"For 14 years we had no contact at all. ... Last June ('93) he called and asked if he could sample some of my stuff. I was shocked because I hadn't touched a pair of mallets since March of '77. I ended up practicing for 14 hours, which was all the time I could get together in the context of my life now. I spent four days at Frank's house sampling. This was really a miracle for me - that I could be reunited with him and still have something to offer."
Crazy thing about Ruth's playing is that she makes stuff like Rollo sound almost easy to play and completely natural. When obviously it's incredibly difficult stuff.
it was a lot worst 12-13 years ago. I got loads of my Zappa videos muted (permanently). RUclips are truly horrible and things will get worst. Algorythms especially for news and documentaries have been affected badly. Freedom of speech is being slowly eradicated. (apologies for the doom and gloom). Here's Ralph with the sports.....
Ruth, I remember when, well... maybe I don't remember, but I love everything about you and your wonderful playing over the years!!! And We sure miss Frank.
evrytime i hear ruth underwood playin zappas stuff, it feels like zappa tried to write even more insane stuff to kick her butt...but she just plays it one handed haha.
Christ, that marimba part is astonishing melodically AND rhythmically... Zappa was truly a genius in the truest sense of the word. He must've really gotten into some heavy duty classical material to even THINK of melodies like this??? WTF???
If there is one thing that exemplifies the wonder of 30 years of technological progress in computers, it has to be the fact that thanks to you tube I can finally get to see things I've been wanting to see for decades, and no TV would have ever shown, such as interviews to FZ and his band members , including beautiful, wonderful and talented Ruth underwood !!! Thank you, YOU TUBE !!!
Ruth was great. I think she played on much of Frank's best work and her work on the vibes was a huge asset as well. I noticed that Frank would always re-arrange his music depending on what instruments he had in the band, and I always thought he would write parts for his musicians in the band at the time too. Pretty cool.
At 2:10 it shows the band I saw in 73. The concert blew me away. And outside of Tom Fowler on bass, Frank was the only other guitar player. Not bad for a $10 ticket.
God what a talent Frank was , I remember Frank saying somewhere where he enjoyed finding extraordinary musicians & write just for them to forever stamp their signature on the piece of music & Ruth's parts did not dissapoint, ever . I saw FZ twice with the Mothers then once as Zappa & every time I was just blown away at the orchestration of such complex pieces & the band's just breezed thru them all like nothing , Dweezil is doing a great job keeping the music alive but I can't help but think of Frank composing the Black Page around Terry Bozzios kit at that time & wonder what he'd compose around Terrys monster kit , or his all cymbal kit ?
Approximate...!!!!!!!!! Freakin' amazing...!!! Ruth was, and still is amazing, isn't she?? And Napoleon Murphy Brock at the end..... ahhhhhhh!! I've seen him the first time Dweezil came to Montreal, and I'm SO grateful to have had a chance to see him live!! What a wonderful man! Great upload, my friend!!
Always was blown away by Ruth Underwood's playing. There's no question about it - Zappa was from a different space time continuum. If you need further proof - here it is.
"Apostrophe" was my introduction to Frank Zappa more than thirty years ago. My friend said: "Check this music out. You'll never forget it!". He was right. Thank you very much for posting this interview; Ruth and Dweezils' comments and stories are priceless. And what musicianship!
Only little modern music has proven to be capable of aging with me over the years. Frank's compositions and Ruth's marimbas definitely are a part of that.
on Ruth, on Ruth !!!! She was perfect... and Frank does his Job, to bring 100 percent music. Its so nice after all the years thats live to see that. Thanks .
Truly inspiring. It's another testament to how extremely special this man really was. An unbelievably amazing genius, who could write for each talent in a way that uniquely fit their individual ability like a glove. Now THAT'S just beyond the pale!! We may never see his like again. So sad when I think about that. But what an incredible legacy he left us!!
omfg! ruth!! where were the three mistakes?!?!?!! i didnt count any! im shocked she can still play that without a single noticable mistake! wonderful, who doesnt love ruth
I've got the sheet music of what Ruth and Dweezel were playing somewhere around here. In 1980, I transcribed it from a cassette playing at half-speed because I just HAD to learn that beauty on guitar. Really hard to play. A great exercise. I didn't know that section had a unique name and that it was inserted into St. Alfonso.
Nice!! I could play Saint Alfonso on guitar at Apostrophe tempo after writing it down on music paper listening to it at half-speed....then practicing it for what seemed like forever! I know what you mean. You guys got me all inspired to see if I can still play it so many years later. Great exercise.
