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‘Top Boy’ Star Theo Ogundipe Returns With His Eclectic And Raw New Single ‘Plato Freestyle’

Eric Alper
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‘Top Boy’ Star Theo Ogundipe Returns With His Eclectic And Raw New Single ‘Plato Freestyle’

Top Boy star and rising artist Theo Ogundipe returns with his eclectic and raw new single ‘Plato Freestyle’ out now.

Theo Ogundipe was born in Nigeria and raised in the United Kingdom, where he currently resides. Theo’s music is an eclectic fusion of several genres including soul, hip-hop, indie and RnB. It is inspired by his life growing up in the diaspora. His description of his sound is “a smooth lyrical blend of in the box production with 70’s soul”.

Following on from his self-produced project ‘Reworks’ which garnered widespread support from online publications, radio stations and playlists, Theo is now ready to unveil his latest project ‘Plato Freestyle’. A musical philosopher in the making, the new single demonstrates Theo’s ability to create vivid imagery through his poetic and thoughtful lyrics. A frank vocal delivery and punchy beats are beautifully contrasted with heavenly choral synths, which further enhance the song’s impact.

When speaking about the meaning behind the new track, Theo shared, “It’s a declaration of intent, purpose and autonomy.” Reflecting on tragic world events such as the murder of George Floyd, Theo felt inspired to write a vulnerable expression of will and intent.

The release of ‘Plato Freestyle’ will shortly be followed by the accompanying official music video, which will be released on October 3rd. This track is the first taste of Theo’s self produced debut EP ‘IN TRANSIT’, which will be released in the not too distant future.

Theo studied ‘Musical Theatre at the Brit School and ‘Acting’ at Mountview Academy of Performing Arts. He has been a working Actor for 13 years working for many theatres including The Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic, Sheffield Crucible, Manchester Royal Exchange to name a few. You may also have seen him in the hit Netflix Show Top Boy as Ruben.

He started writing his own songs in college. His influences are Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and the Motown sound as a whole. Also a Hip Hop lover deeply influenced by Biggie, 2pac, and J Dilla. To organise and record and produce his melodies as fast as he was inspired to write them, he taught himself to produce music online, this enabled him to give free rein to his original style.

Prior to his release ‘Reworks’ in 2021, he has written numerous songs and has performed live shows performing his featured tracks on collaborators projects. Theo collaborated alongside artist Brain Rays on several of his releases, which gained support from BBC Radio Introducing in the South West in 2021.

Theo is still working on several projects of his own, and still writing and producing and collaborating on work with others. His goal is to have a global community of listeners to share his art with.

Sunshine Coast’s Singer-Songwriter Ron Kalmakoff Releases “Bells” From Latest Album ‘Nature’

Eric Alper
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Sunshine Coast’s Singer-Songwriter Ron Kalmakoff Releases “Bells” From Latest Album ‘Nature’

A song and its lyrics can be given a new life and meaning, recreated by another voice and story. Such is the case with Ron Kalmakoff’s version of the song, Bells.

Ron’s vision was to keep the musicality and instrumentation of this song simple and poignant, so that the poetry of the piece could shine. “I thought, how do these words relate to our world today? The struggles and fears of this complex environment we live in or that others may be facing. A senseless war and those that bear the burden of not being allowed to live their lives with peace and love. As sad as the lyrics of this song may sound, they are beautifully written and somehow filled with hope.”

The filming of the video for Bells also plays an important part in Ron telling the story for the song. “We filmed the video in a very dark setting. At times I imagined myself in a room or place where I was singing the song in hiding, in front of a candle flame or softly, so only the person in front of me would hear, sharing the lyrics of sorrow, yet longing for hope. Behind me through a burned out curtain the viewer can envision what is happening in the outside world. I wanted to share these conceptions and feelings in the video where others could create their own story lines in what they are seeing.”

Bells was directed by Vancouver Film Director, Alexander Sharp. This is the third music video Ron and Alex have collaborated on. Alex shares these thoughts on working on this project, “I wanted something simple and at the same time, abstract, pastel and obscure. As this is in part a love letter to Ukraine, the concept for me was “it’s like you’re sitting in an abandoned war-torn cinema and the bittersweet hypnosis that those images might engender in that ethereal and haunting environment.”

