Available Now! Bluezapalooza - Frank has delved deep into the world of blues with ten new songs with words and music by Frank. These songs explore the genres of New Orleans 2nd Line, Delta Blues, Funk Blues, Rock Blues and Fusion Jazz Blues. Three of the pieces feature Larry Walker on lead vocals, along with Ken Rosser on Guitars, Brock Avery on Drums and Percussion, Tracy London on backup vocals and Frank is also featured on lead vocals, saxes and keyboards. Jazziz Magazine states "Frank Macchia is an inventive composer and arranger who deserves comparisons to Gil Evans and Pat Metheny." Three time Grammy nominated and National Endowment of the Arts recipient Macchia produced the project and mixed it as well.

CREDITS

ALBUM CREDITS

Frank Macchia: Compositions, Orchestrations, Lyrics, Mixing, Lead Vocals, Saxes, Woodwinds & Keyboards

Larry Walker: Guest Lead Vocals (On Sittin' In My Backyard". "The Long Goodbye" and "Anxious Manx")

Ken Rosser: Lead and Rhythm Guitars

Brock Avery: Drums and Percussion

Tracy London: Backup Vocals

TRACK LISTING:

Bluezapalooza Lyrics

All Music & Lyrics by Frank Macchia – Framac Music BMI

1- Circus Glee (5:19)
I gotta flatulent elephant, she
Likes to toot her instrument,
Bouncing on her trampoline
Man, she really is obscene, she
Got a buddy we call Mike, who
Likes to headstand on a bike,
Funny monkey he’s a blast, he
Ride that bike so gosh darn fast,
When the day gets extra long, they
Dress up in their golden thongs,
Then they do a little dance, we
Call it Mike ‘n Ella’s Prance, they
Fling their poo and toot a tune,
What a pair of crazy loons,
Just another day for me,
Living in this circus glee, my
Circus glee, It’s enough for them ‘n me, our
Circus glee, Cmon it’ll make you free!
Chick-a Boom, chick-a boom,
you know you really wanna zoom,
Chick-a Boom, chick-a boom,
Everybody zoom,
I gotta cross-eyed tiger, name of Igor.
Sweet little cat, lover not a fighter.
He likes to lick his orange coat,
Sings in the shower, a glorious note,
He kids around with Spike, the mouse,
Spike just bought a two level house,
It’s only twenty inches high, but it
makes that tiger laugh n cry.
Spike and Igor, mouse and tiger,
they get along like a super-collider,
Run and play, chasin' each other,
‘cept for size you'd think they brothers,
When the show hits the road,
they bunk down with a shiny green toad,
His name's Harry, never did marry
but his boyfriend's name is Gary.
Just another day for me,
Living in my circus glee, my
Circus glee,
It’s enough for them ‘n me, our
Circus glee,
Cmon it’ll make you free!

2- Alligator In My Fridgerator (5:18)
I found an
Alligator in my refrigerator,
Iguana in my sauna, a
Pleasant pheasant donated
By a prescient peasant,
Orange vanilla gorilla, a
Labrador you can’t ignore,
Dancing with a dinosaur,
Harshin’ my Martian’s mellow,
Beating and defeatin’, then we’re
Meeting Wil Wheaton, while a
White whale sails into jail, and a
Sturgeon plays with my urchin
Turn the corner see a mourner
Dance around till you get a little warmer
Pygmy piggies really dig me, but the
Freckled speckled kid I heckled
Tried to tell the world the devil
Has the keys to the castle, if you
Replicate or bifurcate, you
Can’t relate so contemplate, ‘bout that
Alligator in the Fridgerator and a
Righteous red rhinoceros
Capitulatin’ to a caterpillar, he
Ate the babysitter
His daughter’s thermometer
Was a good barometer, so
Constipated, they evacuated, then they
Hated that they regulated
Criminal subliminal
Postulated clinical
Radicalized yet humanized
Spontaneous combustion
What a surprise, when the
Good guy dies, use a
Saxophone, in an ice cream cone,
Scream for more ice cream.
I gotta Alligator in my frigerator, a
Ripe green fickle pickle,
Bozo the clown, lookin kinda down,
Takes a spunky monkey for a ride
Up n down the hills, lotsa thrills and chills,
Like a roller coaster on speed, gotta
Feelin’ that I’m dealin’ with a sanctified healin’.
Dancing on the edge of a graveyard
Expletive deleted now I know I been defeated, as ya
Laugh into my face as I shatter in disgrace
Alligator in my refrigerator
Get me that carton of milk.

