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 - 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.