» Zappanale #18

Zappanale 18 - 2007

As usual, for many fans the Zappanale started on Thursday evening in Zappa Town at and in the Kamp Theater. A documentary on Wild Man Fischer was shown and after dark Christophe Godin performed.
For the first time there was a stage in front of the Kamp Theater in the shape of a truck built up. According to Christophe Godin, there was the Captain Beefheart Project (Chen Unst) to experience, which was accompanied by several multimedia installations. The great mood and cozy atmosphere encouraged the fans to linger late into the night, not least to get in the mood for the next three days full of live music.

Description
The presence of many bands certainly contributes to the beautiful flair on Thursday evening every year, including the Zappa alumni who also perform every year. Even the small rain shower couldn't cloud the atmosphere. The garlic front provided the audience with specialties in the usual way.
The good weather also brought many visitors with it. 950 tickets were sold on Friday alone, probably a little less on the two following days. Those who didn't come for the first time recognized a number of faces. That's not difficult at the Zappanale, many pithy guys come as festival visitors. Long white hair, ultra-long beards, even tied into dreads or braided. Some had lost their long hair, stuffed themselves in 50s aprons or hippie dresses, put on funny hats or walked around the festival grounds in pink wigs. Some "hippie grandmothers" strutted across the square with their grandchildren, and there were plenty of young people to see. Playing children, listening youth, many a boy even who, lost in thought, whistled along to "Florentine Pogen"...

The Zappanale program, at first glance, does not offer any big conclusions because of the (as always) many unknown band names, was varied and in some cases offered grandiose surprises. The contrasting opinions were nice again, which confirms that the program has been put together successfully.
Good oldDon Preston welcomed the audience with his Akashic Ensemble on Friday afternoon the visitors. Indestructible, one could only say. The band's idiosyncratic and rather offbeat sound sometimes escalated into wacky vocal excursions; not that age makes me ripe... The good Don Preston could still be seen a few times during the day on the premises (as one could also always see via a cheerful and everyone welcoming, always laughing Napoleon Murphy Brock - also at Sunday breakfast in a Bad Doberan bakery).

After the Akashic Ensemble and the regular changeover, the British Funksters Monty & The Butchers on stage for 90 minutes to loudly press their sharp-edged funk rock into the audience's ears. Incidentally, at this point my respect to all helpers, organizers and musicians - the schedule had never before been kept so exactly despite encores!

The following act should prove to be one of the highlights of the Festivals: the divine Christophe Godin with Mörglbl, his brothers in spirit. The trio played avant rock, Steve Vai, interpreted AC/DC in Brazilian style and Deep Purple in subtle jazz. With a lot of humor, the trio played crazy, ultra-weird and grandiose song excursions. Godin's announcements were in three, no, four languages and their facial expressions, gestures and movements on stage were not only fun, but also showed their own joy in making music. Godin is a comedian, a wonderfully gifted guitarist, who knows no stylistic barriers, between metal, prog and jazz he lets off every bit of lustful play and happily grimaces... Thanks a lot! Thank you beaucoup! Spaciwo! Umm, yes, exactly...



Immediately afterwards, virtuoso Zappa experts took the stage with I Virtuosi Dal Pianeta Talento, delving deep into Dug in Zappa's themes and did their cover thing extremely well. marimba! Ole! Was that nice!! Their interpretations, inspired by Zappa's 1970s jazz rock creations, were so complex and fantastically virtuosic that listening was like a wet dream! Wet listening, so to speak, or something. Ah, whatever. In any case, the improvisations of the 12-strong ensemble were radical and uncompromising - there were avant-garde solos to be heard, bass, wind instruments and marimba, guitar and drums as well as keyboards left in the same trance