I’ve been a huge Frank Zappa fan since high school. I’ve enjoyed his music tremendously and his outlook on life has been an ongoing influence on me.

I became aware of Zappadan, the worldwide cultural festival that runs from the date of Frank Zappa’s death (December 4) to the date of his birth (December 21), last year. And so I wondered what I could do to celebrate FZ’s life and work. It was obvious: round up a bunch of independent musicians to record covers of Zappa songs.

I’m proud to announce the release of Conceptual Continuity: A Cover Freak Tribute To Frank Zappa. It’s been a year in the making and it’s been worth the wait. Here’s a sample of what you’ll get when you download it.

Lumpy “Willie The Pimp” (Frank Zappa)
I’ve featured Lumpy‘s music before on Cover Freak because I think he’s a wonderful arranger. I was very glad that he was one of the first to step up and volunteer for this project. I was even happier when he sent me this dub-reggae version of the Zappa/Beefheart collaboration. I believe it’s the only song I have with a flugelhorn solo.

This one is more appropriate than ever with the recent passing of Captain Beefheart.

John Dissed “Dirty Love” (Frank Zappa)
The original version of this song is very macho. You can almost smell the man-musk seeping out of your speakers when you play it. John Dissed finds tenderness and longing in it that I never would have imagined.

Butt-Out “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow” (Frank Zappa)
The Yellow Snow Medley jumps seamlessly between musical styles, as is the case with most of FZ’s extended compositions. Butt-Out takes the blues undertones and places them front and center in this version.

Mitch McNeil “You’re Probably Wondering Why I’m Here” (Frank Zappa)
While FZ clearly had a love of surf music, he isn’t known for his surf tunes. Mitch McNeil helps rectify that with this smoking little surf instrumental.

Acoustic Ross “What’s The Ugliest Part Of Your Body?” (Frank Zappa)
Acoustic Ross takes FZ’s cheesy little doo-wop song and reworks it as a low-fi acoustic number. I really like his megaphone work.