17./19./21. July 2024 - Hamburg / Main Stage
On August 8, 1973, Frank Zappa was alerted by his road manager Marty Perellis that an incredible band with an outstanding lead singer was coming to town and that it would be good if he came and checked it out himself. When Zappa came to the club and watched the show, he saw a young talent singing, dancing, playing the saxophone, flute and keyboard in a way that said he was having more fun than anyone else in the club.
After two hours of watching and listening to the young man and his very disciplined band, he introduced himself as Frank Zappa, and the young man introduced himself as Napoleon Murphy Brock. The next words out of Zappa's mouth were, "You're my new lead singer."
This singer and saxophonist is still closely associated with the music of Frank Zappa, particularly due to the incredibly diverse compositions that Zappa composed to accommodate the wide range of vocal talents and stage presence that NMB possesses. He is the only member of the last formation, the Mothers of Invention, where he collaborated with Zappa on four compositions: "DUMMY UP", "THE BOOGER MAN", "THE ROOM SERVICE RAP", and "IT'S ALL RIGHT" - the last funky blues song on ROXY AND ELSEWHERE.
In the first decade of the new century he took part in shows on the first Zappa Plays Zappa Tour with Dweezil Zappa, which also featured Steve Vai (guitar) and Terry Bozzio (drums).
In 2009, both Napoleon and Steve Vai each won a Grammy for their performance of the track "Peaches en Regalia," which first appeared on Zappa's 1969 album “Hot Rats.”
In recent years, Napoleon Murphy Brock has toured with the Grandmothers Of Invention and he has toured with many acclaimed Zappa tribute bands. He was even chosen to serve as lead singer, frontman and dance choreographer for the George Duke Funk/Jazz Ensemble - which included world-renowned Latin percussionist Sheila E - with whom he also toured and recorded eight successful albums.
Napoleon is currently without his own band, but he still tours and performs to continue the brilliance of Frank Zappa's music of the 70s, in which he was directly involved. He calls it: Total Music Theater.
You can also see it as an honor that some of ZFT's most recent releases focus heavily on his involvement: FZ/OZ, JOE'S CAMOUFLAGE - a tour rehearsal CD with Napoleon on keyboards and alto sax - as well as the video release of A TOKEN OF MY EXTREME, now in digital form, and finally ROXY BY PROXY.
This year Napoleon will appear at the Zappanale again, as a special guest with the Ensemble Fuse, the Inventionis Mater Trio, on whose last album he performed on half of the tracks and, last but not least, with Frank Out!