3- Sittin’ In My Backyard (4:04)
I’m Sittin in my backyard
Staring at the sky,
I’m Sittin in my backyard,
just wondering why
We go through this struggle
Day in n day out, I
don’t know why, that we try,
All I want is to cry.
I’m Sittin’ in my backyard
Looking out into space,
I’m Sittin in my backyard
Thinking what a waste
Punch a clock, till we drop, just to
Try, try to survive I
don’t know why, that we try,
All I can do is sigh
Will there be a medal,
When we reach the end?
Satisfaction guaranteed, so
Take a knee and bend,
Give your all, for the team,
Will it all pay off?, or
Could it be, you n me, might
Have it all so wrong?
Would you change your mind, if you
Found out it’s all a lie, or
Would you be, honestly,
Looking for something to buy, like a
Brand new car, it’d take you far,
Away from this crazy game, you can’t
Run away, if you play,
It’s be a sad, sad shame.

4- Treadmill (4:57)
I’ve been walkin’,walkin for miles, and I ain’t
Gone nowhere, in a long long while, and I’m
Tired of this endless game, I got to
Get off-a this treadmill and find someone to blame.
I didn’t want no velvet snake,
I didn’t want no chewy cake,
I didn’t want no gold laced pipe,
I didn’t want yo’ bullshit hype,
I didn’t want no pork pie hat,
I didn’t want no bucket of fat,
One thing that I really need, is to
Stop this treadmill ‘fore I bleed.
I didn’t want no pudding pie,
I didn’t want no shiny new eye,
I didn’t want no diamond ring,
I didn’t want no birthday bling,
I didn’t want no backyard pool,
I didn’t want no Pygmy mule, but
One thing that I do desire, is to
Set me free, lemme burn my fire
I didn’t want no mumu dress,
I didn’t want no fancy mess,
I didn’t need no big ass house,
I didn’t want no giant pet mouse,
I didn’t want no big name fame,
I didn’t want to play this game, but
When I tried to leave the field,
I was told I could not yield

5- Fang (3:26)
I get a big bang,
outta my friend Fang,
he’s such a funny guy,
but he’s a little bit shy,
always askin’ me why?,
you gotta be like that,
with them snarky remarks,
well I just reply,
“I don’t mean ya no harm,
cause you my lucky charm”
Fang n me, like to hang, we
like to drink, Jack n Tang,
Fang n me don’t give a dang, we
thought we’d join a biker gang,
Fang is my very best friend!
I get a big bang,
from my buddy Fang,
he’s a quirky dude,
full-a attitude,
ya better treat him right,
or you’re in for a fight,
cause I’m on his side,
every day and night,
yeah Fang’s so cool,
he’s nobody’s fool
Fang n Meryl, that’s his girl, they
like to bowl, it’s how they roll,
Fang n Meryl, give it a whirl, they
laugh and cry, and kiss the sky,
Fang is our very best friend
Fang, you gotta do yo’ thang,
I said Fang, you gotta do yo’ thang.

6- The Long Goodbye (4:37)
Tick, tock, tick, drip, drop, drip,
Wake, live, die, love, hope, cry,
I keep waiting for a sign, I
Tell myself it’ll all be fine,
Maybe I should skip to the end, but
I need more time to defend,
My sad, wasted life,
Filled with strife,
Time to go, and
Close that door,
It’s the Long Goodbye,
Bye bye sky,
Good night moon, won’t
See you soon, I’m
Going back, to the
Deep, dark black, but
Will I dream?, or
Float on a light beam?
The Long goodbye! Bye, bye!
In, out, in, start, stop, spin,
breathe, relieve, grieve, believe,
I keep looking back in time
but this is no simple rhyme
If I only really knew,
in the end what will I do?

