My grandma went to highschool with Frank Zappa. She's told me stories about how he would have little shows and stuff at school. It's very humbling when your grandmother knows about Frank Zappa before you do. Five-years later edit for clarity. My grandma wasn’t a rocker, and didn’t know Frank personally. She simply knew of him and observed some of his high school performances. Nonetheless, she’s still way cooler than me!

Plays a brutal solo -> grabs something from the audience -> keeps playing Plays a brutal solo -> high fives a couple of guys -> keeps on playing Plays a brutal solo -> calibrates the flux capacitor -> keeps on playing What a guitarist.

This song is actually on the 'Frank Zappa meets the The Mothers of Prevention' album and it's called 'What's new in Baltimore'. One of the most beautiful instrumental songs of Zappa if you ask me.

This makes me want to play and quit playing at the same time.

A big part of Zappa's talent was picking talent. Some of his bands over the years were among the most accomplished groups of modern music musicians to grace a stage, and even many of them say playing his music was among the most challenging work they ever did. Zappa was the musical version of a great general.

Frank was playing to the edge of the universe.

I always feel like crying a little bit when I watch Frank play.

Vai throws out :50 like its nothing, but that is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. Zappa seriously was a genius.

People remember Frank Zappa's crazy songs and thought he was weird/crazy. But, They didn't take time to realize how great a musician he was !!!

I love those rare moments in a a jam session. Like your souls are working together in the same consciousness. That was fucking beautiful.

The Black Napkins solo from the Palladium concert never fails to bring tears to my eyes. He is so in love with his playing, and it has an emotional power that takes your breath away. I wish I could do something that I love so much like frank did. God I miss him.

It´s so adorable how Steve talks about Frank, it´s really something so nice, like a sort of father figure (well, Frank is in some way Steve´s mentor, but still). It´s so adorable, I love the amount of respect and admiration he has for the man. And even, for someone like Steve Vai to say something like Frank Zappa having outperformed him and his usual gang of guitar gods (Guthrie Govan, Joe Satrianni, Malmsteem, etc.), that´s something really strong.

That is a beautiful piece Vai plays

That song was actually released: it's called "What's New in Baltimore?". Amazing song; check it out here on KZfaq.

Pure genius. Zappas solos were always musical above all else. No aimless shredding, just intricate, emotive, brilliant playing that lifts many of his songs, esp the instrumentals, to new levels. That was Black Napkins on Halloween night at the Paladium.

Black Napkins (the song Zappa was playing in the video) is by far his best song, especially because it is .equally applicable to both rock and jazz. It's unfortunate that he is remembered mostly for the satirical music that got all the airplay. His music was so much more than that.

You can hear the influence Frank had not only on Steve's guitar playing but also on his song writing.... two of the best people to have graced Earth

Steve Vai is a first class act, and Frank Zappa - just like he said: Genius.

Even in Steve Vai's newest music, the influence of Zappa never leaves him.

That little tune that Vai dishes up in three segments (all from Zappa) is really something. Futuristic and nostalgic all at once. Definitely a genius.

Adrian Belew and Zappa together-that's a lot of virtuosity, and Terry Bozzio drumming with joy and abandon-wow.

Being a veteran of many rock and roll concert performances, both as an audience member and a stagehand, by a plethora of the best artists of my era, I can confidently say that I have seen many outstanding inspired performances but the most mesmerizing compelling thought provoking concert I have ever attended was Frank Zappa around 1973; I walked out of the hall stunned by the performance I had the great fortune to have to have attended. My ticket money was very well spent that night.

0:51 is one of the most beautiful chord progressions I've heard in a long while.

0:51 that is one beautiful chord progression, wow that is amazing.

Steve Vai... a genius, taught by a genius!!

I have been a Vai fan for 30 years but never checked out Zappa till recently. I can now clearly hear the influence on Vai. Zappa's personna overshadowed the music; you have to know music to fully appreciate Zappa.

I'm 67 and have been listening to Zappa since I was 15 years old . A genius!

Unbelievable. I'm a bit ashamed that I have JUST started listening to this amazing man. Wonderful stuff.

I had no idea, Frank was a mad genius. That riff Vai, played, so inspiring.

What a wonderful treat that Frank existed and we got to hear and see him..... and he did this all in a time where this experimental craftsmanship was celebrated. His music is not easily categorized.. Is it Prog? well yeah. Is it Fusion Jazz... well yeah, is it Rock and Roll... Well yeah...you will find Blues, Country, Reggie, Classical all there and in each case Franks twist on the arrangements were all his own... He surrounded himself with some of the greatest talents and for me as a Prog fan... I could sit and watch old recordings of Frank and crew until I lost all track of time and blew the whole day enjoying these memories.. Like many of us musicians who have a desire to try and figure out as much of these fun passages that captured our attention...... Franks stuff is a blast beyond measure to try and work through. Most of us can only dream of creating anything like this and of performing these wild displays with musicians of this caliber. Salute Frank...! What a legacy you left.. And Dweezil is doing you proud...! I caught one of his shows. It was not quit nearly e the same... but how could it ever be? It was an awe inspiring blast to see.

