Too many people thought at first that Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s multi-horn approach to Great Black Music was a gimmick. But if your ears are open and ready for his wildly enthusiastic stage presence and command of his various saxophones, you’ve come to the right place with Vibrations In The Village - Live At The Village Gate. Recorded over two late September nights in 1963, his quartet featured Henry Grimes on bass, Sonny Brown on drums, with no fewer than three different pianists (Horace Parlan, Melvin Rhyne, and Jane Getz) on hand. A glance at the selections will give you an idea of the range of Kirk’s material, heavy on the blues, with Charles Mingus’ Ecclusiastics, a couple of standards and originals in the mix. I’ve been a fan of Kirk’s since I heard his wonderful 1971 Atlantic album Natural Black Inventions:Root Strata when I bought a copy in 1974 because I liked the cover! I’m sorry that I never had a chance to catch him in performance, but we’re fortunate to have video of Kirk performances available. The music comes first though, and from the first bars of Jump Up and Down - Fast, you’ll happily be drawn into Kirk’s unique musical world. The presence of the excellent bassist Henry Grimes is another reason to pay close attention to the proceedings. The 32-page booklet in the CD version includes liner notes by John Kruth, reminiscences by Dorthaan Kirk, Rahsaan’s widow, pianist Jane Getz, trombonist Steve Turre, who played with Kirk in the Sixties, a short piece by biographer May K. Cobb, and Adam Dorn, whose father, the late Joel Dorn, was a huge Kirk fan who produced a number of his albums. We also get to read appreciations by saxophonists Chico Freeman and James Carter. Turre’s essay has this insightful quote from Rahsaah: “As far back as you can go, determine how far forward you can go. You got to know where you’re coming from to know where you’re going.” Vibrations In The Village offers more bright moments from the great Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and is seriously recommended. Resonance HCD-2081 (also on vinyl); Rahsaan Roland Kirk (ts, stritch, manzello, fl, vcl, whistles, etc.) Horace Parlan*, Melvin Rhyne**, or Jane Getz*** (p) Henry Grimes (b) Sonny Brown (d); NYC, September 26-27, 1963; Jump Up and Down - Fast*/ Ecclusiastics*/ All the Things You Are**/ Laura**/ Kirk’s Delight*/ Oboe Blues*/ Blues Minor at the Gate**/ Falling in Love With Love***/ Three For the Festival***; 77:35.
Equally recommended is
Seek And Listen - Live At The Penthouse with
Rahsaan Roland Kirk in a pair of broadcast performances from September 1967. By this point in his career, Kirk had a stable quartet with Rahn Burton on piano, Steve Novosel on bass, and Jimmy Hopps on drums. The repertoire has widened to include pop hits like
Alfie and
Ode to Billie Joe (!), the traditional spiritual
Down By the Riverside, and the welcome inclusion of some Ellington tunes. The result is another gem from the era of live jazz on the radio, courtesy of the fine recording skills of Jim Wilke, and unearthed by the indefatigable Zev Feldman. The band is smoking from the opening blast of
The Jump Thing. Then Kirk introduces the next tune, and there’s no stopping them after that. One crucial aspect of the Penthouse treasures released by Resonance is that these are real time performances, not stitched together like most studio sessions and many live recordings. Two gloriously exciting medleys conclude the first night’s proceedings. One week later, the quartet is back, leading off with the funkiest treatment of
Ode to Billie Joe that you’re ever likely to hear, stretched out to just over 12 minutes. After a
Prelude to a Kiss featuring Kirk like a one-man saxophone section, the rest of the set is devoted to four of Kirk’s original tunes.
Funk Underneath is a flute feature, with his nose flute involved as well.
Lovellevelliloqui is an upbeat burner, followed by the lovely ballad
Now Please Don’t You Cry, Beautiful Edith, and ending up with Kirk singing the blues on
Making Love After Hours. As any number of his associates will testify, you never knew what would happen next when Kirk and the band hit the stage. Here’s about an hour and a half of genuine surprises. The CD set’s 36-page booklet includes John Kruth’s liner notes, many of the pieces which appeared in the Village Gate recordings, with the addition of reminiscences of Penthouse owner’s son, Charlie Puzzo, Jr., engineer Jim Wilke, and bassist Novosel, who was on the road with Kirk for 3 years. Don’t miss it.
Resonance HCD-2080 (also on vinyl); Rahsaan Roland Kirk (ts, fl, stritch, manzello, flexatone, siren, vcl, whistles, etc.) Rahn Burton (p) Steve Novosel (b) Jimmy Hopps (d); Seattle, WA, September 8 (Disc 1) & 15 (Disc 2), 1967; Disc 1 (41:43): The Jump Thing/ Alfie/ Mingus-Griff Song/ Medley: Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye; I’ve Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good); Sophisticated Lady; Satin Doll/ Medley: Blues for C & T; Happy Days are Here Again; Down by the Riverside. Disc 2 (44:55): Ode to Billie Joe/ Prelude to a Kiss/ Funk Underneath/ Lovellevelliloqui/ Now Please Don’t You Cry, Beautiful Edith/ Making Love After Hours.
resonancerecords.org
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