don preston

Don Preston joined the Mothers Of Invention in early 1967. He recorded and performed with The Mothers until late 1969.

He did a couple of performances with the Mothers in May 1970, during the summer of 1971 and in the spring of 1974. He also recorded with Zappa on various albums.

He was also part of the Grandmothers and toured with them, playing Zappa's music. In 2002, he took part in the Zappanale festival in Bad Doberan, Germany and played Frank Zappa compositions in various line-ups, examples of which can be found on the Zappanale albums.

Don Preston took part in the 2007 edition of the Zappanale festival. He performed with his Akashic Ensemble, and performed with Project/Object.

	the mothers of invention: absolutely free (2) (1967, lp,usa, verve)
	the mothers of invention: we're only in it for the money (3) (1967, lp, usa, verve)
	aunt jamina and the united pancakes: candy bullets and moon (1967, 7", usa, dwr 6806) = meredith monk & don preston
	the mothers of invention: cruising with ruben & the jets (5) (1968, lp, usa, verve)
	the mothers of invention: mothermania (6) (1969, lp, usa, verve)
	captain beefheart & his magic band: trout mask replica (3) (1969, 2lp, usa, straight)
	gto's: permanent damage (1) (1969, lp, usa, bizarre 73397 - straight sts 1059) - produced by frank zappa / feat.ian underwood, don preston, roy estrada, jc black, frank zappa
	the mothers of invention: uncle meat (7) (1969, 2lp, usa, bizarre)
	the mothers of invention: burnt weeny sandwich (9) (1970, lp, usa, bizarre)
	the mothers of invention: weasels ripped my flesh (10) (1970, lp, usa, bizarre)
	the mothers: fillmore east, june 1971 (12) (1971, lp, usa, bizarre)
	bob smith: the visit (1971, lp, usa, ??) - feat.don preston
	carla bley / paul haines: escalator over the hill (1971, 2lp, usa, polygram) - feat. don preston
	the mothers: just another band from l.a. (14) (1972, lp, usa, bizarre)
	frank zappa: waka/jawaka (15) (1972, lp, usa, bizarre)
	flo & eddie: the phlorescent leech & eddie (1) (1972, lp, usa, reprise records) - feat.don preston, jim pons & aynsley dunbar
	john & yoko / plastic ono band: sometime in new york city (1972, 2lp, uk, apple) - feat. zappa & mothers
	geronimo black: geronimo black (1) (1972, lp, universal city recs) - feat. various ex-mothers of invention
	the mothers: the grand wazoo (16) (1972, lp, usa, bizarre)
	zappa / mothers: roxy & elsewhere (19) (1974, 2lp, usa, discreet)
	soundtrack: apocalypse now (1979, lp, usa, ??)
	the residents: eskimo (6) (1979, lp, usa, ralph records) - feat.don preston, chris cutler, snakefinger
	geronimo black: welcome back (2) (1980, lp, usa, helios recs) - feat. various ex-mothers of invention
	various artists: music from the 21st century (1981, lp, usa, gnp/crescendo) - feat.don preston, frank zappa
	robbie krieger: versions (??) - feat.don preston, arthur barrow
	robbie krieger: robbie krieger (??) - feat.don preston, arthur barrow
	the grandmothers: grandmothers (1) (1981, lp, ger, line records 6.24636 ap) - feat. various ex-moi
	gil evans: where flamingos fly (1981, cd, usa, artists house) - feat.don preston
	noisuf: noisuf (unreleased, lp, usa, rhino) - the album was announced by rhino in 1981
	various artists: music from the 21st century (1982, lp, usa, gnp / crescendo records gnps2146) - feat.don preston & frank zappa
	the grandmothers: lookin' up granny's dress (2) (1982, lp, us, rhino records rnlp 804) - feat. various ex-moi; incl.zappa compositions
	the grandmothers: fan club talk lp (3) (1983, lp, us, panda 001)
	michael mantler: alien (1985, cd, ger, ecm) - feat.don preston
	michael mantler: live (1987, cd, ger, ecm) - feat.jack bruce, don preston
	john carter: dance of the love ghosts (1987, cd, can, gramavision) - feat.don preston
	john carter: shadows on a wall (1988, cd, can, gramavision) - feat.don preston
	frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.1 (51) (1988, 2cd, usa, ryko)
	frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.3 (54) (1989, 2cd, usa, ryko)
	bobby bradford - john carter quintet: comin' on (1989, cd, switzerland, hat records art cd 6016) - feat. don preston
	ivo perelman: ivo (1989, cd, ger, itm-pacific) - feat.don preston
	aurora: aurora (1) (1989, cd, jpn, nippon columbia cy-73148) - feat.don preston
	john carter: fields (1990, cd, sw, gramavision) - feat.don preston
	the mothers of invention: the ark (1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 70538)
	zappa / mothers: unmitigated audacity (1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 70540)
	zappa / mothers: 'tis the season to be jelly (1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 70542)
	zappa / mothers: electric aunt jemima (1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 71019)
	zappa / mothers: swiss cheese / fire ! (1991, 2cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 71021)
	zappa / mothers: our man in nirvana (1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 71022)
	frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.4 (57) (1991, 2cd, usa, ryko)
	frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.5 (58) (1992, 2cd, usa, ryko)
	frank zappa: you can't do that on stage anymore vol.6 (59) (1992, 2cd, usa, ryko)
	frank zappa: playground psychotics (60) (1992, 2cd, usa, ryko)
	don preston: dom de wilde speaks - 1992 interview (1992, k7, usa, electrik yak 006) = interview for "ptolemaic terrascope"