"... gleefully. He looked almost maniacal." ❤ "Did you know Frank was a percussionist?" ❤ "... almost like the Dr Frankenstein, in the 1931 James Well picture. You know. It's alive! It's alive!" ❤
I recently revisited an old crush from the 70's I had on Ruth Underwood. Her sexiness is so much about her musical gift in addition to her physical beauty. She was a huge presence and defining sound in the Mothers. I wanted her!
"Rollo" is such a difficult passage, I don't know how anyone does it. I've tried to imagine what Ruth Underwood's initial reaction was like when Frank first presented the lead sheet to her.
That about sums it up really. Zappa always considered himself a composer first and a guitar player second. I like both sides of FZ. I prefer the composer, but the guitarist has an awesome style and sound!
"This video is assembled from bits of the Apostrophe/Overnite Sensation DVD. Everybody buy it so I won't feel bad about posting it on youtube!" Bought DVD years ago; worth every penny. But it deserves to be on RUclips so the whole World can access and enjoy Frank, his music, and his musicians ! Thanks.
OMG... Ruth was and still is a premier percussionist in my book! Always! Frank never hired anyone who could play what he wanted. I Love her incredible talent and who she is as a person. I have never heard anything like her... D.L.M.
Ithaca, Julliard and studying under Terry Gibbs. Wikipedia her - it's a touching story about her and Frank getting in touch again after he got sick in there.
I played St Alpphonzo too on guitar, you can see it on my page. It's not as clean and as fast as Dwezil but it's not so bad (I had to practice it so much!).
You know they panned the low register notes (pipes) to the left, and the high register notes to the right - so if Ruth played a long scale it would seem to go all around... anyone know where that video is?
@ledzzappa I remember the day he died. i was coming back from work -it has been such an happy day util that moment- i turned the TV on (we had real good rock emission at the time in France), and got struck right in front of the set. I stood a long time listening to his musical necrology with that felling of "lost". I'm still missing him.
@@kipponi I'm not sure who filled in the screams/background moans on the live versions, but it was in a Dale Bozzio interview I read where she revealed that she did the screams for the track on the Zoot Allures LP. Can't remember exactly where I read that - her pictorial/interview piece in that '80s issue of Hustler Magazine, mebbe? My memory ain't as sharp as it used to be. I would fathom a guess that it might have been both Dale AND Gail doing those scream tracks - I really don't know - just remember reading that...
@@barrywooldridge2692 Okay I am not young either(56)! I saw live version where Terry Bozzio did screaming same time when playing drums. It could be other song too 🤔. In the record it could be anyone? Memory remains like Metallica's song but some fades out...
Zappa wrote to the abilities of the players in his band at that time. And then he pushed those players to their limits. He made them play more difficulty than they thought possible. Practice and plenty of road work made those players get it down. Then any new member joining after any given player left was expected to be able to play up to the standards of the previous bands. That is some daunting shit there. When Bozzio got invited to audition, he wasn't very familiar with Zappa's music, but picked up Roxy & Elsewhere and probably Apostrophe to get a feel for what the drumming is about in Zappa's music. When he heard Chester and Ralph playing together he thought there was no way he was good enough to match that level of talent. Of course he got the gig and was tasked with learning The Black Page. That was Terry's legendary signature drum piece. Of course, after Bozzio left, every drummer since had to be able to play The Black Page. Anyway, Ruth said in an interview that Zappa wrote to her neuroses, or words to that effect. He wrote music to scare the shit out of her, and she always met the task. She was a mother!
If that's not enough, Arthur Barrow (Zappa's bass player 1978 - 1980) played it on bass! Yes, it's defintly true. Listen to St. Alfonzo on Saarbrucken or You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1 if you don't belive me...
Ladies and gentleman, watch Ruth All through this video, I have been thinking... oooh, what CAN'T she do to amaze everyone ? I love you Ruth Underwood!!!
The godess of the marimba, RESPECT RUTH!
I think I can't make a reply because RUclips alter my reply but yeah I agree
What a wonderful and talented lady Ruth is. Was privileged to see her perform with Frank in the 70’s.
Saw them in '73 and again in 74. Still a favorite concert in my memories.
in a perfect world there would be a dvd/cd called "RUTH PLAYS ZAPPA"
"For 14 years we had no contact at all. ... Last June ('93) he called and asked if he could sample some of my stuff. I was shocked because I hadn't touched a pair of mallets since March of '77. I ended up practicing for 14 hours, which was all the time I could get together in the context of my life now. I spent four days at Frank's house sampling. This was really a miracle for me - that I could be reunited with him and still have something to offer."
