Rahsaan Roland Kirk

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General Info

Genre: Jazz
Location NEW YORK, New York, US
Profile Views: 20988
Last Login: 12/2/2009
Member Since 4/29/2007
Website http://www.alfanet.hu/kirk/index2.html
Record Label Mercury, Atlantic, Warner Bros
Type of Label Major
Bio
.. .. .. .. .. Rahsaan Roland Kirk (August 7, 1936 - December 5, 1977) was a blind American jazz multi-instrumentalist. He was perhaps best known for his ability to play more than one saxophone at once. Kirk was born Ronald Theodore Kirk in Columbus, Ohio, but felt compelled by a dream to transpose two letters in his first name to make Roland. In 1970, Kirk added "Rahsaan" to his name. Preferring to lead his own groups, Kirk rarely performed as a sideman, although he did record with arranger Quincy Jones, Roy Haynes and had especially notable stints with Charles Mingus. He played the lead flute and solo on Jones' Soul Bossa Nova, a song popularized in the Austin Powers films (Jones 1964; McLeod et al. 1997). His playing was generally rooted in soul jazz or hard bop, but Kirk's knowledge of jazz history allowed him to draw on many elements of the music's history, from ragtime to swing and free jazz. Kirk also regularly explored classical and pop music. Kirk played and collected a number of musical instruments, mainly various saxophones, clarinets and flutes. His main instruments were a tenor saxophone and two obscure saxophones: the manzello (similar to a soprano sax) and the stritch (a straight alto sax lacking the instrument's characteristic upturned bell). Kirk modified these instruments himself to accommodate his simultaneous playing technique. He typically appeared on stage with all three horns hanging around his neck, as well as a variety of other instruments, including flutes and whistles, and often kept a gong within reach. Kirk also played harmonica, english horn, recorders and was a competent trumpeter. He often had unique approaches, using a saxophone mouthpiece on a trumpet or playing nose flute. He additionally used many extramusical (musique concrète) sounds in his art, such as alarm clocks, whistles, sirens, a section of common garden hose ("the black mystery pipes") and even primitive electronic sounds (before such things became commonplace). Some observers thought that Kirk's bizarre onstage appearance and simultaneous multi-instrumentalism were just gimmicks, especially when coming from a blind man, but these opinions usually vanished when Kirk actually started playing. He used the multiple horns to play true chords, essentially functioning as a one-man saxophone section. Kirk insisted that he was only trying to emulate the sounds he heard in his mind. Kirk was also a major exponent and practitioner of circular breathing. Using this technique, Kirk was not only able to sustain a single note for virtually any length of time; he could also play sixteenth-note runs of almost unlimited length, and at high speeds. His circular breathing ability enabled him to record "Concerto For Saxophone" on the "Prepare Thyself To Deal With A Miracle" LP in one continuous take of about 20 minutes' playing with no discernible "break" for inhaling. His long-time producer at Atlantic Jazz, Joel Dorn, believes he should have received credit in The Guinness Book of World Records for such feats (he was capable of playing continuously "without taking a breath" for far longer than exhibited on that LP), but this never happened. "The Case Of The 3-Sided Dream in Audio Color" was a unique album in jazz and popular music recorded annals. It was a two-LP set, with Side 4 apparently "blank," the label not indicating any content. However, once word of "the secret message" got around among Rahsaan's fans, one would find that about 12 minutes into Side 4 appeared the first of two telephone answering machine messages recorded by Kirk, the second following soon thereafter (but separated by more blank grooves). The surprise impact of these segments appearing on "blank" Side 4 was lost, of course, on the CD reissue of this album. These spoken-word segments reflected the tenor of the times, so to speak, with the rather pessimistic theme that humanity had "blown" its chance to live in a world of peace and harmony. But this was entirely in keeping with the fact that, despite his loss at an early age of his visual acuity, Rahsaan was very much on top of societal developments, racial and economic injustice and disparity. (Indeed, he had participated many years previously in protests against the failure of TV show hosts like Merv Griffin to hire any non-white musicians.) He gleaned information on what was happening in the world via audio media like radio and the sounds coming from TV sets. His later recordings often incorporated his spoken commentaries on current events, including Richard M. Nixon's involvement in Watergate. The "3-Sided Dream" album was a "concept album," somewhat akin to the Beatles' "psychedelic" phase in the incorporation of "found" or environmental sounds and tape loops, tapes being played backwards, etc. Snippets of Billie Holiday singing are also heard briefly. The album even confronts the rise of influence of computers in society, as Rahsaan threatens to pull the plug on the machine trying to tell him what to do. In 1975, Kirk suffered a major stroke which led to partial paralysis of one side of his body. Despite this, he continued to perform, modifying his instruments himself to enable him to play with only one arm. At a live performance at Ronnie Scott's club in London he even managed to play two instruments, and carried on to tour internationally and even appear on TV. He died from a second stroke in 1977 after performing at the Bluebird nightclub in Bloomington, Indiana. ............ ....Myspace Layouts.. at Pimp-My-Profile.com / ..Gray Blue Flame.. - ..Image Hosting....
