Ed Mann is a musician who has been "a drummer and piano dabbler since childhood." He is best known for his

mallet percussion A keyboard percussion instrument, also known as a bar or mallet percussion instrument, is a pitched percussion instrument arranged in a similar pattern to a piano keyboard and played with hands or percussion mallets. While most keyboard percussion ...

performances onstage with

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

's ensemble from 1977 to 1988, and his appearances on over 30 of Zappa's albums, both studio recordings and with Zappa's band live. Mann also has released a number of CDs as a

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Career

Mann formed a band with

Tommy Mars Tommy Mars (born Thomas Mariano on October 26, 1951) is an American keyboard player known for his work with Frank Zappa. Mars began piano lessons at age eight, and later his instrument range expanded to various keyboards and synthesizers. Mars g ...

in mid 1973. By the end of that year he was studying with

John Bergamo John Bergamo (May 28, 1940 – October 19, 2013) was an American percussionist and composer known for his film soundtrack contributions and his work with numerous other notable performers. From 1970 until his death, he was the coordinator of the ...

CalArts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of bot ...

. In 1977 Frank Zappa asked Bergamo to do some overdubbing on the ''

Zappa In New York ''Zappa in New York'' is a double live album by Frank Zappa released on his own DiscReet Records label. It was recorded in December 1976 at a series of concerts at the Palladium in New York City. The album was scheduled for release in mid 1977 b ...

'' album and Bergamo in turn recommended Mann. A few months later

Ruth Underwood Ruth Underwood (born Ruth Komanoff; May 23, 1946) is an American musician best known for playing xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, and other percussion instruments in Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. She collaborated with the Mothers of In ...

told Mann that Zappa was looking for a second

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

player. When Mann called to recommend Tommy Mars ("At midnight, the only time when you could reach Frank by phone"), Zappa invited him to come to his house. Mann went to the house, where

Terry Bozzio Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missing Person ...

Patrick O'Hearn Patrick John O'Hearn (born September 6, 1954) is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and recording artist. Known primarily as a bass guitarist and keyboardist, O'Hearn came to prominence with Frank Zappa and co-founded the early 1980s ...

, and

Adrian Belew Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual and impressionistic approach to ...

were jamming with Zappa. By 2:00am Ed was in the band. Mann later commented: "It took a few days for that all to sink in." Mann can be heard playing

gong A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...

s on J21's ''Yellow Mind:Blue Mind'' album. Until mid-2014 Mann was a member of The Band From Utopia which has featured many Zappa alumni such as Robert Martin,

Chad Wackerman Chad Wackerman (born March 25, 1960) is an American jazz, jazz fusion and rock drummer, who has played with Frank Zappa and Allan Holdsworth. He has worked as a band member, session musician, sideman, and leader of his own ensembles. He is th ...

Albert Wing Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

, Tom Fowler,

Ray White Ray White (full name Ray Shirley White Sr) is an American soul vocalist and rock and blues guitarist, best known as a member of Frank Zappa's touring ensembles. He was drafted into Zappa's band in late 1976, being featured on rhythm guit ...

and

Ralph Humphrey Ralph Humphrey (April 14, 1932 – July 14, 1990) was an American abstract painter whose work has been linked to both Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism. He was active in the New York art scene in the 1960s and '70s. His paintings are bes ...

over the years. In 2008, Ed Mann toured with

Project Object A project is any undertaking, carried out individually or collaboratively and possibly involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular goal. An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of even ...

and sat in with

Agent Moosehead Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...

at the New York Harvest Festival and Freedom Rally. In 2013 Mann began performing on percussion and electronics wit
The Z3
an organ, guitar and drums trio that adapts Zappa music to the ''Hammond organ''-centered jazz-funk tradition. Mann played on The White Album and did a virtuoso performance on the song 'Apple A Day.' Mann played on two of David Arvedon's albums. Mann joined Northeast blugrasstafarian

jamband A jam band is a musical group whose concerts (and live albums) are characterized by lengthy improvisational " jams." These include extended musical improvisation over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns, and long sets of music which often c ...

