The Yellow Shark is an album of orchestral music by Frank Zappa. Released i… Read Full Bio ↴The Yellow Shark is an album of orchestral music by Frank Zappa. Released in November 1993, it was the last Zappa album to appear in his lifetime, almost exactly a month before he died of the cancer from which he had suffered for several years. It features live recordings from the Ensemble Modern's 1992 performances of Zappa's compositions. In the album's notes, Zappa describes The Yellow Shark as one of the most fulfilling projects of his career, and as the best representation of his orchestral works.
Singer Tom Waits has listed it as one of his favourite albums, commenting: "The ensemble is awe-inspiring. It is a rich pageant of texture in colour. It's the clarity of his perfect madness, and mastery. Frank governs with Elmore James on his left and Stravinsky on his right. Frank reigns and rules with the strangest tools."
In 1991, Zappa was chosen to be one of four featured composers at the Frankfurt Festival in 1992 (the others were John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Alexander Knaifel). Zappa was approached by the German chamber ensemble, Ensemble Modern, which was interested in playing his music for the event. Although ill, Zappa invited them to Los Angeles for rehearsals of new compositions and new arrangements of older material. In addition to being satisfied with the ensemble's performances of his music, Zappa also got along with the musicians, and the concerts in Germany and Austria were set up for the fall. The Canadian choreographer Édouard Lock, the Canadian dancer Louise Lecavalier, and his company La La La Human Steps were part of the show. In September 1992, the concerts went ahead as scheduled, but Zappa could only appear at two in Frankfurt due to illness. At the first concert, he conducted the opening "Overture", and the final "G-Spot Tornado" as well as the theatrical "Food Gathering in Post-Industrial America, 1992" and "Welcome to the United States" (the remainder of the program was conducted by the ensemble's regular conductor Peter Rundel). The first concert was aired live by German pay TV channel Premiere, presented by the station's "Special" host Christian Eckert. Zappa received a 20-minute ovation. It would become his last professional public appearance, as the cancer was spreading to such an extent that he was in too much pain to enjoy an event that he otherwise found "exhilarating". Recordings from the concerts appeared on The Yellow Shark, Zappa's last release during his lifetime.
The posthumous album Everything Is Healing Nicely, released in 1999, contains recordings from around the same time, made in preparation for the performances documented on The Yellow Shark.
Track listing
No. Title Length
1. "Intro" 1:43
2. "Dog Breath Variations" 2:07
3. "Uncle Meat" 3:24
4. "Outrage at Valdez" 3:27
5. "Times Beach II" 7:31
6. "III Revised" 1:45
7. "The Girl in the Magnesium Dress" 4:33
8. "Be-Bop Tango" 3:43
9. "Ruth Is Sleeping" 5:56
10. "None of the Above" 2:17
11. "Pentagon Afternoon" 2:28
12. "Questi Cazzi Di Piccione"" 3:03
13. "Times Beach III" 4:26
14. "Food Gathering in Post-Industrial America, 1992" 2:52
15. "Welcome to the United States" 6:39
16. "Pound for a Brown" 2:12
17. "Exercise #4" 1:37
18. "Get Whitey" 7:00
19. "G-Spot Tornado" 5:17
Personnel
Musicians
Frank Zappa – conductor, producer, performer
Peter Rundel – conductor, violin
Dietmar Wiesner – flute
Catherine Milliken – oboe, english horn, bass oboe, didjeridu
Roland Diry – clarinet
Wolfgang Stryi – bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, contrabass clarinet
Veit Scholz – bassoon, contrabassoon
Franck Ollu, Stefan Dohr – french horn
William Formann, Michael Gross – cornet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet, trumpet
Uwe Dierksen – trombone, soprano trombone
Michael Svoboda – trombone, euphonium, didjeridu, alphorn
Daryl Smith – tuba
Hermann Kretzschmar – celeste, harpsichord, voices, piano
Ueli Wiget – celeste, harpsichord, harp, piano
Rumi Ogawa-Helferich – cymbalom, percussion
Andreas Böttger – percussion
Detlef Tewes – mandolin
Jürgen Ruck – banjo, guitar
Ellen Wegner – harp
Mathias Tacke, Claudia Sack – violin
Hilary Sturt – violin, voices
Friedemann Dähn – violoncello
Thomas Fichter- contrabass, Fichter electric upright bass
Ensemble Modern – main performer
Technical staff
Todd Yvega – synclavier assistance
Spencer Chrislu – engineer, mixing
Harry Andronis – engineer
Brian Johnson – art direction, design
Hans Jörg Michel – photography
Henning Lobner – photography
Dave Dondorf – engineer, coordination
Jesse Di Franco – art direction, design
Mark Beam;- Yellow Shark Sculpture
Ali N. Askin – arranger
Fritz Brinckmann – photography
Rip Rense - liner notes booklet
Singer Tom Waits has listed it as one of his favourite albums, commenting: "The ensemble is awe-inspiring. It is a rich pageant of texture in colour. It's the clarity of his perfect madness, and mastery. Frank governs with Elmore James on his left and Stravinsky on his right. Frank reigns and rules with the strangest tools."
