Orchestral Favorites
When I got off the first road tour with Frank in 75 he had organized a concert of his classical music to be played by a 40 piece orchestra of the best players in Los Angeles, at Royce Hall, UCLA. He started by telling me that it would include 4 percussionists who could read and play anything (Emil Richards, John Bergamo, Alan Estes and Tom Rainey), and handed me the music to Bogus Pomp, Pedro's Dowery and Naval Aviation in Art. I remember being in Frank's basement/studio where he would work, write and play music of all kinds on a huge sound system, and I remember the smell of the rough wood paneling, the heated electronic equiptment, the large record collection, the reams of music and scores he had written and the stacks of blank music paper, ready to be written on.

There was also a bizarre sculpture (or installation would probably be more accurate) on a corner shelf by a fireplace. It had a hand painted naked female manekin and a bunch of strange objects all hurled up on this shelf, with a sloppy hand painted sign that said "Zappa's Grubby Quarters" on it. I never knew what this was, or who made it or why it was there, I guess I never really asked. I only mention all this to bring me back to this special place in his home where I was entertained, educated, informed by him - where I laughed till my stomach hurt at his comments and stories over AM espressos, and where I felt awe and fear in the pit of that same stomach when he would prolifically and relentlessly hand me a sheet of challenging music I was to play, or propose my role in a project that would literally scare me sleepless!
This was some difficult stuff and I immediately started to practice it in a little rehearsal room behind Frank's office/rehearsal complex (Intercontinental Absurdities) on Sunset, between Bronson & Van Ness.
I decided to play it on my smaller black Gretch kit w/4 toms because it was written for not so many toms. Speaking of "toms", Tom Waits used to rehearse there while he was living at the famed Tropicana Motel, and came in one night while I was there. And none other than (The Crazy World of)Arthur Brown(who wrote the 60's hit "Fire" came in one night as well!! He said "Wanna jam?" and immediately sat down at the piano and started to play really "out" like Cecil Taylor!! I joined in the abstract wonderment and when he finished he got up and said "Nice!" and he and his entourage disappeared as quickly as they appeared!!

Then Frank gave me more music from 200 Motels, Gregory Peccary, Uncle Meat, Peaches en Regalia and more. Frank had a precussion section rehearsal ( after the first of only a few rehearsals ) at Emil Richards "Magic Toy Shop"(a cartage warehouse filled with the most amazing percussion instrument collection I've ever seen!) and was really impressed with my command of his difficult music. After all I had been practicing it on my own and had a good feel for it, where as the others were busy as professional musicians and were more or less sight reading. When we were rehearsing and recording during the days while performing nights at Royce Hall, Frank overheard the studio musicians talking about the difficulty of the music and how they all lived in mortal terror of coming in to a jingle session one morning and being presented with a mythological "Black Page" , a piece of music so hard and filled with notes that it appeared 'black'. He joked about it and I soon forgot, but that was the initial incentive for "The Black Page "drum solo he would write for me two years later! The shows demanded classical concentration and presented many ensemble problems with the time and feel but we pulled it off. George Duke came backstage after the show and complimented me on my playing and my press rolls which he said sounded like someone tearing a piece of tissue paper (ie: very smooth) - I was so proud and happy because I felt at last I had gained the respect of not only a great jazz musician who I admired (he was at that time playing with Billy Cobbham), but one of the Zappa veterans that I was so inhibited by when I was first playing with him in the band, and so desperately wanted to be accepted by.

The next day some member of the orchestra brought in a copy of the L.A.Times with a review of the show by classical music critic Robert Cromwell - he described the show and praised Zappa etc., but the only other member of the faceless 40 piece ensemble he mentioned was me! After some small compliments, he called me "A drummer with a future"!!!

With or without the review, this concert/recording/event was a peak moment in my life.