Artist: FRANK ZAPPA
Album: JAZZ FROM HELL RE-ISSUE (CD)

Year: 1986/ 2016
EAN/UPS: 0824302387528
Media type: CD

Jazz from Hell is an instrumental album whose selections were all composed and recorded by Frank Zappa. It was released in 1986 by Barking Pumpkin Records on vinyl and by Rykodisc on CD. This is Official Release #47.

All compositions were executed by Frank Zappa on the Synclavier DMS with the exception of "St. Etienne", a guitar solo excerpted from a live performance Zappa gave of "Drowning Witch" during a concert in Saint-Étienne, France, on his 1982 tour.

"While You Were Art II" is a Synclavier performance based on a transcription of Zappa's improvised guitar solo on the track "While You Were Out" from the album Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar (1981). The unreleased original Synclavier performance was done using only the unit's FM synthesis, while the recording found here was Zappa's "deluxe" arrangement featuring newer samples and timbres.

"Night School" was possibly named for a late-night show that Zappa pitched to ABC; the network did not pick it up. A music video was made for the song.

"G-Spot Tornado", assumed by Zappa to be impossible to play by humans, would be performed by Ensemble Modern on the concert recording The Yellow Shark (1993).

Zappa won a 1988 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for this album.

The music to all selections was composed, and all selections were arranged, by Frank Zappa.

TRACKLIST:

1.     "Night School"       4:47
2.     "The Beltway Bandits"       3:25
3.     "While You Were Art II"       7:17
4.     "Jazz from Hell"       2:58

5.     "G-Spot Tornado"       3:17
6.     "Damp Ankles"       3:45
7.     "St. Etienne"       6:26
8.     "Massaggio Galore"       2:31

LINE-UP:

    Frank Zappa – lead guitar, Synclavier, keyboards, production

On "St. Etienne":
    Steve Vai – rhythm guitar
    Ray White – rhythm guitar
    Tommy Mars – keyboards
    Bobby Martin – keyboards
    Scott Thunes – bass guitar
    Chad Wackerman – drums
    Ed Mann – percussion