Rahsaan Roland Kirk was born Ronald Theodore Kirk in Columbus, Ohio in 1935. Apparently compelled in a dream to transpose two letters in his first name to make Roland, he became blind at an early age as a result of poor medical treatment. In 1970, Kirk added "Rahsaan" to his name after hearing it spoken in another dream. Preferring to lead his own bands, Kirk nevertheless often performed as a sideman with other Jazz greats, most notably with arranger Quincy Jones and drummer Roy Haynes. and had notable stints with bassist Charles Mingus. One of his best-known recorded performances is the lead flute and solo on Jones' "Soul Bossa Nova", a 1964 hit song re-popularized in the Austin Powers films. 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 past, from ragtime to swing and free jazz. His main instrument was the tenor saxophone, supplemented by other saxes, and contrasted with the lighter sound of the flute. At times he would play a number of these horns at once, harmonizing with himself, or sustain a note for lengthy durations by using circular breathing, or play the rare, seldom heard nose flute. A number of his instruments were exotic or homemade, but even while playing two or three saxophones at once the music was intricate, powerful jazz with a strong feel for the blues. Kirk was politically outspoken. During his concerts, between songs he often talked about topical issues, including black history and the civil rights movement. His monologues were often laced with satire and absurdist humor. According to talk show host Jay Leno, when Leno toured with Kirk as his opening act, Kirk would introduce him by saying, I want to introduce a young brother who knows the black experience and knows all about the white devils .... Please welcome Jay Leno! He was renowned for his onstage vitality, during which virtuoso improvisation was accompanied by comic banter, political ranting, and the ability to play several instruments simultaneously. This 4 CD Set compiles together the albums - eight in all - that Roland Kirk released under his own name, or on which he featured heavily as a sideman, during his first six years as a recording artist. From his debut Triple Threat in 1956 (released originally on the King Records label) through to his stunning contribution to British Jazz legend, Tubby Hayes , Tubby s Back in 1962 - the era most fans and Jazz aficionados consider the great man s Golden Years are compiled here in their entirety.
R**S
Jazz Sublime
This is a 2014 Enlightenment records reissue of eight Rahsaan Roland Kirk albums originally released between 1956 through 1962. The box set contains 62 tracks totaling 275 minutes. The sound is consistently crisp and clear throughout.The time period covers Roland Kirk as he was ascending into one of the most sought out jazz artists in the post bop era. These albums feature the artist as either lead or as a strong collaborator with major jazz artists."Triple Threat", released in 1956 was Roland Kirk's debut project. It featured seven tracks of which four were composed by Mr. Kirk. The record offered the first examples of the artist playing multiple wind instruments. Two standards,' The Nearness of You' and" Stormy Weather" were overdubbed with Manzello and tenor sax played by Roland Kirk. This early work previewed the artist's brilliant creative potential."Introducing Roland Kirk" was the artist's second solo album. Issued in 1960, this work contained six tracks with three numbers composed by Roland Kirk."We Free Kings" is a 1961 release containing nine tracks, seven are Kirk compositions. The album contains moving performances by Hank Jones on piano and Wendell Marshall (Jimmy Blanton's cousin) on double bass."Domino" was originally issued in 1962. This album dramatically showcases Kirk's unique performance and arranging talent. There are ten tracks with five Kirk compositions. The performances and audio quality are exceptional."Kirk's Work" is a 1961release originally engineered by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder. The album includes ten tracks with four tunes written by Kirk. Jack McDuff on Hammond organ and Art Taylor on drums deliver stunning performances."Big Band Bosa Nova" proved one of Kirk's most commercially successful albums. It was essentially a Quincy Jones project; he produced it and lined up an all star cast to record the material. The group consisted of Phil Woods (alto sax), Clark Terry (trumpet), Jim Hall (guitar), Paul Gonsalves (tenor sax) and Roland Kirk (flute). The album produced the best selling single," Soul Bosa Nova"."Out of the Afternoon", released in 1962 was a Roy Haynes Quartet project. It contains seven tracks, including outstanding renditions of "Fly Me to the Moon" and "Some Other Spring". Performing along with Haynes and Kirk are Tommy Flannigan on piano and Henry Grimes on bass. This album proved a major contribution to the Post Bop genre.The final album included in the box set is the 1962 release,"Tubby's Back in Town".Tubby Hayes was a major talent in the U.K. jazz scene. He was a gifted musician who led the Ronnie Scott house band between 1957-59. Unfortunately, he was little known in the U.S., primarily due to limited exposure. His career was cut short with his untimely death at 38 years of age in 1973.This album, containing five tracks, allows the listener to appreciate the collaboration between Tubby and Roland Kirk. Other musicians include James Moody (sax), Sam Jones (bass), Louis Hayes (drums) and Walter bishop jr. (piano). "Afternoon in Paris" and the medley" If I had you"/"Alone Together" are classic jazz recordings.Highly recommended for all Rahsaan Roland Kirk and/or post bop fans that have yet to add these recordings to their collections.
