Whether or not the four individual albums packaged with in Aces Back to Back are among Rahsaan Roland Kirk's finest is of no consequence. The fact that they have been assembled in a package that offers the listener a sense of Kirk's development and continuity is the issue here. And in this way, Aces Back to Back is a supreme collection. The four albums included -- Left & Right, Rahsaan Rahsaan, Prepare Thyself to Deal With a Miracle, and Other Folks Music -- date from 1969 to 1976 and chart dimensional growth of Kirk's completely original music. There's the outsider wizardry of Left & Right that melds the innovations of John Coltrane and Scott Joplin across an entire range of highly experimental yet wonderfully human music. Guests included Roy Haynes, Alice Coltrane, Julius Watkins, and many others in a band that ranged from a quartet to a full orchestra. Then there are the nine musicians who appear on Rahsaan Rahsaan, among them avant violinist Leroy Jenkins. Here, from the margins comes Kirk's preaching and poetry and also yielded the classics "The Seeker" and "Baby Let Me Shake Your Tree." The fact that they open and close the album, respectively, reveals not only Kirk's diversity, but also his commitment to a universal black music. Prepare Thyself to Deal With a Miracle is Kirk's meditation on orchestral music juxtaposed against folk and R&B forms. Form the opening "Salvation and Reminiscing," where the string section carries a monadic theme into microtonal territory, Kirk uses the "ugliness" to achieve great beauty which is fully realized when he combines a revved-up version of "Balm in Gilead" with a section of Ralph Vaughn Williams' Pastoral Symphony on "Seasons." Finally, with the issue of Others Folks Music, Kirk contributes only one composition, a beautiful meditation entitled "Water for Robeson and Williams." The rest is made up of the music of Charlie Parker ("Donna Lee"), Kirk's then pianist Hilton Ruiz ("Arrival"), Frank Foster ("Simone"), and others. This is a loose, roughneck record where Kirk uses the harmonics of others to transform his own into something that would make the music itself larger than any of its individual parts. In all for the price tag, this is a solid buy, revealing the most misunderstood innovator in the history of jazz.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
All Tracks & Credits :
A byproduct of the bossa nova fad that followed the success of "Desafinado" (and preceded the famous recording Getz/Gilberto), this set finds Quincy Jones utilizing and exploiting bossa nova rhythms in his arrangements for a big band. The personnel includes flügelhornist Clark Terry, altoist Phil Woods, pianist Lalo Schifrin, guitarist Jim Hall, and (on "Soul Bossa Nova") the remarkable Rahsaan Roland Kirk. However, since the selections are all quite brief, and some of the charts are a bit cheesy and inappropriate for the gentle rhythms, this disc (although pleasant enough) is of lesser interest. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1. Soul Bossa Nova (2:48)
Quincy Jones
2. Boogie Bossa Nova (2:45)
Charles Mingus
3. Desafinado (2:57)
Antônio Carlos Jobim / Newton Mendonça
4. Black Orpheus (Manha De Carnaval) (2:58)
Luiz Bonfá / Antônio Maria
5. Se E Tarde Me Pardoa (Forgive Me If I'm Late) (4:25)
Ronaldo Bôscoli / Carlos Lyra
6. On The Street Where You Live (2:36)
Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe
7. Samba De Uma Nota So (One Note Samba) (2:05)
Jon Hendricks / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Newton Mendonça
8. Lalo Bossa Nova (3:13)
Lalo Schifrin
9. Serenata (3:22)
Leroy Anderson
10. Chega De Saudade (No More Blues) (5:39)
Antônio Carlos Jobim
Credits :
Bass – Chris White
Drums – Rudy Collins
Flugelhorn – Clark Terry
Flute – Jerome Richardson, Rahsaan Roland Kirk (tracks: 1)
Flute [Alto] – Jerome Richardson
Guitar – Jim Hall (tracks: 3, 8-10)
Percussion – Carlos Gomez, Jack Del Rio, José Paula
Piano – Lalo Schifrin
Producer – Quincy Jones
Saxophone [Alto] – Phil Woods (tracks: 6-9)
Saxophone [Tenor] – Paul Gonsalves (tracks: 2, 4 & 7)
Trumpet – Clark Terry (tracks: 2 & 10)
Woodwind – Jerome Richardson
This three-CD box set, in producer and then label Boss' weirdly wired brain, encompasses two different sides of Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Discs one and two represent sporadic live recordings of Kirk from 1962 to 1972, all of them previously unreleased and issued courtesy of a Kirk collector named George Bonafacio. These two discs contain Kirk classics such as "Domino," "Blacknuss," and an excerpt from "Three for the Festival," as well as singular Kirk interpretations of "I Say a Little Prayer," "Freddie Freeloader," "Lester Leaps In," "Giant Steps," "Sister Sadie," and more. These two discs are chock-full of stellar performances that are well-recorded despite being fan tapes. The musicians on these dates range from bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pederson to Hilton Ruiz, Jerome Cooper, Tete Montoliu, and many others. None of this material is substandard. Kirk wastes no time on the opener, "Domino," in breaking out the whistles in his solo. The blues range is deep on many of these tracks, as is the entertainment value. Kirk was a performer as much as he was a musician, before and after the stroke. His lyric and harmonic sensibilities were deeply embedded in one another, and his way of crossing harmonic strategies was truly singular because it was so unorthodox (check his gorgeous opening and full read of "I Remember Clifford" or the excerpt from his medley of "Blue Monk" and "Misterioso" for examples). The fact that he could play two melodies at once was only one of his many skills. In