Frank Zappa
USA, 1964–1993
American composer and guitarist (1940-1993) who worked across doo-wop, modern classical, jazz and satire, with the Mothers of Invention and on a large solo catalogue.
MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced Frank Zappa and 4 artists Frank Zappa influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.
Who influenced Frank Zappa?
- Edgard Varèse — As a teenager Zappa was obsessed with Edgard Varèse — the modernist's dissonance and percussion are foundational to Zappa's composition.
- Igor Stravinsky — Stravinsky's rhythmic and orchestral daring was among the modern-classical influences Zappa absorbed alongside R&B.
Which artists did Frank Zappa influence?
- Sergey Kuryokhin — Zappa's Mothers of Invention — rigorous composition wrapped in absurdist theatre — are a direct precedent for Pop-Mekhanika's mix of virtuosity and provocation.
- Little Feat — Little Feat was founded by Lowell George, a former Mother of Invention — Frank Zappa's genre-blending eccentricity is in the band's DNA (Zappa reportedly encouraged George to form his own band).
- King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard — Frank Zappa's restless, genre-hopping experimentalism is kin to King Gizzard's prolific, style-shifting output.
- Parliament-Funkadelic — The model of conceptual freedom and satirical madness behind Funkadelic's aesthetic.