Crazy thing about Ruth's playing is that she makes stuff like Rollo sound almost easy to play and completely natural. When obviously it's incredibly difficult stuff.
I just got a copyright claim on this. I posted it 11 years ago. RUclips's really on top of things, aren't they?
Is Ahmet on the warpath?
Don't worry, it's still accesible
it was a lot worst 12-13 years ago. I got loads of my Zappa videos muted (permanently). RUclips are truly horrible and things will get worst. Algorythms especially for news and documentaries have been affected badly. Freedom of speech is being slowly eradicated. (apologies for the doom and gloom). Here's Ralph with the sports.....
Ruth, I remember when, well... maybe I don't remember, but I love everything about you and your wonderful playing over the years!!! And We sure miss Frank.
evrytime i hear ruth underwood playin zappas stuff, it feels like zappa tried to write even more insane stuff to kick her butt...but she just plays it one handed haha.
LOL
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@@ramadhandadan7835 exactly
Someone said that Frank was actually intimidated by her playing!
With her toes. Sometimes just her teeth 😂
Ruth!!! We love you so much. Thanks for the music.
Ruth is a virtuoso! She could play these incredibly difficult parts blindfolded probably
This is a gem.... always loved, respected and gave great credit to Ruth Underwood... she's a genius!!🍃💕🍃
I could listen to her speak for hours! She's fantastic in every way!
A true genius musician.....she was...unbelievable....she was so good....
Christ, that marimba part is astonishing melodically AND rhythmically... Zappa was truly a genius in the truest sense of the word. He must've really gotten into some heavy duty classical material to even THINK of melodies like this??? WTF???
Frank was a huge fan of unorthodox composers like Varese and Stravinsky.
If there is one thing that exemplifies the wonder of 30 years of technological progress in computers, it has to be the fact that thanks to you tube I can finally get to see things I've been wanting to see for decades, and no TV would have ever shown, such as interviews to FZ and his band members , including beautiful, wonderful and talented Ruth underwood !!! Thank you, YOU TUBE !!!
You hit the nail right on its head!
Ruth was great. I think she played on much of Frank's best work and her work on the vibes was a huge asset as well.
I noticed that Frank would always re-arrange his music depending on what instruments he had in the band, and I always thought he would write parts for his musicians in the band at the time too. Pretty cool.
I think Ruth will be gorgeous forever!!! and I"ll love her forever!!!
I love this video. Phenomenal musician yet humble and so intelligent. I love Ruth Underwood.
At 2:10 it shows the band I saw in 73. The concert blew me away. And outside of Tom Fowler on bass, Frank was the only other guitar player. Not bad for a $10 ticket.
She is such a lovely person. Music is the best.
God what a talent Frank was , I remember Frank saying somewhere where he enjoyed finding extraordinary musicians & write just for them to forever stamp their signature on the piece of music & Ruth's parts did not dissapoint, ever .
I saw FZ twice with the Mothers then once as Zappa & every time I was just blown away at the orchestration of such complex pieces & the band's just breezed thru them all like nothing , Dweezil is doing a great job keeping the music alive but I can't help but think of Frank composing the Black Page around Terry Bozzios kit at that time & wonder what he'd compose around Terrys monster kit , or his all cymbal kit ?
Ruth is the best. I think i love her...
Approximate...!!!!!!!!! Freakin' amazing...!!! Ruth was, and still is amazing, isn't she?? And Napoleon Murphy Brock at the end..... ahhhhhhh!! I've seen him the first time Dweezil came to Montreal, and I'm SO grateful to have had a chance to see him live!! What a wonderful man! Great upload, my friend!!
Unreal! Thanks Ruth for all the great music! What a gift you are ❤
Always was blown away by Ruth Underwood's playing. There's no question about it - Zappa was from a different space time continuum. If you need further proof - here it is.
colin6768 Nope. Frank was very human! Just a SUPERIOR human, the BEST of humanity.
Very focussed, and very talented!
he wasn't the "best of humanity" - LOL!!! - he was just a very good musician - as a human being, he had some pretty disturbing flaws
@@brianhammer5107 He truly did.
franks music is the only music thatll get me to tear up randomly when ive heard the songs thousands of times
"Apostrophe" was my introduction to Frank Zappa more than thirty years ago. My friend said: "Check this music out. You'll never forget it!". He was right. Thank you very much for posting this interview; Ruth and Dweezils' comments and stories are priceless. And what musicianship!
Only little modern music has proven to be capable of aging with me over the years. Frank's compositions and Ruth's marimbas definitely are a part of that.
So intelligent and classy.
I love Ruth so much!
