We're now off on another journey through time and space...Fraz Knapp came up with the wizard wheeze of following-up the unqualified success that was the 20 Extraordinary Renditions CD. And Cordelia Records is happy to do the biznis again. So I've been liaising with 20 artists, asking them to condense the whole of the Burnt Weeny Sandwich album into a 3-5 minute piece - with as much artistic licence as they want. They don't have to use a bit from every song, but at least something from their fave bits of this wondrous album. Once done, Pete Brunelli of DOOT! will twiddle knobs to concoct a remix of extracts from the 20 resultant pieces to create a whole new 21st interpretation of the album. Another wonderful sleeve concept is already evolving in the foolish young mind of our Hazel. So who’s onboard, and what do we know of their contributions?

 

                                         1.            DOOT! have created a piece called Radiouverture. It features: Annemarieke Schoonerwaldt (viola); Stephen Chillemi (keyboard, percussion); Kilissa Cissoko (piano); Pete Brunelli (percussion, programming); Voice Of Cheez (performing WPLJ); and the New Haven Improvisers Collective, conducted by Pete Brunelli. The piece includes portions of the following compositions: WPLJ (Four Deuces); Igor's Boogie, Phase One (Zappa); Holiday in Berlin, Full Blown (Zappa); Aybe Sea (Zappa); Never The Same (Cissoko); and This is the Casbah? (Brunelli/Chillemi).

                                         2.            Evil Dick is “going to take the album and, using the 'time scale' function on my computer, squeeze the whole thing down to a 5 minute sound file. I'm expecting it to sound truly awful. Then I'm going to use that as a template around which I will arrange some sort of version of the album. This might be too ambitious, but what the…”  Evil has sent me the album squashed down to five minutes and it really doesn't sound that awful - much more like a Nancarrow player piano piece. It’s gonna be another goodie.

                                         3.            Fraz Knapp is to blame for all this. Here’s what he said when floating the idea: “Imagine…Burnt Weeny Sandwich (anniversary)…the entire album in one song x by 20 artists or so...each artist creatively fits in all the melody's and arrangements into a 3-4 min piece, then a choice producer compiles his choice of each piece from all of the contributions to compile his own version of the album...may sound a bit weird but I’ve been playing with it and it could work…ie. set out some of the grooves from the album and go about fitting the melody's etc. over the top and inbetweens?”

                                         4.            Gamma is threatening to record his contribution live and unleashed at A Concert For Jimmy in London on 9 November.

                                         5.            Hans Annellsson has recorded Igor’s Holiday In The Little House By The Sea. It sounds bloody great.

                                         6.            J21 (aka Joseph Diaz) will be whipping it out right about now. He has some interesting ideas for it: he’s just built a new studio and it will be perfect to test all of his new equipment. Meantime, check his Yellow Mind : Blue Mind album.

                                         7.            Jerry Outlaw (of Bogus Pomp) may be taking a vacation in Berlin.

                                         8.            Lee Rosevere (the artist formerly known as Fudge) has contributed his haunting Burning Of The Sand Witch.

                                         9.            Low Budget Research Kitchen are very happy to work on a piece like this.

                                     10.            Nigey Lennon’s Opus One is an FZ-approved master. It’s based on Ian Underwood’s improvised piano introduction to Little House, written by the Old Master. Recorded back in 1970, “before my college career fizzled out in a tepid burst of ennui.”, and recorded for her composition class.

                                     11.            Roddie Gilliard (of the Muffin Men) needs to be involved.

                                     12.            Todd Grubbs will be focusing on the Theme From Burnt Weeny Sandwich, and will feature a ‘percussion wash’ by the ANT-BEE, which is a piece called Return Of The Knick Knack People, a tribute to Frank’s Revenge Of The Knick Knack People from the Lather CD.

                                     13.            ZAPPATiKA say it would be an honour for them to be involved.

                                     14.            Princess Helen and the Amazing Mr Bickerton

                                     15.            Richard Walshe & Co.

                                     16.            David Bruce

                                     17.            David Lugay

                                     18.            The FoolZ

                                     19.            The Moving Tones

                                     20.            The Thurston Lava Tube

                                     21.            John Tabacco’s secret hidden bonus track, Burnt Weenie Sandwich Remnants., was knocked off “while waiting for a client”. Can you believe that? When you hear it, you won’t.

 

20 Extraordinary Renditions – available now

 

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