	jefferson airplane: loves you (1992, 3cd, usa, rca 07863 61110-2) - incl.'would you like a snack' (zappa, slick)
	yoko ono: ono box (1992, ??)
	ant-bee: with my favourite "mothers" and other bizarre muzik (1992, k7, usa, electrik yak 003) - cover drawing by cal schenkel, feat. b.gardner, d.preston, jc black, r.snyder
	zappa / mothers: ahead of their time (61) (1993, cd, usa, ryko)
	the grandmothers: a mother of an anthology (1993, cd, us, one way records ow 28880) = compilation + extra tracks
1	don preston: vile foamy ectoplasm (1993, cd, ger, muffin records muffin cdmr 003) - feat. ex-moi and ex-zappa bandmembers
	don preston: speaks! - 1992 interview (1993, k7, usa, electrik yak letc 1) = a reissue + some additional music
	eugene chadbourne: 10 most wanted (1993, k7, usa, chadbourne products)- feat jimmy carl black and don preston – incl. 'zappa medley' (frank zappa), 'neon meat dream' (van vliet)
	ant-bee: snorks and wheezes (1993, k7, usa, electrik yak) - feat.bunk gardner, don preston, jc black, motorhead sherwood
	ant-bee: the *#!%%? of ant-bee - rarities vol.3 (1993, k7, usa, electrik yak records 009) - feat.bunk gardner, don preston, jc black, motorhead sherwood
	the grandmothers: who could imagine (5) (1994, cd, nl, munich records netcd 53) - feat. various ex-moi; incl.zappa & beefheart compositions
	ant-bee: the bizarre german e.p. (1994, 7", ger, lollipop shop bouncing splash 8) (ps) - feat.bunk gardner, don preston, jc black
	ant-bee: with my favorite "vegetables" and other bizarre music (2) (1994, cd, uk, divine records divine 3) - feat.motorhead, jc black, b.gardner, r.estrada, d.preston, r.snyder
	eugene chadbourne + jimmy carl black: the jack and jim show - locked in a dutch coffeeshop (1994, cd, uk, fundamental rec) - feat.don preston / incl. van vliet compositions
	sandro oliva: who the fuck is sandro oliva ?!? (1995, cd, usa, muffin records mrp015) - feat. various ex-moi; incl.'mr.green genes' (frank zappa)
	ant-bee: lunar muzik (3) (1995, cd, uk, divine records divine 20) - feat. b.gardner, d.preston, jc black, r.estrada, j.sherwood, b.harris
	frank zappa: the lost episodes (64) (1996, cd, usa, ryko)
2	don preston: hear me out (1997, cd, us, echograph 9601-2)
	frank zappa: mystery disc (67) (1998, cd, usa, ryko)
	the muffin men: god shave the queen (8) (1999, cd, eec, efa 03447-2) – incl.compositions by don van vliet and by frank zappa, feat. various zappa alumni
	the grandmothers: eating the astoria (6) (2000, cd, i, obvious music om gm0100) - feat. various ex-moi; incl.zappa compositions
	the don and bunk show: necessity is... (2000, cdr, i, brain records) – incl. ‘eric dolphey memorial barbecue’ (frank zappa)
	don preston: music from blood diner & other films (2001, cdr, usa, brain records)
	the grandmothers: 20 year anthology of the grandmothers (2001, cdr, ger, private release) - anthology
	the grandmothers: the eternal question (2001, cdr, ger, private release) - feat. various ex-moi; incl.zappa compositions
3	the don preston trio: transformation (2001, cd, usa, cryptogramophone cg107) – incl. a frank zappa composition
	don preston: io landscapes (2001, cdr, usa, brain records) - feat. frank zappa
	don preston: corpus transfixum (2001, cdrom, usa, brain records)
	levin, bradford & preston: asymmetrical construct (2001, cdr, usa, brain records)
	don preston: trans form (2001, cdr, usa, brain records)
	the don and bunk show: joined at the hip (2002, cdr, usa, brain records) - incl. 'little house' (frank zappa)
4	don preston's akashic ensemble: the inner realities of evolution (2003, cd, usa, brain records br016) - feat. bunk gardner & andré cholmondeley
	various artists: zappanale 13 (2003, 3cd, ger, arf society) – incl. various artists playing frank zappa compositions
	various artists: zappanale # 13 (2003, cd, ger, arf society) – incl. various artists playing frank zappa compositions
	jefferson airplane: crown of creation (2003, cd, eu, rca / bmg 82876 53226 2) - incl.'would you like a snack' (zappa, slick)
	the grandmothers: a grandmothers night at the gewandhaus (2003, cd, ger, warner classic 2564600682) - incl.various frank zappa compositions
	arthur barrow: on time (2003, cdr, usa, private release) - feat.vinnie colaiuta, tommy mars, bruce fowler, robert williams and don preston
	frank zappa: quaudiophiliac (74) (2004, dvda, usa, dts entertainment 69286-01125-9-9)
	sandro oliva: heavy lightning (2004, cdr, i, private release) - feat. various ex-moi; incl.zappa compositions
	the muffin men: muffinz moovies vol.one (1990-1997) (2005, dvd, uk, private release) - incl.various frank zappa compositions, feat. zappa alumni
	jimmy carl black: when do we get paid? (2007, cd, usa, crossfire) - feat. don preston, walt & tom fowler
	the grandmothers: boulder theatre – us tour, 2000 (200?, 2cdr, italy, obvious music) - feat.j.c.black, don preston, bunk gardner
	don preston: vile foamy ectoplasm (2007, cd, usa, crossfire publications) - feat. frank zappa, ex-moi and ex-zappa bandmembers
	bunk gardner: it's all bunk! (2007, cd, usa, crossfire publications) - feat. various ex-moi
5	don preston: works (2007, ger, usa, crossfire publications) - feat.bunk gardner
	don preston's akashic ensemble: zappanale 18 (2007, dvdr, ger, private release) - incl. 'who are the brain police?' & 'help, i'm a rock' (f.zappa)
	jimmy carl black: where’s the $%&§#@’ beer? (2007, cd, usa, crossfire publications 9508-2) - feat.various mothers of invention

