ralph humphrey

the friends of frank

i have a friend who studied at git (guitar institute of technology, i think), three years ago. he told me that ralph was teaching drumming at pit (percussion institute of technology), and referred to him as a "short, very kind guy with a big beard. ralph's specialty obviously was polyrythmics (which it should be if you've played with fz). he also had a band with other guys at the school, called outside men, who played "interesting, experimental music".
my friend also told me that ralph played with michael ruff, an american fm-rock guitarist.

drums on manhatten transfer's "the christmas album" (1992).

i saw ralph humphrey 2 years ago at the namm show (national association of music merchants) demoing drums for some drum manufacturer. i knew of his work on apostrophe so when his demo was finished i asked him about it. he rolled his eyes as if he had forgotten the recording and then it came to him and he smiled as he nodded and confirmed that it was he who beat the skins on 'st. alphonzo's pancake breakfast'.

if you want to find out where ralph got the class that he brought to zappa's stuff, check him out with the don ellis big band from the early '70's. a very young humphrey shows where he got the polyrythmic chops to work with frank.  ellis never did anything in common time, and humphrey's work in this monster big band was amazing.

"don ellis at fillmore" (columbia: g30243); 

"tears of joy" (columbia: g30927), 

and "autumn" (columbia: cs9721 - produced by al kooper, by the way).

      from: konrad (konradfs@netcom.com)
     subject: star trek, sinatra, and zappa

i heard an album last night called "ol' yellow eyes is back" or something like that.  it was brent spiner (data) singing sinatra era standards, and guess who was the drummer for the sessions: ralph humphrey.

      from: xnarfeoj (jf503spamsux@cyberhighway.net)
i know that ralph humphrey is a department head at lama.  

     from: patrick neve (splat@darkwing.uoregon.edu)

last seen playing with banned from utopia! (8/29/99)


discography

  1969 ellis, don- new don ellis band goes underground (percussion, drums, vibraphone)  
  1970 ellis, don- don ellis at fillmore  
  1971 ellis, don- tears of joy  
  1973 ellis, don- soaring  

17

the mothers: over-nite sensation
   (1973, lp, usa, discreet)

18

frank zappa: apostrophe (')
   (1974, lp, usa, discreet)

19

zappa / mothers: roxy & elsewhere
   (1974, 2lp, usa, discreet)

  1976 seals & crofts- sudan village  
  1977 caldera- sky islands  
  1978 alexander, karen- voyager  
  1978 england dan & john ford- dr. heckle & mr. jive  
  1978 mangione, gap- suite lady    
  1978 seals & crofts- takin' it easy  
  1978 carter, lynda- portrait  
  1978 joseph, marcus- things i meant to say (percussion, drums)  
  1978 pages- pages  
  1979 wright, gary- heading home (percussion)  
  1979 pizzi, ray- love letter (percussion, drums)  
  1979 parrish, paul- song for a young girl [picture disc)  
  1979 subramaniam, l.- fantasy without limits  
  1979 starr, richard- holiday in hollywood  
  1979 manhattan transfer- extensions  
  1980 crawford, randy- everything must change  
  1980 in transit- in transit (percussion, drums)  
  1980 jarreau, al- this time (percussion, drums)  
  1980 allen, peter- bi-coastal    
  1981 redbone, leon- from branch to branch  
  1982 feliciano, jose- escenas de amor  
  1983 subramaniam, l.- spanish wave  
  1984 free flight- beyond the clouds (percussion, drums)  
  1985 manhattan transfer- vocalese  
  1985 shorter, wayne- atlantis  
  1986 frank zappa- apostrophe/over-nite sensation  
  1986 free flight- illumination (percussion, drums)  
  1986 wired- wired (keyboards)  
  1987 hoenig, michael- xcept one (synthesizer, percussion)  
  1988 frank zappa- you can't do that on stage anymore (sampler)  
51 frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.1
   (1988, 2cd, usa, ryko)

  1989 taylor, martin- sarabanda  
54 frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.3
   (1989, 2cd, usa, ryko)
  1991 subramaniam, l.- blossom    
  1991 frank zappa- piquantique    