any case, anyone looking for live Kirk apart from the Montreaux recordings would be well-advised to seek these out. Disc three is a CD issue of Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata, his worst-selling and most critically dumped-on studio record. Released in 1971, it featured Kirk on all instruments. Natural Black Inventions is one of the heaviest records Kirk ever released, a completely focused meditation on mode, rhythm, drone, and the blues' context within them. Here was an honest, non-abstract attempt to put Eastern music up against the blues and see what happened. Using everything from his saxophones and flutes to his strich, manzello, harmonium, drums, and bird-and-duck calls years before John Zorn knew they existed as musical instruments, Kirk took his black experience and rooted it in the experience of the day, as well as in antiquity and in the history of jazz, soul, R&B, the blues, and even Yiddish music (check out "Island Cry" for a solid example, where the barroom meets the Jewish exodus to the slave call-and-response hollers in the fields). And the fact that it goes on and on for 45 minutes is so breathtaking that it becomes heartbreaking. Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata is its own classic, and it deserved its own release apart from the package, but listeners will have to take what they can get. For this album alone, this package is worth the price.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Dog Years In The Fourth Ring: Disc 1 :
1 Box Tops and Whistlin' Rings 0'19
Junior Warren
2 Domino 5'04
Louis Ferrari / Jacques Plante / Don Raye
3 Blues for Alice 6'18
Charlie Parker
4 I Remember Clifford 3'37
Benny Golson
5 Freddie Freeloader 6'01
Miles Davis
6 Lester Leaps In 5'32
Lester Young
7 Sister Sadie 5'03
Horace Silver
8 One Mind/Seasons 4'41
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
9 I Say a Little Prayer 12'58
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
Dog Years In The Fourth Ring: Disc 2 :
1 Jammin' With a Wolf 0'25
2 Three for the Festival 3'53
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3 Untitled Blues 7'23
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4 Passion Dance 8'09
McCoy Tyner
5 Petite Fleur 7'34
Sidney Bechet
6 Giant Steps 4'13
John Coltrane
7 Misterioso/Blue Monk 1'03
Thelonious Monk
8 Rahsaantalk 0'25
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
9 Multi-Horn Medley: Satin Doll/Lover 6'18
Duke Ellington
10 Blacknuss 6'22
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Disc 3: Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata
1 Something for Trane That Trane Could Have Said 3'05
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2 Island Cry 3'52
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3 Runnin' from the Trash 2'12
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4 Day Dream 3'40
Duke Ellington / John Latouche / Billy Strayhorn
5 Ragman and the Junkman Ran from the Businessman They Laughed and He C 3'02
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6 Breath-A-Thon 1'55
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7 Rahsaanica 3'40
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
8 Raped Voices 1'54
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
9 Haunted Feelings 2'25
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
10 Prelude Back Home 3'44
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
11 Dance of the Lobes 2'05
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
12 Harder and Harder Spiritual 2'32
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
13 Black Root 3'17
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
The Atlantic/Rhino anthology line has delighted novices and angered purists who have balked at what they deem questionable inclusions and exclusions, plus non-chronological sequencing and liners with plenty of personal anecdotes but limited musical analysis. The 31 selections on this two-disc set range from 1961 to 1976 and cover Rahsaan Roland Kirk originals, covers, straight jazz, pop/soul, gospel-backed and hard bop workouts, and feature both live and studio segments. While it is a bit jarring to hop from the early '60s to the '70s and back, series compiler Joel Dorn opted for stylistic organization rather than session exactness. Any hardcore Kirk fan will want the individual albums the label is reissuing. Otherwise, the anthology serves its purpose, which is to spotlight a brilliant player and make you want to hear more. Ron Wynn
Tracklist 1 :
1 Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am 4'41
Charles Mingus
2 Conversation 0'58
3 Bye Bye Blackbird 2'42
Mort Dixon / Ray Henderson
4 Horses (Monogram/Republic) 0'16
5 If I Loved You 8'37
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
6 Old Rugged Cross 7'13
Traditional
7 Ain't No Sunshine 2'26
Renaldo Benson / Al Cleveland / Marvin Gaye
8 Volunteered Slavery 5'42
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
9 Seasons: One Mind Winter/Summer/Ninth Ghost 10'34
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
10 Introduction 1'36
11 Medley: Going Home/Sentimental Journey/In Monument/Lover 4'50
Les Brown / Antonin Dvorák / Bud Green / Lorenz Hart / Ben Homer / Rahsaan Roland Kirk / Richard Rodgers
12 The Black and Crazy Blues 6'04
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
13 I Say a Little Prayer 7'57
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
14 Medley: This Love of Mine/Roots 4'09
Rahsaan Roland Kirk / Sol Parker / Henry Sanicola / Frank Sinatra
Tracklist 2 :
1 The Inflated Tear 4'50
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2 Blacknuss 5'10
