The Furious Bongos
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Latest Posts
The Furious Bongos
a month ago
The Road to Halloween Vol. 2 is out now! In addition to the new tracks, we included alternate versions of some of the big improv songs like Pound For A Brown and Inca Roamore
View More Posts
concerts and tour dates
Past
MAY
16
2024
New Cumberland, PA
West Shore Theatre
I Was There
MAY
15
2024
Pittsburgh, PA
The Crafthouse Stage & Grill
I Was There
MAY
14
2024
Cleveland, OH
Beachland Ballroom
I Was There
MAY
13
2024
Buffalo, NY
Buffalo Iron Works
I Was There
MAY
12
2024
Albany, NY
The Linda WAMC's Performing Arts Studio
I Was There
MAY
08
2024
Sellersville, PA
Sellersville Theater
I Was There
Show More Dates
Fan Reviews
About The Furious Bongos
The Furious Bongos are a Frank Zappa project who understand that however people describe Zappa, safe or vanilla aren't usually first in mind. And, they appreciate Frank's role as an entertainer, not just as a composer - his performances certainly weren't supposed to be boring recitals, so The Furious Bongos don't shy away from taking risks and putting on a great show.
When bassist/arranger Conrad St. Clair decided to tackle this project, knowing Zappa drew on influences ranging from Stravinsky to Leadbelly, he felt it was important to assemble musicians with backgrounds as far-flung as Zappa's influences.
As a result, the band has a heavyweight and eclectic collective resume, including work with artists like Yo Yo Ma, India Arie, Mick Fleetwood, and Les Paul.
And because Zappa's music was constantly evolving and adapted to the musicians he was playing with at a given time, The Bongos wanted to respect the music but also follow Frank's example and let the music grow.
To that end, they tracked down hundreds of pages of transcriptions and quickly scribbled notes from former band members and other sources, painstakingly compared different versions of the songs, and even dug up rare scores in Frank's own hand (coffee stains included). Arthur Barrow, Zappa's bassist and rehearsal director from 1978 to '81, was instrumental in this effort, with additional support from other alumni including Scott Thunes, Robert Martin, and Adrian Belew.
All that produces something that isn't strictly a "tribute band" - doing a note-for-note rendition of Song X from Album Y while staring at their shoes didn't seem like the proper way to go about it. It's a show that pays respect to Zappa's legacy but is still new and different and dangerous, with lots of eyebrows.
Kinda like Frank.
When bassist/arranger Conrad St. Clair decided to tackle this project, knowing Zappa drew on influences ranging from Stravinsky to Leadbelly, he felt it was important to assemble musicians with backgrounds as far-flung as Zappa's influences.
As a result, the band has a heavyweight and eclectic collective resume, including work with artists like Yo Yo Ma, India Arie, Mick Fleetwood, and Les Paul.
And because Zappa's music was constantly evolving and adapted to the musicians he was playing with at a given time, The Bongos wanted to respect the music but also follow Frank's example and let the music grow.
To that end, they tracked down hundreds of pages of transcriptions and quickly scribbled notes from former band members and other sources, painstakingly compared different versions of the songs, and even dug up rare scores in Frank's own hand (coffee stains included). Arthur Barrow, Zappa's bassist and rehearsal director from 1978 to '81, was instrumental in this effort, with additional support from other alumni including Scott Thunes, Robert Martin, and Adrian Belew.
All that produces something that isn't strictly a "tribute band" - doing a note-for-note rendition of Song X from Album Y while staring at their shoes didn't seem like the proper way to go about it. It's a show that pays respect to Zappa's legacy but is still new and different and dangerous, with lots of eyebrows.
Kinda like Frank.
Show More
Genres:
Prog-rock, Blues, Jazz Fusion
No upcoming shows
Send a request to The Furious Bongos to play in your city
Request a Show
Similar Artists On Tour
Latest Posts
The Furious Bongos
a month ago
The Road to Halloween Vol. 2 is out now! In addition to the new tracks, we included alternate versions of some of the big improv songs like Pound For A Brown and Inca Roamore
View More Posts
concerts and tour dates
Past
MAY
16
2024
New Cumberland, PA
West Shore Theatre
I Was There
MAY
15
2024
Pittsburgh, PA
The Crafthouse Stage & Grill
I Was There
MAY
14
2024
Cleveland, OH
Beachland Ballroom
I Was There
MAY
13
2024
Buffalo, NY
Buffalo Iron Works
I Was There
MAY
12
2024
Albany, NY
The Linda WAMC's Performing Arts Studio
I Was There
MAY
08
2024
Sellersville, PA
Sellersville Theater
I Was There
Show More Dates
Fan Reviews
About The Furious Bongos
The Furious Bongos are a Frank Zappa project who understand that however people describe Zappa, safe or vanilla aren't usually first in mind. And, they appreciate Frank's role as an entertainer, not just as a composer - his performances certainly weren't supposed to be boring recitals, so The Furious Bongos don't shy away from taking risks and putting on a great show.
When bassist/arranger Conrad St. Clair decided to tackle this project, knowing Zappa drew on influences ranging from Stravinsky to Leadbelly, he felt it was important to assemble musicians with backgrounds as far-flung as Zappa's influences.
As a result, the band has a heavyweight and eclectic collective resume, including work with artists like Yo Yo Ma, India Arie, Mick Fleetwood, and Les Paul.
And because Zappa's music was constantly evolving and adapted to the musicians he was playing with at a given time, The Bongos wanted to respect the music but also follow Frank's example and let the music grow.
To that end, they tracked down hundreds of pages of transcriptions and quickly scribbled notes from former band members and other sources, painstakingly compared different versions of the songs, and even dug up rare scores in Frank's own hand (coffee stains included). Arthur Barrow, Zappa's bassist and rehearsal director from 1978 to '81, was instrumental in this effort, with additional support from other alumni including Scott Thunes, Robert Martin, and Adrian Belew.
All that produces something that isn't strictly a "tribute band" - doing a note-for-note rendition of Song X from Album Y while staring at their shoes didn't seem like the proper way to go about it. It's a show that pays respect to Zappa's legacy but is still new and different and dangerous, with lots of eyebrows.
Kinda like Frank.
When bassist/arranger Conrad St. Clair decided to tackle this project, knowing Zappa drew on influences ranging from Stravinsky to Leadbelly, he felt it was important to assemble musicians with backgrounds as far-flung as Zappa's influences.
As a result, the band has a heavyweight and eclectic collective resume, including work with artists like Yo Yo Ma, India Arie, Mick Fleetwood, and Les Paul.
And because Zappa's music was constantly evolving and adapted to the musicians he was playing with at a given time, The Bongos wanted to respect the music but also follow Frank's example and let the music grow.
To that end, they tracked down hundreds of pages of transcriptions and quickly scribbled notes from former band members and other sources, painstakingly compared different versions of the songs, and even dug up rare scores in Frank's own hand (coffee stains included). Arthur Barrow, Zappa's bassist and rehearsal director from 1978 to '81, was instrumental in this effort, with additional support from other alumni including Scott Thunes, Robert Martin, and Adrian Belew.
All that produces something that isn't strictly a "tribute band" - doing a note-for-note rendition of Song X from Album Y while staring at their shoes didn't seem like the proper way to go about it. It's a show that pays respect to Zappa's legacy but is still new and different and dangerous, with lots of eyebrows.
Kinda like Frank.
Show More
Genres:
Prog-rock, Blues, Jazz Fusion
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