7- My Torment (3:43)
My torment remained dormant
As my brain ignored the pain,
The anesthesia helped to keep
My body from revolting,
I laughed and cried and then surmised
That I was not alone.
The disembodied voice that said to
Close my eyes and dream,
Only made me more suspicious of the
Sounds of drills and screams,
Protection stopped infection, but my
Body couldn’t speculate,
Instead I simply chose to dream of
Quiet sine waves, drenched in black.
Pulsing, convulsing,
I dreamed of better days
When I took a ride and saw the sky,
Swimming with the clouds, the
Crowds and shrouds were getting loud and
Suddenly I stopped.
The sine wave gave way to a strange
Rhythmic pulse that woke me up.
Was I here or were we there?
Or what was I even thinking?
Blinking I awoke.
Sequestered in a vaudeville show,
Where my seltzer bottle delighted, the
Transfixed audience, their
Applause cascaded and echoed
Throughout the porcelain portals.
I gazed and grinned,
Glaring, no, staring, but the
Show was ending soon, so I
Packed my case, and
Erased my face, as the
evening came to a sweet,
succulent, stillness.

8- Anxious Manx (3:51)
I got an anxious manx with a furball,
I hope she doesn’t choke,
I got an anxious manx with a furball,
I don’t want her to croak,
I got an anxious manx with a furball,
Please let her hock it up.
Cause an anxious manx with a furball,
Ain’t nobody’s idea of a cup,
of tea, I mean,
I got an anxious manx with a furball,
She means so much to me,
I got an anxious manx with a furball,
I tried to give her some tea,
I got an anxious manx with a furball,
She’s down on her luck,
Help my anxious manx with a furball,
She really needs to upchuck.
Oh yes, she does
Twelve years old tomorrow,
And not one day of complaint,
But since she got that furball,
She’s unhappy and faint,
I got an anxious manx with a furball,
Please let it come out,
I got an anxious manx with a furball,
she’s having quite a bout,
oh my anxious manx with a furball,
will somebody please?
Help my anxious manx with a furball,
I’m begging, down on my knees,
I’m gettin’ too old for this!

9- Anxiety (3:34)
Restless night, worried mind,
Can I solve, the problems I find,
I’m drowning in a sea of anxiety
Questions asked, rarely answered,
Plague my mind, like chronic cancer,
I’m stewing in a pot of anxiety
Take a deep breath, make it two,
Shut my mind down, sweet quietude,
Then the question, creeps back in,
Why can’t I just stop this din, of anxiety
On and on, it goes and goes,
When I’ll stop, I want to know,
I’m rotting in a grave of anxiety
Take a break, but none appear,
Stop this torture, end the fear,
I’m helpless with this vicious anxiety
Is it anxiety?
Or is it society? Help me break free.

