The Drummers of Frank Zappa

Ruth Underwood... what a gracious, elegant, humble, generous and articulate being she is. Amazing.

David Abbruzzese here. These musicians are the changers of the game for me. Chester makes it all look so easy. Chad has a skill dynamic like no other. Ralph showed me how to play to what i heard with feeling. Terry's melodic support yet rocked and rolled beyond. Ruth exemplifies grace under pressure and a class of skills that was unknown to me prior to discovering her playing. Zappa gifted us all with his incredible music and more than that, his incredibly talented rhythm sections. Thank you for this interview.

Ruths existence is comforting

R.I.P., Ralph. An underrated and underappreciated Zappa drummer.

Ruth should write a book! Her memory is awesome! What a great interview!!

That moment where they all start "singing" the drum fill from "More Trouble Every Day" is PRICELESS.

I was at the show Ruth Underwood references at 51:00. It was on Nov. 9, 1974, at the Orpheum Theater in Boston. Right in the middle of the show, several huge rafters from the ceiling just unraveled and crashed hard and clumsily down on the band. And the band kept playing with Zappa taking a 10 or 15 minute solo while roadies feverishly ran about the stage fixing the vibes and some of the keyboards. I remember it being an absolutely great solo, too, and thinking what a treat that was, even though the accident could have been a disaster. It sent chills up my spine hearing her recount that story. I thought it would be lost to the ether. I can see it in my mind like it was yesterday. It was the last Zappa show I saw with my favorite lineup that included Ruth and George Duke.

This may sound funny, especially because I'm not a drummer (I play bass) , but of all the great stuff on You Tube, this is my all-time favorite video. It has everything - amazing drumming; 5 very intelligent, articulate percussionists/drummers - all with a great respect foreach other - and they all tell wonderful stories about being in Zappa's band! Required viewing for anyone who claims to be a Zapppa fan!

Man it's real dangerous trying to store this much drumming power in one room...

Chester was almost completely ignored if it wasn’t for Ruth. She was the only one with enough decency to acknowledge he had been almost completely ignored for the beginning of interview 😢. He was humble enough to keep his mouth shut until he was given a chance to speak. Then he told his story. What a great man and drummer!!! And not to mention he is barely acknowledged in the comments below 😕

More Ruth please. Anything else would be just Ruthless.

frank had a knack for choosing the greatest musicians. not necessarily the biggest names, but the most capable. and to be capable of playing what frank wrote, up to his standards, meant you were by virtue an instant legend.

I could watch this every single day and never get tired of it.

One of the best videos on the internet. Nothing against Chad and Terry (who are legendary in their own right) but I would pay lots of money just to hear Ruth and the Ralph/Chester two headed monster tell stories.

You can tell that Terry is a genuinely nice guy...great clip!

I really love Ruth's story about seeing The Mothers at The Garrick. Ruth and Art Tripp's talent for playing marimba and vibes on Uncle Meat inspired Zappa to use those instruments a lot more. Ruth, Ian Underwood and Art seemed to have fallen from heaven for Zappa. He was so fortunate to have The Mothers in New York in 1967 with their concerts at The Garrick plus meeting Dick Kunc at Apostolic. Uncle Meat was the first Mothers album I heard when I was 15 in 1970 and I still think it's their best album with Zappa's finest writing. It changed my thinking and showed me a new world of music I never knew was possible. Along with Cal's incredible cover art, it was like it was from distant planet in another galaxy. I love a lot of Zappa's later work and the drumming of Ralph, Chester and Terry, but Uncle Meat is just so special.

Attended the Zappa/Mahavishnu show in 73 at the Spectrum in Philly. John opened the show with a Namaste greeting to he crowd. As they played, from my seat I could clearly see Frank and bandmates watching their amazing set from right behind stage right. When Frank and band came out for their set ’backstage too. It was clear how much respect and affection the bands had for each other. Saw many great shows at the Spectrum and this great show is in my all time top 5 !

Zappa and Colaiuta. Golden years.

Wonderful talk. Bozzio said about Wackerman "I love him, we often play together, and he makes me sound good even when i'm make mistakes"! What a great way to be of service to the music.

This gathering of artists is a cultural treasure. Never mind the music, which will be studied for a hundred generations.