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3 I Love You, Yes I Do 2'47
Chris Allen / Johnny Cameron
4 Portrait of Those Beautiful Ladies 7'54
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
5 Water for Robeson and Williams 3'48
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6 A Laugh for Rory 2'51
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7 The Entertainer 6'01
Scott Joplin
8 Black Root 3'14
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
9 Carney and Bigard Place 5'35
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
10 Anysha 8'12
Trudy Pitts
11 Making Love After Hours 4'31
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
12 Freaks for the Festival 5'32
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
13 Sesroh 0'23
14 Bye Bye Blackbird 2'35
Mort Dixon / Ray Henderson
15 Conversation 0:56
16 Three for the Festival 5'23
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
17 Bright Moments 0'02
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
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's first recording predated his second by four years and would be a real obscurity until its reissue in the mid-'70s. Kirk at 20 already had a recognizable sound on tenor and, although he had not yet mastered the art of playing two or three horns at once, he did overdub his manzello and stritch on three of the selections released on his debut, hinting at the exciting innovations to come. The music is mostly blues and ballads with a touch of R&B thrown in, a good beginning to a unique career. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 Roland's Theme 2'51
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2 Slow Groove 6'52
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3 Stormy Weather 4'38
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
4 The Nearness of You 5'33
Hoagy Carmichael / Ned Washington
5 A La Carte 2'22
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6 Easy Living 4'40
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin
7 Triple Threat 2'24
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Credits :
Bass – Carl Pruitt
Drums – Henry Duncan
Piano – James Madison
Tenor Saxophone – (Rahsaan) Roland Kirk
Although the title suggests otherwise, Introducing Roland Kirk is actually Kirk's second long player. Poor distribution kept his debut, Triple Threat, from receiving the attention it deserved until subsequent reissues of the album in the early '70s. On these sides, Kirk is accompanied by a quartet including: Ira Sullivan (trumpet/tenor sax), William Burton (keyboards), Don Garrett (bass), and Sonny Brown (drums). Kirk leads the ensemble with his "triple threat" -- consisting of a variation of the soprano sax called a manzello; a stritch, which is a variant of the straight alto saxophone; and a slightly modified tenor sax -- all of which he could maneuver simultaneously. Although Kirk's performances are exceedingly reserved on this album, there is little doubt of his technical proficiencies. The three sides penned by Kirk are among the most interesting as they allow for a certain degree of openness that is essential when spotlighting his unique talents. This autonomy yields some exceptional interplay between Kirk and Ira Sullivan -- highlighted on "The Call" and "Soul Station." One of the motifs evident throughout Kirk's career involved his ability to personalize pop standards into his very distinctive mold as "Our Love Is Here to Stay" aptly exemplifies. Although some free jazz and avant-garde purists may find Introducing Roland Kirk not challenging enough, it provides a solid basis for his increasingly bombastic post-bop experiments throughout the remainder of the '60s and '70s. Lindsay Planer
Tracklist :
1 The Call 8'42
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2 Soul Station 5'57
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3 Our Waltz 4'51
David Rose
4 Our Love Is Here to Stay 4'50
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
5 Spirit Girl 5'33
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6 Jack the Ripper 7'32
William Burton
Credits :
Bass – Don Garrett
Drums – Sonny Brown
Piano, Organ – William Burton
Tenor Saxophone, Saxophone [Manzello, Strich] – Roland Kirk
Trumpet, Tenor Saxophone – Ira Sullivan
Kirk's Work, Rahsaan Roland Kirk's third long-player, teams him up with organist "Brother" Jack McDuff for Kirk's most soulful post-bop set to date. His unorthodox performance style incorporates the polyphonies of a tenor sax, flute, manzello, and stritch. (The latter instrument is Kirk's own modification of a second-generation B-flat soprano sax.) This contributes to the unique sonic textures and overtones Kirk creates when playing two -- and often three -- of those lead instruments simultaneously. The loose and soulful nature of McDuff's Hammond organ lends itself to the swinging R&B vibe pervasive throughout the album. Completing the quartet is Joe Benjamin (bass) and Art Taylor (drums), both veteran jazzmen in their own right. They lend their expertise as well as innate sense of rhythm to the up-tempo "revival meetin'" rendition of Sammy Kahn's "Makin' Whoopee" as well as the ominous swing of the title track. This is also an ideal showcase for Benjamin and Taylor's running counterpoint that glides throughout -- supporting soloists Kirk and McDuff. Of the four original Kirk compositions, "Doin' the Sixty-Eight" is arguably the strongest. The percussive rhythms weave a hypnotic Latin groove over which Kirk and McDuff both snake some highly cerebral solos. The stellar interpretation of "Skater's Waltz" combines a well-known traditional melody with some of the most aggressive interaction from the quartet. The tune is put through its paces and the tenor sax/Hammond organ leads bounce around like a game of sonic ping pong. The more aggressive performance style that Kirk would later incorporate definitely shows signs of development on Kirk's Work. While certainly not the best in his catalog, it is a touchstone album that captures the early soulful Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Lindsay Planer
Tracklist :
1 Three for Dizzy 5'11
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2 Makin' Whoopee 5'09
Walter Donaldson / Gus Kahn
3 Funk Underneath 6'17
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4 Kirk's Work 3'56
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
5 Doin' the Sixty-Eight 4'22
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6 Too Late Now 3'54
Burton Lane / Alan Jay Lerner
7 Skater's Waltz 4'24
Emile Waldteufel
Credits :
Bass – Joe Benjamin
Drums – Arthur Taylor
Organ – Jack McDuff
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Remastered By – Phil De Lancie
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Reeds [Manzello, Strich], Siren – Roland Kirk
We Free Kings, Roland Kirk's third long-player, is among the most
consistent of his early efforts. The assembled quartet provides an ample
balance of bop and soul compliments to Kirk's decidedly individual
polyphonic performance style. His inimitable writing and arranging
techniques develop into some great originals, as well as personalize the
chosen cover tunes. With a nod to the contemporary performance style of
John Coltrane, as well as a measure of his influences -- most notably
Clifford Brown and Sidney Bechet -- Kirk maneuvers into and out of some
inspiring situations. His decidedly 'Trane-esque solos on "My Delight"
are supported with a high degree of flexibility by one-time Charles
Mingus' pianist Richard Wyands and Dizzy Gillespie percussionist Charlie
Persip. The album's title track is a Kirk original, based on the melody
of the Christmas hymn "We Three Kings." Incorporating recognizable
melodies into Kirk's oft times unorthodox musical settings would prove
to be a motif throughout his career. An example is the highly touted
cover of Charlie Parker's "Blues for Alice." This is an ideal avenue for
the quartet to explore one of Kirk's specialties -- the blues. The
almost irreverent manner in which he fuses blues and soul music into the
otherwise bop-driven arrangements is striking. "A Sack Full of Soul" is
a funky number with a walking-blues backbeat that perfectly supports
Kirk's swinging solos. The stop time syncopation is reminiscent of Ray
Charles' "What'd I Say." The 1987 CD version also includes an alternate
take of "Blues for Alice." One additional track -- a cover of the Frank
Loesser standard "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year" -- was also
recorded at these sessions and remained unissued until its inclusion on
the ten-disc Rahsaan: The Complete Mercury Recordings of Roland Kirk box
set. Lindsay Planer
The expanding musical universe of Rahsaan Roland Kirk continues its orbit on Domino. While always true to his exceptional talents, Kirk's previous efforts are somewhat derivative when compared to his later and more aggressive sound. On Domino, the genesis of his more assertive presence is thoroughly evident. Additionally, this disc features several impressive originals, as well as the most distinctly branded cover tunes to date, including the intense bop of the title track. As evidenced throughout the album, Kirk's compositions are becoming denser and more involved. "Meeting on Termini's Corner" -- an ode to the legendary Five Spot club -- mimics the off-kilter rhythms of Thelonious Monk. The tenor sax solo that rises through his multi-instrumentation is stunning. The contrast between the lilting flute work, which bookends "Domino," and the stirring tenor sax solo at the center is yet again indicative of the boundaries Kirk would be approaching. However, it's the Latin-tinged "Rolando" that might best display the unmistakably singular sound that comes from the stritch -- a Kirk modified second generation B flat soprano sax -- and the tenor sax, when performed simultaneously. The warmth and clarity are at once unique and hypnotic. Another prime example of the multiplicity in Kirk's performance styles can be heard on "I Believe in You." The juxtaposition of the husky tenor with the spry manzello provides a false sense of balance as Kirk delays combining the two until the final chorus. This produces a surprising and memorable effect, as Kirk's arrangement does not anticipate the finale. The 2000 CD reissue contains both recording dates for the original album as well as a previously undocumented session that includes Herbie Hancock(piano), Roy Haynes (drums), and Vernon Martin (bass). Additionally, Domino was the first album to feature Kirk's live band of Haynes, Andrew Hill (celeste/piano), and Henry Duncan (percussion) on several tracks. Lindsay Planer
Tracklist :
1 Domino 3'11
Louis Ferrari / Jacques Plante / Don Raye
2 Meeting on Termini's Corner 3'39
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3 Time 3'11
Richie Powell
4 Lament 3'37
J.J. Johnson
5 A Stritch in Time 5'04
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6 3-In-1 Without the Oil 2'32
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7 Get Out of Town 4'47
Cole Porter
8 Rolando 3'44
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
9 I Believe in You 4'24
Frank Loesser
10 E.D. 2'20
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
- BONUS TRACKS -
11 Where Monk and Mingus Live/Let's Call This 4'06
Rahsaan Roland Kirk / Thelonious Monk
12 Domino 4'44
Louis Ferrari / Jacques Plante / Don Raye
