Brilliant guitarist, but also composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, producer and director: Frank Zappa was all this and even more. His talent and versatility are at the center of “Zappa”, the documentary dedicated to him, broadcast on Sky Arte on Wednesday 4 December, on the 31st anniversary of the American artist's premature death.
Directed by director Alex Winter, the film tells the biography of the legendary guitarist in a new way, thanks to exclusive access to the Zappa family's private archive. Inside are preserved interviews and unpublished footage, audio clips recorded from live performances and testimonies from friends, relatives and musical collaborators, including Ian Underwood and Steve Vai. A result made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Zappa family, who granted the unlimited access to the personal archives of the great Baltimore guitarist. These are materials never seen before, also relating to some musical projects left incomplete at the time of his death, which occurred prematurely in 1993.
Frank Zappa's career is thus retraced, highlighting the seminal impact of his rock experimentations, as well as the relevance of his many stances in the social and political sphere. What emerges is an authentic and multifaceted portrait of a complex and charismatic author, whose profound humanity still represents a point of reference for all enthusiasts.
Watch the documentary trailer below.
Thanks to the careful selection of films and songs, the film reconstructs Franz Zappa's career and offers a detailed overview of his incredible musical production, his unforgettable performance live and its multiple cultural influences. The testimonies offered by friends, colleagues and family, primarily the singer-songwriter's wife, Gail, finally provide an integral picture of the uniqueness and lasting influence that Zappa continues to exert on music and popular culture.
The documentary is enriched by the interventions of Frank Zappa's widow, Gail, and many of his historic musical collaborators, including Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, Ray White. Not a nostalgic journey into the past, but a modern exploration of a brilliant man whose vision of the world, art and politics has always stood out, pushing beyond the norms of the times in which he lived.
Director Alex Winter explains: “It seemed incredible to me and producer Glen Zipper that there was not yet a definitive and complete documentary on the life and times of Frank Zappa. We decided to make it ourselves: to tell a story through a film that is neither a musical documentary nor a conventional biopic. It is the dramatic saga of a great American artist and thinker; a film that wishes to convey the scope of Zappa's prodigious creative output and the breadth of his extraordinary personal and political life. First and foremost, I wanted to create a very human and universal cinematic experience about an extraordinary individual.”
Among the film's producers: Jade Allen, Devorah DeVries, John Frizzell, Alex Winter, Ahmet Zappa, Glen Zipper. The film is accompanied by a soundtrack, already available on digital, CD and LP in all versions store musical.
A memory of the great American composer will also be present in “Cento, a century of radio”, broadcast tomorrow, 4 December, at 6.05 pm on Rai Radio 1. Umberto Broccoli's program will remember the famous American composer and guitarist who remains one of most brilliant and irreverent musicians in the history of rock. On 9 January 1984 Pierre Boulez conducted three pieces for small orchestra by Frank Zappa at the Teatro de la Ville in Paris: on that occasion the musicologist Riccardo Giagni interviewed the composer for the Radio3 program “Uncertain discourse”. During the episode, some audio contributions broadcast on January 24, 1984 will be broadcast.
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
