Rahsaan Roland Kirk was one of the purest and most fascinating jazz artists and composers of the post-war period. Blinded as a toddler by a nurse, he was a soulful and experimental musician and a romantic multi-instrumentalist who energetically defied his own physical limitations to become the very essence of jazz in all its free but gifted glory. He looked like chaos, with all of his reed and woodwind instruments around his neck. In truth, Kirk was beautifully lyrical and artfully original.
Here are five clips of Kirk in action...
Here's Kirk playing Stevie Wonder's My Cherie Amour in Paris in 1972...
Here's Making Love After Hours in 1967, with pianist Ron Burton, bassist Niels Henning Ørsted-Pedersen and drummer Alex Riel in Norway...
Here's Sound?, a 1967 documentary of Kirk with avant-garde composer John Cage...
Here's Roland Kirk in Montreux in 1975 performing his song Bright Moments...
Here's Part II...
Bonus: Here's Vibration Society, a 1980s group founded by his widow, Dorthaan, and dedicated to Kirk's music. I remember seeing them perform at Barry Harris's Jazz Cultural Theater in 1986 just after this album came out. On this track, Bright Moments, singers Suzanne Klewan and Timmy Shepherd were joined by trumpeter Bill Hardman, saxophonist Junior Cook, trombonist Steve Turre, pianist Hilton Ruiz, bassist Paul Brown and drummer Leroy Williams...
Happy Birthday, Billy.
