Frank Zappa-The Grand Wazoo (1972)

"The Grand Wazoo" was the last of Frank Zappa's instrumental burlesque albums, at least until "Orchestral Favorites" was recorded many years later. Recorded during Zappa's convalescence from injuries sustained when a wild fan stormed the stage during one of his concerts, Zappa ensured that each track on "The Grand Wazoo" retained a distinct stylistic flavor, always within the framework of jazz-rock. This is a purely instrumental album, save for a few vocal parts, where a large group of musicians more than twenty lend it a big band jazz style. Among these musicians were drummer Aynsley Dunbar, keyboardist George Duke, guitarist Tony Duran, percussionists Alan Estes and Bob Zimmitti, and saxophonist Ernie Watts. This release lacks Zappa's usual guitar solos, or at least not as many as in previous and subsequent releases. Instead, a wide variety of wind, brass, and percussion instruments take center stage, making it one of the most purely jazz-influenced works in his entire discography. From the gritty tones of "The Grand Wazoo" to the comical "Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus", passing through the epic riffs of "Eat That Question" or the relaxed "Blessed Relief", Zappa once again demonstrated that he was the absolute master of the bizarre, the anarchic, and everything musically established.