Since his untimely passing in 1993, Frank Zappa—one of the most complex and ambitious composers ever to spring from the world of rock—has enjoyed a fervid, cult-like following. His son Dweezil has decided the time has come for that cult to enlarge its membership. To that end, he and the Zappa Family Trust are staging a tour to promote his father’s music in a live setting featuring veterans of past Zappa tours including guitarist Steve Vai, drummer Terry Bozzio and multi-instrumentalist Napoleon Murphy Brock. Zappa’s music was all about expanding boundaries, and his social outlook was equally devoted to fighting the icy grip of censorship. He famously put his mustachioed mouth where his heart was in testimony on Capitol Hill during Tipper Gore’s Parental Advisory Label hearings—a movement that, when implemented, inadvertently served to send kids directly toward potty-mouthed artists and laid the groundwork for the sales explosion of gritty rap music, among other genres. According to Dweezil: “What the Zappa family would like to do is bring the music live on stage to different places…and give longtime fans something to be excited about, but almost more importantly, provide an opportunity for new potential fans to discover the music.” Thus, Zappa Plays Zappa. Proving once again that heredity is the Mother of Invention.

Monday, October 23 at 7:30pm. Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo

(645-ARTS). www.ticketmaster.com. $49.50-$39.50