Members
Roland Kirk: Triple Threat King 534 November 9, 1956 Roland Kirk: Introducing Roland Kirk Argo 669 June 7, 1960 Roland Kirk: We Free Kings Mercury 20679 August 16-17, 1961 Charles Mingus: Vital Savage Horizons Alto 714 October 21, 1961 Charles Mingus: Oh Yeah Atlantic 1377 November 6, 1961 Charles Mingus: Tonight At Noon Atlantic 1416 November 6, 1961 Roland Kirk: Domino Mercury 20748 April 17-18, September 6, 1962 Roy Haynes: Out Of The Afternoon Impulse 23 May 16, 23, 1962 Quincy Jones: Hip Hits Mercury 60799 June 15, 1962, April 9, 1963 Tubby Hayes and the All-Stars: Tubby's Back In Town Smash 67026 June 23, 1962 Roland Kirk: Live At Newport Jazz Festival 1962 Mercury 846 630 July 2, 1962 Quincy Jones: Big Band Bossa Nova Mercury 60751 August 13, 1962 Eddie Baccus: Feel Real Smash 27054 October 1962 Roland Kirk: Reeds And Deeds Mercury 20800 February 25-26, 1963 Roland Kirk: The Roland Kirk Quartet Meets the Benny Golson Orchestra Mercury 20844 June 11-12, 1963 Roland Kirk: Kirk In Copenhagen Mercury 20894 October 1963 Roland Kirk: Kirk's Work Prestige 7210 Quincy Jones: Mancini Song Book Mercury 60863 February 5-6, 1964 Roland Kirk: Berkshire Blues Mercury 72325 May 26, 1964 Roland Kirk: Gifts and Messages Mercury 20939 July 22, 1964 Roland Kirk: I Talk With The Spirits Limelight 82008 September 16-17, 1964 Sonny Stitt: Loose Walk Philology 43 September 24, 1964 Roland Kirk: Gifts And Messages Allegro/Magnum America JACD 055 October 21, November 3, 1964 Quincy Jones: We Had a Ball Limelight 86002 December 20, 1964 Roland Kirk: Rip, Rig and Panic Limelight 82027 January 13, 1965 Roland Kirk: Slightly Latin Limelight 82033 November 16-17, 1965 Roland Kirk: Here Comes The Whistleman Atlantic 3007 1966, September 19, 1966 The Jazz Corps: Featuring Roland Kirk Pacific Jazz 20116 October 11-12, 1966 Roland Kirk & John Cage: Sound?? 1967 Roland Kirk: Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith Verve 8709 April 1967 Roland Kirk: The Inflated Tear Atlantic 1502 November 27, 30, 1967 Roland Kirk: Left and Right Atlantic 1518 June 18, 1968 Roland Kirk: Volunteered Slavery Atlantic 1534 July 7, 22-23, 1968 Jaki Byard: Experience Prestige 7615 September 17, 1968 Quincy Jones: Walking In Space A&M 93023 June 1969 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Live In Paris 1970 Esoldun 109, 115, Bandstand 1539 February 22, 1970 Roland Kirk: Live In Stuttgart 1970 Moon 27 February 26, 1970 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Rahsaan, Rahsaan Atlantic 1575 May 11-12 1970 Roland Kirk & Al Hibbler: A Meeting Of The Times Atlantic 1630 September 19, 1966, March 30-31, 1972 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata Atlantic 1578 January 26, 1971 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: The Best of Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Blacknuss Atlantic 1601 August 31, September 8, 1971 Les McCann: Live At Montreux Atlantic 2-312 June 24, 1972 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: (I, Eye, Aye) Rhino/Atlantic 72453 June 24, 1972 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: The One-Man Twins Rhino/Atlantic [VIDEO] June 24, 1972 Newport in New York '72: The Jam Sessions, Volumes 3 and 4 Cobblestone CST 9026 July 3, 1972 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Prepare Thyself To Deal With A Miracle Atlantic 1640 January 22, 1973 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Bright Moments Atlantic 2-907 June 8-9, 1973 Charles Mingus: Mingus At Carnegie Hall Atlantic 1667 January 19, 1974 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color Atlantic 1674 May 14, 1975 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Other Folks' Music Atlantic 1686 March 1976 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: The Return of the 5000 Pound Man Warner Bros. 2918 1976 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Kirkatron Warner Bros. 2982 1976 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Paris 1976 Royal Jazz 510 November 14, 1976 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: The Man Who Cried Fire Night 91592 1973 - 1977 Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Boogie-Woogie String Along For Real Warner Bros. 3085 1977 Ken Kesey: Poetic Hoohaw [VIDEO] Summer, 1977 Bright Moments [Roland Kirk]
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