	ant-bee: electronic church muzik (scheduled, cd, usa, ??) - feat. bunk gardner, don preston, zoot horn rollo, rockette morton, napolean murphy brock, motorhead sherwood and bob harris

the don preston trio / don preston: piano - dr. art davis: bass - tootie heath: drums

1998/summer "steeltown" = a play by michael sargent; music composed by don preston

the don preston trio / don preston: piano - dave carpenter: bass - alex cline: drums

1999/08/20 concert 'the los angeles county museum of art', la, ca, usa
incl. 'django' (lewis),'walking battery woman'(carla bley),'the eric dolphy memorial barbecue' (frank zappa), 'epistrophy' (t.monk)

????/05/28 concert 'the los angeles county museum of art', la, ca, usa
the california ear unit: the bride stripped bare by her bachelors, even (don preston)

From: "Freak Out With The Grandmothers" tour booklet
I grew up in Detroit Michigan where they make cars. At 12 years I was thrown out of school for hypnotising several students and a nun. I was also learning magic. The nuns used to beat my hands with a big ruler when I made mistakes playing the piano. Because of this weird treatment I began to like strange and dissonant music. I went to Trieste Italy in the army and shared a room with Buzz Gardner. At that time I wrote a number of chamber and orchestral works and later lost them. I learned to play the contra-bass. After returning to Detroit I insterted all the pistons in every fourth Dodge auto. Played for one year with Elvin Jones at the West End Cafe on bass. Moved to L.A. Did my stint with the Mothers and became romantically involved with 40 teenagers. Did a magic show at the Whiskey A Go Go. Later did a show at Moon Zappa's 6th birthday party.

