Retrospective - Zappanale #12

» Zappanale #12

Zappanale 12 - 2001

It was on the first page of the booklet accompanying the jazz festival. In the run-up to the hippie festival it had been ringing through for 2 years and at the Zappanale it was read out at the beginning:
all the organizers have at least thought about stopping. On the one hand it is due to the hurdles that need to be jumped and in the end not knowing whether the finances raised, the enthusiasm of the visitors, the equipment of the festival, the annoyance with otherwise freaking out/drunk/stoned audience as well as one's own fascination keep yourself sufficiently balanced on the music.

So far, however, all festivals have continued to take place. Potential organizers - Young people with new ideas and enthusiasm for jazz / rock and Zappa won't be in line, that's for sure.
The horse racing track in Bad Doberan was spruced up again this year. Not for women with freaky, expensive hats, but for Zappa freaks, who have traveled from Great Britain, France, Sweden or Holland to attend this special kind of event.
The furnishing of the premises and the stage, technology, record, food and drink stands go hand in hand with the acceptance of the local population, who are open-minded and friendly to the small group of upright people in the spirit of Frank Zappa. Ascending trend. So much so that the Zappaists' dream of erecting a monument to Frank Zappa in Bad Doberan will in all probability come true next year.

There is reason to be happy, although bigger and smaller problems are raging behind the scenes - the financial resources of the festival alone, supported by the association "The Arf-Society", should have led to headaches. About 500/600 guests came - it is doubtful whether that would be enough to cover all costs.
The list of bands invited this year sounded promising. "Things That Looks Like Meat" from the Cologne area opened on Friday, which didn't convince me. The band played too undifferentiated and superimposed, with a lot of humor, but without the technical ability to interpret Zappa's complex pieces in any interesting way. While the band wasn't really bad, it wasn't enough to wow demanding and spoiled Zappa fans.
So the applause was rather sparse.

In return, the vocal ensemble "The Side Tables", also from Germany, turned out to be a real hit. The 5/6/7 gentlemen (didn't really count) not only sang Zappa, but had brought a diverse range with them. But whether it was the Zappa pieces or something else, the singers quickly had the audience on their side. The excellently coordinated vocalists interpreted "Billy The Mountain" in their own free translation as well as pop pieces, which were given a funny dimension by the purely vocal arrangement.

The last act of the evening was "Chris der Berg" from Austria, who almost stopped their concert right at the beginning because a completely idiotic punk yelled at the band and splattered them with beer. (After the punk bothered me and a few others, he was eventually taken off the premises by stewards - and I hope they shoved him into the nearest dung heap.)

Wonderfully, there was a vibraphonist who looks like Ruth Underwood and did a great job on her instruments. While her way of playing the mallets was incomparable to Ruth's incredible and almost unattainable virtuosity, she is on the right track in using her great equipment. "Chris der Berg" was the first band this year to play Zappa's top-class repertoire excellently and give a long concert without needing sheet music for the complex music.

On Saturday there was a midday concert by a southern German troupe, who served Zappa's jazz rock sometimes original, sometimes alienated and sometimes completely foreign with hip-hop and other influences. Later in the evening it turned out to be a project by "Beat The Boots", who translated Zappa's music into their easy-going musical language in a relaxed, improvisational way. Then it was off to the beach (ahem, no bands).
At some point it was evening, a few clouds had let a few raindrops hit the windshield, but the sun was shining again soon. Little was happening on stage, so the soundmaster turned DJ and played music with and without Zappa. Hansi the violinist from Dekadance performed Psychedelic on violin + electronica. Later, after the first band, we got the opportunity to listen to Jim Cohen, an American who speaks perfect German.
He translated "Billy The Mountain" in a humorous way, using images relevant to the topic in addition to the music and gave Geographicc