The song, Bells, was written by well-known Canadian artist, Jimmy Rankin. Ron has admired Jimmy’s song writing, his role as an artist and the contribution that the Rankin Family have made to Canadian culture.

“Bells has always been one of my favorite songs, I had considered recording it in the past but this time it felt right for the current project.” His album, Nature, is a tapestry that connects the music to his life in Canada. A good portion of the songs on the album were written by Ron, as well, he has also included songs written by a few of his favorite Canadian singer/songwriters.

Juvenile Jury Anxiously Gaze Inward on Grungy, ’90s-infused New Single “Third Eye”

Eric Alper
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Juvenile Jury Anxiously Gaze Inward on Grungy, ’90s-infused New Single “Third Eye”

The best ’90s music was about looking inward with a critical eye, and Montreal-based alt-rock band Juvenile Jury capture that anxious, itchy introspection in their new yet very vintage-sounding single “Third Eye” from their new EP Proven Guilty.

With grungy guitars, loud-quiet dynamics, and subtle harmonies, “Third Eye” takes some of the most recognizable, intoxicating elements of ’90s grunge and alternative and reimagines it all for a contemporary audience.

Stop pretending
It’s getting under my skin
It’s getting under my skin
Lately, I’ve been
Searching for my missing eye in the desert of my mind

There’s a pervasive feeling throughout the song of judging oneself before others can judge, and, ultimately, of feeling unknown. “Do you really think that I’m always cheering for life/ It may just be a disguise,” the narrator challenges. And yet the depressive outlook is juxtaposed with soaring melodies, hard-hitting beats, and, overall, the demand to be heard.

“Third Eye” is one of six songs on the band’s new EP Proven Guilty, which is the result of countless hours of practice, sweat, and tears. “It was very important that this EP felt and sounded as authentic as possible,” the band said. And so they at first set out to record and produce the project themselves, until they ran into problems capturing the drum sound and began enlisting the help of experts, including Montreal producer/engineer Peter Van Uytfanck, mixer Pete Hutchings, and mastering engineer Joe LaPorta.

“All of that left the EP sounding as big as ever, and for the rest of our lives we are going to be able to listen to something that we made and that is just magical,” the band said. “Hopefully, people like it as much as we do.”

Juvenile Jury is an alternative rock band bred in the suburbs of Montreal. Their unique sound is both primal and powerful, leading to a fierce, energetic, kaleidoscopic experience. The band’s sound oozes with the bubbling energy of the ’90s alternative rock scene while imbuing that sound with the breath of youth. The band is composed of Mark Turcotte on lead vocals and bass, Sacha Rose on lead guitar, and Jordann Daoust on drums.

3x JUNO Nominees / 4x CFMA Winning Supergroup Sultans of String Celebrate Cannes Film Win With Sanctuary CD Release in Toronto Nov 4

Eric Alper
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3x JUNO Nominees / 4x CFMA Winning Supergroup Sultans of String Celebrate Cannes Film Win With Sanctuary CD Release in Toronto Nov 4

NY Times and Billboard-charting world music supergroup Sultans of String celebrate their “Best Musical Film” win with “Sultans of String: The Refuge Project – Visual Album,” as part of the monthly competition of Cannes World Film Festival, with a milestone Sanctuary CD Release concert with an online concert on November 4, 2022.

The event, part of the Canadian Arab Orchestra’s “Festival of Arabic Music & Arts” will feature the core Sultans of String (Chris McKhool – violin, Kevin Laliberté – guitar, Drew Birston – bass), as well as many of the special guests from their latest album. Artists include singer Leen Hamo, and clarinet player Majd Sekkar, both of whom came to Canada as refugees from Syria. Other new Canadians include Padideh Ahrarnejad performing on Persian tar, Naghmeh Farahmand from Iran playing percussion, Donné Roberts, originally from Madagascar singing in Malagasy, and Saskia Tomkins performing on a rare string instrument from Sweden called the nyckelharpa. Tamar Ilana will be singing in Spanish and performing flamenco dance. Joining virtually will be Turkish string group Gundem Yayli Grubu and others, in a spectacular integration of sound and light.

