(Credits: Bent Rej)
Thu 15 January 2026 22:30, UK
Frank Zappa was, it’s not unfair to say, one of the most committed and versatile musicians in the world.
As genres grow, as the industry changes, as the music that people listen to continues to change, it seemed there was nothing that the creative world could throw at Zappa that he wasn’t prepared for. Look at his discography and try to find a single style of music that hasn’t been not only played, but completely mastered by Zappa. It’s impressive to say the least.
Of course, it’s worth pointing out that while Zappa was no doubt a genius when it came to putting together excellent musical arrangements, there was a lot more to him than just natural musical talent. His skill wasn’t the result of a bit of luck in the gene pool; sure, there’ll be a bit of natural ability there, but this skill was something that Zappa worked hard to bring out in himself and truly perfect.
The drummer Chester Thompson worked with Zappa for a stretch of time, and found out quickly just how hard you had to practice to keep up with him. No longer was music a hobby that you dabbled in whenever you felt like it. Instead, Zappa treated it like a 9 to 5 job, ensuring that every single person he was playing with was at the top of their game and ready to roll with any idea he threw at them.
“People thought Zappa was some kind of freak-out hippy, but he was seriously dedicated,” said Thompson, reflecting on those early jam sessions. “That was my first introduction to practising for 40 hours each week. It was eight hours a day and there was no time wasted. Every time we finished a rehearsal, I felt that my brain was sweating. It was really intense music, really difficult music, and I always say it was the best school I ever went to.”
Of course, while Zappa might have been massively committed to his music and his ability as a musician, that didn’t mean that he lost sight of the fun side of playing it. Too often you hear of musicians losing the passion for what they were doing because their creative outlet began to feel less like a passion and more like a job, but Zappa was different.
While he always wanted the best from those he played with, he also wanted to enjoy playing music. As such, when he was talking about the collaborators he worked with who he had the most fun playing with, those he named he admitted didn’t reflect his best work, but their attitude towards supporting their fellow musicians and enjoying what they were playing on stage made those jamming sessions incredibly special.
“Well, playing in the group with George [Duke] and Ruth [Underwood] was a lot easier,” said Zappa, “I don’t think I was playing that well there, but it was real easy to play with George, especially, because he’s such a great musician and you can always count on him to play something musical behind you. It’s not just a matter of having a keyboard player to blast his way through and be obnoxious during somebody else’s solo.”
He continued, “George would always seem to support whoever was doing a solo, whether it was Napoleon [Murphy Brock], me, or whoever. It was musical to play with him, and I don’t always get that same sensation from other accompanists that I’ve worked with since that time.”
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