Interview with Jean-Luc Ponty in which he talks, among other things, about Frank Zappa:
Some of his pieces were a total musical patchwork; a few measures of basic rock suddenly moving into jazz then into a Stravinsky like written section. He was a true pioneer of fusion but I preferred his pieces that were in one style from start to finish, some were very inventive, intricate yet melodic.
Ponty actually suggests that Zappa has somehow failed his true destination, by wasting his potential through satire and often “vulgar” approach on music.
A great composer, inventive, visionaire, a pioneer…. that could be summed up through “not bad for an autodidact”.
From his perspective, Ponty could be right.
It’s interesting (to me: surprising) to see thet Ponty always mentions that FZ “had to” or “wanted to” play easier, more “audience-friendly” tunes among the hard ones. Well, thinking of the albums or the setlists of the shows from that time: I just can’t see that. Ex 4, Dog/Meat, Chunga-King Kong, RDNZL, The Yellow Snow Medley – it it the “easy way?”