57

frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.4
   (1991, 2cd, usa, ryko)  
  1991 marrying man- marrying man  
  zappa / mothers: unmitigated audacity
    (1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 70540)
  frank zappa: piquantique
    (1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 70544)
  tom fowler: heartscapes
    (1992, cd, usa, fossil records) - feat. lots of zappa alumni

59 frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.6
   (1992, 2cd, usa, ryko)
  1992 frank zappa- you can't do that on stage anymore, vol. 6  
  1992 dinosaurs [3]- big songs  
  1992 league of their own- league of their own  
  1992 manhattan transfer- anthology: down in birdland  
  1992 garson, mike- oxnard sessions, vol. 2  
  1993 jazz at the movies band- man & a woman, sax at the movies  
  1993 kelley, ray- oasis (arranger, drums)  
  1993 schuur, diane- love songs  
  1993 sharon lois & bram- candles, snow & mistletoe  
  1995 swing kids- swing kids  
  1995 frank zappa- strictly commercial  

64

frank zappa: the lost episodes
   (1996, cd, usa, ryko)

65

frank zappa: läther
   (1996, 3cd, usa, ryko)
  1996 mike miller/the outsidemen band- overboard  
  1996 kelley, ray- windy city (percussion, drums)  
  1997 fantastic television: great tv musi  

67

frank zappa: have i offended someone?
   (1997, cd, usa, ryko)

  1997 manhattan transfer- swing (drums, washboard)  
  1997 garfield, david- tribute to jeff porcaro (drums)  
  1997 jazz at the movies band- sax on broadway  
  1997 ranier, tom- in the still of the night  
  1998 various artists- rykodisc 15th anniversary sampler  
  1999 barbra streisand- a love like ours  

 

mike miller: save the moon
    (2001, cd, usa, marsis jazz pgi / mj 1097) - feat.bruce fowler  //  reissued in 2006 on esc records with two bonus tracks

  the outsidemen: band overboard
    (????, cd, usa, private release) - feat. mike miller and ralph humphrey
outsidemen_bandoverboard.jpg (22755 bytes)
  wright, lorna- circle of love  
  mancini, henry- mancini's angels  
  c.o.d.- tears  
  fill your head with jazz  
  carlos, roberto- roberto carlos [#1]  
  carlos, roberto- from brazil with love  
  denver, john- earth songs  
  shorter, wayne- this is jazz, vol. 19  
  jarreau, al- best of al jarreau    
  brent spiner- ol' yellow eyes is back  
  ellis, don- autumn  
  jeff richman- the blue heart  
     

83

frank zappa: one shot deal
    (2008, cd, usa, zappa records)

  various artists: dc collection: vol.1 - the drummers of frank zappa
    (2009, dvd, usa, drum channel dc dvd) - feat. terry bozzio, ralph humphrey, chester thompson, chad wackerman & ruth underwood

drumchannel1.jpg (43421 bytes)

  frank zappa: penguin in bondage - the little known history of the mothers of invention
    (2011, download, usa, zappa records)
fz_penguin2011dl.jpg (32087 bytes)

96

frank zappa: road tapes - finlandia hall, helsinki, finland 23, 24 august 1973
    (2013, cd, usa, vaulternative records)
fz_roadtapes02.jpg (29253 bytes)

102

frank zappa & the mothers: roxy the movie
    (2015, cd+dvd, eu, eagle vision eagdv050)
fz_roxythemovie.jpg (36036 bytes)
102 frank zappa & the mothers: roxy the movie
    (2015, dvd, eur, eagle vision)
zappa_roxy_dvd.jpg (54282 bytes)
102 frank zappa & the mothers: roxy the movie
    (2015, blu-ray, eur, eagle vision)
zappa_roxy_br.jpg (43508 bytes)

104

frank zappa: the crux of the biscuit
    (2016, cd, usa, zappa records zr20020)

fz_cruxofthebiscuit.jpg (32468 bytes)
     
     
     

 

     

     

     

     

 


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soundtracks various artists