10- I’m Goin’ Crazy (4:42)
Splikity splat, went the rat,
when the mumu hit the floor,
Biggity bop, what a flop,
old as a dinosaur,
Red eyed dream, made me scream,
woke up in a cold sweat,
Vandalized yet tantalized,
trying not to forget
Pseudo mambo, got a combo,
just to take a trip,
What a time, found a dime,
bought me some ‘tato chips,
Pick a new way, try to not stray,
do that shimmy shammy thang,
Tragic intent, couldn’t pay rent,
waited for the big bang,
Blue-black viper, in a diaper
bit down on a walnut,
Spit it out without a doubt,
nothin’ in that small gut
Sweet n sour, midnight hour,ya
got a brand new game
Realize that the breeze inside,
brings the winds of blame
Crazy ride, is it suicide?
why you wanna do that?
Sink or swim, on a whim,
dance until you fall flat,
Cuckoo clock, hear it tick-tock,
time keeps creepin’ forward,
Make that bet, don’t forget,
loneliness is absurd,
Green eyed frog, on a log,
ponders his existence,
Soon he dies, with unrealized,
dreams of flies and intense,
Jumpin’ skills, over hills,
skippin’ to a new beat,
New start, lift your heart,
go to a meet ‘n greet,
Tiger’s paws got real sharp claws,
watch out or he’ll get you,
Take you down, right to the ground,
don’t act like Mister Magoo,
Open yo’ eyes, it’s no surprise,
colors may fluctuate, but
if you take it, before you make it,
you gonna suffocate.
Bing, bong, bang, the doorbell rang,
who’s waitin’ at the front door?
Delivery guy, with a pizza pie,
he’s got a hat you adore,
Ask him in, does he want a Slim Jim?, or
maybe a nice, cold beverage?
What a mess, nobody’s guess, that the
pizza was nothin’ but leverage,
Then the dog, who came out the fog,
barked with apparent alarm,
Saw a cat, who was rather fat,
munchin’ on some Lucky Charms,
So relieved, I decided to weave, a
big wool orange-red sweater,
Make it bold, that’s what I been told,
then it will be so much better, a
Vision quest, could be the best,
thing to do in this moment,
Look for clues, buy some new shoes,
stir up anger and foment,
Dirty lies and nasty guys,
lookin’ for a brand new scheme, just
Shut ‘em down, down to the ground,
time for an angry scream!
I’m going crazy, I’m going crazy,
You got to taze me, ‘cause life will not faze me.

Liner Notes

Welcome to Bluezapalooza, my latest project, based loosely on the idea of blues tunes in different genres, from New Orleans second line, funk, traditional blues, delta blues, jazz fusion, and whatever else struck my fancy. Featured on this project are Ken Rosser, an amazing guitarist who did all the rhythm, lead and solo guitar parts. He brought an imaginative and eclectic sense of sounds and ideas to the project and I was beyond thrilled with his contribution to this album. Brock Avery supplied all the drums and percussion elements in his usual earthy and creatively driving grooves and again, it brought the energy of the tunes to a whole new level. Tracy London supplied the backing vocals to many of the tunes, which were done with her usual ease and aplomb and made the tunes so much better. And last but not least, my long time great friend Larry Walker contributed lead vocals to three of the songs that needed a real singer (meaning: NOT me!) and he supplied the needed tone and performance that I was looking for. I hope you’ll dig these new tunes and here’s a little info on each of the tunes in their order on the album:

The Opener, Circus Glee came to me as an idea about doing a metaphor about families and friends and how we can share joy. The story revolves around antics of several animals in a touring circus and how they get along and live together. Not trying to get too deep here, my emphasis was all about having fun. Ken does a great blues slide guitar solo and check out the ending vamp for a sound collage of epic proportions! (I hope you catch the Tuvan Monk choir, the calliopes and wild guitar effects at the end vamp).

Alligator In My Fridgerator is a driving traditional blues in a Stevie Ray Vaughn style of Texas rockin’ blues. The lyrics use image phrases that have an internal rhyme and rhythm but ultimately mean nothing more than stream of consciousness images that move forward in time. Brock lays down the groove, Ken rips up the guitar solo, I do a wailing tenor sax solo, and it all has no deeper meaning than that!

Larry Walker is the featured vocalist on my traditional blues ballad Sittin’ In My Backyard, which I literally wrote the lyrics for while sitting in my backyard, wondering about the state of the world. Larry brings his earthy and rich voice to this song and brings the emotion out. It’s been a strange couple of years since Covid hit, and I talk to so many friends who are depressed and puzzled as to why we’re collectively acting and behaving in such weird and sometimes negative ways. This song is just a reflection of my worries of the time.

