Shattering conventions – musical, social, political – was the life’s work of Frank Zappa, the iconoclastic musical genius, rock legend and intellectual firebrand of the late twentieth century whose work is equally revered by hardcore rockers and serious musical scholars.

By 1969, after releasing a ‘mother lode’ of Mothers of Invention classics, Frank was ready to breakthrough other musical barriers that were still holding popular music in a conservative headlock. Being one if not the first album to be recorded using 16 tracks (twice the number being used at the time on both sides of the Atlantic), Hot Rats became a leading edge in both modern recording technology and the evolution of jazz/rock-fusion. Mostly instrumental, it features six original compositions, three of which are loose jam pieces, the remainder being tight ensemble arrangements.

Some of the finest players around come together in varying combinations, all the while simultaneously showcasing Zappa’s guitar virtuosity. Among others, Lowell George of Little Feat lends guitar; jazz violinists Don ‘Sugarcane’ Harris and Jean-Luc Ponty and fellow Mother Ian Underwood contribute keyboard and woodwind work; and the legendary Captain Beefheart brings his unique pipes to “Willie The Pimp.” Also here is the concert staple and fan favorite “Peaches En Regalia,” a modern jazz standard, and eventually covered by the likes of Phish and The Dixie Dregs.