Creating this collection of songs from the global diaspora is personal for bandleader and violinist McKhool. “My family name would have been pronounced Makhoul back in Lebanon, but when my grandfather arrived in 1903, as a stowaway on a ship, he probably encountered a Scottish border guard that thought it would be nice to give the spelling a Scottish flair, hence the oddball spelling for a Lebanese name,” McKhool explains. “These first Lebanese to Canada and the U.S. came with no money in their pockets, but with a tremendous drive to succeed. My grandparents saved up and opened a restaurant in Ottawa called the Laurier Tea Room, which did booming business after the war. The song from this project, Hurricane, is an ode to so many who came to the New World planning to work hard and save up enough to bring their loved ones over.”

Sanctuary is the second instalment in their Refuge Project. The first, simply entitled Refuge, was heralded as “a fantastic, moving, dreamlike, epic, timely album” by Ken Micallef (Jazz Times, Stereophile, Downbeat) and won many awards including 2 Independent Music Awards for Instrumental Song of the Year and World Music Producer of the Year, and Producer of the Year at the 2021 Canadian Folk Music Awards for bandleader and violinist Chris McKhool and co-producer John Bailey. The lead track “Mi Santuario” from their follow up Sanctuary CD was part of John Bailey’s 2022 Engineering Juno Award nomination.

One of the singers on Sanctuary, Yukiko Tsutsui says “We need this uplifting music … a gift for people from all over the world to get to sing together and play together. It is so moving. The music has no borders. We feel good, and we feel love, that is the amazing thing about getting together to play music, feeling the strong emotional bond between players and audiences and we are sharing a beautiful moment and that is a very big part of the meaning for me, that people from all over the world can get together and share the music and the moment and love together.”

To watcj, simply join the Livestream at 7:30 pm EST on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter or LinkedIn at:

Sultans of String with special guests:
Leen Hamo – vocals
Padideh Ahrarnejad – tar
Majd Sekkar – clarinet
Donné Roberts Music – vocals and guitar
Tamar Ilana – vocals and dance
Naghmeh Farahmand – percussion
Saskia Tomkins – nyckelharpa

Renowned R&B Musicians Laranah Phipps Ray & La Funkalicious Release “Power Of Love”

Eric Alper
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Renowned R&B Musicians Laranah Phipps Ray & La Funkalicious Release “Power Of Love”

Best classified as an awe-inspiring stroll through musical mastery and celestial R&B voicings, Laranah Phipps Ray and La Funkalicious debut an efficacious anthem with their newest single, “Power Of Love.”

Critically acclaimed for her uniquely blended stylization of jazz, R&B, and Afrofuturism, Laranah Phipps Ray has continued a family tradition of boundary-bending and barrier-breaking. This multi-talented vocalist, songwriter, producer, and influencer continues to deliver on her promise of groundbreaking and uplifting music with the release of her newest single.

Laranah’s vocalizations throughout “Power Of Love” are characterized by their soulful presence, graced by a richness that is best described as a cosmic blessing. Boisterous yet humbling, her vocals nestle closely to a sonorous ensemble that compliments her colorful timbre, providing a silky foundation for the entire production.

Teasing the release of her highly anticipated album release set for January 2023, Laranah brings her distinctive sound, phrasing, and storytelling to the table. Most noted for her “far from mainstream” scat-styling, five-octave range, improvisational facility, and volcanic grasp of groove, her voice is laced with a certain ancient richness and her instrument soars with a distinct yet familiar soul and power.

Born into the home of jazz legend Gene Phipps, Laranah Phipps Ray was introduced to music very early on. Coined as Newark’s First Family of jazz, Gene Phipps say it best to pass his legacy on to Laranah. She received an unparalleled education in jazz and entertainment at a young age, laying the foundation for her high-energy performances, regal stage presence, and mesmerizing vocals today.

Laranah’s love for the arts doesn’t stop at the studio either – she is married to renowned trumpeter Michael Ray — known for Sun Ra Arkestra, Kool & The Gang, Cosmic Krewe, and more. Affectionately referred to as the ‘Cosmic Couple,’ the duo consistently co-writes and collaborate with A-List artists. Their most recent collaborations featuring famed saxophonist Marshall Allen of Sun Ra Arkestra on “Mayan Temple,” Kym Miller of Instant Funk on “Covid-19,” and Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies on “Hello Hello.”