I wrote Treadmill to contemplate the daily running around and conforming to society’s dictates that many of us feel exasperated by. The style is an almost country “train-chuggin-down-the-road” feel and Brock makes it come alive. Ken does a great country-rock blues solo. I added a synth phrase that comes in and out throughout the tune whose intention is that of a constant treadmill sound, and at the end, that’s all we’re left with as everything else fades out.

Fang is a blues stomp dedicated to a good friend, even though it’s an imaginary name. As a kid I remember comedienne Phyllis Diller joke about her husband Fang and I always thought that was a hilarious name for a person, so here it is. No deep meaning to the lyrics, just a fun romp.

Larry Walker once again is featured on The Long Goodbye with a wonderful vocal performance that encapsulates the end of the journey, with joy and sadness as well as everything in-between. The vamp at the end signifies the journey to the light, with all the psychedelics I could muster. The tune is in 11/4, but the flutes cycle a chant in 12 and the rest of the band goes into the rhythmic abyss as well.

My Torment is about some dental procedures I went through during this period of time, and the dream that ensued while being put under anesthesia. Ken plays an absolutely biting guitar solo on this one, as I was going to a very dark and sinister place.

Larry Walker is featured again on the tongue-in-cheek Anxious Manx (With a Furball), my funk blues tune for the album, replete with horn section and joke lyrics about a poor kitty with a cough problem. I hope you find it funny and not disgusting, as I took a risk on this one!

Anxiety is what I live with every day, as I fail to control my world. I wrote this during a sleepless night, worrying about who-knows-what, and I tried to pay homage to Nirvana is some oblique way!

We close the set with I’m Goin’ Crazy, where I again play with a rhyming and rhythm scheme with the lyrics, which are all image groups that mean nothing and yet can be turned into meaning if you try hard! The tune is a fusion jazz-rock blues, alternating odd meters and a groove that’s demented and relentless. Brock lays it down and Ken does a wild solo. Believe it or not, this is defined as a blues as it goes to a IV chord so don’t tell me it’s not a blues!! Thanks for listening and treat yourselves well.

Frank Macchia, September, 2021

Personnel:

Frank Macchia: Vocals, Woodwinds, Keyboards, Compositions & Lyrics
Larry Walker: Special Guest Vocals
Ken Rosser: Electric Rhythm and Lead Guitars
Brock Avery: Drums and Percussion
Nick Hafarcam: Basses
Tracy London: Backup Vocals

REVIEWS

Frank Macchia: Bluezapalooza

By Dan McClenaghan
October 7, 2021

AllAboutJazz.com

Frank Macchia has recorded some serious sounds in his day. Landscapes (Cacophony, 2008), for instance, with The Prague Orchestra, was a sweeping masterpiece of an album which should have won him some sort of Aaron Copland Award (It was nominated for a Grammy). But the reedist-composer-arranger also has a fun side, with albums like 2012's Swamp Thang (Cacophony), which offered up a set of grungy bayou boogies, blues, funk and New Orleans second line, all in an instrumental setting.

Bluezapalooza takes that concept deeper, moving into earthy blues grooves, with lead vocals from Macchia himself, and Larry Walker on three tunes: "The Long Goodbye," "Sittin' In My Backyard," and "Anxious Manx (With A Furball)." Both singers bring James Cotton's gruff, gravelly vocal delivery to mind; Cotton played harmonica in the bands of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf in his early days, then broke away and established himself as a terrific band leader and vocalist in his own right.

And some fun? Of Macchia's tune "Fang" (he wrote and arranged them all here), the composer says of the lyric content: "No deep meaning…just a fun romp." This sums up the entire album. Fun blues, some with some polish, others with some dirt on them, featuring crisp arrangements, featuring Ken Rosser's wailing guitar licks (Rosser has a masters degree in classical guitar, but has no problem rolling around in the blues), powerful woodwind backdrops (along with keyboards) from Macchia, drummer Brock Avery's charging rhythms, Nick Hafarcam's funky bass lines and Tracy London's subtle backing vocal embellishments, all put together to make a credible, hard-charging blues album which leans to the the traditional style while reaching up high into the twenty-first century.