Edward L. Mann (January 14, 1955 – May 31, 2024) was an American musician best known for his mallet percussion performances onstage with

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

'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 released a number of CDs as a

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a dance band, 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, rhyth ...

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 def ...

Life and career

Mann described himself as "a drummer and piano dabbler since childhood." He 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 ...

in mid 1973; by the end of that year he was studying with John Bergamo at

CalArts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art school 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 both the ...

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

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 * Mus ...

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, U.K., and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missi ...

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 approach to the instrument, his ...

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

gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

s on J21's ''Yellow Mind:Blue Mind'' album. Until mid-2014, Mann was a member of The Band From Utopia which had 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 bandleader. He is the older brother o ...

, Albert Wing, Tom Fowler,

Ray White Ray Shirley White Sr. is an African Americans, African American soul music, 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 feature ...

and Ralph Humphrey over the years. In 2008, he toured with Project Object and sat in with Agent Moosehead at the New York Harvest Festival and Freedom Rally. In 2013, Mann began performing on percussion and electronics with The Z3, an organ, guitar and drums trio that adapts Zappa music to the

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

-centered jazz-funk tradition. Mann played on The White Album and gave a virtuoso performance on the song "Apple A Day". Mann played on two of David Arvedon's albums. Mann joined Northeast blugrasstafarian

jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts and live albums substantially feature improvisational "jam session, jamming". Typically, jam bands will play variations of pre-existing songs, extending them to musical improvisation, improvise ove ...

Desert Rain for their set at the Wormtown Music Festival in late 2015. From then on he joined the group at clubs throughout the northeastern United States. In July 2016, Mann joined Mike Dillon for three dates of Dillon's northeast US tour. Mann died on May 31, 2024, at the age of 69.

Discography with Zappa

* '' Zappa in New York'' (Frank Zappa, 1978) * ''

Sheik Yerbouti ''Sheik Yerbouti'' is a double album by American musician Frank Zappa, released in March 1979 as the first release on Zappa Records, distributed by Phonogram Inc. in the United States and Canada. The album was released in other countries by CB ...

'' (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 thos ...

(Frank Zappa, 1981) *

Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar ''Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar'' is a series of three albums - ''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'' - released by American musician Frank Zappa in 1981. T ...

(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 sa ...

(Zappa, 1981) *

Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch ''Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch'' is the 35th 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 ...

(Zappa, 1982) *

The Man From Utopia ''The Man from Utopia'' is the 36th 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 fro ...

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

Them or Us ''Them or Us'' is the 40th 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 M ...

(Zappa, 1984) *

Thing-Fish ''Thing-Fish'' is an album by American musician 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 pr ...

(Zappa, 1984) * Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention (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 in November 1986, by Barking Pumpkin Records on vinyl and cassette, and in 1987 by Rykodisc on CD. ''J ...

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

Guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

(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 released in 1988 (see 1988 in music) on the Rykodisc label. It was the first of a series of six double CDs of live performances spanning Zappa's career. ...

(Zappa, 1988) * Broadway the Hard Way (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 di ...

(Zappa, 1989) * The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life (Frank Zappa, 1991) * Make a Jazz Noise Here (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 Music ...

(Zappa, 1991) * You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 (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 th ...

(Zappa, 1992) * Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute (Frank Zappa, 1996) * Halloween (Frank Zappa – Audio DVD, 2003) * QuAUDIOPHILIAc (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 Pl ...

(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 alb ...

(Zappa Records ZR 20006, 2008) * Hammersmith Odeon (album) (Zappa, 2010) Mann performances can be seen in the Zappa films '' Baby Snakes'', ''Dub Room Special'' & '' Video From Hell''.

Solo discography

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

References

External Links

Ed Mann Discography of CDs
at Cduniverse.com
Perfect World Cutout
at Amazon.com

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, Ed 1954 births 2024 deaths American rock drummers American rock keyboardists American people of German descent 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians People from Great Barrington, Massachusetts Drummers from Massachusetts