Desert Rain for their set at the Wormtown Music Festival in the fall of 2015. Since then he has been joining the group at clubs throughout the Northeast. In July 2016 Mann joined Mike Dillon for three dates of Dillon's northeast US tour.

Discography with Zappa

Zappa in New York ''Zappa in New York'' is a double live album by Frank Zappa released on his own DiscReet Records label. It was recorded in December 1976 at a series of concerts at the Palladium in New York City. The album was scheduled for release in mid 1977 b ...

(Frank Zappa, 1978) *

Sheik Yerbouti ''Sheik Yerbouti'' is a double album by Frank Zappa, released in March 1979 as the first release on Zappa Records (distributed by Phonogram Inc.) It is mostly made up of live material recorded in 1977 and 1978, with extensive overdubs added i ...

(Frank Zappa, 1979) * Joe's Garage Act I (Zappa, 1979) * Joe's Garage Acts II & III (Zappa, 1979) *

Tinseltown Rebellion ''Tinsel Town Rebellion'' is a double live album released by Frank Zappa in May 1981. The album was conceived by Zappa after he scrapped the planned albums ''Warts and All'' and ''Crush All Boxes'', and contains tracks that were intended for tho ...

(Frank Zappa, 1981) *

Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar ''Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar'', a project consisting of ''Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar'', ''Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar Some More'' and ''Return of the Son of Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar'', is a series of albums by Frank Zappa. The albums consist s ...

(Zappa, 1981) *

You Are What You Is ''You Are What You Is'' is a 1981 double album by American musician Frank Zappa. His 34th album, it consists of three musical suites which encompass pop, doo-wop, jazz, hard rock, reggae, soul, blues, new wave and country. The album's lyrics sat ...

(Zappa, 1981) *

Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch ''Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch'' is an album by American musician Frank Zappa, released in May 1982 and digitally remastered in 1991. It features five tracks composed by Zappa, and one song, "Valley Girl", co-written with his da ...

(Zappa, 1982) *

The Man From Utopia ''The Man from Utopia'' is an album by American musician Frank Zappa, released in March 1983 by Barking Pumpkin Records. The album is named after a 1950s song, written by Donald and Doris Woods, which Zappa covers as part of "The Man from Utopi ...

(Zappa, 1983) *

Baby Snakes ''Baby Snakes'' is a film which includes footage from Frank Zappa's 1977 Halloween concert at New York City's Palladium Theater, backstage antics from the crew, and stop motion clay animation from award-winning animator Bruce Bickford. Relea ...

(Frank Zappa, 1983) * London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 1 (Zappa, 1983) *

Them or Us ''Them or Us'' is an album by American musician Frank Zappa, released in October 1984 by Barking Pumpkin Records. Album content Its opening and closing songs were not written by Zappa: "The Closer You Are", was written by Earl Lewis and Morgan ...

(Zappa, 1984) *

Thing-Fish ''Thing-Fish'' is an album by Frank Zappa, originally released as a triple album box set on Barking Pumpkin Records in 1984. It was billed as a cast recording for a proposed musical of the same name, which was ultimately not produced by Zappa, but ...

(Zappa, 1984) *

Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention ''Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention'' is a 1985 album by Frank Zappa. The album was originally released in two slightly different versions in the US and Europe. The album's title is a reference to the lobby group, the PMRC, who were c ...

(Frank Zappa, 1985) *

Jazz from Hell ''Jazz from Hell'' is an instrumental album whose selections were all composed and recorded by American musician Frank Zappa. It was released on November 15, 1986, by Barking Pumpkin Records on vinyl and cassette, and in 1987 by Rykodisc on CD. ...

(Frank Zappa, 1986) * London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 2 (Zappa, 1987) *

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

(Frank Zappa, 1988) *

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 ''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1'' is a double disc live album by Frank Zappa. It was released in 1988 (see 1988 in music) under the label Rykodisc. It was the beginning of a six-volume, 12-CD set Zappa assembled of live performances ...

