurate. In the first place, Project/Object does not reproduce Zappa’s recorded tracks note for note, in the manner of a Beatles tribute band or an Elvis impersonator.
Among his influences, Cholmondeley lists a large number of great guitarists besides Zappa among his influences, and he brings bits of all of them into his guitar solos.
“Doing Frank’s music, I do get into a headspace,” Cholmondeley said. “I don’t mimic it at all. I go for some of the sound. I study some of his elements, and I use a guitar similar to one of his. When [jazz pianist] Keith Jarrett plays Bach, he gets into the Bach headspace. He practices harpsichord music for six months.”
In the second place, Cholmondeley has a knack for befriending Zappa’s original band members, and their presence onstage with him elevates Project/Object from a salute to a reunion.
Sunday’s lineup will include Ike Willis, who appeared at Project/Object’s previous gig in Sellersville, and Ray White, beloved of Zappa fans for his grinding, bluesy vocals on “The Legend of the Illinois Enema Bandit.”
Zappa had a famously raunchy sense of humor, and White, who counts five ministers and a bishop in his immediate family, found himself tongue-tied back in the ’70s when his mother asked him about his new job.
“I came home after the first tour and my mother said, ‘Can I hear the album?” White recalled, speaking by telephone Dec. 18 from his home in Plainwell, Mich.
“What I do is, I evade — really cool, like a bullfighter.”
Finally, he told her, “Mother, I’m doing a scene in a movie. I can act it out, but that’s his take on life. I try to express it the best I can, but it’s not me.”
Then, in her old-Southern manner, she asked him whether it was appropriate for a woman to send a man flowers: She wanted to thank Zappa for the opportunity he had given her son.
“It just moved me,” White said. “She [already] knew the music.”
The more he spoke with his employer, however, the more he found they had in common. An outspoken agnostic, Zappa regularly mocked religion in his songs, and White, the bishop’s son, was uncomfortable with songs like “Heavenly Bank Account” until one night when Zappa said to him, just before they went onstage, “Ray, look, it’s not that I don’t believe in God. It’s that I don’t believe in the guys who are trying to rip Him off.”
“I said, ‘Oh, dude, let’s go,’” White said. “If you’re doing a job for someone else, do the job they ask you to do. They can rant and rave all they want to. If you want the job, stay there. If you don’t, go home.”
White wanted the job, and he stayed.
Now he is back, for a moment, leaving his Michigan basement, where he is editing an album of his own, to revisit a peak in his career. And like the Baroque ensemble noodling through “Orange County Lumber Truck,” he is still discovering new approaches to Frank Zappa.
“I think there are so many facets to his music, you could listen to one phrase and then go somewhere, have dinner and come back and listen to it again and hear something else,” he said. “That’s what makes it so delicious to me.”
Project/Object,
with Ike Willis
& Ray White,
performing the music
of Frank Zappa,
with special guest
Mandrake Project,
will take the stage
of Sellersville Theater 1894,
Main Street & Temple Avenue,
Sellersville, PA 18960,
Sunday, Dec. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $39.50, cabaret;
$25, regular.
Info: 215-257-5808
or www.st94.com.
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