Search - Zappatistas :: Live at Leeds

Surprising Gem Among Zappa Cover Albums

S. M. Usery | Saint Paul, MN | 09/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a collector of Zappa and Zappa cover albums I passed this disc by several times, thinking it had little to offer. Boy, was I wrong. This is a great set of high energy, horn driven "jazzappa." The proceedings are mostly vocal-free (vocals being a frequent downfall of Zappa cover projects) with a rocking "I'm The Slime" being the exception.



OK, so the guitar solos don't approach those of the master (whose do?) and occasionally the proceedings meander a bit, but this is 100% live-without-a-net Zappa by musicians who obviously care about this difficult music. One of my fantasies is to hear the current Mingus Big Band rip into the Zappa catalog. There are moments on this disc that come tantalizingly close to that sound. Highly recommended from a hard-core Zappa-phile."