(Zappa, 1988) *

Broadway the Hard Way ''Broadway the Hard Way '' is a live album by American musician Frank Zappa recorded at various performances along his 1988 world tour. It was first released as a 9-track vinyl album through Zappa's label Barking Pumpkin Records in October 1988, ...

(Frank Zappa) *

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 ''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3'' is a double disc live album by Frank Zappa, spanning from December 10, 1971, to December 23, 1984. It was released in 1989 (see 1989 in music). "Sharleena" had been previously issued as a flexi dis ...

(Zappa, 1989) *

The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life ''The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life'' is a double-disc live album by American musician Frank Zappa, released in 1991. The album was one of four to be recorded during the 1988 world tour, along with ''Broadway the Hard Way'', ''Make a Jaz ...

(Frank Zappa, 1991) *

Make a Jazz Noise Here ''Make a Jazz Noise Here'' is a live double album by Frank Zappa. It was first released in June 1991, and was the third Zappa album to be compiled from recordings from his 1988 world tour, following ''Broadway the Hard Way'' (1988) and '' The Bes ...

(Frank Zappa, 1991) *

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 ''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4'' is a two-CD set of live recordings by Frank Zappa, recorded between 1969 and 1988, and released in 1991. Track listing All tracks written by Frank Zappa, except where noted. Personnel Musici ...

(Zappa, 1991) *

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 ''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5'' is a double compact disc collection of live recordings (except for "German Lunch" and "My Guitar" which are studio recordings) by Frank Zappa. Disc one comprises performances by The Mothers of Invent ...

(Zappa, 1992) *

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 ''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6'' is the last of six double-compact disc, disc collection volumes of live performances by Frank Zappa recorded between 1970 and 1988. All of the material on Disc one has a sexual theme. Zappa used the ...

(Zappa, 1992) * Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute (Frank Zappa, 1996) *

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

(Frank Zappa – Audio DVD, 2003) *

QuAUDIOPHILIAc ''Quaudiophiliac'' (styled ''QuAUDIOPHILIAc'') is a compilation album featuring music by Frank Zappa, released in DVD-Audio format by Barking Pumpkin Records in 2004. It compiles recordings he made while experimenting with quadraphonic, or four-ch ...

(Zappa – kvadrofon Audio DVD, 2004) *

Trance-Fusion ''Trance-Fusion'' is an album by Frank Zappa. Released posthumously in 2006, 13 years after the musician's death, the album forms the third in a trilogy of instrumental albums which focus on Zappa's improvised guitar solos, after ''Shut Up 'n Play ...

(Zappa Records 2006) * The Dub Room Special (CD, Zappa Records, 2007) *

One Shot Deal ''One Shot Deal'' is an album by Frank Zappa, posthumously released in June 2008. Overview The track "Occam's Razor" is a guitar solo extract from a live version of the song "Inca Roads". The solo was used in the song "On the Bus" from the album ...

(Zappa Records ZR 20006, 2008) *

Hammersmith Odeon (album) ''Hammersmith Odeon'' is a triple album by Frank Zappa, recorded on January 25, 26 & 27, 1978 and February 28, 1978, and released posthumously in 2010 by the Zappa Family Trust. It is the fifth installment on the Vaulternative Records label that ...

(Zappa, 2010) Mann performances can be seen in the Zappa films ''

'', ''Dub Room Special'' & ''

Video From Hell ''Video from Hell'' is a video released in 1987 by Frank Zappa. It is a compilation of pieces of music and video from a series of projects that Zappa presumably planned to finish and release for home video, including a companion video for the '' ...

''.

Solo discography

* ''Get Up'' (1988) * ''Perfect World'' (1991) * ''Global Warming'' (1994) * ''Have No Fear'' (1997) * ''(((GONG))) Sound Of Being'' (1998)

References

Sources

Ed Mann Discography of CDs
at cduniverse.com
Perfect World Cutout
at amazon.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, Ed Living people American rock drummers American rock keyboardists American people of German descent 1954 births Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians