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The first surrealistic expedition to the red planet Mars is now (March 2007) being recorded: a one hour Zappa inspired jazz concert featuring Tommy Mars, Jimmy Carl Black, Bruce Fowler, Arthur Barrow, Ed Mann, yours truly and some other awesome jazz musicians...! It will be available some time in August 2007 from the Hot Club Records label.

We are having a great time in the studio, and especially Tommy Mars' keyboard solos are beyond description - a true genius! I have some nice photos from the recording sessions, but don't know how to upload pix yet... Arthur Barrow has also done a great job sound engineering, and he is the nicest person around!

Being a composer/guitar player, and allowed to work with such wonderful musicians, this is a dream come true! If you dig sublime keyboard (Tommy Mars is the best!) complexe compositions in jazz and avant garde, this is truly something for you - I have uploaded three tracks and many photos at myspace (jonlarsenguitar) - for free...

Yours,
Jon Larsen
guitar/composer/producer

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so that's what Mars is up to! thanks for the info..

Tommy Mars is indeed a bonafide genuis, I would love to meet him one day. His playing really drew me in when I first got into zappa and unlike many, I really dig all the 70's ish synth tones he brought in. Glad to hear hes doing well and making music.

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Yes, I agree. Mars' spaceman voice is both awesome and creepy at the same time. I find myself listening to Tracy Is A Snob more than any normal person should.

I can't wait to hear this.

What a great collection of musicians.

wow, check out this photo over at zappa.hu:

http://www.zappa.hu/?q=hu/node/2051

Lookin' good, guys!

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''minimart - it's basically a scaled-down supermarket, fits inside a petrol station. sells pies, antifreeze..''

I'm very happy Mr. Mars lost those stupid reverse clip on shades.
These look much cooler.

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Wanna Buy A Grunt With A Third Party Check

Here's Mr. Larsen's Myspace link.
I've only listened to part of the first song.
But it sounds good.

http://www.myspace.com/jonlarsenguitar

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Wanna Buy A Grunt With A Third Party Check

Hi everybody!

Just wanted to say, I´ve heard Strange News from Mars 4 times today, and it´s wonderful album! Jimmy Carl Black is great (I actually met him a couple of days ago, such a cool, funny and smart guy!), Jons playing is beautiful, and, of course, Tommy and all the others (both Americans and Norwegians) sound great!

I totally recommend ANYONE who cares about music to listen to it, but if you like the music of Frank, then this is A MUST!

Jon, you should be VERY proud!

All my best - Montanaboy Mika (from Team Zappa, a Norwegian Tribute to Frank Zappa)

I second that. I've been listening to it repeatedly over the past few days. Jon Larsen's guitar, Tommy Mars' keyboards (I especially like the Hammond organ sound), Bruce Fowler's trombone, Knut Reiersrud's harmonica. ETC! My favourite tune is Dachs Reduction, but the record is all over great. Music is the Best!

where can i get this!!!?

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Apparently it'll be released in September but it's available electronically here.

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The way I see it Barry, this should be a very dynamite show.

Hello everybody,

Yes, now it's here - both as download (try iTunes, or one of the others...) and/or finished product - just try and google "STRANGE NEWS FROM MARS"...

Thanks for all the encouraging post! Hope you'll enjoy the music as much as I enjoyed making it! Send me an email if you like... jon.larsen @ chello.no

Music is the best!

Yours,
Jon Larsen
guitar/composer/Martian

a little press. LArsen has quite the accomplished background...tho' this is the first time I've heard of him meself.

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=15025

Hello again folks - I am trying to post a bunch of photos (from the studio, while recording with Tommy Mars, etc), but the forum won't let me... sort of. I'm met by a message that I have to post at least two messages (have done that) first, and then wait a week (done that too)... but still no html allowed...what can I do? Some of the photos are on my MySpace site (jonlarsenguitar), but I have more for you here at the forum...

Hm..

Yours,
Jon Larsen

All I can say is keep tying; the forum is strange sometimes to say the least.

I got this album from emusic.com and LOVE IT! Great job. Some of those solos are killers.

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Everytime we picked a booger we'd flip it on this one winduh. Every night we'd contribute, 2, 3, 4 boogers. We had to use a putty knife, man, to get them damn things off the winduh. There was some goober ones that weren't even hard...

Hello again - here are some photos from the recording, etc, of STRANGE NEWS FROM MARS (all photos are by Arthur Barrow):

First four with Tommy Mars and Jon Larsen:









...and a couple of Tommy diggin' in the control room - please note; these are Tommy's own analogue synths from the years with Zappa:





....and the magician who made this happening: Arthur Barrow - here in Laurel Canyon - not far away from "the Schrine":



...there is a Keyboard Heaven, and it's in Mar Vista! Here is Tommy Mars' original "Alien Orifice" synth!!! To me those sounds he created from this little box are among the greatest ever to origin from this planet:



...and here we are, right outside the studio:



...and after the studio Arthur showed me the various FZ audition sites, the Whisky-A-Go-Go, the Roxy (and actually elswhere too..):



...and Jimmy Carl Black ("the first Indian on Mars"...!) did the vocal parts:



.... all put together:



But - where did they go? When did they come from? For my part, from here: Njardhallen, app. 1975. My first live concert with FZ:



Much more info, photos, blog, free downloads, etc at: www.MySpace.com/jonlarsenguitar

Get surreal!
Yours,
Jon Larsen

I have found the itunes versions but I HATE buying digital files. Does ANYBODY know where to buy this as a CD? I would love to hear this.

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Goddamn Jon, those pictures (and the music) are the best.

Arthur and Tommy were my two favorite FZ band members on their respective instruments.

Though O'Hearn, Duke, and Thunes were my favorites too. Whatever the hell that means.

someone please just say whether it's even available for cd purchase. I've read online it is but I can't find it. Fucking myspace made bands not make their own websites which is the most annoying shit ever.

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The QUALITON music import company in New York can deliver STRANGE NEWS FROM MARS on direct mail order: www.qualiton.com - US prices and postage.

In France Strange News From Mars is distributed by Socadisc: www.socadisc.com

Germany: www.leicom.de

Canada: www.sri.com

We also have distributors in Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Korea, Australia, etc.

Order number: Zen 2001 - STRANGE NEWS FROM MARS.

If I had not been so busy writing on the new music for our next expeditions (coming up is, among other exciting and amusing targets, the exploration of the amazing dark side of Planet Ruth), I would have started a direct mail order company at home, Zappa style. However, as it is I'd have to "leave the sweet stuff to somebody else" - and keep my fingers crossed that Qualiton (a relatively small New York N.Y. based company mostly dealing with classical music...) will live up to their expectations.

Nevertheless, as we (the musicians) have not even a low promo budget for Strange News From Mars (it's actually a no budget ) we depend entirely on the word of mouth. The very day we reach break even for Strange News From Mars I'll book new studio sessions for our extended crew of noble surrealists...

Yours,
Jon Larsen

PS: On our first expedition, it so happened that Jimmy Carl Black (the first indian on Mars) actually made a close encounter in space with a superior intelligence - the scary looking Mrs Martian:



The good thing about that is that she without problem solved several of Mankind's darkest riddles, among them the biggest question of all - Does humour belong in music? However, being the very last kind of her specie, she happened also to be to be rather sexually frustrated, and unfortunately, this got fatal consequences for Jimmy Carl Black. She ripped his spacesuit open with her squidlike fangs, and had her will with him (the entire story is enclosed under here). Nevertheless, Jimmy-As-A-Ghost is still with us, and as it turns out, independency of oxygen is actually an advantage in space. So hang on.

Here's a fresh photo from the press conference for STRANGE NEWS FROM MARS: Jimmy-As-A-Ghost, Mika Martiniussen (Team Zappa - did you see them at the Zappanale this year?) and yours truly, on behalf of Captain Zurcon:



...and, at last the entire story behind:

FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH A REAL MARTIAN

Text/music: Jon Larsen. From the album “Strange News From Mars” (ZEN 2001) – performed by Jimmy Carl Black, Tommy Mars, Jon Larsen, a.o.


Hello?

Earth?

It’s a windy day on Mars, and we have parked BIG EAR III in the Cydonian area. This seems to be the reminiscences of an ancient civilisation, far older and advanced than ours!

Wow! Here’s a pyramid!

And here the ruins of a sculpture park… gigantic eggs! … with metal ants!? Hm… And air sculptures!

My…!! Here’s a soft watch! And a sort of burning giraffe!? Looks kinda familiar… almost … Catalonian?!??

JEEEZ …!!!! What’s that?? Something is moving!!!!? Down by the mutant fromage…

A MARTIAN?!? Yes - a real Martian!!! And it’s a big one!

Mother, Mary and Jozuf!



It’s coming slowly towards me right now, in a sliding manner… Eeh? Yep! It’s definitely a feminine specimen. Is that voodoo butter? Tommy, don’t!

She’s actually looking quite like Zorg in my Gary Larsson calendar. White, wrinkly, 14 feet inverted ice cream cone, with one gigantic eyeball, squid fangs, lobster antennae, and a pair of huuuuuge .. eh..

Man…!

OK folks, this is it! The real thing! This is what we have dreamt of for centuries: Man’s very first close encounter in space with a superior intelligence! I did jam with Jimmy Hendrix, but this is further out!

Glad our research kitchen team prepared a scientific questionnaire for this possibility … oh, here she comes!


- (JCB) Uh… er… howdy Mrs Martian, I am Jimmy Carl Black – the Indian of our expedition of noble surrealists to your beautiful, red planet.

- (Mrs Martian) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -.

- (JCB) Uhummm. Being from Earth - we are practically neighbours! We come in peace. With love.

- (Mrs Martian) - - - - - - - - - - -?

- Hm… right, er… we’ll have to have your answers translated later, but I suppose that you – with your superior intelligence and all – can read my mind?

- - - - -!

- OK, good! Mrs Mars, on behalf of Earth, Mankind and our generous sponsors, we have prepared a couple of questions for you, but first of all, are there perhaps some important things that you would like to communicate to us?

- - - - -!! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , - - - - - - - - - - - - ! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -.

- Right! And here we go, question number one: what civilization is this, and who are you?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -.

- Thank you. And can you perhaps help us mortal earthlings with the biggest question of all? The mystery that has troubled our various cultures for millenia?

- - - -.

- Does humour belong in music?

- - - - - - - - - - - - -! - - - - - - - - - - - - - -? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -!!! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -!! - - - - - - - - - - -. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -!!

- WOW! OK! (whisper: Hm…. she’s scrutinizing me in a rather peculiar way with that bulging eyeball… I wonder if she’s …)

- - - - - - - - - !!!!

- UH-OH!

- - - - - - - - - !!!! - - - - - - -!! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -!!!!

- Eh… Mrs Martian, I don’t like this! She’s grabbing my arms with her fangs and …. Help!! … HEELP!

- - - - - - - - -!!- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - !!! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -!!!!!!!!!


- Stop!

- - - - - - - - - -!!!!!!!!!

- This is … unwanted sexual attention in space! OH NOoo..! She’s trying to rip my spacesuit open! She’s… she’s … Uuuuuueeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh…………..

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (he-he-he-he-he).

Jon, when do you and the guys begin work on Strange News From Yeranus?

Oh - that popular stellar object is undergoing scrutiny most nights, if the sky is clear for observation. And you are right: lots of exciting activities going on - definitely life - but level of intelligence uncertain.

^^^^ Make sure the spacesuits are all patched up because I hear that planet has quite a toxic atmosphere...