Don Preston was born in Flint, Michigan in 1932.
His father, was the composer-in-residence for the Detroit Symphony.
Born into a family of musicians Don studied music at an early age.

1950's
Bassist with Elvin Jones
Pianist with Herbie Mann and bassist with Tommy Flanagan
Bassist with Yusef Lateef and Don Ellis
Toured with Nat King Cole (1958)
Worked with Charlie Hayden, Paul Bley and Carla Bley

1960's
Preston joins Don Ellis, big band leader and trumpeter
Don begins to experiment with electronic music and incorporates synthesizers into his work Meets Frank Zappa and joins the Mothers of Invention in 1966.
He tours and records with Meredith Monk, performing at the Garrick Theater in New York

1970's
Performance with John Lennon and Yoko Ono appears on Sometime in New York City Left the Mothers of Invention in 1974

1975 - 1985 Projects include:
Escalator Over the Hill, with Michael Mantler and Carla Bley
Field's with John Carter
Apocalypse Now, Film Soundtrack
Co-founds the Grandmothers, with former Mothers of Invention band members

1987-1995
Performs with Bobby Bradford, appears on Bradford's "Comin' On"
Forms a jazz trio with Art Davis and Tootie Heath
Tours Europe as lead vocalist for The Grandmothers

1996
Signs with Echograph Records, begins recording Hear Me Out.
Vocalist in the opera "School of Language", which premiered in Copenhagen, Denmark

1997
Hear Me Out released on Echograph Records (March 1)
Composes "The Bride Stripped Bare", commissioned by the California Ear Unit

Don played synthesizer about five years ago on John Carter's Castles of Ghana (it may be the album after that in the series--I'd have to check) on Grammavision. He personally got rave reviews for his soloing. However, that band never toured (Carter died last year) and I haven't heard from him since.

Saw Don Preston playing with Robbie Krieger (Doors) at a small club in Hollywood in the late 70's. They were playing stuff similar to Jeff Beck and Jan Hammer (Blow By Blow - Wired).

Some time in the early eighties I went to see The Carla Bley Band at the Paradise Club in Boston and was pleasantly surprised to see Don Preston in the band.

P.S. Don Preston is also on an album by trumpeter Michael Mantler (husband of Carla Bley?) named "Live", with Jack Bruce.
Black, Preston and Gardner appear to be in a band called the Grandmothers.

Don Preston appeared on the Mike Mantler release ALIEN on ECM/Watt around 1988 or so. I think he still plays with Mantler on occasion.

Don played in the LA Art Ensemble or whatever it was called, with people like Buell Neidlinger and other hip CalArts types. He also played in Gil Evans band. He was very good at transforming.

Just moved out to Germany as well, where he lives near Jimmy Carl Black (also resident in Germany) and is still a Grandmother. A video from 1988 'Dr Ogo Moto' is also due soon for release, again I think on Muffin; maybe on Electric Yak in the US.

Don Preston's _Vile Foamy Ectoplasm_ was released on CD in 1993 by Muffin Records, Germany. It's quite good! It contains tracks that Don Preston recorded over the years with different musicians.
1 track was recorded in 1973 with

Saw a cheezy Sci-Fi flick called "Android" on the Sci-Fi Channel the other day. Don Preston was credited with the music. Nothing very distinctive, but I have to admit that the film was so bad it seriously detracted from listening very closely to the music. Not even "Cheepnis"-grade sci-fi. No idea how old the movie was; mid-to-late 70's I would guess.

Don has been working with composer/trumpeter Michael Mantler for awhile. Check out "Alien" and "Michael Mantler Live" on the Watt/ECM label. Sorta a hybrid between modern jazz and modern classical music, with Don doing orchestrations on synths. On the live album Jack Bruce sings and Nick Mason (PF) drums as well, sorta old home week for aging art-rockers 8^)
He appears on keyboards on the live album, and also orchestrated these massive synthesizer architectures on _Alien_ (which has nothing to do with the movie except a similar emotional tenor). Dubs available if necessary, but you should try and buy this stuff; Mantler's one of the more interesting unheard composer/performers out there.