Never knew that section of St. Alphonzo had a separate name, but that always been my favorite part of the piece.
on Ruth, on Ruth !!!! She was perfect... and Frank does his Job, to bring 100 percent music. Its so nice after all the years thats live to see that. Thanks .
Truly inspiring. It's another testament to how extremely special this man really was. An unbelievably amazing genius, who could write for each talent in a way that uniquely fit their individual ability like a glove. Now THAT'S just beyond the pale!! We may never see his like again. So sad when I think about that. But what an incredible legacy he left us!!
Thank you for uploading this. Frank and Ruth were lucky to have met, and we're lucky they did, too.
..that fowler band set the bar for all the players that followed...magnificent in every way...
On Ruth!
da truth!
Chester's thing
omfg! ruth!! where were the three mistakes?!?!?!! i didnt count any!
im shocked she can still play that
without a single noticable mistake!
wonderful, who doesnt love ruth
Her mistakes weren’t melodic, they were rhythmic and very slight. I only caught two of them.
She's so talented and so sweet!
I've got the sheet music of what Ruth and Dweezel were playing somewhere around here. In 1980, I transcribed it from a cassette playing at half-speed because I just HAD to learn that beauty on guitar. Really hard to play. A great exercise. I didn't know that section had a unique name and that it was inserted into St. Alfonso.
Nice!! I could play Saint Alfonso on guitar at Apostrophe tempo after writing it down on music paper listening to it at half-speed....then practicing it for what seemed like forever! I know what you mean. You guys got me all inspired to see if I can still play it so many years later. Great exercise.
"... gleefully. He looked almost maniacal." ❤
"Did you know Frank was a percussionist?" ❤
"... almost like the Dr Frankenstein, in the 1931 James Well picture. You know. It's alive! It's alive!" ❤
"it's just difficult as all hell" - couldn't have said it better!
Love to her
I recently revisited an old crush from the 70's I had on Ruth Underwood. Her sexiness is so much about her musical gift in addition to her physical beauty. She was a huge presence and defining sound in the Mothers. I wanted her!
That just doesn't happen without once-in-a-millennium genius behind it! And it took Ruth to bring it alive!
"Rollo" is such a difficult passage, I don't know how anyone does it. I've tried to imagine what Ruth Underwood's initial reaction was like when Frank first presented the lead sheet to her.
+John Bidochka Did i write that? :) Was her thought. It deff was "born" for me, as she explains.'
well, there are passages in Classical music just as difficult and more-so - but Zappa was a strong composer
Luv U Ruth :)
pure talent! Crazy ability!
What talented people these musicians are !
That about sums it up really. Zappa always considered himself a composer first and a guitar player second.
I like both sides of FZ. I prefer the composer, but the guitarist has an awesome style and sound!
Dweezil might not be able to be compared to his father but he is one hell of a musician himself. I think the Zappa plays Zappa tour was a great idea.
Seeing this ...
Hearing Dweezil play St Alfozo...
oh I am friggin breathless to see hear & this .
Ruth Underwood wow.Thanks fer gnitsop siht!*****
"This video is assembled from bits of the Apostrophe/Overnite Sensation DVD. Everybody buy it so I won't feel bad about posting it on youtube!"
Bought DVD years ago; worth every penny.
But it deserves to be on RUclips so the whole World can access and enjoy Frank, his music, and his musicians !
Thanks.
FZ sure had some real smart and eloquent women in his family/entourage. this woman , in particular, has the gift of the gab.
Wow Dweezil!!! There are a lot of notes to fuck up on that piece and nailed it.
Always enjoyed Ruth underwood's playing
what a lovely woman
"Ruthie Ruthie, where did you go...?"
Dr Frankinzappa.
Love you Ruth 🎶❤🎶💕❤🎶🎶
She was outstanding!!! I'd love to have a marimba.
Was she the woman's voice on the Torture Never Stops from Zoot Allures???? Does anyone know???
She's fucking glorious!!!
The only female member of the Mothers, and she always knocked it out of the park.
Respect!
Nonsense. There was a female sax player in the76 band
@@Jack-vy6uo
Norma Bell and Lady Bianca
Are there any recordings of Frank playing vibes?!!!....and has Ruth ever had the opportunity to duet with Gary Burton...? - that would be fabulous!!!!
OMG... Ruth was and still is a premier percussionist in my book! Always! Frank never hired anyone who could play what he wanted. I Love her incredible talent and who she is as a person. I have never heard anything like her...
D.L.M.
Wonderful to see in this clip Dweezil and the ZPZ lineup with NMB
ruth here is transcending all rules of playing marimba (i think so!)..i can say she reached the perfection ..
