Zappa Plays Zappa is an American tribute act led by Dweezil Zappa, the eldest son of late American composer and musician Frank Zappa, devoted to performing the music of Frank Zappa. A DVD documenting the 2006 tour was released in early 2008, which this video is from. Filmed in Portland and Seattle, The Zappa Plays Zappa Double DVD collection brilliantly commemorates the critically acclaimed 2006 concerts which presented a collection of Frank Zappa's rock-oriented compositions.

The band debuted in 2006 with shows in Europe, Canada, and the United States during May and June (the tour was also known as Zappa Plays Zappa: Tour de Frank'). The shows presented a collection of Frank Zappa's rock-oriented compositions from the 1960s to the late 1970s. Apart from Dweezil Zappa on lead guitar, many of the band members previously played with Frank Zappa. Among those, Napoleon Murphy Brock (sax, flute, and vocals) was an integral part of the band, while drummer/vocalist Terry Bozzio and guitarist Steve Vai performed as guests in parts of the shows. At several shows the live band played along with audio and video recordings of Frank Zappa himself, notably portions of "Chunga's Revenge", "Dumb All Over", "Cosmik Debris", and "Muffin Man."

Frank Zappa's bands underwent many changes of members, and Zappa Plays Zappa has done the same. The first changes came in 2009–2010, starting with the departure of Aaron Arntz from the keyboard chair, followed quickly by the replacement of guest vocalist Ray White with the hiring of full-time singer/multi-instrumentalist Ben Thomas. Shortly thereafter, keyboardist/singer Chris Norton was added to the lineup. Changes have been made since, and most likely will continue to do so as Dweezil continues in his father's footsteps.

"Echidna's Arf (Of You)," along with "The Black Page, No. 1" and "Inca Roads," is one of the best pieces from Frank Zappa's "complex music" period (1973-1976). This instrumental piece was only performed with the 1973-1974 band as part of a sequence made of "Village of the Sun," "Echidna's Arf (Of You)," and "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing." It first appeared on the 1974 live LP Roxy & Elsewhere (recorded in December 1973 with overdubs). A late-1974 live-only version with a few accelerated meters can be found on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2.

The piece calls for complex melodic lines, frequent changes in time signatures and tempos, and fast-paced action involving all musicians, often playing in unison. Yet, the whole thing adapts to an approximate 4/4 frame, making it easier to digest than the next piece in the sequence. Zappa keyboardist George Duke recorded his own version of it for his solo album Three Originals. Tribute bands tend to avoid this brain-teaser in favor of more popular hard pieces like "Inca Roads," but the Ensemble Ambrosius managed to perform an interesting arrangement for Baroque instruments.

By the way, an echidna is a spine anteater. The dog and its barking ("arf") are regular conceptual continuity jokes in Zappa's catalog. Now, what the title "Echidna's Arf (Of You)" means remains anybody's guess.

Echidna's Arf (Of You) was recorded at The Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, California, on Dec 10, 1973 (late show) and is the 5th song from Frank Zappa/The Mothers double live album Roxy & Elsewhere. The album was released on September 10, 1974.

*An echidna is an ant-eating Australian marsupial that vaguely resembles a porcupine.


*This song is usually played after "Village of the Sun" where there is no pause between the songs.

Dweezil Zappa - Lead Guitar
Aaron Arntz - Keyboards
Scheila Gonzalez - Saxophone
Billy Hulting - Mallet Percussion (xylophone)
Pete Griffin - Bass
Joe Travers - Drums
Jamie W. Kime - Guitar

Special Guests
Napoleon Murphy Brock - Saxophone, Intro Vocals
Steve Vai - Lead Guitar

#MysticRhythmsLive

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