Why did Ruth Underwood leave The Mothers, in early 1975?

here's a bit of that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7O9nnIHznE

 

The hardest working woman in showbidniz. Her arms were a positive blur most of the time, it must have been exhausting. I love Ruth's stuff from the era, it's so incredibly complicated and she usually nails it.

There's a documentary from a few years ago where she plays Rollo for the cameras, it's awesome - VPRO's 'A pioneer of future music' (great documentary, try and see it if you get a chance).

I'll always rate Ruth as one of my fave Zappa band members.

 

Life on the road is hard for anyone...anyone who has toured with a band of any level of fame (or lack of it) will indicate that while there are good times to be had while young you end up getting bored and missing everyone you love.

 

yeah, that entire Edinboro State College 5-8-74 show is probably the favorite Zappa show I own, it's smokes! Didn't know it was a boot, I have the entire sbd...Also cool to see the Stockholm 8-21-73 show with Ponty (Piquante), was this broadcast on T.V.? That's a hip wardrobe choice for FZ, dig the Giraffe pants !!! Those are some freaky lookin' people, can't believe the band weren't high on something, maybe not on stage

 

Actually she was with him as far back as Uncle Meat, that's the first album I recall seeing Ruth Komanoff (sic?) in the credits with The MOI, so really it was a pretty long time, not two years

 

She also played on "Zappa in New York". As we all know this was recorded a little later.

 

That was a one-shot session job then. Not recruited as a Mother yet; her husband was, but she wanted to finish her college program first.

She also would play the orchestra drum kit in "200 Motels" a few years later.

I don't believe she ever toured with The Mothers before 1973. She may have sat in with them on a few occasions I suppose.

 

Considering the touring-can-make-you crazy aspect of the music business in general and what it must have been like for a woman in this predominantly male context in particular, I'm surprised that lasted as long as she eventually did (Bianca Odin's tenure with Zappa's group was considerably briefer). A member of my favourite Zappa/Mothers line-up (the 1974 sextet), she's truly a remarkable musician.

 

She's a great 'interview'! The Canadian Radio Special on Frank has her telling her story (everything except, of course, how her time with Frank ended!), and she's not only still quite 'jazzed' about her time in the band, but she also describes what certain 'pieces' meant to her, and, just for fun, she tries to play pieces she used to do.
She sounds great, and she may've done the right thing, leaving 'the biz' when she did!

 

Her liner notes in the Roxy By Proxy release are a must-read. Written in a fascinating manner for musicians and non-musicians alike. She is still very much invested in her time with Frank many years after the fact.

 

Ruth explains this in a bonus feature on the Classic Albums DVD called "Transduce That Marimba".

Ruth didn't tour with Frank early on because they didn't have electric percussion. At some point, Frank discovered that there was a way to make electric xylophones using transducers. Ruth was resistant because she only had one marimba and the process involved drilling into each bar. Frank talked her into it by saying he'd have his vibraphone done, too. She figured that if he would take a chance on his vibraphone, she could do so with her marimba.

And, the rest is history.

If Ruth still lived in New York, that may have had something to do with it.

AFAIK, Frank was in New York all of December, given that the SNL broacast was on the 11th and Palladium shows were after Christmas. Ruth participated in both.

 

I believe she was in California since she had also played on Zoot Allures earlier in 1976, and would overdub on Zappa In New York later. She also did sessions with George Duke, Alphonso Johnson and Ambrosia around this time. Ed Mann mentioned once that she did briefly consider rejoining the Zappa band in 1977, but it didn't happen.

Incidentally, she also was on the short Grand Wazoo tour in 1972.

 

There were no drugs allowed on a Frank tour or in Frank's band, except for caffeine and nicotine. And mainlining groupies was also OK.

 

Yes, I always forget about that one!

 

Read Howard Kaylan's excellent book if you want the truth about Frank's stance on drugs ...

 

yes, she is an engaging interviewee, as evidenced by her bits in Classic Albums: Apostrophe/Overnite Sensation DVD, any chance you know where I can hear the interview you mentioned?

agreed, her liner notes really bring the recording to life for the observer, and her mention of how the pieces evolved over time brings new perspective to other recordings as well, the YCDTOSA material from the 73-74 period for example

she's brilliant yet 'common' enough to get the point across to a guy like me who really wouldn't know what "playing those 7's" meant before that