R**L
essential work
Probably the most exciting sax soloist in jazz history, multi-instrumentalist (& blind) Roland Kirk could play several instruments at the same time (he would make his own instruments or reshape existing ones for that purpose), plus by learning “circular breathing”, he could play continuously with no discernible pauses. He mostly led his own bands, but he was a sideman on a few acclaimed albums, 3 of which are in this great sounding (w/headphones) box set. Except for his debut album in mono, the other 7 are in stereo; playback volume levels are fairly uniform (the 2nd album on disc 1 is slightly lower than the other 7). These 8 albums fall into what many consider to be his “golden age”.Disc 1: 66 minutes; albums Triple Threat (1956) & Introducing Roland Kirk (’60).D-2: 70; We Free Kings & Kirk’s Work (both ’61).D-3: 71; Domino & Big Band Bossa Nova (by the Qunicy Jones Band) (both ’62).D4: 73; Out of the Afternoon (by the Roy Haynes Quartet) & Tubby’s Back in Town (by Tubby Hayes & the All Stars) (both ‘62).All albums are complete & in proper song order, except for Tubby’s...(songs mixed up).Discs are securely held by plastic teeth inside a dual-hinged jewel case, which in turn slides into a cardboard box /a closing flap. Minimal 4 page booklet w/minor Kirk bio inside; front cover shows pictures of all 8 album’s front; rear page lists album, date, label w/catalog #, song title w/length & composer’s last name. No personnel listed. If interested, Windows Media player correctly identifies each song.
K**R
Embryonic Roland!
Four stars because Mr Kirk, for all his massive, eccentric virtuosity, is not averse to covering songs that are beneath his talents. But what sort of restores the fifth star is the fact that we get to hear the evolution of his ferocious, multi-reed attack. I love Soul Bossa Nova, but Kirk gets a little buried in Quincy Jones' busy, saccharin arrangements. Mr Jones is a great bandleader/arranger as we can hear from his work with Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan and Frank Sinatra to name a few and his film soundtracks(The Pawnbroker for instance), but he can sometimes fall into the trap of creating trite, cliche-ridden arrangements. You can hear evidence of that on the Jones album included in this set. Makes you treasure every note, chord and multi-reed blast from Roland Kirk's arsenal all the more! Droops in spots(mostly spots where Mr Kirk is not playing), but still worth the purchase.
J**D
Roland Kirk: American Master 1956-1962
Roland Kirk was a skilled American roots musician making sophisticated music, rather than just a sideshow. .Blinded from an early age, Roland Kirk taught himself to play several reed instruments simultaneously. His sense of harmonics was acute, wedded to the flair for the dramatic Mr.Kirk was famed for,-making a potent combination, especially when playing the blues. His stylistic palette was broad, ranging to Bossa Nova and American Standards, all the while remaining firmly rooted in bop. His dates are compositionally wide-ranging and ingeniously arranged. As a listener, my interest in these early recordings (1956-1962) never flags. Whether he's playing with Quincy Jones, Roy Haynes or the British saxophonist Tubby Hayes Roland Kirk leaves an indelible stylistic mark. The more famous recordings include "We Free Kings', "Three for The Festival" and a bossa nova theme made famous by the Austin Powers films. These recordings deserve a middleweight's place of honor in any jazz lover's library, perhaps top 250 nestled next to your clutch of Horace Silver records, IMO. .
C**D
A Little Bit Of Magic
I'll keep this short if I can!This set presents Kirk's output over the years mentioned and the recordings are so good considering their age, sounding crystal clear to me - beautiful. The playing is vibrant and flowing, and the listener might forget just how old these recordings are. This has to be a bargain even at the current price, (it was only £6-66 on pre-order), so grab it whilst you can.The notes about the release on Amazon's page are taken word for word from the very basic booklet that comes with the set. Packaging is a standard 4CD plastic box with a cardboard outer box.If you like this guy, get this set, if you're wondering about it, take the plunge for he is a multi-instrumentalist in the true sense of the word.
M**F
with Roland Kirk playing sideman-but good value for money
Several are by other artists,with Roland Kirk playing sideman-but good value for money.Jazz box sets like this 4 cdS for under £10 is incredible value for money.
A**R
Good, early Kirk
Good stuff, but early, not Kirk's best stuff (in my opinion) , but still good. New listeners would do better by getting Blacknuss or rip, rig and panic etc...
D**K
Modern Jazz Blues, as it should be!
The master at his most passionate, screamin' with blues, funk and, man, does it swing!
C**N
Great albums, superb value for money!
Great albums, superb value for money!
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