Author Archives: Paul Carr

UK Alert: Stop the Pirate-Finder General! | Electronic Frontier Foundation

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Paul Carr

“Lord Peter Mandelson, the UK’s First Secretary of State, has introduced a bill to grant himself (and future politicians) the power to re-write Britain’s core copyright legislation with almost no Parliamentary debate, using fast-track secondary legislation. If you’re in Britain, … Continue reading →

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Peach Noise – french Zappa cover band on Vimeo

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Paul Carr

Just found out about a Zappa tribute band I have not heard of. Really great mix of tracks such as Muffin Man and King Kong – worth listening to. Peach Noise – french Zappa cover band on Vimeo on Vimeo … Continue reading →

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The Journal of Edward Cookson: Introduction to ‘The Black Page’ Premiere

Posted on December 5, 2009 by Paul Carr

Here is an interesting blog on a recent performance of the ‘The Black Page No 1’ being played as part of a show at the Tyneside Theatre in Newcastle (My home town). The author mentions that the work attempted to … Continue reading →

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Synclavier Version of The Black Page

Posted on December 4, 2009 by Paul Carr

My last post regarding the ‘Black Page’ on piano (minus thumbs!!) made me think about ‘keyboard’ versions of the piece. Here is a synclavier version of the piece on you tube. I can’t find any official history of this recording … Continue reading →

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Bobby Owsinski’s Blog: Frank Zappa And The Black Page

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Paul Carr

Here is a great story of how Mr Zappa had a tendancy to reduce musicians with the wrong attitude to the humble place they should have been in the first place. Excellent. Bobby Owsinski’s Blog: Frank Zappa And The Black … Continue reading →

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Zappa’s Stylistic Non Conformity

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Paul Carr

Here is a great example of TMOI in 1968 challenging listeners regarding the stylistic orientation of their music. Contains some amazing Zappa conducting, rock grooves, jazz visuals, and vocal madness. Zappa’s conducting alludes to ‘high art’, yet his image is … Continue reading →

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De-Canonizing Music History – New Book on Popular Music

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Paul Carr

I have a chapter in a new book on popular music released in December 2009. Published by Cambridge Scholar Publishing, it discusses the undertated influence of electric guitarists on the jazz aesthetic, and a sample can be found here (not … Continue reading →

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BBC News – Britain’s Got Talent star Faryl lands HMV in trouble

Posted on November 25, 2009 by Paul Carr

Check out this link regarding how crazy the procedure is to obtain an entertainment licence in the UK is. BBC News – Britain’s Got Talent star Faryl lands HMV in trouble. When asked about this on BBC Northampton yesterday, Feargal … Continue reading →

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The Importance of Creative Listening Musical Production

Posted on November 23, 2009 by Paul Carr

Not directly related to my Zappa work, but I have just submitted an abstract for a book chapter on the importance of listening when engaging in musical creativity. The info is copied below, and at some point it would be … Continue reading →

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Conference Presentation on Zappa Production Techniques

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Paul Carr

As some of you will know, I am giving a presentation tomorrow at the annual ‘Art Of Record Production’ conference, at the ATRiuM in Cardiff. The conference programme is now available online here.

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