I have to admit.....after hearing those guitar parts one by one I had a sense of what the song might sound like in my head.....and what it became was TOTALLY different......that was the beauty of Zappa......take a beautiful piece of music and throw a wrench in it and make it ZAPPA beautiful........I never stop being amazed.

Steve Vai, one of the greatest musical talents of this or any time. But also a loyal friend to, colleague and disciple of Maestro Frank Zappa. This great guitarist will not allow people who do not possess his abilities to appreciate the greatest musical force we have been blessed to have with us for too short a period of time, to be unenlightened. Thank you, Steve Vai.

Steve says: " Frank....just...plays the guitar like I never seen everybody in my life" True story bro!!

George Duke stated in one of his interviews, that most people didn't realize what a great guitar player Frank Zapa was.

~ Everybody's giving all these kudos to FZ for his solo here, as they should, but the band itself was firing on all cylinders that night as well. They helped push this solo to the height it reached.

He´s not a guitar player. He´s a genius and far beyond ...

I have seen this documentary in full. I must admit I like it better than the 2021 doc, as it explores the men's music more. This section is a crucial one and Vai explains his genius spot on. The solo he refers to, song Black Napkins, is epic and can be found on KZfaq (it is from a Zappa movie). The full Halloween concerts from that year have been released fairly recently.

Frank Zappa and Allan Holdsworth were not from this earth. They're greatly missed. Lets all hope they return.

What I love about Frank is his compositional style is so unique I've yet to hear anyone who writes like he did, and it wasn't always extremely technical ...he could write pure simple melodic beauty as well as odd time modal polyrythms. He is greatly missed

I first heard Frank at the tender age of 12 in 1975. I was instantly hooked when I heard my friends older brother play his recently purchased One Size Fits All album. I could not believe what I was hearing. Then came Apostrophe, but when I heard Sheik Yerbouti my world changed! I got to see him in 1980, the best show I have ever seen. The man was a musical genius and extremely intelligent, not to mention one of the if not the greatest guitarists that ever played.

That shot of Frank standing on the streetcorner in Manhattan trying to hail a cab- must have been in the mid '70's- sure brings back memories for me! I saw him play at the Fillmore East, in '72 or '73, with the entire band, there were around 20 people on stage with him. Classic performance.

That just made me cry bucketlloads of tears. Bless you Frank.....love you.

Frank Zappa was a true genius. It's great to see his son carry on the music his father created. There could be no greater tribute.

Steve is such a warm soul. What a nice guy. Thanks for loading this up.

What an outstanding man, musicians, composer, guitarist, bandleader, entrepreneur, music studio fanatics and politically cultural worker. A genius that has just been socialized more with modern classical composers such as Edgar(d) Victor Achille Charles Varèse, instead of classic rock blues roots, even though he knew them all exactly. Frank Zappa was a talent of the century!!! We miss him dearly !!!!

But this isn't the solo Steve was talking about. He was talking about the one he played during the sound check. I'd LOVE to hear that!

Interesting. You can totally hear the influence Zappa's music had on Vai.

i once read an interview (forgot which mag) where this musician said he once saw hendrix, bloomfield, and johnny winter i believe play and zappa came on last. imitated thier whole style exactly and then played his own stuff. i forget the exact interview. it was long ago. Zappa is by far the most original musician i have ever heard. nothing sounds like zappas music his music sounds like no other. not before him, not during his career, and certainly not now. Every "rock" musician i have ever heard has bits and pieces of something else in there, however subtle. except for Frank.

zappa was a great composer

Frank LIVES. What an eternal Badass.

Today I listened to Jean Luc Ponty, then George Duke, then Steve Vai, then Adrian Belew, then Jack Bruce, then Ravi Shankar, then Chad Wackerman, then Allan Holdsworth....because he was Frank's favorite guitarist. All those others? All went solo and had brilliant careers after playing with Frank. Alice Cooper owes his career to Frank. As do many others. Thanks for the ride Frank-

Black Napkins is.....the most fantastic and moving prelude one could even image for leading into the song The Torture Never Stops. IMHO!

*That is called being in the conduit. If you ever get to be on stage in front of many people, and you get in that conduit, you will understand how crazy it is. It's like God takes control of you and just forces everyone around you to understand you in some ultimate display of emotion. It's an amazing thing.*

I was lucky enough to see Frank in San Diego. It changed my perception of music, and of what a true genius really is. Watching this gives me those same old goose bumps.

no musician would ever question Frank's talent. praise from Steve holds merit....

R.I.P the greatest guitarist in the short history of man.Frank thank you from all of us still on Earth.

When one of the greatest guitar players of all time says "he played the guitar like I've never seen before in my entire life." Like dang man!

Unbelievable talent. I love Bozzio (?) and Zappa working together. Bozzio is taking his drum fill timings from Zappa's lead. Even though Zappa is improvising, they have a familiarity with each other such that Zappa may be improvising on melody with a familiar syncopation or vice versa. When Zappa dwells on a familiar syncopation, Bozzio is right there in sync. Bonzo and Page had a similar thing going where the drummer follows the lead guitar and not the rhythm. Zappa - what an unbelievable talent. When Steve Vai needs to work hard to keep up, you know he's some kind of brilliant.

