RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK - Simmer, Reduce, Garnish & Serve / The Warner Bros. Recordings (1995) APE (tracks+.cue), lossless

This single CD has selections from Rahsaan Roland Kirk's final three albums. His work on his last record Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real was quite heroic and miraculous because he had suffered a major stroke that greatly limited his abilities; in fact Kirk had the use of only one of his hands so his playing was sadly restricted. There is a remarkable amount of variety plus a liberal dose of Kirk's humor on this retrospective, ranging from a "Bagpipe Medley" and "Sweet Georgia Brown" (complete with a whistler and Freddie Moore's washboard) to a warm "I'll Be Seeing You" and a tribute to Johnny Griffin, the main influence on Rahssan's tenor sound. For those listeners who do not already have the three LPs, this is a strong best-of sampler of the saxophonist's final period although his earlier recordings are recommended first. This CD concludes with an emotional and rather touching collage that pays tribute to Kirk's genius and mourns his premature death. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Lunatic Danza 5'24
Traditional
2     Theme for the Eulipions 9'44
Rahsaan Roland Kirk / Betty Neals
3     Sweet Georgia Brown 4'45
Ben Bernie / Kenneth Casey / Maceo Pinkard
4     I'll Be Seeing You 6'08
Sammy Fain / Irving Kahal
5     Los Angeles Negro Chorus 0'27
6     Serenade to a Cuckoo 3'37
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7     Bagpipe Medley 2'15
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
8     J. Griff's Blues 7'32
Traditional
9     Mary McLeod Bethune 0'24
10     I Loves You, Porgy 1'49
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
11     Hey Babebips 5'09
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
12     In a Mellow Tone 6'16
Duke Ellington / Milt Gabler
13     Dorthaan's Walk 7'12
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
14     Watergate Blues 6'35
Percy Heath
15     Summertime 1'40
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
16     Thunder and Lightning Goodbye 4'10
All Credits

RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK - Blacknuss (1971-2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

From its opening bars, with Bill Salter's bass and Rahsaan's flute passionately playing Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine," you know this isn't an ordinary Kirk album (were any of them?). As the string section, electric piano, percussion, and Cornel Dupree's guitar slip in the back door, one can feel the deep soul groove Kirk is bringing to the jazz fore here. As the tune fades just two and a half minutes later, the scream of Kirk's tenor comes wailing through the intro of Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On," with a funk backdrop and no wink in the corner -- he's serious. With Richard Tee's drums kicking it, the strings developing into a wall of tension in the backing mix, and Charles McGhee's trumpet hurling the long line back at Kirk, all bets are off -- especially when they medley the mother into "Mercy Mercy Me." By the time they reach the end of the Isleys' "I Love You, Yes I Do," with the whistles, gongs, shouting, soul crooning, deep groove hustling, and greasy funk dripping from every sweet-assed note, the record could be over because the world has already turned over and surrendered -- and the album is only ten minutes old! Blacknuss, like The Inflated Tear, Volunteered Slavery, Rip, Rig and Panic, and I Talk to the Spirits, is Kirk at his most visionary. He took the pop out of pop and made it Great Black Music. He took the jazz world down a peg to make it feel its roots in the people's music, and consequently made great jazz from pop tunes in the same way his forbears did with Broadway show tunes. While the entire album shines like a big black sun, the other standouts include a deeply moving read of "My Girl" and a version of "The Old Rugged Cross" that takes it back forever from those white fundamentalists who took all the blood and sweat from its grain and replaced them with cheap tin and collection plates. On Kirk's version, grace doesn't come cheap, though you can certainly be a poor person to receive it. Ladies and gents, Blacknuss is as deep as a soul record can be and as hot as a jazz record has any right to call itself. A work of sheer blacknuss!
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1     Ain't No Sunshine 2'26
Renaldo Benson / Al Cleveland / Marvin Gaye / Bill Withers
2     What's Goin' On/Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) 3'47
Renaldo Benson / Al Cleveland / Marvin Gaye
3     I Love You, Yes I Do 2'49
Chris Allen / Johnny Cameron / Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4     Take Me Girl, I'm Ready 3'18
Johnny Bristol / Pam Sawyer / LaVerne Ware
5     My Girl 3'06
Smokey Robinson / William Robinson / Ronald White
6     Which Way Is It Going 2'26
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7     One Nation 3'41
Princess Patience Burton
8     Never Can Say Goodbye 4'02
Clifton Davis
9     Old Rugged Cross 7'15
Traditional
10     Make It with You 4'50
David Gates
11     Blacknuss 5'12
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Credits :
Bass – Henry Pearson (pistas: 1, 8, 11), Bill Salter (pistas: 2 to 7, 9, 10)
Congas – Richard Landrum (pistas: 1, 8, 11)
Congas, Percussion [Cabassa] – Arthur Jenkins (pistas: 2 to 7, 9, 10)
Drums – Bernard Purdie (pistas: 2 to 7, 9, 10), Khalil Mhdri (pistas: 1, 8, 11)
Flute, Tenor Saxophone, Saxophone [Manzello, Stritch], Gong, Whistle [Police Whistle], Arranged By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Guitar – Billy Butler (pistas: 1, 8, 11), Cornell Dupree (pistas: 2 to 7, 9, 10), Keith Loving (pistas: 2 to 7, 9, 10)
Organ – Mickey Tucker (pistas: 2 to 7, 9, 10)
Percussion – Joe Habad Texidor
Piano – Richard Tee (pistas: 2 to 7, 9, 10), Sonelius Smith (pistas: 1, 8, 11)
Trombone – Dick Griffin (pistas: 2 to 7, 9, 10)
Trumpet – Charles McGhee (pistas: 2 to 7, 9, 10)
Vocals – Rahsaan Roland Kirk (pistas: 1, 5, 8, 11)

RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK - Kirkatron + Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real (2005) 2xCD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This issue combines two late-period Rahsaan Roland Kirk albums: Kirkatron, begun shortly before the major stroke that debilitated him and shortened his life, and Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real, his first attempt at a comeback and his final recording. Kirkatron hosts three tunes recorded for it, and nine more that were outtakes from the preceding 5000 Lb. Man sessions, and a few from the Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival concert. As such it does contain a number of tunes that define the man at the height of his powers including a cover of Leon Russell's "This Masquerade," the live "Serenade to a Cuckoo," and a fine "Bright Moments." His bandmates on the date include a young Hilton Ruiz on piano and Steve Turre. Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real does stand in contrast to Kirkatron. The intensity and intention is there, but it's more subtle, informed no doubt by the fact that Kirk had taught himself to play with only his left hand because his right had been rendered unusable by the accident. He also employed a full string section, taking his music into a new direction. But there are beautiful and deeply soulful moments here, as well, including "Summertime," the wonderfully up "Dorthaan's Walk," the deep blues of "Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor," and the barrelhouse title track which opens the set.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Kirkatron    
1    Serenade To A Cuckoo    3:38
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2    This Masquerade    5:29
 Leon Russell
3    Sugar    3:27
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4    Los Angeles Negro Blues    1:27
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk / Stanley Turrentine
5    Steppin' Into Beauty    6:42
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6    Christmas Song    3:34
 Mel Tormé / Robert Wells
7    Bagpipe Medley    2:15
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
8    Mary McLeod Bethune    2:23
9    Bright Moments    4:11
 Todd Barkan / Rahsaan Roland Kirk
10    Lyriconon    4:10
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
11    Night In Tunisia    4:58
 Dizzy Gillespie / Frank Paparelli
12    J. Griff's Blues    7:43
Traditional
Credits :
Boogie-Woogie String Along For Real    
1    Boogie-Woogie String Along For Real    8:53
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2    I Loves You, Porgy    1:48
 Ira Gershwin
3    Make Me A Pallet On The Floor    7:18
 Traditional
4    Hey Babebips    5:06
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
5    In A Mellow Tone    6:15
 Duke Ellington
6    Summertime    1:39
 George Gershwin
7    Dorthaan's Walk    7:12
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
8        Watergate Blues    6:34
 Percy Heath
Credits :

RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK - I, Eye, Aye : Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival, 1972 (1972-1996) RM | Atlantic Jazz Gallery | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This live recording is a companion to a documentary called The One Man Twins. Released for the first time in 1996, both audio and video gives both fans and the uninitiated a glimpse of the century's most colorful performers and most complex jazz musicians. Kirk's band for the date was comprised of pianist Ron Burton, bassist Henry "Pete" Pearson, drummer Robert Shy, and percussionist Joe Texidor. Only Burton and Texidor were Kirk regulars. The set is absolutely electrifying. From the few short raps Kirk offers the crowd, one cannot be prepared for the honking, shouting, funky, gritty sets that follow. Kirk begins with "Seasons," a careening rush of flute acrobatics, and on into a deeply moving rendition of "Balm in Gilead," where Kirk evokes the spirit of Paul Robeson, and then into arguably the greatest version of "Volunteered Slavery" on record, a slamming R&B stomp of literally epic proportions, where Kirk uses each of his horns and starts blowing different notes on each simultaneously. There is a gorgeous solo medley where Kirk combines Ellington's "Satin Doll" and an improvisation on its two themes and comes up with something completely new, yet reverentially sound. The set ends with "Serenade to a Cuckoo," which moves across scalar dimensions and tonal registers with a deep, funky grace, and finally, "Pedal Up," a standard Kirk crowd-pleaser that brings all of his elements -- the spectral, the spiritual, and the carnal -- into full play. The band, with new players, can barely keep up with Kirk, but Burton keeps them right in line with the master's shifts in mood, mode, and tempo while keeping the entire gig harmonically on course no matter which instrument Kirk chooses to play. This is a hell of an introduction to one of the least-understood figures in jazz history, and an absolute necessity for fans.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1     Rahsaantalk, No. 1 0:38
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2     Seasons 6:00
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3     Rahsaantalk, No. 2 1:12
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4     Balm in Gilead 7:05
Traditional
5     Volunteered Slavery 10:20
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6     Rahsaantalk, No. 3 0:24
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7     Blue Rol, No. 2 9:04
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
8     Solo Piece: Satin Doll/Improvisation 4:19
Duke Ellington / Rahsaan Roland Kirk
9     Serenade to a Cuckoo 3:28
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
10     Pedal Up 6:11
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Credits :
Bass – Henry "Pete" Pearson
Drums – Robert Shy
Percussion – Joe "Habao" Texidor
Piano – Ron Burton
Tenor Saxophone, Saxophone [Manzello], Saxophone [Stritch], Clarinet, Flute, Nose Flute, Siren, Performer [Other Stuff] – Rahsaan Roland Kirk

RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK - Prepare Thyself To Deal With a Miracle (1973-2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded in 1973, this is yet another criminally underappreciated Rahsaan Roland Kirk recording from the last phase of a remarkable career. This is perhaps Kirk's most experimental recording in that it involves his most involved performing on multiple horns and flutes -- including his infamous and wonderful nose flute -- and working with drones on a more surface level. Given Kirk's system of playing three horns at once, the drone horn was always a part of his sonic architecture. The difference here is that the melodic and improvisational lines take a back seat on tunes such as the opening "Salvation and Reminiscing," where he makes fantastic use of a baby E-flat saxophone, and on "Celestial Bliss," on which he is accompanied on his "black mystery pipes" only by percussion. On the medley "Seasons: One Mind Winter/Summer/Ninth Ghost," Kirk begins with the nose flutes, playing a part of "Balm in Gilead," before bringing in a six-piece string orchestra to play behind him as he improvises on all the melodies and modes. And this improvisation is not just a series of out arpeggios playing legato and running through and over the changes, but intricately nuanced, gentle, and architecturally sophisticated wanderings. Despite the beauty of the album's first three tracks, it is on the closer, the 21-and-a-half-minute "Saxophone Concerto," where Kirk most leaves his mark as a composer and innovator on the jazz world. Kirk comes out blowing literally like a train and weaves in, with vocalists Jeanne Lee and Dee Dee Bridgewater, a series of muted horn lines and rhythm figures. The band is 16 pieces total, and the concerto is structured in movements from an intro in which the purpose is stated: "time for America to discover some of its true Black miracles," wherein bebop and hard bop shimmy up against free modes and articulations by the rhythm section and the other horns. Kirk may solo on top with his tenor, but he holds close to the rhythm section's articulation of mutated blues. From here, Latin and faux classical chromatics are shaded into the whole as the pace becomes more and more frenetic, and just as the piece becomes perhaps circus-like, Kirk and company strip it all back and out, into a free universe washed by improvising vocalists, crashing cymbals, droning brass, and rumbling tom-toms before it's all a hush of unidentifiable sounds except for those of breaking glass. There are numerous metaphors and metonyms here, but they will not come to the listener until later, when she or he regains the conscious notion of breathing.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Salvation And Reminiscing 5:14
Backing Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jeanne Lee
Clarinet – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Conductor – Dick Griffin
Seasons (10:32)
Nose Flute, Flute – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2a    One Mind Winter/Summer    
2b    Ninth Ghost    
3    Celestial Bliss 5:47
Backing Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jeanne Lee
Performer [Black Mystery Pipes], Saxophone [Baby E Flat] – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Saxophone Concerto (21:31)
Backing Vocals – Jeanne Lee
Tenor Saxophone – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4a    Saxophone Miracle    
4b    One Breath Beyond    
4c    Dance Of Revolution
Credits :
Arranged By [Strings] – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Bass – Henry Pearson
Cello – Kermit Moore
Drums – Robert Shy
English Horn, Oboe – Harry Smiles
Percussion – Ralph MacDonald, Sonny Brown
Piano – Ron Burton
Trombone – Dick Griffin
Trumpet – Charles McGhee
Viola – Al Brown
Violin – Gayle Dixon, Julien Barber, Sanford Allen, Selwart Clarke
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk

RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK - Bright Moments (1974-1993) 2CD | RM | Atlantic Jazz Gallery | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Rahsaan Roland Kirk's live club gigs were usually engaging, freewheeling affairs, full of good humor and a fantastically wide range of music. The double album Bright Moments (reissued as a double CD) is a near-definitive document of the Kirk live experience, and his greatest album of the '70s. The extroverted Kirk was in his element in front of an audience, always chatting, explaining his concepts, and recounting bits of jazz history. Even if some of his long, jive-talking intros can sound a little dated today, it's clear in the outcome of the music that Kirk fed voraciously off the energy of the room. Most of the tracks are long (seven minutes or more), demonstrating Kirk's wealth of soloing ideas in a variety of styles (and, naturally, on a variety of instruments). "Pedal Up" is a jaw-dropping demonstration of Kirk's never-duplicated three-horns-at-once technique, including plenty of unaccompanied passages that simply sound impossible. There's more quintessential Kirk weirdness on "Fly Town Nose Blues," which heavily features an instrument called the nose flute, and the title track has a healthy dose of Kirk singing through his (traditional) flute. His repertoire is typically eclectic: Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss"; a groovy Bacharach pop tune in "You'll Never Get to Heaven"; a lovely version of Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz"; and a stomping, exultant New Orleans-style original, "Dem Red Beans and Rice." Perhaps the best, however, is an impassioned rendition of the ballad standard "If I Loved You," where Kirk's viscerally raw, honking tone hints in a roundabout way at the avant-garde without ever losing its melodic foundation. Bright Moments empties all the major items out of Kirk's bag of tricks, providing a neat microcosm of his talents and displaying a consummate and knowledgeable showman. In short, it's nothing less than a tour de force. Steve Huey  
Tracklist 1 :
1     Introduction 2:06
Rahsaan Roland Kirk    
2     Pedal Up 11:52
Rahsaan Roland Kirk    
3     You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart) 9:48
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
4    Clickety Clack 2:30
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
5     Prelude to a Kiss 5:05
Duke Ellington / Irving Gordon / Irving Mills
6     Talk (Electric Nose) 2:33
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7     Fly Town Nose Blues 8:52
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Tracklist 2 :    
1     Talk (Bright Moments) 3:30
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2     Bright Moments 10:02
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3     Dem Red Beans and Rice 7:05
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4     If I Loved You 8:50
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
5     Talk (Fats Waller) 1:30
Rahsaan Roland Kirk / Fats Waller
6     Jitterbug Waltz 7:00
Richard Maltby, Jr. / Fats Waller    
7     Second Line Jump 1:30
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Credits :
Bass – Henry Pearson
Drums – Robert Shy
Flute, Tenor Saxophone, Nose Flute, Liner Notes – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Percussion – Joe Habao
Piano – Ron Burton
Synthesizer, Tambourine – Todd Barkan

RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK - The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color (1975-2004) Atlantic Masters | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Perhaps I am an apologist for Rahsaan Roland Kirk, I don't know. If I am then I should be smacked, because he needed no one to make apologies for him. The Case of the 3-Sided Dream in Audio Color is a case in point. The namby-pamby jazz critics, those "serious" guys who look for every note to be in order before they'll say anything positive, can shove it on this one. They panned the hell out of it in 1975, claiming it was "indulgent." Okay. Which Kirk record wasn't? Excess was always the name of the game for Kirk, but so was the groove, and here on this three-sided double LP, groove is at the heart of everything. Surrounding himself with players like Cornell Dupree, Hugh McCracken, Richard Tee, Hilton Ruiz (whose playing on "Echoes of Primitive Ohio and Chili Dogs" is so greasy, so deliciously dirty it's enthralling), Steve Gadd, and others from that soul-jazz scene, it's obvious what you're gonna get, right? Nope. From his imitations of Miles Davis and John Coltrane on "Bye, Bye, Blackbird" to his screaming, funky read on "High Heel Sneakers" to his Delta-to-New-Orleans version of "The Entertainer," Kirk is deep in the groove. But the groove he moves through is one that is so large, so universal, deep, and serene, that it transcends all notions of commercialism versus innovation. Bottom line, even with the charming tape-recorded ramblings of his between tunes, this was his concept and it works like a voodoo charm. Here's one for the revisionists: This record jams.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Conversation    0:57
2    Bye Bye Blackbird 2:37
Written-By – Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson
3    Horses (Monogram/Republic)    0:19
4    High Heel Sneakers 4:48
Written-By – Robert Higginbotham
5    Dream    0:52
6    Echoes Of Primitive Ohio And Chili Dogs 6:52
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7    The Entertainer (Done In The Style Of The Blues) 6:00
Written-By – Scott Joplin
8    Freaks For The Festival 4:00
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
9    Dream    1:31
10    Portrait Of Those Beautiful Ladies 6:22
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
11    Dream    0:59
12    The Entertainer 6:12
Written-By – Scott Joplin
13    Dream    1:05
14    Dream    0:24
15    Portrait Of Those Beautiful Ladies 7:53
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
16    Dream    0:50
17    Freaks For The Festival 5:34
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
18    Horses    0:19
19    Bye Bye Blackbird 2:37
Written-By – Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson
20    Conversation    0:53
21    Telephone Conversation    12:40
Credits :
Arranged By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk (pistas: 1 to 3, 5, 6, 9, 11 to 14, 16, 18, 20, 21)
Arranged By, Conductor – Arthur Jenkins (pistas: 4, 10, 15), William Eaton (pistas: 7, 8, 17)
Baritone Saxophone – Pat Patrick
Bass – Francisco Centeno, Metathias Pearson, Bill Salter
Congas – Lawrence Killian
Congas, Percussion – Ralph MacDonald
Drums – John Goldsmith, Sonny Brown, Steve Gadd
Guitar – Cornell Dupree, Hugh McCracken, Keith Loving
Keyboards – Arthur Jenkins, Hilton Ruiz, Richard Tee
Tenor Saxophone, Bass Saxophone, Flute, Trumpet, Saxophone [Manzello], Arranged By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk

RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK - The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man (1976) lp | 24bits-96hz | FLAC (tracks), lossless

