Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my buddy Art. Art heads up Deception, the blues band that I’ve performed with for 6 years now. A few weeks ago Art picked up a DVD that he really wanted me to watch with him.
While on holidays he picked up the 2 disc performance by Zappa Plays Zappa, that was recorded live in Seattle. If you’re not familiar with the band, Frank Zappa’s son Dweezil, has assembled a group of top-notch players to perform his father’s music. The result? About 3 hours of amazing musicianship that will awe and inspire you.
Even if you’re not a Zappa fan, if you hear this music with an open mind, take a listen solely to the incredible musicianship as the performers switch flawlessly between the incredibly complex time signatures. Then as the individual performers solo, hear their musical backgrounds and influences.
Being a sax player, I naturally zeroed in on the 2 saxophone players on stage. The tenor saxophone parts on the DVD were performed by Frank Zappa’s sax man and vocalist, Napoleon Murphy-Brock. As the showman he did a great job, and his vocals and playing were flawless.
The alto player however, she blew me away. Her tone, her solos, not to mention her keyboard and vocal work, made her performance on stage one to remember.
Scheila Gonzalez is the woman wielding the saxophone full time in ZPZ. (Murphy-Brock only guests on some shows.) While listening to her extensive solo work, her jazz background became evident.
Gonzalez is a very talented multi-instrumentalist, hailing from Los Angeles. A piano player since the age of 4, she started playing sax at 12. When not performing with ZPZ, she is busy in her position of Director of Jazz Combos at Santa Susana Performing Arts High School. She also teaches privately, and freelances throughout the Southern California area.¹
Source: thepaintingqueen.com
Here is an example of her phenomenal playing ability. At about 1:30 of Eat That Question, she takes a solo that ends at nearly 6:00. Enjoy…
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