Thank you so much for your skills, and caring enough to learn, remember and share this music with us, Steve. Blessings.

Probably the most underrated guitarist of all time.

Frank Zappa was so good he draws tears out of me! Just a total massive genus unparalleled by no other!

Holy shit, this is amazing. I'd never heard Frank Zappa before!

From an amateur's standpoint, nothing compares to the feeling of finding someone you can just pick up and play cool music with, but it must be even rarer or at least more cherished on this level.

I have experienced hundreds of concerts in almost 50 years. From big events like Price & the Revolution in Frankfurt to small local festivals. The most impressive so far was Frankl Zappa in 1979 in Eppelheim. It probably will never be topped. R. I. P. Frank.

That black napkins solo is seriously godlike and for someone like Steve to be shocked at its godliness is quite something. You watch that solo and you just want to be there. Its spiritual and yet looks so effortless to the great man.

For anyone that hasn't seen this documentary, find it, watch it, love it. This was such a perfect ending that it left me in tears the first, second, third...etc. times I've watched it.

Wow! Thanks a Million for the upload.

Just watched this performance again and it brought me to tears reflecting back on those days and his influence on my perception and viewpoint of music. I was lucky to be there at those performances and feel that magic. WOW! real mind trip.

Thanks Steve for sharing these cool memories. The reasons are obvious why Frank chose you: Mad talent, and very cool 😎 🤘

The links to the full documentary are in the description. Enjoy!

I just never get tired of this. Thanks

Thanks for this, absolutely amazing.

What a lovely melody. Nice to know that these guitar virtuosos are good for more than just speed. Steve Stephens is another virtuoso who writes melodies of great beauty.

Some of the most amazing concerts I ever went to were Frank's. And something about his guitar playing always reached me like no one else. And I can only imagine what his social commentary would be if he was still with us. Lost way too soon.

that solo gave me chills

Thank you. I have no words. Only chills.

Oh my god I get chills when I listen to that version of Black Napkins from around the halfway point of this video...

Fuckin' AWESOME! The best guitarist ever...by a country mile. To quote someone..."if you didn't get Frank...you weren't supposed to"

Maybe the most original composer and musician we ever heard on the planet. A creative genius!!

Loved everything about that video.

I love Frank, even played with him once in 1978. This is definitely him channeling John Mclaughlin and going beyond!

So glad to hear Steve say that about Frank. I always thought Frank was terribly underrated as a guitarist. I always wanted to see Frank and Hendrix play together.

Simply Fantastic!!!

Well let's say this was a pivotal piece of music for me in my life. This is so precious, it makes me choke up. Thank you Steve for the insight

Man I miss that guy a LOT.

Just imagine how much more fantastic Franks guitar playing would have been if he was " just " a guitar player ,then spent the millions of hours he spent composing & arranging on sharpening his guitar skills ,its a frightening thing to ponder because we see him at his absolute apex of playing here .

What a treat. Thank you

Genius! Thanks Frank!

He definitely went places few dared to tread. I love his music just as I admire the man and his memory. We miss you, Frank.

maravilloso y hermoso, quedé encantada, Frank siermpre en mi ❤, saludos de Chile

THE BEST GUITAR SOLO IMPROVISER EVER !!! NO ONE COMES CLOSE. FRANK I MISS YOUR CONCERTS. NEVER THE SAME SHOW ALWAYS DIFFERENT. I SAW EVERY SHOW IN CHICAGO FROM 77 THRU YOUR LAST IN 1988. YOU ARE A LEDGEND. YOU PLAYED LIVE WITHOUT A NET EVERY TIME.

I'm old enough and lucky enough to have seen Zappa four or possibly (?) five times - hard to remember at this point. EVERY time I saw him play with his band, it was heads and shoulders above what anyone else was doing. I always walked away knowing I had witnessed a true genius in the act of creation.

You know ... I've avoided listening to Frank Zappa because every song anyone's ever spoken of to me sounded like some joke song about really weird topics. So, I never paid attention. Now that I've seen and heard this, I'm thinking, "WTF have I been missing all these years!?" ... I'm a guitarist too, so now I'm going to have to listen to his work.

I'll be honest, I've never been fond of Franks guitar playing, with all the tempo changes and bizarre note structures. I'm not saying he's not talented or anything, just not what I prefer. BUT I've got to say that the last guitar work he did on this video blew me away! Unbelievably AWESOME. Absolutely one of the best I've ever seen. Is there anything like this guitar work on any of his studio albums?

This clip satisfying in a way that words can't touch. Steve's love and respect for zappa brings a tear to my dumb eye

That solo is etched into my amygdala and gives me goosebumps; a song written for the voice of the electric guitar.

This performance of Frank playing Black Napkins is absolutely out of this world! Greatest guitar performance ever. Makes the hairs on my neck stand up like nothing else. Would have loved to see this live.

I love this video

Simply AWESOME .... out there on his own, the original pioneer of incredible guitar notes and technique!

Beautiful chord work. Steve Vai is great. Can't imagine the vibe on stage with Frank Zappa