mats öberg

Having played in Hot Rats (a band he had formed with Morgan Ågren) in the early eighties and in Zappsteetoot (an 8-piece band that played Frank Zappa's music) in the late eighties, Mats Öberg ( & Morgan Ågren) sat in with the Zappa band in 1988 during the Stockholm performance. Since then Mats (& Morgan) have released and contributed to a fine bunch of albums.

In 1991, Mats took part in the "Zappa's Universe" concert series.

Between 1994 and 1996, Mats & Morgan performed Zappa's music as Frank Zappa Memorial Barbeque.

In 2000 he performed with the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, playing Frank Zappa's "200 Motels Suite".

In 2003 he played Frank Zappa compositions with Denny Walley's Zappa Corner Band and with Ed Palermo's Big Band at The Umeå Internationella Kammarmusik Festival.

July 2004, the Mats / Morgan Band performed at the "Zappanale" festival in Bad Doberan, Germany. Shortly thereafter, the band toured the USA.

September 2006, the MusikFabrik performed music by Zappa and by Varèse. The band had been gathered by Ali N.Askin, and included keyboardist Mats Öberg and drummer Morgan Ågren as special guests.

selective discography

concerts

Zappa's Universe, as part of the "rock group"

• 1991/11/07 - 1991/11/10    "zappa's universe" - a tribute to frank zappa in his 50th birthday year
      at 'the ritz', nyc, ny, usa
      organised by joel thome
      concert by the orchestra of our time (cond.joel thome), rock group, persuasions, rockapella and guests

"en akustisk afton med musik av frank zappa" (an acoustic evening with the music of fz)

• 1994/05/22 concert 'malmö konsthall', malmö, sweden

  • "en akustisk afton med musik av frank zappa" (an acoustic evening with the music of fz)

    • hans annéllsson, mats & morgan & others...

    • twenty small cigars, number 6, sheik yerbouti tango, treacherous cretins

    • an excellent 13-minute soundboard recording of this performance circulates

The Umeå Internationella Kammarmusik Festival

• 2003/06/13 The Ed Palermo Jazz From Hell Band
  • The Ed Palermo Jazz From Hell Band
    • Ed Palermo: sax * Mike Keneally: guitar * Mats Öberg: keyboards * Morgan Ågren: drums * Paul Adamy: bass * Bob Quaranta: piano
  • Guest: Napoleon Murphy Brock: sax
  • Setlist
    • Toads Of The Short Forest
    • Little Umbrellas
    • Blessed Relief  (with Napoleon Murphy Brock on sax, solo by Ed)
   
• 2003/06/13 The Zappa Corner band: "The Zappa Corner #1"
  • The Zappa Corner Band
    • Denny Walley: slide guitar, vocals * Mats Öberg: keyboard * Morgan Ågren: drums * Tommy Thordsson: bass * Napoleon M Brock: vocals, sax * Mike Keneally: guitar * Ed Palermo: sax * Paul Adamy: bass
  • Setlist
    • Magic Fingers (Tommy Thordsson on bass, sung by Denny and Mike, without Napi)
      Advance Romance (Paul Adamy on bass, sung by Napi)
      City of Tiny Lites (Tommy on bass, sung by Denny, incredible keyboard solo by Mats, without Napi)
       

• 2003/06/14 The Ed Palermo Big Band: "Big Band Zappa"

  • The Ed Palermo Big Band

    • Ed Palermo: director & sax * Magnus Ekholm, Bosse Strandberg: trumpet * Magnus Puls, Gunnar Walldén, Björn Hängsel: trombone * Peter Lindqvist, Petri Kivimäki, Peter Nordvall, Sigurd Löf, Jonas Knutsson: sax * Bob Quaranta, Mats Öberg: keyboards * Morgan Ågren: drums * Paul Adamy: bass * Mike Keneally: guitar * Napoleon M Brock: vocals & sax

  • Program

    • Regyptian Strut * Cleetus Awreetus Awrightus * King Kong / Transylvanian Boogie * Sleep Dirt * The Grand Wazoo * Uncle Remus * Pygmy Twylyte * Village of the Sun * Echidna’s Arf (of you) * Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing * Sofa #1 * Oh No * The Idiot Bastard Son * Peaches en Regalia * Andy
      

