In a nutshell, this CD presents a baroque music ensemble playing the music of Frank Zappa. Surprising, isn’t it? Well, the surprise turns into delight upon listening to The Zappa Album. Ensemble Ambrosius is a young Finnish ensemble playing contemporary music on baroque-era instruments (cello, violin, oboe, harpsichord, dulcimer, and chamber organ). Eric Lievonen and Olli Virtaperko started from scratch to transcribe and arrange a selection of songs covering the whole palette of Zappa’s writing. The repertoire includes old favorites like “Black Page #2,” “Sofa,” “The Idiot Bastard Son,” and the inevitable “Inca Roads,” but also more obscure tracks like “Night School,” “T’Mershi Duween,” and “Echidna’s Arf (Of You).” Ensemble Ambrosius succeeds in borrowing from the master’s comedy music, big-band music (“Big Swifty”), Synclavier works (“Night School,” “G-Spot Tornado”), complex mid-’70s music, etc., and delivers it all in suite-like form, fitting it all together just like Zappa used to do — except it’s played on baroque instruments, with no percussion at all, and it works just fine. Pleasure peaks include the virtuosic “Uncle Meat” and “Alien Orifice,” a beautiful zither playing the melody in “RDNZL” and the surprising segueing of “The Orange County Lumber Truck” with “Echidna’s Arf (Of You).” The only below-average moment is “The Idiot Bastard Son,” which would have been better off without vocals (all other tracks are instrumentals). Zappa fans will find in this Zappa Album a chance to rediscover some tunes in a very different and charming context. This is the most original Zappa tribute album released yet. Strongly recommended. – François Couture