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Released in July 1972, Waka/Jawaka is Frank Zappa’s deepest dive into jazz-fusion – a swinging, solo-heavy set of thrilling jams that feel like the natural follow-up to his first solo album, 1969’s Hot Rats. The album is bookended by two long instrumental pieces that showcase one of the most experimental projects that Zappa ever assembled. Meanwhile, the two short songs in the middle fall in with Zappa’s more song-based albums like Chunga’s Revenge and Apostrophe(‘), suggesting a path that the Mothers may have taken had circumstances been different. Zappa had suffered life-threatening injuries in December 1971 after being pushed offstage at the close of his show at London’s Rainbow Theatre by a crazed audience member. Zappa was treated for acute concussion/head trauma, a fractured leg, a broken rib, and a series of fractures and other injuries to his neck, legs, and back. He also suffered from temporary paralysis of one of his arms. There were more lasting effects – the fall crushed Zappa’s larynx, which dropped his voice a third of an octave lower, and (according to his 1979 song “Dancin’ Fool”) one of his legs was permanently shorter as a result of the assault. Incredibly, despite being confined to a wheelchair, Zappa wrote and recorded music that would rank among his best work while pointing the way toward his future. Waka/Jawaka was recorded alongside The Grand Wazoo in April and May 1972 at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, with Zappa taking advantage of the studio’s 16-track recording facility. More than any other Zappa album, Waka/Jawaka suggests the influence of jazz. Meanwhile, Zappa’s aggressive shredding sees him tapping into a freer sound than before, paving the way for the lengthy solos that would become a touchstone of his sound. That freedom sets Waka/Jawaka apart from Zappa’s other forays into fusion. Dunbar later spoke to Modern Drummer about the liberating recording sessions, “The Waka/Jawaka album was an interesting session, just because it was completely off the wall ad-lib. Zappa let me do whatever I wanted to with it, so I played like a frustrated drummer. I could play a million notes a minute and get away with it. It was actually overkill for me, but it was interesting because it was so different.”