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As the title of his most recent CD indicates, Eddie does love Frank. That's Eddie and Frank, as in Palermo and Zappa. Ed and Frank, to you. Apparently, the whole audience at the Dix Hills Performing Arts Center felt the same way, judging from the reaction to Palermo and his Big Band on that cold February night with the threat of a major winter storm in the air. Thankfully, the band was hot enough to melt away the foreboding reports of the couple of feet of snow that was on the way. Palermo and his band came to play, and the audience was ready for some musical climate-change. Unlike
New York City's Iridium Jazz Club (where the band played not too long before
this gig), the stage of the Dix Hills Performing Arts Center is spacious
enough for Palermo and his crew of musicians to play with ample breathing
room, allowing the band to fall into its natural components: the 'big band'
horn section on the right and the rock-band components tending toward the
left. Still, this was no battle of the bands – or battle of the genres
– as Palermo's arrangements found the perfect balance of swinging, hot
jazz and funky, smart, orchestrated rock. At full-strength there were 17
musicians on stage, and none of the posturing or pretentiousness that either
genre is sometimes subject to, with the band seemingly having as much fun
as the audience.
Joining
the band on this night was Napoleon Murphy Brock, a member of what many
considered to be Zappa's premier musical ensemble: the 1974 touring band
– one that Frank himself referred to as 'a tight commando unit.' Brock,
an enormously charismatic stage-presence, has lost none of the energy,
technique or joy of performing that always translated so well to the crowds.
Playing sax and flute, and singing Zappa's challenging vocal parts as nimbly
as he did more than three-and-a-half decades before, Brock entertained
with enormous energy, illustrating every word and musical passage with
his entire body. Onstage through much of the two-hour-plus show, Brock
handled the vocals on Palermo's arrangements of such Zappa classics as
“Village of the Sun,” “Pygmy Twilight,” “Florentine Pogen,” “Inca Roads,”
and many others, adding his signature flute, sax and dance moves
to the delight of both the audience and fellow band-mates. Brock and Palermo
seemed to share a special connection, as if they each understood that Zappa's
music was what was tying them together, creating a degree of positivity
and – yes, even warmth – that the maestro himself would probably
scowl at.
Naturally, Palermo and his group are exceptional musicians. The solos swung hard, whether from the horn section, guitar, drums, or either of the keyboard players (one on an acoustic piano, the other one covering Ruth Underwood's marimba parts and throwing in some stunning electric keyboard work). Palermo himself, whose arrangements allow for generous soloing from all, briefly produced his own sax for some smart soloing but spent the bulk of the night conducting the band, roving the stage from left to right, making sure that all cylinders were firing, and adding harmony vocals from time-to-time. By all means, Ed Palermo has lovingly brought out the best of Frank Zappa's music for old and new audiences, with humor, real musical chops, and the obvious joy and care that could only come from a real admirer of the man's work. Aside from the music of Frank Zappa and a smattering of pop and jazz references, we were treated to a bit of Brahms, a couple of John Lennon songs (“Goodnight” and “She's So Heavy”) in honor of the John Lennon Center for Music and Technology (which is on the same campus), and Procol Harum's classic, “A Salty Dog.” Obviously, Palermo agrees with the words Zappa often quoted: music is the best. In Palermo's case, it doesn't really matter what label the music wears or where it came from – classic rock, experimental, pop, or classical. Palermo celebrates the music we grew up on and transforms it into something new yet familiar.
Words and pictures: Bert Saraco http://expressimagephoto.tripod.com
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Palermo
does Zappa's legacy a tremendous service, making the music accessible,
and adding a degree of credibility (though none was ever really
lacking) to a whole new group of listeners that never got past the “Don't
Eat the Yellow Snow” aspect of Zappa's genius. To the great satisfaction
of long-time fans, Palermo allows the compositions to retain their basic
shape, while amplifying the inherent 'big-band' potential that was such
a strong part of the structure of the composer's work. Happily, the humor
that Frank usually brought to his performances is still intact, and the
band seems to have a genuinely good time playing this intricate music while
being called on to offer an occasional shout of “that's Ruth!' or “ointment!”
or “Chester's gorilla – she go, 'oink!'” some other familiar Zappa-ism.
And, yes – the audience frequently joins in.
