Frank Zappa: Waka/Wazoo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Frank Zappa: Waka/Wazoo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 8, 2025

When you think of some of the great bands which featured virtuoso keyboard players from the heyday of jazz rock fusion (by which I mean mostly the late sixties to mid seventies), who comes to mind? Probably most immediately folks like Chick Corea with Miles and later Return to Forever, Herbie Hancock with Miles and his own band, Jan Hammer with Mahavishnu, and/or Josef Zawinul with Miles and like Corea and Hancock later with his own band, Weather Report. Now it may be frankly "unfair" in a way to pigeon hole Frank Zappa as "only" a jazz rock fusion superstar, but I would certainly add his 1970s collaborations with George Duke to the starry array listed above, and for several prime examples, both the audio Blu-ray and assorted CDs in this impressive set should suffice quite handily, especially since so many of them fit quite easily into an at least jazz rock adjacent idiom. It's always kind of amazed me how little general renown the ebullient and incredibly gifted Duke received during his lifetime, despite not just having been able to deal with Zappa's well documented demanding persona and fits of pique with unflappable musicianship, but also carving out a completely remarkable career that saw him succeed as both a performer and producer for others. There is some absolutely amazing footage captured in Roxy: The Movie that offers a passing (if maybe joking) version of Zappa as near martinet as a pseudo conductor, but anyone with even a bit of musical schooling tends to recognize the genius, albeit completely gonzo genius at times, of Zappa's compositions. The music contained here can often be "eclectic", to say the least, but there's also a really carefree and breezy quality to several of the tunes, something I personally ascribe to Duke's influence.

The audio Blu-ray's track list(s) can be seen in the screenshots of the various disc menus I've uploaded to accompany this review. As Zappa fans will no doubt already know, both Waka Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo were recorded in a somewhat troubled time for Zappa after he had been pretty seriously injured by a deranged fan in London. There is some absolutely fantastic information on this period and events surrounding the recordings in a nicely appointed insert booklet, but as "experimental" as many of these sessions were, this is some of Zappa's most "easily accessible" music in my opinion, and this new set offers a really staggering array of bonus recordings on the included CDs.

Frank Zappa: Waka/Wazoo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As can be seen from the screenshots, there is an AVC encoded video component here, and the menus are just slightly animated, with brief flashes of brightness recurring at regular intervals. The disc boots to the image seen in screenshot 1, where you can navigate to the left for Waka/Jawaka or to the right for Grand Wazoo. This is another kind of oddly authored disc in terms of how the track playing is highlighted (or in this case, encircled with a loop), as can be seen in some of the screenshots I've included where I navigated to other tunes while a tune was playing. You cannot use the colored buttons on your remote to change codecs, but the good news is toggling with the audio button works in addition to using the menu choices, and songs do not start over when the codec is changed.

Frank Zappa: Waka/Wazoo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both albums offer Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 audio options. A producer's note in the insert booklet contains the following information:

With the Blu-ray audio disc you are now able to hear at home what we hear in the studio. This disc contains all 4 tracks from Waka/Jawaka and all 5 tracks from The Grand Wazoo in high resolution 48kHz 24 bit Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and 96kHz 24 bit PCM stereo. It is primarily an audio only disc with basic navigation and song information displayed on screen. The 96kHz 24 bit audio on this disc has 256 times more resolution than a CD, providing greater detail and reproducing the music's full dynamic range, from the softest to the loudest sounds.

All three audio formats have their strengths on this disc, but the two surround options will probably generate the most interest. The Atmos track quite noticeably opens up the already nicely spacious 5.1 option, and to my ears it also sounded just a bit brighter in the midrange and higher frequencies. The surround imaging is quite inventive and enjoyable, and I was repeatedly struck by how the drums (as in traditional kits) were placed toward the front, while the traditionally gonzo array of other percussion instruments Zappa was so fond of using tend to positioned toward the rear. Discrete channelization is also evident in such moments as the crazy trumpet solo in It Just Might Be a One Shot Deal emanating from the left rear speaker, but in fact a lot of the brass work in Waka/Jawaka tends to be placed in the rear channels. Grand Wazoo is arguably a bit sparer in overall sonics, despite being a perceived "big band" opus, but it still has some beautifully immersive moments, including some really nice multi-speaker placements of some Duke solos.

Frank Zappa: Waka/Wazoo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This is another one of those sets where I'm assuming those reading on this site consider stuff other than the audio Blu-ray to be the supplements. Here are the contents of the CDs:

CD1: Album Recording Session Alternates and Outtakes

• 1. Your Mouth (Take 1)
• 2. Big Swifty (Alternate Take)
• 3. Minimal Art (Eat That Question – Version 1, Take 2)
• 4. Blessed Relief (Outtake Version)
• 5. Think It Over (The Grand Wazoo) (Outtake Version)
• 6. For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers) (Outtake Version)
• 7. Waka/Jawaka (Outtake Version)

CD2: Album Recording Session Alternates and Outtakes (continued)

• 1. Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus (Alternate Take)
• 2. Eat That Question (Version 2, Alternate Take)
• 3. Big Swifty (Alternate Mix)
• 4. For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers) (Alternate Mix)
• 5. It Just Might Be A One-Shot Deal (Alternate Mix)
• 6. Waka/Jawaka (Alternate Mix)
• 7. Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus (Alternate Mix)
• 8. Eat That Question (Alternate Mix)

CD 3:

George Duke Demos - The Master Sessions

• 1. For Love (I Come Your Friend)
• 2. Psychosomatic Dung)
• 3. Uncle Remus (Instrumental)
• 4. Love)

George Duke Demos - Sessions Outtakes

• 5. For Love (I Come Your Friend) (Basic Track, Take 1)
• 6. Psychosomatic Dung (Basic Track, Take 2)
• 7. Love (Basic Track, Take 1)

The Grand Wazoo - Live

• 8. Approximate (Live – FZ Record Plant Mix)

10-Piece/Petite Wazoo - Live

• 9. Winterland '72 Opening And Band Introductions)
• 10. Little Dots)

CD 4: 10-Piece/Petite Wazoo - Live (continued)

• 1. America Drinks
• 2. Montana
• 3. Father O'Blivion
• 4. Cosmik Debris
• 5. Chunga's Revenge

Frank Zappa: Waka/Wazoo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I've mentioned in some other reviews of Zappa Blu-rays how growing up in the shadow of the venerable Fowler Brothers shaped my childhood listening experiences, and in that regard, it's kind of cool to read about Zappa hiring Bruce Fowler in particular in some of the liner notes the insert booklet provides. Neither Waka/Jawaka nor The Grand Wazoo was particularly well received at the time of their original releases, but I find them both incredibly refreshing and enjoyable listens, and the audio Blu-ray offered here is superb. The supplemental CDs are also fantastic, and I will only say for any George Duke fans out there, CD3 is probably worth the price of admission alone. Highly recommended.