13 I Didn't Know What Time It Was 3'13
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
14 I Didn't Know What Time It Was 2'15
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
15 I Didn't Know What Time It Was 2'18
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
16 Someone to Watch over Me - Breakdown Take 2'34
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
17 Someone to Watch over Me 3'35
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
18 Terminis Corner - Breakdown Take 2'32
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
19 Termini's Corner 2'24
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
20 Termini's Corner 2'39
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
21 Termini's Corner - Breakdown Take And Intercuts 3'24
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
22 When the Sun Comes Out 2'38
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
23 When the Sun Comes Out 1'54
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
24 When the Sun Comes Out 2'41
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
25 Time Races With Emit 1'22
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Credits :
Bass – Vernon Martin
Celesta – Andrew Hill (pistas: 3)
Drums – Henry Duncan (pistas: 1, 2, 4 to 6), Roy Haynes (pistas: 7 to 25)
Piano – Andrew Hill (pistas: 1, 2, 4 to 6), Herbie Hancock (pistas: 11), Wynton Kelly (pistas: 7 to 10, 12 to 25)
Tenor Saxophone, Saxophone [Manzello, Stritch], Flute, Whistle [Siren Whistle], Voice, Nose Flute – Roland Kirk
In addition to being Roland Kirk's first live long-player, the breakthrough Kirk in Copenhagen was his fifth in a little over two years during his particularly prolific relationship with Mercury Records. On this 1964 release, Kirk heads up a truly integrated quintet featuring the multi-reedsmith (tenor sax, flute, manzello, strich, nose flute, and siren) as well as Tete Montoliu (piano) from Spain, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (bass) from Denmark, and a pair of Yanks in Don Moore (bass) and J.C. Moses (drums). The dementedly humorous blues workout on "The Monkey Thing" features a character by the name of Big Skol (mouth harp) -- whose true identity is none other than Sonny Boy Williamson. It is presumed that contractual or other potentially litigious circumstances prevented the blues legend from being properly credited at the time of this LP's initial release. Although somewhat ragtag in derivation, the combo quickly finds its sonic niche. The opener, "Narrow Bolero," audibly suffers from a rhythmically disoriented Moses, whose sloppy skins and decidedly uneven timing are brutally evident on occasion. Thankfully, he quickly smartens up and his contributions -- especially to "Cabin in the Sky" -- are both engaging and active in their solidification of the rhythm section. Nowhere is Moses more in control than the set's brilliant conclusion, "On the Corner of King and Scott Streets." The band commences and concludes with an open throttle as it blazes through the high-velocity and densely intricate jam, the bottom of which falls out, providing Kirk plenty of space to improvise wildly, utilizing his clever wit and immensely expressive musicality. The ten-CD Rahsaan: The Complete Mercury Recordings of Roland Kirk box set from 1990 embellishes the half-dozen performances included on this album with an additional ten sides. Ultimately, this yields over an hour and 45 minutes of primal live Kirk, and is considered by many enthusiasts as worthy of the nominal investment needed to acquire the otherwise essential and definitively comprehensive compilation. Kirk in Copenhagen was reissued on CD as part of Verve's classic reissue program in a limited edition with beautifully remastered sound in a digipack replica of the original LP sleeve. There is no bonus material on this reissue. Lindsay Planer
Tracklist :
1 Narrow Bolero 5'23
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2 Mingus-Griff Song 8'07
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3 The Monkey Thing 5'43
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4 Mood Indigo 7'17
Barney Bigard / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
5 Cabin in the Sky 7'46
Vernon Duke / John Latouche
6 On the Corner of King and Scott Streets 4'12
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Credits :
Bass – Don Moore, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
Drums – J.C. Moses
Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
Piano – Tete Montoliu
Producer – Quincy Jones
Tenor Saxophone, Idiophone [Manzello, Stritch], Flute, Siren, By – Roland Kirk
Multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk leaves the stritch, manzello and other exotic instruments at home for this all-flute outing from his pre-"Rahsaan" days. Consisting mostly of originals, with a couple of show tunes and a swinging take on John Lewis' "Django" thrown in, I Talk to the Spirits provides the best sampling of Kirk's unique flute style. He hums along with himself as he plays, inserts pieces of lyrics when the mood hits, finds overtones and multi-part harmonies as he blows madly through the upper register and sails sweetly through the lower. Included here is the original version of "Serenade to a Cuckoo," a song later taken to rock audiences with its inclusion on the first Jethro Tull album. (In fact, for the Tull fan who wants to hear where Ian Anderson borrowed his style, I Talk to the Spirits is the place to go.) The playing on this outing is uniformly excellent, with Kirk ranging from his trademark up-tempo overblowing on "A Quote from Clifford Brown" to bluesy growling on "The Business Ain't Nothing But the Blues" to placid beauty on the ballad "Trees." He guides Kurt Weill's "My Ship" on a five-minute voyage through calm seas and turbulent double-timed storms. Kirk's sense of whimsy and musical fun is evident throughout. Jim Newsom
