Ruth Underwood

Ruth Underwood (born Ruth Komanoff on May 23, 1946) is an American percussion virtuoso best known for her work with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. Trained in the classical tradition at Ithaca College under Warren Benson and later at the Juilliard School with renowned timpanist Saul Goodman and percussionist Morris Goldenberg, she developed a mastery of mallet instruments that set her apart in the rock and jazz‑rock scenes of the late 1960s and 1970s. Her first encounter with Zappa came in December 1967 while attending the Garrick Theatre in New York, where the avant‑garde ensemble held a residency. Impressed by her technical precision and musical sensitivity, Zappa invited her to join the band, and she officially began recording and touring with him in 1968. Over the next fifteen years she appeared on more than thirty Zappa recordings, contributing unforgettable solos on xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, piano and early synthesizer parts. Highlights include the intricate “Rollo Interior Interlude” on Apostrophe (’) (1974), the opening “Inca Roads” on One Size Fits All (1975), and her unseen performance on the soundtrack of the cult film 200 Motels (1971). Her collaboration extended beyond Zappa; she recorded with Ambrosia, George Duke, Jasun Martz and drummed for the Hamilton Face Band, showcasing a versatile career that blended experimental rock, jazz fusion, and classical percussion techniques. During the late 1960s she married fellow Zappa alumnus Ian Underwood, a keyboardist and saxophonist; the couple divorced in 1986 but remained linked through their shared musical legacy. After Zappa’s death in 1993 she contributed to one of his final Synclavier‑based sessions, a rare reunion that required her to practice intensely after a long hiatus. In the 2000s she continued to support contemporary percussion repertoire, commissioning Gordon Stout for the Nexus ensemble in 2008 and appearing in several Zappa documentary releases, such as The Drummers Of Frank Zappa (2009). A devoted mother of two musician children, Underwood lives in Los Angeles where she occasionally teaches and mentors young percussionists, preserving the innovative spirit that defined her groundbreaking contributions to modern music.