Arf! Duo is a two-man expedition into the peculiar, intricate and occasionally gravity-defying musical universe of Frank Zappa. Armed with nothing more than a piano, a drum kit, and an fairly unreasonable amount of curiosity.
At the piano: Fred Händl. Behind the drums: Armin Beck. Between them lies a substantial quantity of Zappa compositions full of crooked corners, suspicious rhythms, sudden changes of direction and musical objects that appear to have escaped from somewhere they probably shouldn’t have been.
Fred approaches the material with care, curiosity and a touch of mischief. His piano arrangements strip away layers of orchestration and reveal what lurks underneath: unexpected harmonies, strange textures, tiny details and whole musical landscapes hiding in plain sight. The piano becomes orchestra, laboratory, playground and occasionally something rather harder to identify.
Armin navigates the rhythmic terrain with energy, precision and flair. Zappa’s meters twist, turn and occasionally seem to fold themselves into small geometric shapes, but Armin follows them wherever they go, with impeccable timing and a distinctly human sense of movement.
Arf! Duo is not interested in musical photocopying. These are interpretations, not reconstructions. The music is allowed to breathe, stretch, collide and occasionally raise an eyebrow. What emerges is spontaneous, playful and at times intense, while remaining firmly rooted in a deep respect for Zappa’s extraordinary compositions.
One piano.
One drum kit.
An entire universe of musical possibilities. Remove the machinery.
Keep the electricity.
Get ready to Arf!