Tracklist :
1 Serenade to a Cuckoo 4'40
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2 We'll Be Together Again/People 4'38
Carl Fischer / Frankie Laine / Bob Merrill / Jule Styne
3 A Quote from Clifford Brown 4'22
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4 Trees 6'18
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
5 Fugue'n and Alludin 0'41
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Vibraphone – Bobby Moses
6 The Business Ain't Nothin' But the Blues 5'02
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7 I Talk with the Spirits 3'56
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Vibraphone – Bobby Moses
8 Ruined Castles 1'18
Rentaroh Taki
Other [Music Box] – Roland Kirk
9 Django 4'50
John Lewis
Idiophone [Celeste] – Horace Parlan
10 My Ship 5'05
Ira Gershwin, Kurt Weill
Credits :
Bass – Michael Fleming (pistas: 1 to 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Drums, Percussion – Walter Perkins (pistas: 1 to 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Flute, Flute [Amplified Flute], Flute [African Wood Flute], Vocals [Vocal Interjections] – Roland Kirk
Piano – Horace Parlan (pistas: 1 to 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Vocals – Crystal-Joy Albert (pistas: 1, 7)
While this 1964 set is less renowned than its immediate follow-ups (I Talk with the Spirits and Rip Rig & Panic), it's one of the most straightforward hard bop sessions recorded by Roland Kirk (he added the "Rahsaan" in 1969) during his mid-'60s tenure at Mercury Records. As usual, Kirk plays between one and four reeds at a time throughout Gifts & Messages, his carefully thought-out yet often abandoned solos approaching free jazz at times. The assured hard bop of his backing trio, pianist Horace Parlan, bassist Michael Fleming and drummer Steve Ellington, does nothing to restrain Kirk's wilder fancies. The three are able to keep up with even his most outre offerings, such as "Vertigo Ro" and "Hip Chops," and are equally adept at the classically structured "March of Swan Lake" and the gentle "Petite Fleur." [Some reissues add a bonus track, the giddy improv "Jive Elephant."] Rovi Staff
Tracklist :
1 Intro By Ronnie Scott 0'17
MC – Ronnie Scott
2 Bags' Groove 12'04
Milt Jackson
3 Intro By Roland Kirk 2'17
MC – Roland Kirk
4 It Might As Well Be Spring 6'25
Rodgers / Hammerstein
5 (On A) Misty Night 9'30
T. Dameron
6 Come Sunday 5'34
D. Ellington
7 Avalon 9'31
Rose / Jolson / De Sylva
8 My Ship 650
K. Weill / Gershwin
9 A Stritch In Time 10'08Stan T
R. Kirk
10 Gifts And Messages 12'38
R. Kirk
11 Reeling And Rhyming 2'45
R. Kirk
Credits :
Bass – Rick Laird
Drums – Allan Ganley
Piano – Stan Tracey
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Nose Flute, Siren, Voice, Saxophone [Manzello. Stritch, Saxophonium] – Roland Kirk
Here Comes the Whistleman showcases Rahsaan Roland Kirk in 1967 with a fine band, live in front of a host of invited guests at Atlantic Studios in New York. His band for the occasion is stellar: Jacki Byard or Lonnie Smith on piano, Major Holley on bass, Lonnie Smith on piano, and Charles Crosby on drums. This is the hard, jump blues and deep R&B Roland Kirk band, and from the git, on "Roots," they show why. Kirk comes screaming out of the gate following a double time I-IV-V progression, with Holley punching the accents along the bottom and Byard shoving the hard tight chords up against Kirk's three-horn lead. The extended harmony Kirk plays -- though the melody line is a bar walking honk -- is extreme, full of piss and vinegar. On the title track, along with the artist's requisite, and genuinely good, humor, Kirk breaks out the whistles on top of the horn for a blues stomp with Smith taking over the piano chores. Smith plays a two chord vamp, changing the accent before he beings to break it open into a blues with skittering fills and turnarounds while Kirk blows circularly for 12 and 14 bars at a time. Byard returns for a tender and stirring duet rendition of "I Wished on the Moon," with his own glorious rich lyricism. And here is where Kirk displays the true measure of his ability as a saxophonist. Turning the ballad inside out, every which way without overstating the notes. Here, Ben Webster meets Coleman Hawkins in pure lyric ecstasy. The set officially ends with the wailing flute and sax jam "Aluminum Baby," (both courtesy of the irrepressible Kirk) and the bizarre ride of "Step Right Up" where Kirk sings scat in a dialect that sounds like Pop-eye. Now that's where the LP version ended, but the Label M CD reissue tags on, without credits anywhere two absolutely essential scorchers with what seems to be Byard on piano and an over-the-top bass blowout from Holley. Kirk plays saxophones on both, being his own horn section. This makes an already satisfying date an essential one. Given these additions, this might arguably be the place to start for an interested but underexposed listener who wants to experience how dazzlingly original Kirk was.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1 Roots 4'09
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2 Here Comes the Whistle Man 4'53
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3 I Wished on the Moon 4'48
Dorothy Parker / Ralph Rainger
4 Making Love After Hours 4'20
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
5 Yesterdays 3'54
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
6 Aluminum Baby 4'41
Jaki Byard
7 Step Right Up 4'41
