Nov
16
Orange County Strip Clubs: Opus 21’s rendition of Zappa’s artier side wins standing ovation
November 16, 2009 | | Leave a Comment
The sextet isn’t a rock band — though Judy Moonert got to do a rocking Terry Bozzio solo on “Black Page No. 1” — so Zappa’s works had to be adjusted. Some were changed a lot, like Opus 21 saxophonist Andrew Bishop’s arrangement of “Peaches En Regalia,” which ended up with a rumba rhythm and sounded a bit lifeless compared to the original.
But Bishop’s version of “Fountain of Love,” originally a sappy doo-wop parody, may have been an improvement. Opus 21 mixed the doo-wop with Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring,” and had percussionist Greg Secor and cellist Alexa Muhly reciting the lyrics of teenage love in comic deadpan.
The sardonic Zappa humor was highlighted with quotes recited by the players like, “Tobacco is my favorite vegetable.” His humor was in the music as well. “Dupree’s Paradise” (arranged by Western Michigan University grad Keith Horn), inspired by a seedy Watts bar, jumped from lively avant-garde to a stripper’s bump-and-grind, with Bishop blowing the sleaziest sax in Opus 21’s history.
See the full article from “Kalamazoo Gazette – MLive.com”