Don also contributed heavily to the last few John Carter releases (mostly on Gramavision) before Carter passed away in the early 90's. Carter was a pioneering composer, saxophonist and clarinetist who worked extensively with Bobby Bradford, a cornetist who has played with Ornette Coleman amongst others.

In the liner notes of one of the Carter releases, he dubbed Don Preston the "father of modern synthesis."

Yeah, shouldn't that have been *mother*? It was on "Shadows on a Wall", the last in the series.

I particularly recommend the live set, which is not on Gramavision, but Hat Art. Don really gets to stretch out (on synth and piano)....and basically, it's one of the most awesome "out" jazz records ever made.

Also wrote some of the music on 'Apocalypse Now'. Also a few other films. More to follow...

Oh yeah, Don Preston's on the CD too (Eugene Chadbourne, _Locked in a Dutch Coffeeshop_) -- but not playing with Jimmy Carl; he's on another (earlier) session that Chadbourne just spliced in (shades of conceptual continuity), where Chadbourne, Preston, jazz sitar player Ashwan (sp?) Batish et al. jam out and somebody reads the text to Captain Beefheart's "Neon Meate Dream of an Octafish."

Don Preston has been working with Bobby Bradford's Motet. It is a L.A. based group that plays not so mainstream jazz. Bradford was/is Ornette Coleman influenced. Preston has lots of space to move around in. so to speak.

sandwest sez:
Those of you in the Los Angeles area might like to know that the Don Preston trio is playing locally this Monday, June 10. ('97?)

and the particulars are:
Catalina's Bar and Grill
1640 North Cahuenga Blvd (1/2 Block South of Hollywood) 2 shows
8:30 ad 10:00 pm
Monday June 10th, 1996
Admission: $10
Sorry for the short lead time, but Don faxed the information out last night.

Don Preston (the man himself) sez:
As for myself I am releasing next month a solo piano album "Hear Me Out" - all original compositions except "The Donkey" by Carla Bley and "A Private Lesson" written by my father who also wrote for the Detroit Philharmonic. Also in one and a half weeks I'm going to go to Copenhagen to sing in the premiere of the opera "School Of Languages" by Michael Mantler. The piece will be recorded for ECM records as well. All for now.

obrecht said:
Don appears on a CD by Robby Krieger titled "Versions"/"Robby Krieger", which I guess are re-releases of two albums from the late 70's/early 80's.
Anyway, it is released on One Way Records #33657.
He appears on all of the tracks on the "Robby Krieger" part along with Arthur Barrow. Arthur also appears on just about all of the tracks of "Versions".
Excellent instrumental music.

     Jeff Rocca said:
Don Preston's new CD is titled _Hear Me Out_. It's available by mailorder from:
    Echograph Records
    P.O. Box 1575
    Santa Monica, CA 90406
    USA
    tel:   1-800-774-2208
    fax:   (310)264-9208
    email: 75443.517@CompuServe.COM
The CD costs $12.50 (plus $2.50 for shipping & handling). They take phone orders (VISA or Master Card) between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. PST, or you can mail them a check or money order made payable to Echograph Records.

Gregory J. Sandell said:
I mail-ordered away for Don Preston's new CD "hear Me Out", and here are a few off-the-cuff comments. I haven't had time to give it a careful listen yet...
It's all solo piano, miked very close (the "1000 feet wide piano sound"). The material sounds very "composed" (as opposed to improvised) to me, but I like the sound and the style. It sounds like a hybrid between 20th Century post-tonal music and jazz. Paul Bley or Cecil Taylor meets Bartok, I suppose. Disappointingly, I couldn't find a trace of anything that would make me (as a listener who knows Don only from his keyboard work with Frank and the Mothers) say, "that sounds like Don Preston!", but it's still great music and great playing. Also, unfortunately, aside from the listing of tracks, there is zip for liner notes. Good photo of Don on the front...he's got to be past 60 now, looks like a youthful 49!
(I still remember when Frank appeared on Dick Cavett [to play "Sofa" with the '71 band], and said that Don was "well preserved", in answer to Cavett's remark about the wide variety of ages of band members.) His hair is a lot shorter than back in the "Dom deWild" days! :-)

Joseph M. Perret said:
There's good news and bad news about Don Preston's appearances in Los Angeles next week. The bad news is that Don has had to cancel his May 27th appearance at Lumpy Gravy due to a scheduling conflict. I know most of you aren't Angelenos, but the club already sent out the advertisements and I'd like anyone here who was planning on attending to know.
The good news is that Don is presenting the world premier of his composition "The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even" with the California Ear Unit on Wednesday, May 28th at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He canceled LG to rehearse for the latter show.
I don't want to spam up a good newsgroup, so please email me for further details if you are interested.

