Jazz from Hell

Personnel: Frank Zappa (guitar, Synclavier); Steve Vai, Ray White (guitar); Tommy Mars, Bobby Martin (keyboards); Scott Thunes (bass); Chad Wackerman (drums); Ed Mann (percussion).
Recorded at UMRK, Hollywood, California.
Personnel: Frank Zappa (Synclavier); Bob Rice (computer).
Recording information: Saint-Etienne, France (1982); UMRK (1982).
Arranger: Frank Zappa.
The title says it all; Zappa truly can make JAZZ FROM HELL. With his trusty Synclavier synthesizer under his arm and his imagination running wild in the digital domain, FZ has dreamed up some of the most unusual instrumentals of his career. From snaking melodies over a disco beat on the opening "Night School" to the furious storm of rhythms on "G-Spot Tornado," these compositions exist to be played only by a computer under the command of one of the most inventive composers of the modern era. Zappa makes the normally cold digital tone of the synthesized sounds dance and jump like living things on unique tracks like "The Beltway Bandits," the manic voices of "Massagio Galore" and the swirling title track. Of course, the human element prevails on the contrasting "St. Etienne" where Zappa's classic early '80s band--Steve Vai, Ray White, Tommy Mars, Bobby Martin, Chad Wackerman, et al--join their guitar wielding leader for a round of creative musical madness. This is a must for fans of Zappa's compositional genius.