There is something about a very intelligent woman with amazing musical ability-- with a great body that ages well...not very common
In Portugal we miss you Frank and all the band.
Ithaca, Julliard and studying under Terry Gibbs. Wikipedia her - it's a touching story about her and Frank getting in touch again after he got sick in there.
"On Ruth! On Ruth! (Duh-duh-dah-dunh) That's Ruth!
It's sad to think there are people out there who only know Frank Zappa for Valley Girl. He was incredibly gifted. 🐺❤️
I just smiled through this whole video
Great stuff Ruthie!
I played St Alpphonzo too on guitar, you can see it on my page. It's not as clean and as fast as Dwezil but it's not so bad (I had to practice it so much!).
Please, please, please be sure to see the video of the Mighty Panthers doing G-Spot Tornado!
Nice! And ends with another one... which is..?
... I think it is Pound for a Brown.
love her work on RDNZL
legendary line up
Amazing person
You know they panned the low register notes (pipes) to the left, and the high register notes to the right - so if Ruth played a long scale it would seem to go all around... anyone know where that video is?
Wow! Ruth explains everything so clearly. I love Dweezil's guitar playing too. I've seen Dweezil in concert, but, alas! Never Frank.
Ruth is amazing
@ledzzappa
I remember the day he died. i was coming back from work -it has been such an happy day util that moment- i turned the TV on (we had real good rock emission at the time in France), and got struck right in front of the set.
I stood a long time listening to his musical necrology with that felling of "lost".
I'm still missing him.
I remeber reading an interview with Frank where he stated that it's actually Gail Zappa and a friend on Torture Never Stops.
I remember reading somewhere that stated it was Dale Bozzio who did the screaming/moaning track...
@@barrywooldridge2692 Live he did that. You mean Terry Bozzio?
@@kipponi I'm not sure who filled in the screams/background moans on the live versions, but it was in a Dale Bozzio interview I read where she revealed that she did the screams for the track on the Zoot Allures LP. Can't remember exactly where I read that - her pictorial/interview piece in that '80s issue of Hustler Magazine, mebbe? My memory ain't as sharp as it used to be. I would fathom a guess that it might have been both Dale AND Gail doing those scream tracks - I really don't know - just remember reading that...
@@barrywooldridge2692 Okay I am not young either(56)! I saw live version where Terry Bozzio did screaming same time when playing drums. It could be other song too 🤔.
In the record it could be anyone?
Memory remains like Metallica's song but some fades out...
so true ... as WE know 'its's a way of life'!
Zappa wrote to the abilities of the players in his band at that time. And then he pushed those players to their limits. He made them play more difficulty than they thought possible. Practice and plenty of road work made those players get it down. Then any new member joining after any given player left was expected to be able to play up to the standards of the previous bands. That is some daunting shit there.
When Bozzio got invited to audition, he wasn't very familiar with Zappa's music, but picked up Roxy & Elsewhere and probably Apostrophe to get a feel for what the drumming is about in Zappa's music. When he heard Chester and Ralph playing together he thought there was no way he was good enough to match that level of talent. Of course he got the gig and was tasked with learning The Black Page. That was Terry's legendary signature drum piece. Of course, after Bozzio left, every drummer since had to be able to play The Black Page.
Anyway, Ruth said in an interview that Zappa wrote to her neuroses, or words to that effect. He wrote music to scare the shit out of her, and she always met the task. She was a mother!
Get on your feet and do the Funky Alphonso!!!
I really wish she had made more music. I know she chose her family over career but it was a real shame for the rest of us.
thanks bro , and best wishes from england.
Wow, great story. Hope Ruth does the right thing with her manuscript when she decides to part with it.
Loves it!
This is great!
I wish every kid could learn from her.
Barcus Berry Electronics (BBE) has been around for a long time.
If that's not enough, Arthur Barrow (Zappa's bass player 1978 - 1980) played it on bass! Yes, it's defintly true. Listen to St. Alfonzo on Saarbrucken or You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1 if you don't belive me...
I regret not seeing Zappa does Zappa
Ladies and gentleman, watch Ruth
All through this video, I have been thinking...
oooh, what CAN'T she do to amaze everyone ?
I love you Ruth Underwood!!!
If anyone DOUBTS Franks genius, please show me ONE musician who can compose anything CLOSE to this!!
Maybe if we can find Frank Zappa's doppelganger... LOL
if she made 3 mistakes, I didn't hear them!
After listening several times, I heard two for sure. The third one….not so sure.😂😊
you'll LOVE it...