Big Swifty (1972 - Paramount Studios)

For other versions of this song, see: Big Swifty.

Lyrics

Instrumental

Players On This Song

Waka/Jawaka:

• Frank Zappa guitar & percussion
• Tony Duran slide guitar
• George Duke ring-modulated & echoplexed electric piano
• Sal Marquez many trumpets & chimes
• Erroneous electric bass
• Aynsley Dunbar drums

Zappa Wazoo:

Frank Zappa (guitar and white stick with cork handle) Mike Altschul (piccolo, bass clarinet and other winds) Earle Dumler (oboe, contrabass sarrusophone and other winds) Tony Duran (slide guitar) Glenn Ferris (trombone and euphonium) Bruce Fowler (trombone of the upper atmosphere) Jim Gordon (electric drums) Jerry Kessler (electric cello) Tom Malone (trumpet in Bb and tuba) Sal Marquez (trumpet in Bb)

Joann McNab (bassoon) Malcolm McNab (trumpet in D) Jay Migliori (flute, tenor sax and other winds) Charles Owens (soprano sax, alto sax and other winds) Dave Parlato (bass) Tom Raney (vibes and electric percussion) Ray Reed (clarinet, tenor sax and other winds) Kenny Shroyer (trombone and baritone horn) Ian Underwood (piano and synthesizer) Ruth Underwood (marimba and electric percussion)

Records On Which This Song Has Appeared

Singles

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Zappa Albums

• Waka/Jawaka
• Zappa Wazoo
• You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1

Tributes & Cover Albums

• Meridian Arts Ensemble: Smart Went Crazy
• The Muffin Men: Muffinz as Big Swifty and Big Swifty (Reprise)
• Ensemble Ambrosius: The Zappa Album
• Zappatistas: Live In Leeds
• Colin Towns + NDR Bigband: Frank Zappa's Hot Licks (And Funny Smells) as 2nd part of track 13
• Yahozna Band: 05

Notes About This Song

• The piece follows a basic head-solo-head structure, in which the head is highly structured and rhythmically complex, and the solo parts are played over a loose vamp that would change from performance to performance.

• FZ on "Big Swifty": (from The Complete History Of The Few Last Weeks Of The Mothers Of Invention (1972))

"This piece (which comprises all of Side One of the HOT RATS Waka/Jawaka album) presents a theme in rapidly alternating time signatures, a few solos, and an out-chorus done up in a sort of Prom Night orchestration which suspends the opening rhythmic structure over a straight 4/4 accompaniment.

The restatement of the theme is actually derived from a guitar solo on the album which Sal Marquez took down on paper. After about an hour of wheeling the tape back and forth, Sal managed to transcribe this rhythmically deranged chorus (I don't have the ability to do this kind of musical dictation, but, since Marquez had a full-bore education at North Texas University, he had it covered). After he'd written it out, we proceeded to over-dub three trumpets on it, and, presto! An organized conclusion for "Big Swifty."

The arrangement played here presents that line in a harmonized setting, as well as a number of orchestrational refinements of the opening material (such as the addition of woodwinds and percussion to segments which, on the recording, were played by guitars and trumpets). 'It's not "just like the record," but you'll get the idea."

CC Clues In This Song

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