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Roland Kirk (pistas: 7)
Double Bass – Major Holley
Drums – Charles Crosby
Flute – Roland Kirk (pistas: 4, 5)
Nose Flute – Roland Kirk (pistas: 2)
Piano – Jackie Byard (pistas: 1, 3, 6), Lonnie Smith (pistas: 2, 4, 5, 7)
Saxophone [Manzello] – Roland Kirk (pistas: 4, 6)
Saxophone [Stritch] – Roland Kirk (pistas: 4)
Tenor Saxophone – Roland Kirk (pistas: 1 to 4)
Combining the short yet solid 1965 release, Rip, Rig and Panic with Rahsaan Roland Kirk's 1967 release Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith, this two-fer presents a perfect portrait of Kirk's mid-'60s sound. While the albums are very different stylistically, Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith's mix of avant-garde and groove sounds seems like a logical next step to Rip, Rig and Panic's solid hard bop. Either of these albums would be great acquisitions on their own; getting them together is pure gravy. Stacia Proefrock
Rip, Rig & Panic (1965)
1 The Roland Kirk Quartet ft. Elvin Jones– No Tonic Press 4:30
Written-By – R. Kirk
2 The Roland Kirk Quartet ft. Elvin Jones– Once In A While 3:58
Written-By – B. Green, M. Edwards
3 The Roland Kirk Quartet ft. Elvin Jones– From Bechet, Byas, And Fats 6:28
Written-By – R. Kirk
4 The Roland Kirk Quartet ft. Elvin Jones– Mystical Dream 2:36
Written-By – R. Kirk
5 The Roland Kirk Quartet ft. Elvin Jones– Rip, Rig, And Panic 6:55
Written-By – R. Kirk
6 The Roland Kirk Quartet ft. Elvin Jones– Black Diamond 5:20
Written-By – M. Sealey
7 The Roland Kirk Quartet ft. Elvin Jones– Slippery, Hippery, Flippery 4:58
Written-By – R. Kirk
Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith (1967)
8 The Roland Kirk Quartet– Blue Rol 6:09
Written-By – R. Kirk
9 The Roland Kirk Quartet– Alfie 2:52
Written-By – Bacharach/David
10 The Roland Kirk Quartet– Why Don't They Know 2:54
Written-By – R. Kirk
11 The Roland Kirk Quartet– Silverlization 4:57
Written-By – R. Kirk
12 The Roland Kirk Quartet– Fallout 3:01
Written-By – R. Kirk
13 The Roland Kirk Quartet– Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith 4:23
Written-By – R. Kirk
14 The Roland Kirk Quartet– Stompin' Grounds 4:46
Written-By – R. Kirk
15 The Roland Kirk Quartet– It's A Grand Night For Swinging 3:10
Written-By – B. Taylor
Credits :
Bass – Richard Davis (pistas: 1 to 7), Ronald Boykins (pistas: 8 to 15)
Castanets, Siren – Roland Kirk (pistas: 1 to 7)
Drums – Elvin Jones (pistas: 1 to 7), Grady Tate (pistas: 8 to 15)
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Flute – Roland Kirk (pistas: 8 to 15)
Piano – Jaki Byard (pistas: 1 to 7), Lonnie Liston Smith (pistas: 8 to 15)
Tenor Saxophone, Saxophone [Stritch], Saxophone [Manzello] – Roland Kirk
Tracklist :
1 Walk on By 2:32
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
2 Raouf 3:03
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3 It's All in the Game 5:14
Charles G. Dawes / Carl Sigman
4 Juarez 5:22
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
5 Shaky Money 2:36
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6 Nothing But the Truth 3:33
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7 Safari 4:26
Eddie Mathias
8 And I Love Her 2:53
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
9 Ebrauqs 8:16
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Credits :
Arranged By [Vocals] – Coleridge Perkinson
Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Saxophone [Manzello, Strich] – Roland Kirk
Bass – Edward Mathias
Congas – Montego Joe
Drums – Gerald Brown
Flugelhorn – Martin Banks
Percussion – Manuel Ramos
Piano, Celesta [Celeste] – Horace Parlan
Trombone, Harp [Nagoya Harp], Arranged By – Garnett Brown
Trumpet – Virgil Jones
Before the issue of Blacknuss, Rahsaan Roland Kirk was already exploring ways in which to make soul and R&B rub up against jazz and come out sounding like deep-heart party music. Volunteered Slavery, with its beat/African chanted poetry and post-bop blues ethos was certainly the first strike in the right direction. With a band that included Charles McGhee on trumpet, Dick Griffin on trombone, organist Mickey Tucker, bassist Vernon Martin, drummers Jimmy Hopps and Charles Grady, as well as Sony Brown, Kirk made it work. From the stinging blues call and response of the tile track through the killer modern creative choir jam on "Spirits Up Above" taking a small cue from Archie Shepp's Attica Blues. But it's when Kirk moves into the covers, of "My Cherie Amour," "I Say a Little Prayer," and the Coltrane medley of "Afro Blue," "Lush Life," and "Bessie's Blues," that Kirk sets it all in context: how the simplest melody that makes a record that sells millions and touches people emotionally, can be filled with the same heart as a modal, intricate masterpiece that gets a few thousand people to open up enough that they don't think the same way anymore. For Kirk, this is all part of the black musical experience. Granted, on Volunteered Slavery he's a little more formal than he would be on Blacknuss, but it's the beginning of the vein he's mining. And when the album reaches its end on "Three for the Festival," Kirk proves that he is indeed the master of any music he plays because his sense of harmony, rhythm, and melody comes not only from the masters acknowledged, but also from the collective heart of the people the masters touched. It's just awesome.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1 Volunteered Slavery 5'43
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2 Spirits up Above 3'37
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3 My Cherie Amour 3'20
Henry Cosby / Sylvia Moy / Stevie Wonder
4 Search for the Reason Why 2'07
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