The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man was Rahsaan Roland Kirk's first album for Warner Brothers, recorded before the stroke that impaired him. Kirk is at full creative and musical strength. These seven tracks are an utter astonishment. Kirk's playing of saxophones, harmonica, flutes, and euphonium is deep, soulful, and even profound in places. "Theme for the Eulipions" (which opens the album), "Giant Steps," and "There Will Never Be Another You" features an all-star band that includes Charlie Persip, a young Hilton Ruiz, bassist Buster Williams, Romeo Perique on baritone saxophone, and Howard Johnson on tuba. The version of "Sweet Georgia Brown," with its wacky percussion and whistling, is so utterly joyful and funky it's perhaps the definitive jazz version of the tune. But it's the readings of Minnie Riperton's "Loving You" and Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" that take the album to an entirely new place. They are, though very different from one another, so utterly moving and aesthetically beautiful, they elevate music to the level of poetry. This is one that's utterly necessary for fans, and a very fitting intro for the novice.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
SIDE A
1    Theme For The Eulipions 9:22
Music By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Solo Vocal – Maeretha Stewart
Words By, Speech – Betty Neals
2    Sweet Georgia Brown 5:07
Written-By – Ben Bernie, Kenny Casey, Maceo Pinkard
3    I'll Be Seeing You
Written-By – Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain
SIDE B
1    Loving You 4:42
Written-By – Minnie Riperton, Richard Rudolph
2    Goodbye Pork Pie Hat 6:17
Music By – Charles Mingus
Words By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3    There Will Never Be Another You 5:08
Written-By – Harry Warren, Mac Gordon
4    Giant Steps 6:11
Music By – John Coltrane
Words By – Betty Neals
Credits :
Arranged By – Frank Foster (pistas: A1, B3, B4), Rahsaan Roland Kirk (pistas: A2, A3, B1 to B3)
Backing Vocals – Adrienne Albert (pistas: A1, B3, B4), Arthur Williams (pistas: A1, B3, B4), Francine Carroll (pistas: A1, B3, B4), Hilda Harris (pistas: A1, B3, B4), Maeretha Stewart (pistas: A1, B3, B4), Milton Grayson (pistas: A1, B3, B4), Randy Peyton (pistas: A1, B3, B4)
Baritone Saxophone – Romeo Penque (pistas: A1, B3, B4)
Bass – Charles 'Buster' Williams (pistas: A1, B3, B4), Mattathias Pearson (pistas: B1, B2), Milton Hinton (pistas: A2)
Celesta – Hilton Ruiz (pistas: B4)
Drums – Bill Carney (pistas: A3), Charlie Persip (pistas: A1, B3, B4), Jerry Griffin (pistas: B1, B2)
Guitar – William Butler (pistas: A3, B1, B2)
Harmonica, Saxophone [Stritchaphone], Tenor Saxophone, Vocals, Producer – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Keyboards – Arthur Jenkins (pistas: B1, B2)
Organ – Trudy Pitts (pistas: A3)
Percussion – Habao Texidor (pistas: A1, B1 to B4), Warren Smith (pistas: B1, B2)
Piano – Hank Jones (pistas: A2), Hilton Ruiz (pistas: A1, B1 to B3)
Tuba – Howard Johnson (pistas: A1, B3, B4)
Whistling – William Eaton (pistas: A2)

RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK - Compliments of the Mysterious Phantom (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For those who believed Bright Moments was "it" when it came to Rahsaan Roland Kirk live recordings -- meaning that Joel Dorn's various live Kirk packages have been substandard in comparison, though not without considerable interest -- Christmas came early in 2003. Compliments of the Mysterious Phantom is a performance of the Roland Kirk band on the final night of a western tour, recorded in November of 1974 in San Diego. Even though this has been released on Dorn's Hyena Records label, which has put out some dodgy stuff in the past -- including the infamously substandard Man Who Cried Fire -- this performance is excellent. It was recorded just a couple of weeks after the sets that became Bright Moments. The band is Kirk, Hilton Ruiz on piano, Henry Pearson on bass, drummer John Goldsmith and a percussionist dubbed "Samson Verge."

The set starts out with a smoking, completely in your face, blowing version of McCoy Tyner's "Passion Dance." It's all fire as Kirk takes the stage and goes head to head with Ruiz. But just as quickly, the band drifts with very little pause into an absolutely heartbreaking rendition of "My One and Only Love," until Kirk begins his unaccompanied circular breathing solo that nonetheless stays in the same harmonic range as the main body of the tune -- and the solo is glorious. He talks of bringing "bright moments, and we bring you 'miraclized music'," the great tenderness and brilliance of the man and artist is borne out in what follows. Jumping directly into "Fly Town Nose Blues," on which he jams on the nose flute, Kirk moves through the history of the evolution of blues with a funky Latin backbeat. From there the recording moves into "Volunteered Slavery" and another monologue, and then to a pair of excerpts from "Old Rugged Cross" and "Bright Moments," before the most amazing rendition of blacknuss ever released to the public. The musical part of the set closes with "Freaks for the Festival," with unbelievable left-hand work by Ruiz. This is groove jazz from outer space, and should have been playing in the barroom scene in the very first Star Wars movie. Kirk sends it out by saying he is not afraid of death, he is ready to die (how manhy of us can say that) -- "Bring it on," bring it on" he says. The last sound one on the record is hears is his laughter. While the sound on this date is not pristine by any means, it nonetheless captures all the magic and mystery of the man himself. Essential.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Passion Dance 4:41
Composed By – McCoy Tyner
2    My One And Only Love 9:44
Composed By – Guy Wood, Robert Mellin
3    Rahspeak #1    1:58
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4    Fly Town Nose Blues    5:50
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
5    Volunteered Slavery    7:16
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6    Rahspeak #2    1:30
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7    Bright Moments (Excerpt)    7:46
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
8    Old Rugged Cross (Excerpt)    3:54
 Traditional
9    Blacknuss    4:52
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
10    Freaks For The Festival    3:52
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
11    Rahspeak #3    0:18
 Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Credits :
Bass – Henry Pearson
Drums – John Goldsmith
Percussion – Samson Verge
Piano – Hilton Ruiz
Tenor Saxophone, Saxophone [Manzello], Flute, Nose Flute, Siren, Whistle, Composed By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Notas.
Recorded "live" at the Backdoor, San Diego State University, CA, November 5, 1974.

RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK - Brotherman in the Fatherland (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It's very tempting to go off on Joel Dorn for his decision to call a Rahsaan Roland Kirk record recorded live in Germany Brotherman in the Fatherland. Dorn's had questionable taste about all kinds of things since he began running record labels that have had numerous names attached to them -- Kirk's music is not one of them. This gig, recorded in 1972, is one of those seemingly out-of-nowhere moments when Kirk, struggling to make a living, took it to the audience full-force. He was accompanied on this tour by longtime pianist Ron Burton, bassist Henry Pearson, drummer Richie Goldberg (who did a long stint with Ray Charles) and Joe Texudor on assorted percussion. The program is pure magic: from "Like Sony" to a bad-ass reworking of the insipid Bread tune "Make It with You," that Kirk turns into pure outre blues soul-jazz, and that's just the beginning. "Rahsaan's Spirit" is the place where Kirk spins off into his own universe with the band -- Burton's solo here is particularly telling as the members all solo. Kirk brings it back to a deeply soulful read of "My Girl" with a piano intro that sounds a lot like Roy Bittan's from Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road," but it was a couple of years ahead of that milestone. Kirk's nose flute hints the melody line before his flute takes over and runs the melody down to its root; he plays them simultaneously and even vocalizes, à la Charles. The swinging Ramsey Lewis-styled soul riffing gives the audience something else to hold onto before the doors come off with "Seasons/Serenade to a Cuckoo" that digs even deeper as it streams into "Pedals Up," a musically tender reading of "Lush Life," before it all melts down into Coltrane's "Afro Blue" with Kirk on all horns peeling the paint; there's only a brief respite before it goes all the way into jazz heaven with a deeply swinging, blues-drenched crazyland reading of "Blue Trane." Like his best live outings -- this one doesn't have the same sound quality as Bright Moments -- this one is simply astonishing in its intensity, soul, and acumen. One can only wonder when hearing the polite applause at the end of the gig (instead of the justifiable shouting and screaming that should've been there) if the German crowd were just blown away, or confused. Listeners, too, may wonder if they can believe what has just transpired in the space of an hour. They can. Dorn may be on the questionable side in naming this recording, but he's to be thanked for issuing it.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Intro / Like Sonny 8:34
Written-By – John Coltrane
2    Make It With You 5:39
Written-By – David Gates
3    Rahsaan's Spirit    7:05
4    My Girl 5:15
Written-By – Ronald White, Smokey Robinson
5    Seasons / Serenade To A Cuckoo 6:54
Written-By – Roland Kirk
6    Pedal Up    10:21
7    Lush Life 3:12
Written-By – Billy Strayhorn
8    Afro Blue 4:04
Arranged By – John Coltrane
Composed By – Mongo Santamaria
9    Blue Train 17:31
Written-By – John Coltrane
Credits :
Double Bass – Henry Pete Pearson "Mettathias"
Drums – Richie Goldberg
Ensemble – Rahsaan Roland Kirk & The Vibration Society
Percussion – Joe "Habao" Texidor
Piano – Ron Burton
Saxophone [Tenor, Manzello, Stritch], Flute, Flute [Nose], Clarinet – Rahsaan Roland Kirk