It didn’t take long for her to become an international hit.

Laranah’s proliferous music career is no mistake, either. While she is best known for her music, Laranah has proven herself as a savvy media entrepreneur and a vital voice in the fight for racial justice. Her resume includes writing several powerhouse songs as a recording artist, including the singles “I Rule the Night,” “Love in Santiago” “Sudden Love,” and “Save Me Now.”

In addition to her smashing hits, she is an accredited stage manager, live event producer, and multimedia influencer, working with brands like Rayborhood TV, Behind the Cosmic Grind, and Down the Rabbit Hole; she is an Executive Producer for the series “Tales from the Stage”, a series where A-List stars unearth the secrets of the entertainment series, while also Co-Producing and Co-Hosting “kNOw Justice kNOw Peace.”

Laranah Phipps Ray and La Funkalicious’ new single, “Power Of Love,” is available now. A Flat 5th Dimension Records (b5D) project, Game Changer is set for release January 2023.

Geddy Lee’s Isolated Vocals For Rush’s “2112”

Eric Alper
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Geddy Lee’s Isolated Vocals For Rush’s “2112”

Rush’s 2112 is over 18 minutes long, so strap in, as it takes up an entire side of the album. It was the second time Rush did this, the first being “The Fountain of Lamneth” from the album Caress of Steel.

John Fogerty’s Isolated Vocals For Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain”

Eric Alper
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John Fogerty’s Isolated Vocals For Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain”

John Fogerty added that Have You Ever Seen The Rain is his all-time favorite song, even though he wrote it. He’s entitled, he’s John Fogerty, fer real.

Global Music Streaming Market Analysis Report 2022: Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning Gaining Momentum

Eric Alper
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Global Music Streaming Market Analysis Report 2022: Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning Gaining Momentum

The “Music Streaming Global Market Report 2022” report has been added to  ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

The global music streaming market is expected to grow from $24.09 billion in 2021 to $27.24 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.08%. The music streaming market is expected to grow to $45.31 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.57%.

North America was the largest region in the music streaming market in 2021. The regions covered in the music streaming market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.

The increasing adoption of smart devices is expected to propel the growth of the music streaming market. Smart devices such as smartphones, and smart speakers have changed the way of listening to music. They include smart features like the ability to set alarms, play music on voice command, control smart devices in-home, and stream live music, as they are powered by a virtual assistant.

For instance, according to statistics from Amazon Alexa 2020, nearly 53.6 million Amazon Echo speakers (smart speakers) were sold in 2020 which increase to 65 million in 2021. Therefore, the increasing adoption of smart devices will drive the growth of the music streaming market.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning in music streaming devices are the key trends in the music streaming market. Technologies like artificial intelligence and Machine learning enhance the music streaming experience by increasing storage and improving the search recommendations, improving the overall experience.

For instance, in January 2022, Gaana, an India-based music streaming app introduced a new product feature using artificial intelligence to enhance the music listening experience for its listeners. The app will modify music preferences using artificial intelligence to suit a person’s particular occasion or daily mood.

In May 2022, SoundCloud, a Sweden-based music streaming platform, announced the acquisition of Musiio, for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, SoundCloud aims to strengthen its capabilities in AI and identify upcoming music trends and talent by leveraging its vast data. Musiio is a Singapore-based music technology start-up that uses AI for music streaming and automatically tag and identify songs.

The music streaming market consists of sales of music streaming services by entities (organizations, sole traders, and partnerships) that are used to feed audio content directly into the device, personal computers (PC), or mobile devices, without the need of downloading files from the internet. It is offered through a web-based or application-based service. Users can also download music for offline listening and upload their soundtrack to the cloud using these services.

The main types of services provided by music streaming are on-demand streaming and live streaming. The on-demand streaming are the service in which a consumer requests the music according to his convenience. In on-demand streaming, music can be rewind, fast-forwarded, or paused as per the consumer demands.

Music streaming offers audio and video content through application-based platform or web-based platform. Music streaming services are provided by revenue channels such as non-subscription and subscription and are used for individual use or commercial use.

