(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Guitarist Dweezil Zappa, son of the late musical visionary Frank Zappa, brings his group Zappa Plays Zappa to the Mahaiwe on Sunday, July 6, 2014, at 7 pm. Zappa will also teach a guitar master class on Sunday at 3pm. Dweezil Zappa began the Zappa Plays Zappa project in 2006 to keep his father’s music alive and introduce it to new audiences.

Zappa explains that after his father’s passing he was inspired to do something to honor his father’s legacy. Feeling as though there was a generational gap and a fair amount of public confusion as to what his father’s music really was about, Dweezil set about creating an opportunity for music fans to make a new discovery.

Not satisfied with the generic journalistic descriptions that had been applied over the years or the accidental default association of “novelty act” he earned by way of the casual radio exposure of songs like “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow” and “Valley Girl,” Dweezil Zappa decided that he wanted to expose core fans as well as a potential new generation of fans to his father’s compositions in a way that would give them a balanced perspective of the totality of Frank Zappa’s work. He wanted to play the music as it was written on the page without deviation except for the obvious improvisational sections.

Over the years, musicians have passed through the Zappa Plays Zappa band in the same way that Frank Zappa’s groups, including the Mothers of Invention, had frequent personnel changes. Sometimes former Frank Zappa bandmates tour with the group or sit in for guest appearances. The band’s current lineup features Dweezil Zappa on lead guitar; Ben Thomas on lead vocals, trumpet, trombone, and rhythm guitar; Scheila Gonzalez on saxophone, flute, keyboards, harmonica, and vocals; Ryan Brown on drums, percussion, and vocals; Chris Norton on keyboards, violin, vocals; and Kurt Morgan on bass and vocals. The band previously performed at the Mahaiwe in 2010.

Concert tickets are $30 to $65. Guitarists of all levels are welcome to the master class, although class size is extremely limited. Admission to the 90-minute master class is $75 (and does not include admission to that night’s Zappa Plays Zappa concert). To register for the class, visit or call the Mahaiwe box office during box office hours.

The Mahaiwe is located at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Box office hours are Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 6:00pm and three hours before show times. A limited number of $15 tickets are available for patrons ages 30 and younger through the Mahaiwe ArtSmart Tix program, sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union. For tickets and information, see the Mahaiwe or call 413.528.0100.

Located in downtown Great Barrington, Massachusetts, the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is the year-round presenter of world-class music, dance, theater, classic films, “Live in HD” broadcasts, and arts education programs for the southern Berkshires and neighboring regions. The intimate jewel box of a theater opened in 1905 and has been in continuous operation for over 100 years. In 2005, the theater experienced a renaissance as a beautifully restored 681-seat venue to offer a broad range of cultural and community events. Today’s “Mahaiwe Mix” of diverse, high quality programming strives to provide meaningful, memorable entertainment for all ages and interests.