CDs by Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Blacknuss  /  Volunteered Slavery  / Bright Moments  / Brotherman in the Fatherland /  The Inflated Tear

Music Video: Rahsaan Roland Kirk 

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1971 Atlantic Recording

Side One 1. Volunteer Slavery 5:40 2. The Inflated Tear 4:46 3. Lady's Blues 3:45

In Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Sixties (Horizon Press) Roland Kirk was described as unclassifiable "either as an avant-gardist or as a traditionalist; he is a completely original performer, a category in himself . . . ." That statement, written in 1966, has become more of a verity with the passing of the years.

Rahsaan--as he is now known, after hearing himself called by this name in a dream--is more than a category. he is a complete musical experience, predictably unpredictable, as can be heard in the gamut of moods and emotions he runs in this "Best Rahsann Roland Kirk." 

Early in his career Ra Ro suffered the zings and callows of outrageous critics only to rise from the hashish like the kleenix (which rises faster than the phoenix because it pops up into position). The kleenix was once only white but now it comes in colors. Rahsaan's color is black although he can't see it. But blackness isn't just color as much as it is the proud, positive heart of an enduring, surviving people. Rahsaan feels it and plays it. He is a living musical history book--a giant ear, suffused by sound, who hears all, digests it and recycles it in a continuum as circular as the breathing which allows him to play for min-eternities.

"Volunteer Slavery" is many sounds, instrumental and vocal, exploding all over in a contemporary spiritual. Dig the insert from "Hey Jude." Kirk brings out his strong, guts tenor saxophone on this one.

The glocken sounds of the flexafone begin "The Inflated Tear" before two reeds are brought into play simultaneously to announce the lovely Ellingtonian theme which graduates into a harsher reality and back to serenity. The chimes of the flexafone conjure up the innocence of the nursery where baby Rahsann was given too much medicine in his eyes by a careless nurse who began "The Inflated Tear." Out of great pain came great beauty.

"Lady's Blues" is, Kirk explains, "for a lot of beautiful ladies, but especially for Billie Holiday." He flutes his gorgeous melody backed by the Gil Fuller-arranged strings. His solo contains some guttural singing and a burst of bracing double-timing.

The Medley, consisting of "Going Home" (from Dvorak's New World Symphony), "Sentimental Journey," "In Monument" and "Lover," is from an in person performance at the Village Vanguard. First he introduces "Sentimental Journey" and "Going Home" separately and then plays them simultaneously. 

The same technique, theme and bass line, is used on his own minor-key "In Monument," dedicated to Art Tatum. Finally, in a fantastic display of duple virtuosity, and miraculous, and miraculous breath control, he launches into "Lover," including a quote from "My Favorite Things" just to keep things in the Richard Rodgers songbook.

The Rahsaan Roland Kirk Spirit Choir is featured on Kirk's lilting, uplifting "Search for the Reason Why" which moves along on an Afro-Latino beat.

With a heavy back beat kicking him on Rahsaan is into flutin' the blues in "Making Love After Hours." He also enlists the aid of his nose in a duet of metal and plastic flutes. Lonnie Smith plays some two-handed, driving piano and Kirk's reeds are a pulsing ensemble.

"Black root" is some primitive soul as Rahsaan blows black mystery ("a piece of bamboo and a yard long metal tube--two pipes are played simultaneously. The long tube is the drone tube which is in the key of G.") and accompanies himself on bass drum and cymbals. Kirk's vocal sounds are slightly disturbing, like meeting of Stone Age man at the mouth of his cave.

"One Ton," a fast, pounding blues is from Rahsaan's set at the 1968 Newport Jazz Festival where he scored a huge hit. A flute solo, self-accompanied with singing turns into a flute-nose flute duet and then he makes the flute twang like a guitar, punctuating the whole trip with his siren whistle. Wheeee!

The happy, light-spirited "A Laugh for Rory" is an appreciation of his young son delivered by flute. Drummer Jimmy Hopps is taking care of business and pianist Ron Burton has a fleet solo.

A journey into Rahsaan exotica, "Rahsaanica," is the closer. he begins on piccolo and then goes to flute while accompanying himself on the harmonium. When I asked producer Joel Dorn how Rahsaan did that, he answered, "With his thigh." Maurice McKinley is on conga and Joe Habao Texidor on tambourine.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk, the total music fount, is a sightless visionary.

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Rahsaan Roland Kirk plays tenor sax, stritch, manzello, B. Flat & E Flat clarinettes, flute, black puzzle flute, nose flute, black mystery pipes, harmonium, piccolo, English horn, flexafone, whistle, bass drum, thundersheet, sock cymbal, bells, music box, palms, typani, gong and applies the use of bird sounds and is also heard vocally on "Search for the Reason Why."

He plays the above instruments individually and simultaneously and it is impossible to determine which and how many of the instruments are played at any given moment on any selection.

Source: Atlantic Recording Corporation, 1971

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update 6 July 2008