Pepsi Unveils New ‘Pepsi Music Lab’ – A Platform For Aspiring Music Artists To Accelerate Their Path To Stardom

Eric Alper
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Pepsi Unveils New ‘Pepsi Music Lab’ – A Platform For Aspiring Music Artists To Accelerate Their Path To Stardom

Today, Pepsi announced the new Pepsi Music Lab, an annual academy committed to shining a spotlight on the next generation of superstars by removing music industry barriers. With the brand’s deep history in music and supporting up-and-coming artists, Pepsi Music Lab aims to foster talent career growth and provide developing artists with new performance opportunities, mentorship and coaching, brand-building workshops, professional content capture, radio amplification and more.

After unveiling the concept last year with a pilot program, Pepsi Music Lab has evolved into a full scale, multi-service platform in year two, committing to an array of opportunities and services for the rising stars that have been handpicked to headline the Class of ’22-’23. The brand enlisted UnitedMasters – an operating system for independent creators that opens up doors no one else can, getting artists’ music on TV shows, movies, commercials, games, and digital media – to help identify the talented, dedicated, and diverse musicians across a variety of genres, styles, and regions nationwide that now join the Pepsi music legacy as part of Pepsi Music Lab.

The Class of ’22-’23 is comprised of 12 aspiring artists from across the country including five who were contestants on “Becoming A Popstar,” co-produced by Pepsi, MTV and TikTok. Pepsi is also bringing Samy Hawk, the winner of “Becoming A Popstar,” into the Pepsi Music Lab family to continue supporting his career through new performance and brand partnership opportunities.

Pepsi Music Lab Class of ’22-’23 Artists
  • AKINYEMI, Rap – New York, New York
  • Amira Unplugged, Multi-genre – Stone Mountain, Georgia
  • Brian V., Pop – New York, New York
  • Cain Lofton, Multi-genre – Chicago, Illinois
  • GODBY, Rap – Washington, DC
  • Kbthesinger, Hip-Hop – St. Louis, Missouri
  • Lexie Hayden, Country – Nashville, Tennessee
  • Lynnea M, Pop – Los Angeles, California
  • NOHEMY, Latin Pop-Urban – Bayamon, Puerto Rico
  • Oompa, Hip-Hop – Boston, Massachusetts
  • SERGIO, Pop/Latino – Redwood City, California
  • Tarik, Hip-Hop – Scottsdale, Arizona

The yearly program will kick off with the Pepsi Music Lab bootcamp in New York City from October 25 – 27 where the artists will get the opportunity to learn from industry experts including:

  • Laurieann Gibson, who will provide artists with performance coaching and choreography lessons, teaching them how to engage with audiences on-stage.
  • LaRussell, who will advise artists on personal brand-building, social media, and marketing.
  • Lenny S, who will discuss how to leverage visual storytelling, connections, and collaboration as tools to amplify an artist’s overall vision.
  • Director X, who will teach each artist how to make meaningful, entertaining, and boundary-pushing visual content.

In addition to a once-in-a-lifetime coaching and mentorship experience, all 12 artists will walk away from the bootcamp with headshots captured by Lenny S, a sizzle reel, and more. Leveraging the Pepsi brand’s long and storied heritage in music and entertainment, the artists’ partnerships with Pepsi will continue throughout the year with performances, event appearances and strategic programming to amplify their exposure and grow their careers.

For the second year in a row, Pepsi will also be hosting a two-day virtual summit with renowned music industry experts for aspiring artists all over the country to listen and learn.

For more information and updates on Pepsi Music Lab, visit PepsiMusicLab.com and follow along on @pepsi on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.

Frank Zappa’s Famed “Electric Orchestra” Celebrated With ‘Waka/Wazoo’ Box Set

Eric Alper
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Frank Zappa’s Famed “Electric Orchestra” Celebrated With ‘Waka/Wazoo’ Box Set

In 1972, following the aftermath of being pushed off stage at the Rainbow Theatre in London by a crazed attendee, Frank Zappa found himself recuperating for months in his home in the hills of Los Angeles. Although he was confined to a wheelchair and in immense pain, his work ethic could not be tamed, and he would end up having one of the most prolific years of his hugely prolific career. During this time, he managed, among other things, to assemble an ensemble that quenched his thirst and desire to work with a large “Electric Orchestra.” Ultimately, he contracted a 20-piece group for recording sessions and an eight-city tour. Shortly thereafter, a scaled down 10-piece configuration, now popularly known as the “Petite Wazoo” toured for almost two months. After all was said and done, Zappa finished the experiment with two albums in the can – Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo – plus two tours and an archive of show masters in his Vault. It was a monumental feat for a guy with a cast on his leg and a conductor’s baton in his hand.

