Zappa Plays Zappa concert moved to The Ready Room

When Plush STL closed earlier this month, it left a number of already-booked shows in need of a place to happen.

Now it appears the last performance still in need of a new venue has found one, as the concert by Zappa Plays Zappa on Monday, April 20 (announced previously in this post) has been moved to The Ready Room.

This spring's ZPZ tour commemorates the 40th anniversary of the release of Frank Zappa's 1975 album One Size Fits All, and will feature performances of all the music from the album. Located at 4195 Manchester Ave in the Grove, The Ready Room is an 8,000 square foot venue that opened last year, featuring a musical menu of mostly rock acts booked by Mike Cracchiolo of the downtown club The Firebird.

Doors will open for the Zappa Plays Zappa show at 7:00 p.m., and the concert will start at 8:00 p.m.. General admission tickets for the all-ages concert are $25 in advance, $30 day of show, with a $2 surcharge for minors, and are on sale now via TicketFly.

There's also a VIP ticket offering early entrance and soundcheck access for $50 in advance. And in addition to the band's concert that evening, ZPZ's leader and guitarist Dweezil Zappa (pictured) apparently also will be doing a master class for guitarists at 3:00 p.m. that afternoon. Tickets for that cost $75 and do not include admission to the concert.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short news items of local interest:

* The midtown music venue and restaurant Plush (pictured), which very occasionally featured jazz as part of its eclectic musical menu, will close on January 3.

In a story by Kevin Johnson in today's Post-Dispatch, the owner cites a lack of working capital and the loss of two key employees as reasons for the closing.

Most of the 2015 concerts already booked into Plush will be moved to 2720 Cherokee, except for the Zappa Plays Zappa show on April 20, which has yet to find a new venue. Watch this space for updates...

* You can get a close-up look at Clark Terry's 94th birthday celebration from earlier this month via this YouTube video.

* Also, Keep On Keepin' On, the recently release documentary film about Terry, is the subject of a feature story in Jazz Times.

* Jazz St. Louis' presentation this week of Duke Ellington's "Nutcracker" was featured on the morning news at local Fox affiliate KTVI (Channel 2).

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis' “Somethin’ Else,” host Calvin Wilson gets very artist-specific, focusing on the quartet recordings of saxophonist Joshua Redman, including those featuring supporting work from the likes of Christian McBride and Brad Mehldau. The program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Zappa Plays Zappa to perform One Size Fits All on Monday, April 20 at Plush STL

The Frank Zappa repertory band Zappa Plays Zappa, led by FZ's son, guitarist Dweezil Zappa, will be returning to St. Louis next year to perform on Monday, April 20 at Plush STL.

The gig will be part of a 33-date US tour commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of One Size Fits All, the 1975 album that introduced several Zappa compositions that would become convert staples, including "Inca Roads," the dual vocal and instrumental versions of "Sofa," and "Florentine Pogen."

ZPZ will play the album in its entirety, much as they did with Apostrophe in their 2010 tour that included a stop here at The Pageant. The group's most recent visit to St. Louis was in 2012, also at the Pageant, and featured a setlist drawn from throughout Frank Zappa's career.

The 2015 tour also will mark the tenth anniversary of Zappa Plays Zappa. In addition to Dweezil Zappa on lead guitar and occasional vocals, the group's current lineup includes Ben Thomas (lead vocals, trumpet, trombone, rhythm guitar), Scheila Gonzalez (saxophone, flute, keyboards, vocals), Chris Norton (keyboards, violin, vocals), Kurt Morgan (bass), and Ryan Brown (drums), along with Pete Jones, who serves as tour/production manager and designated "stunt vocalist." Although some of their previous tours have included former FZ sidemen as special guests, they've mostly worked as a self-contained unit for several years now.

Tickets for Zappa Plays Zappa at Plush will be priced from $25 to $75 - the high end presumably being some sort of VIP package - and will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. this Friday, November 21 via TicketFly.