• 2003/06/14 The Ed Palermo Jazz From Hell Band

  • The Ed Palermo Jazz From Hell Band

    • Ed Palermo: sax * Mike Keneally: guitar * Mats Öberg: keyboards * Morgan Ågren: drums * Paul Adamy: bass * Bob Quaranta: piano

  • Setlist

    • The Gumbo Variations

    • 20 Small Cigars

    • Toads Of The Short Forest
       

• 2003/06/14 The Zappa Corner Band: "The Zappa Corner #2"

  • The Zappa Corner band:

    • Denny Walley: slide guitar, vocals * Mats Öberg: keyboard * Morgan Ågren: drums * Tommy Thordsson: bass * Napoleon M Brock: vocals, sax * Mike Keneally: guitar * Ed Palermo: sax * Paul Adamy: bass

  • Setlist

    • Montana * (Paul Adamy on bass, sung by Napi, without Denny, but with four invited young girls - three on backing vocals, one on trombone - from Zappa Graduates

    • City of Tiny Lites (Tommy on bass, featuring a long wah wah solo from Zappa Graduates young guitar player, without Napi)

    • Magic Fingers (Tommy on bass, solo passing between Mike, Denny and the young guy from Zappa Graduates, without Napi)

    • Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance (Tommy on bass, Napi on lead vocals)

    • What's The Ugliest part of your Body (same)

    • Advance Romance (Paul Adamy on bass, Jimmy Ågren on Harmonica, Napi on lead vocals)
      encores :

    • The Black Page #1 (played spontaneously by Mike, Mats & Morgan on the rhythm of the hand claps of the audience !)

    • Inca Roads (Paul Adamy on bass, Napi on flute, sung by Mike who also played the piano during Mats' keyboard solo, without Denny)

    • Amerika Drinks (with Mike on drums ! the whole thing ending up into a frenzy in the Absolutely Free style)
       

• 2005/03/11 concert "Zakral", 'parish church', Sandviken, Sweden - an all zappa program
   
• 2005/04/16 The Homo Zappians, feat. Mats Öberg - concert 'musikhuset', gävle, sweden

video contributions

random notes

info from gary - 2002/02/18
Newsgroups: alt.fan.frank-zappa - Subject: The Dragonmaster show

The Mats and Morgen section of Big Swifty (where they perform T'Mershi Duween) is amazing.  Mats seems like he's giving Tommy Mars a run for his money.

He talks about this event in  the Feb. '92 issue of Keyboard which covered Zappa's Universe.

***
Q: How did you and Frank meet?

A: My uncle called his road manager in Scandinavia and told him that there were these two musicians from Sweden who had been playing Zappa music for a long time, and that they'd like to meet him.  We did that before his show at Stockholm in '88.  We told him a little bit about ourselves and gave him a tape that included a song of his called "T'Mershi Duween", which was not released on any record - just on bootleg....

Q: What did he think of the tape?

A: He never played it.  That was the funniest thing.  He just said (lapses into baritone pseudo-Zappa voice), "You play that song? That's amazing.  Tonight we play a song called 'Big Swifty'.  Maybe we could bring you up onstage in the middle of the song and you can jam along with us."  That's what happened.  We went onstage and jammed with four members of the band.
***

Also I might venture to add the version of Stairway seems better than the one that was released.

audihaun pasted the following message on the Zappateers forum:

Lennart Gustafsson from Sweden reports: “On Friday 11th March 2005, Mats Öberg played Zappa on a grand piano in the parish church, Sandviken. Mats gave his personal and exciting interpretations of a long list of Zappa themes, such as Lumpy Gravy, Twenty Small Cigars, Duke of Prunes, Inca Roads and Dupree’s Paradise – as well as improvisations on 200 Motels. This rather odd type of church music gathered some 200 people in an almost full church, despite a heavy snowstorm. The active Sandviken Zappa Society (formed last year) took the initiative and nicknamed this programme, ‘Zakral’. A follow-up with Zappa music played on the church organ is being considered.”