In celebration of half a century of this pioneering phase of Zappa’s peerless career, Zappa Records/UMe will be releasing Waka/Wazoo, a five-disc multi-format box set that features a complete historical rundown of the entire project, on December 16th, just ahead of what would have been the Maestro’s 82nd birthday. Produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, the comprehensive 4CD + Blu-Ray Audio set boasts unreleased alternate takes of almost every composition recorded during the album sessions, Vault mix session outtakes and oddities, and also includes the full final show of the 10-piece tour, recorded at the famous Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on December 15, 1972. Additionally, the collection includes a set of demos for George Duke’s solo material that Zappa produced and played guitar on during the album recording sessions at Paramount Studios. Although Duke would go on to re-record the compositions for his own albums, the versions with Zappa have never been officially issued until now.

Waka/Jawaka is available to pre-order now and is being previewed with an alternate take of The Grand Wazoo favorite “Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus” from Disc 2 that showcases the complexity of these compositions and the stunning musicianship.

The Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo albums themselves will be presented on Blu-Ray Audio disc in a variety of exciting listening experiences: brand-new, first-time-ever immersive Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital True HD 5.1 surround sound mixes, mixed from the original multitracks by Erich Gobel and Karma Auger at Studio 1LA, and 96kHz 24-bit high-resolution stereo remasters, mastered by Doug Sax with Robert Hadley and Sangwook “Sunny” Nam at The Mastering Lab in 2012. Both albums will also be available for hi-res streaming.

The five-disc set will be housed in a clamshell box with a 44-page booklet with unseen photos from the Vault from the recording sessions, rehearsals, and tour, plus liner notes by Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers and Scott Parker, author of several books on Zappa and host of the official Zappa podcast, the ZappaCast. Aside from several vintage mixes included in the set, and the surround sound mixes, the audio was mixed by Craig Parker Adams at Winslow Ct. Studios and John Polito at Audio Mechanics from the original 1972 16-track and 4-track analog masters, all mastered by Polito.

For the first time since they were repressed from the analog tapes in the ’70s, Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo will be available once again on vinyl. Fans will have the choice of audiophile grade 180-gram black vinyl or limited edition 180-gram color vinyl. UDiscover Music and Zappa.com will exclusively offer Waka/Jawaka on translucent green vinyl and The Grand Wazoo on brown marble vinyl, both with tip-on jackets and lithographs. Mastered from the analog tapes by Bernie Grundman, the albums are being pressed at Optimal Media in Germany.

Pre-order Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo LPs here: https://zappa.lnk.to/WakaWazooPR

Following the completion of 1972’s Just Another Band From L.A., recorded live at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles in August 1971, Zappa turned to assembling an electric orchestra, a large group of musicians that would be able to play super intricate compositions with the intensity and volume of a modern rock concert. The musicians largely consisted of players new to Zappa, with a few familiar faces in the mix, and included folks like drummer Aynsley Dunbar and bassist Alex “Erroneous” Dmochowski, who Dunbar brought into the fold, longtime Mothers keyboardists George Duke and Don Preston, guitarist Tony Duran, percussionists Alan Estes, Bob Zimmitti and a whole host of brass and woodwind players that included the likes of Sal Marquez, Malcolm McNab, Kenny Shroyer, Earle Dumler, and Tony “Bat Man” Ortega.

Rehearsals started for the album recording sessions sometime in late March/early April and once the material was honed to his satisfaction, Zappa and crew decamped to Paramount Studios where recording began on April 10, 1972. By the end of the month, Zappa, who handled production, guitar and conducting duties, had recorded the bulk of two albums, the jazz-influenced Waka/Jawaka (intended by Zappa as a sequel to Hot Rats), recorded with a lineup of six to nine musicians, and the epic and ambitious jazz-fusion masterwork, The Grand Wazoo, recorded with a larger ensemble ranging from eight to as many as 20 musicians.

