
The Grandmothers at Porgy & Bess, Vienna
Two band members were absent from the show, making this a rare appearance for the ‘Grandmothers Power Trio’, but despite this they managed to tackle some pretty complex music without too much compromise.
Opening with a “Mother People” that seemed overly tentative, I started to get the feeling that this could be a night of two faded greats fumbling their way through their greatest hits. Notes were missed, the sax was almost apologetic in its quietness and the pace was lethargic. Then the first solos arrived and the sax soared, the keyboards lifted and the drums meshed in; suddenly all was right.
There were some rather shambolic moments, some more dropped notes and missed lyrics, but these rough edges gave the band a character that is missing from some bands playing Zappa music and are forgivable as a lead-in to the glorious moments when it all fits into place. In some ways it put me in mind of Van der Graaf Generator when they’re pushing the limits: sometimes it doesn’t quite work, but when it does it more than justifies the near-misses.

Patchwork Scriabin

Obscurities Revisited
You May Also Like

So Long, Myspace
October 24, 2010
Digging into SpinTunes
April 28, 2012