From: Kristian Kier
I remember seeing a concert on german tv many years ago, with Don, Michael Mantler and Jack Bruce. I´m not sure anymore, but think they played some Brecht/Weill material. Jack was the singer, singing from the sheets in front of him. Everytime he finished one sheet he threw it on the floor....

From: Patrick Neve
There are in fact two recording artists named Don Preston, the "other" Don being a blues guy. I was big-time confused the first time I ran into a batch of his records. He could *almost* be mistaken for "our" Preston. The DP we are mostly concerned with has the following solo albums to his credit: 1994 Vile Foamy Ectoplasm (Efa) 1 1996 Hear Me Out

From: Tom Tuerff
Actually the other Don Preston is a guitar player who was Leon Russell's guitar player in the 70s. Don Preston the mother once told me that he once received one of the other Preston's royalty checks by mistake and cashed it. (When he finally met Leon Russell years later, Don apologized for cashing the other guy's check, but hey, he didn't know!)

From: Patrick Neve
Don composed the music for a play called "Steeltown" in the summer of '98.
The play itself was slammed by reviews, but Don came out looking pretty good.
Here's a couple of excerpts from Reuters:
REVIEW/STAGE: 'Steeltown' is limp as sexual satire Playwright-director Michael Sargent has instilled some intriguing insight into this cartoonish tale of the premier sluts of Steeltown, Ind., but the humor is decidedly overwhelmed by the rampant on-stage humping and in-your-face nudity.
On the plus side, the original songs of Don Preston (with lyrics by Sargent) do much to sustain the intended satirical tone of this piece.

Today (August 20, 1999) is a day I'll remember forever! I went to LACMA (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art) around 5:15 and arrived just in the middle of the soundcheck which was quite a sound- Don was hitting the piano - sometimes it was little jazz licks, but other times he just slammed the piano, which usually was quite comical. (As I forgot to mention, this entire concert was outdoors.) The bass player was tuning up, and the drummer was just doing rolls. Don was talking to a few friends; I think his wife was there, but I wouldn't know.
Then the concert began. The band started off with some standard. I didn't recognize what it was. Don spat out a large amount of fluid in the middle of his solo. Also, I noted how well the bass player could play! He was great! Don was looking and sounding good, with his grey hair and his moustache and beard. Next the band launched into a piece called "Django" by John Lewis. I won't describe the whole concert like this.
Basically, the first set was "straight jazz" with the exception of a Paul Bley piece. As Don said previous to the concert, " Those of you who came early, this is the easy set..."
The intermission came. Immediately after the intermission, I nervously ran up to Don and said "Can I get your autograph?" Don seemed sort of startled but said "Oh yeah- sure! What's your name?" I told him, and he wrote this on my program:

                 To Jasper
                w/ fond regards
                Don Preston     99

I returned to my seat and talked to the person behind me who told me that Don was suing the Zappa Family Estate because he felt like he was ripped off. We talked Beefheart and Zappa for a while and then Don came on and said " We're gonna play an old jazz song...from 1959...it's called "Walking Battery Woman"...by a girl named Carla Bley." This name got NO APPLAUSE.
Don played brilliantly, the band was also extremely excited. No one clapped in the middle of the song except for me, my brother, and a woman sitting near me. After this Don said, " Now I'd like to play a piece by Frank Zappa...I need to stick one here or there or else I get some sort of lawsuit....here's "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue." The performance was magnificent and got lots of applause.

My family was itching to leave, but I didn't want Don to think that I was only there to see the Frank Zappa song and leave, so I stayed for one more song, "Epistrophy" by Thelonious Monk. My family demanded that we leave, but then Don said he was to play an original composition! I was afraid he would be offended at that. I waved goodbye......a night to remember.