In 1991, Zappa was chosen to be one of four featured composers at the Frankfurt Festival in 1992 (the others were John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Alexander Knaifel). Zappa was approached by the German chamber ensemble, Ensemble Modern, which was interested in playing his music for the event. Although ill, Zappa invited them to Los Angeles for rehearsals of new compositions and new arrangements of older material. In addition to being satisfied with the ensemble's performances of his music, Zappa also got along with the musicians, and the concerts in Germany and Austria were set up for the fall. The Canadian choreographer Édouard Lock, the Canadian dancer Louise Lecavalier, and his company La La La Human Steps were part of the show. In September 1992, the concerts went ahead as scheduled, but Zappa could only appear at two in Frankfurt due to illness. At the first concert, he conducted the opening "Overture", and the final "G-Spot Tornado" as well as the theatrical "Food Gathering in Post-Industrial America, 1992" and "Welcome to the United States" (the remainder of the program was conducted by the ensemble's regular conductor Peter Rundel). The first concert was aired live by German pay TV channel Premiere, presented by the station's "Special" host Christian Eckert. Zappa received a 20-minute ovation. It would become his last professional public appearance, as the cancer was spreading to such an extent that he was in too much pain to enjoy an event that he otherwise found "exhilarating". Recordings from the concerts appeared on The Yellow Shark, Zappa's last release during his lifetime.
The posthumous album Everything Is Healing Nicely, released in 1999, contains recordings from around the same time, made in preparation for the performances documented on The Yellow Shark.
Track listing
No. Title Length
1. "Intro" 1:43
2. "Dog Breath Variations" 2:07
3. "Uncle Meat" 3:24
4. "Outrage at Valdez" 3:27
5. "Times Beach II" 7:31
6. "III Revised" 1:45
7. "The Girl in the Magnesium Dress" 4:33
8. "Be-Bop Tango" 3:43
9. "Ruth Is Sleeping" 5:56
10. "None of the Above" 2:17
11. "Pentagon Afternoon" 2:28
12. "Questi Cazzi Di Piccione"" 3:03
13. "Times Beach III" 4:26
14. "Food Gathering in Post-Industrial America, 1992" 2:52
15. "Welcome to the United States" 6:39
16. "Pound for a Brown" 2:12
17. "Exercise #4" 1:37
18. "Get Whitey" 7:00
19. "G-Spot Tornado" 5:17
Personnel
Musicians
Frank Zappa – conductor, producer, performer
Peter Rundel – conductor, violin
Dietmar Wiesner – flute
Catherine Milliken – oboe, english horn, bass oboe, didjeridu
Roland Diry – clarinet
Wolfgang Stryi – bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, contrabass clarinet
Veit Scholz – bassoon, contrabassoon
Franck Ollu, Stefan Dohr – french horn
William Formann, Michael Gross – cornet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet, trumpet
Uwe Dierksen – trombone, soprano trombone
Michael Svoboda – trombone, euphonium, didjeridu, alphorn
Daryl Smith – tuba
Hermann Kretzschmar – celeste, harpsichord, voices, piano
Ueli Wiget – celeste, harpsichord, harp, piano
Rumi Ogawa-Helferich – cymbalom, percussion
Andreas Böttger – percussion
Detlef Tewes – mandolin
Jürgen Ruck – banjo, guitar
Ellen Wegner – harp
Mathias Tacke, Claudia Sack – violin
Hilary Sturt – violin, voices
Friedemann Dähn – violoncello
Thomas Fichter- contrabass, Fichter electric upright bass
Ensemble Modern – main performer
Technical staff
Todd Yvega – synclavier assistance
Spencer Chrislu – engineer, mixing
Harry Andronis – engineer
Brian Johnson – art direction, design
Hans Jörg Michel – photography
Henning Lobner – photography
Dave Dondorf – engineer, coordination
Jesse Di Franco – art direction, design
Mark Beam;- Yellow Shark Sculpture
Ali N. Askin – arranger
Fritz Brinckmann – photography
Rip Rense - liner notes booklet
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The Yellow Shark
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Be-Bop Tango Frank Zappa (lead guitar, vocals) George Duke (keyboards, s…
Food Gathering in Post-Industrial America, 1992 "Food Gathering In Post-Industrial America, 1992." When the…
Intro FZ: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank…
Outrage at Valdez We haven't lyrics of this song. Please, add these lyrics…
Pound For A Brown Dick Kunc: Fade!…
The Girl in the Magnesium Dress We haven't lyrics of this song. Please, add these lyrics…
Welcome to the United States [includes Narrhalla-Marsch (trad.) and a quote from Louie Lo…