5 I Say a Little Prayer 7'59
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
6 Roland's Opening Remarks 0'41
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7 One Ton 5'02
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
8 Ovation and Roland's Remarks 1'42
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
9 A Tribute to John Coltrane: Lush Life/Afro-Blue/Bessie's Blues 8'14
John Coltrane / Mongo Santamaría / Billy Strayhorn
10 Three for the Festival 4'23
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Credits :
Backing Vocals [Vocal Backgrounds] – Roland Kirk Spirit Choir
Bass – Vernon Martin
Drums – Charles Crosby, Jimmy Hopps, Sonny Brown
Piano – Ron Burton
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Nose Flute, Horns [Mazello, Stritch], Gong, Whistle, Vocals – Roland Kirk
Trombone – Dick Griffin
Trumpet – Charles McGhee
The title of this album, Left and Right, no doubt refers to the sides of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's brain, which were both heavily taxed in the composing, arranging, conducting, and playing of this recording. For starters, the band is huge -- 17 players plus a 16-piece string section, all of it arranged and conducted by Kirk, a blind man. None of this would matter a damn if this weren't such a badass platter. Along with Kirk's usual crew of Ron Burton, Julius Watkins, Dick Griffin, Jimmy Hopps, and Gerald Brown, there are luminaries in the crowd including Alice Coltrane on harp, Pepper Adams on baritone saxophone, and no less than Roy Haynes helping out on the skins. What it all means is this: The man who surprised and outraged everybody on the scene -- as well as blew most away -- was at it again here in "Expansions," his wildly ambitious and swinging post-Coltrane suite, which has "Black Mystery Has Been Revealed" as its prelude. While there are other tracks on this record, this suite is its centerpiece and masterpiece -- despite killer readings of Billy Strayhorn's "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing" and "Quintessence." "Expansions" has Kirk putting his entire harmonic range on display, and all of the timbral extensions he used in his own playing are charted for a string section to articulate. There are subtleties, of course, which come off as merely tonal variations in extant harmony with the other instruments, but when they are juxtaposed against a portrayal of the entire history of jazz -- from Jelly Roll Morton to the present day -- then they become something else: the storytellers, the timbres, and the chromatic extensions that point in the right direction and get listeners to stop in the right places. This is an extreme for Rahsaan -- extremely brilliant and thoroughly accessible.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1 Black Mystery Has Been Revealed 1:16
Written-By – Roland Kirk
2 Expansions: (A) Kirkquest, (B) Kingus Mingus, (C) Celestialness, (D) A Dream Of Beauty Reincarnated, (E) Frisco Vibrations, (F) Classical Jazzical, (G) Ellington Psalms, (H) Haynes' Brain's Sayin's, (I) What's Next-Overture 19:35
Written-By – Roland Kirk
3 Lady's Blues 3:44
Written-By – Roland Kirk
4 IX Love 3:38
Written-By – Charles Mingus
5 Hot Cha 3:21
Written-By – Willie Woods
6 Quintessence 4:10
Written-By – Quincy Jones
7 I Waited For You 2:52
Written-By – Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Fuller
8 A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing 3:56
Written-By – Billy Strayhorn
Credits :
Arranged By [String Section] – Gilbert Fuller (pistas: 3 to 8)
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams (pistas: 2)
Bass – Vernon Martin (pistas: 2 to 8)
Bass Trombone – Benny Powell (pistas: 2)
Bassoon – Daniel Jones (pistas: 2)
Celesta, Thumb Piano, Instruments [Small Instruments] – Roland Kirk (pistas: 2)
Clarinet, Organ, Narrator – Roland Kirk (pistas: 1)
Drums – Jimmy Hopps (pistas: 2), Roy Haynes (pistas: 3 to 8)
Flute – Roland Kirk (pistas: 2, 3)
French Horn – James Buffington (pistas: 3 to 8), Julius Watkins (pistas: 3 to 8)
Harp – Alice Coltrane (pistas: 2)
Horns [Manzello] – Roland Kirk (pistas: 2, 5, 6)
Horns [Stritch] – Roland Kirk (pistas: 2, 8)
Percussion – Gerald Brown (pistas: 2), Warren Smith (pistas: 2 to 8)
Piano – Ron Burton (pistas: 2 to 8)
Strings – Alfred Brown (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Anthony Sophos (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Charles McCracken (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Gene Orloff (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), George Ockner (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Harold Furmansky (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), James Buffington* (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Joseph Malignaggi (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Julien Barber (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Leo Kruczek (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Matthew Raimondi (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Noel Dacosta (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Richard Elias (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Sanford Allen (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Selwart Clarke (pistas: 1, 3 to 8), Winston Collymore (pistas: 1, 3 to 8)
Tenor Saxophone – Roland Kirk (pistas: 2, 4, 5, 7)
Trombone – Dick Griffin (pistas: 2)
Trumpet – Richard Williams (pistas: 2)
Vibraphone [Vibes], Percussion – Warren Smith (pistas: 3 to 8)
Woodwind – Frank Wess (pistas: 3 to 8)
Esbjörn Svensson has stood not only once on stage in Montreux. He was already a guest in the summer of 1998 at the jazz festival on Lake Gen...