From: Bryan Stone
I thought you might be interested in a new release by Don Preston, Zappa's pianist.
"Transformation" by the Don Preston Trio features the ex Zappa pianist Preston, playing inventive treatments of music by Frank Zappa, Carla Bley, John Carter, Cole Porter, and Don himself. Transformation presents a survey Preston's multifarious career: his stint as keyboardist with Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention, his association with pianist-composer Carla Bley, his synthesizer work for the late distinguished composer-clarinetist John Carter as well as his own reputation as a writer of powerful though twisted music.
It also features bassist Joel Hamilton and drummer Alex Cline.
listen at http://www.cryptogramophone.com

Back in the 60's Don Preston was in Frank Zappa's original line-up of The Mothers Of Invention. After the original line-up was disbanded after several memorable albums, Don went on to play jazz, and get together with some of the original Mothers to form the Grandmothers. The Grandmothers have recordings available. He also has a 4 story video out, and a solo (1993) album, Vile Foamy Ectoplasm.

R.H.: Under the direction of Frank Zappa, what were you intentions and where did you want it 'all' to lead when you joined the Mothers Of Invention?

D.P.: I was so busy learning all this new music that I didn't have time to think of these things.

D.P.: During a concert about 75% of the music was improvised, and during a recording we were always coming up with ideas that Zappa would later sat he"wrote" them On the Album about 25% of the material was improvised, sometimes 50%-depending on the song.

R.H.: Were you concerned that the music wouldn't be commercially successful and accepted?

D.P.: I was never interested in being 'commercial', before the Mothers or even now.

R.H.: Concerning several songs (and even the "Money" album) what was the 'obsession' with vegetables?

D.P.: "We're Only In It For The Money", however my best solo is on the album "Waka Jawaka".

R.H.: Was the album "Reuben & The Jets" an attempt to break commercially into the airwaves?

R.H.: Did you ever get any feedback from the Beatles, or their management, for the 'Money's' album cover parodying Sgt. Peppers?

D.P.: We negotiated with the Beatles for almost a year. They finally agreed (to our album cover) when we put the picture on the inside of the album.

R.H.: Performing live with the Mothers, did you find a '2-section' type audience? One geniunely into the music, and another getting an enhancement to a self induced chemical high?

D.P.: Usually the people getting high were genuinely into the music, and the ones that weren't high were into the music because the music was too complex and wierd not to be into it.

R.H.: On your CD "Vile Foamy Ectoplasm", the song 'The Eternal Question' is about how people always ask you about Zappa. Do people still ask you all the time about Zappa?

R.H.: What do you think is the mystique about Zappa that he has had people always curious about him?

D.P.: When I met Zappa he was kind of a nerd, but he was smart enough to disguise that by street talk and being into R&B.

R.H.: Reportedly, the original Mothers were being disbanded by Zappa because you guys were only making $200 a week and Zappa couldn't afford to keep the band together.

D.P.: If we had split the money from concerts and record companies, the members would have made a lot more than $200 a week.

D.P.: I started working with Meredith Monk and went back to playing jazz with Gil Evans, Carla Bley, etc.

D.P.: Which time? (we've gotten together several times.) The last time Jimmy (Carl Black) moved to Germany and got a record deal with Muffin Records and then asked Bunk (Gardner) and I to come over and tour. (note- the result of the collaboration is the 1994 releases 'who could imagine')

R.H.: Have you gotten any reaction from people close to Zappa concerning the Grandmothers?

D.P.: We got a lawsauit from Gail Zappa after several clubs and festivals first started calling us the Grandmothers of Invention.

R.H.: Some of the Grandmothers have been playing together now for over 30 years. What is the bond that holds 'em together?

R.H.: Do you find that your audiences now to be nostalgic-minded, or what seems to be the bond that the audience has with you?

D.P.: Sometimes there are 3 generations in the audiences. Some heard the original band and some had recently bought records.

D.P.: I was working with Elvin Jones, Charlie Hayden, and Carla Bley 10 years before the Mothers, and afterward played with many other &

2007/08/03 Don Preston’sAkashic Ensemble – concert "Zappanale 18", Bad Doberan, Germany

Don Preston - on stage at the Zappanale festival (picture by xal & ke)

Cheri Jiosne - on stage at the Zappanale festival (picture by xal & ke)	Andre Cholmondeley - on stage at the Zappanale festival (picture by xal & ke)