Zappa planned that following the Waka/Wazoo sessions, a touring version of what he dubbed the “Mothers of Invention/Hot Rats/Grand Wazoo” would perform a short eight-date tour in September of 1972. As Travers writes in the illuminating liner notes, “once the Wazoo project was set in motion, the first thing Frank did was hire Kenny Shroyer to help enlist and contract the musicians. 20 of them were eventually hired, and new musical relationships were created. Some musicians such as Sal Marquez, Bruce Fowler and bass player Dave Parlato would go on to be involved in future Zappa endeavors. The debut of the live 20-piece would take place at none other than the Hollywood Bowl on September 10, 1972. It was the first time Zappa ever played the historic venue. After a trip to Europe and back with the monstrous group, seven shows later it was over. Within six months, the concept switched to a 10-piece line up that was billed as the Mothers Of Invention but would later be endorsed as the “Petite Wazoo.”

The Wazoo 20-piece band seems to have been only captured on tape once, or at least that’s all that has been found in the Vault thus far. Included in the box set is Zappa’s sonically treated edited master of “Approximate” from the September 24th, 1972 Boston Music Hall show. The version is unreleased, although the full Boston performance was released in 2007 as Wazoo. Following the Grand Wazoo tour, Zappa, as Parker writes in the liners “then headed back out on the road in late October 1972 for a two-month tour with a scaled down, more financially viable 10-piece band, playing yet another repertoire of largely new compositions. This show is historically significant not only because it was the group’s last, but it also brought a conclusion to FZ’s Wazoo-era experiment.”

Presented in the order they were recorded, the alternates and outtakes on the Waka/Wazoo box set provide a window into Frank Zappa’s creative process as he worked on two of his most ambitious and beloved albums as he was going through one of the most emotionally and physically challenging times of his life. Waka/Wazoo commemorates fifty years of Zappa’s incredible output in 1972, a year when he found recovery and “blessed relief” in his art.

WAKA/WAZOO TRACKLISTING

CD 1
Paramount Studios Recording Session Alternates and Outtakes
1. Your Mouth (Take 1)
2. Big Swifty (Alternate Take)
3. Minimal Art (Eat That Question – Version 1, Take 2)
4. Blessed Relief (Outtake Version)
5. Think It Over (The Grand Wazoo) (Outtake Version)
6. For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers) (Outtake Version)
7. Waka/Jawaka (Outtake Version)

CD 2
Paramount Studios Recording Session Alternates and Outtakes, continued
1. Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus (Alternate Take)
2. Eat That Question (Version 2, Alternate Take)
3. Big Swifty (Alternate Mix)
4. For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers) (Alternate Mix)
5. It Just Might Be A One-Shot Deal (Alternate Mix)
6. Waka/Jawaka (Alternate Mix)
7. Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus (Alternate Mix)
8. Eat That Question (Alternate Mix)

CD 3
George Duke Demos – The Master Versions
1. For Love (I Come Your Friend)
2. Psychosomatic Dung
3. Uncle Remus (Instrumental)
4. Love

George Duke Session Outtakes
5. For Love (I Come Your Friend) (Basic Track, Take 1)
6. Psychosomatic Dung (Basic Track, Take 2)
7. Love (Basic Track, Take 1)

The Grand Wazoo – Live
8. Approximate (Live – FZ Record Plant Mix)
10-Piece/Petite Wazoo – Live / Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA – 12-15-1972
9. Winterland ’72 Opening And Band Introductions
10. Little Dots

CD 4
10-Piece/Petite Wazoo – Live, continued
Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA – 12-15-1972
1. America Drinks
2. Montana
3. Farther O’Blivion
4. Cosmik Debris
5. Chunga’s Revenge

BLU-RAY AUDIO
48kHz 24-bit Dolby Atmos, 48kHz 24-bit Dolby TrueHD 5.1, 96kHz 24-bit PCM Stereo
WAKA/JAWAKA
1. Big Swifty
2. Your Mouth
3. It Just Might Be A One-Shot Deal
4. Waka / Jawaka

THE GRAND WAZOO
1. The Grand Wazoo
2. For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers)
3. Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus
4. Eat That Question
5. Blessed Relief

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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