Make a Jazz Noise Here (Live)

The third and final live album put together from recordings of Frank Zappa's 1988 concerts, the two-CD set Make a Jazz Noise Here focuses on the composer's instrumental pieces — which are not necessarily jazzy, by the way. As for the three vocal tracks included ("Stinkfoot," "Stevie's Spanking," and "Advance Romance"), they all feature interesting solos. The set presents old favorites, like the medley "Let's Make the Water Turn Black"/"Harry, You're a Beast," "King Kong," and "The Black Page." They are well-performed, but considering the number of versions of each of them available on other recordings, they hardly constitute the main interest of this album. Zappa included more obscure tracks. Some of them had not been performed on-stage for quite a long time. Of these, "Big Swifty," "T'Mershi Duween," "Dupree's Paradise," and "Eat That Question" all turn into memorable moments. Scattered throughout the album, listeners also find a few newer compositions, some more spontaneous than others. "Fire and Chains," "When Yuppies Go to Hell," and "Star Wars Won't Work" don't represent key pieces in Zappa's works, but they add an element of surprise to the whole. Make a Jazz Noise Here contains very little stage antics and inside jokes; it concentrates on virtuoso performances of some of Zappa's best instrumental tunes. ~ François Couture, Rovi