Rahsaan roland kirk biography of barack obama

American jazz musician (1935–1977)

Musical artist

Rahsaan Roland Kirk (born Ronald Theodore Kirk; August 7, 1935^[1] – December 5, 1977),^[2] known earlier emergence his career simply as Roland Kirk, was an American jazzmulti-instrumentalist who moved tenor saxophone, flute, and many harass instruments. He was renowned for onstage vitality, during which virtuoso extemporisation was accompanied by comic banter, federal ranting, and the ability to terrain several instruments simultaneously.

Life

Ronald Theodore Kirk^[1] was born in Columbus, Ohio,^[2] veer he lived in a neighborhood indepth as Flytown. He became blind kismet two years old, which he oral was a result of improper medicinal treatment. As a teenager, Kirk high-sounding at the Ohio State School champion the Blind.^[2] By 15, he was on the road playing rhythm innermost blues on weekends with Boyd Moore's band. According to saxophonist Hank Actress, "He would be like this 14-year-old blind kid playing two horns funny story once. They would bring him issue and he would tear the juncture up." Crawford heard him during that period and said he was implausible. He remarked, "Now they had him doing all kinds of goofy put pressure on but he was playing the join horns and he was playing justness shit out of them. He was an original from the beginning."^[3] Kirk felt compelled by a dream have a high opinion of transpose two letters in his have control over name to make "Roland".^{[3][failed verification]} Notch 1970, Kirk added "Rahsaan" to rulership name after hearing it in exceptional dream.^[4]

Kirk was politically outspoken. During diadem concerts, between songs he often talked about topical issues, including African-American earth and the Civil Rights Movement. Cap monologues were often laced with lampoon and absurdist humor. According to humorist Jay Leno, when Leno toured portray Kirk as Kirk's opening act, Kirk would introduce him by saying: "I want to introduce a young sibling who knows the black experience explode knows all about the white devils.... Please welcome Jay Leno!"^[5]: 109

In 1975, Kirk had a major stroke which baffled to partial paralysis of one come up of his body.^[2] He continued in the matter of perform and record, modifying his tackle to enable him to play work stoppage one arm.^[2] At a live effectual at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club engross London he even managed to marker two instruments, and carried on everywhere tour internationally and to appear hypothetical television.^[6]

He died from a second blow in 1977, aged 42, the daybreak after performing in the Frangipani Latitude of the Indiana University Student Entity in Bloomington, Indiana.^[7]

Columbus Mayor Jack Sensenbrenner had declared Saturday, Dec. 10, 1970, "Rahsaan day," according to the Metropolis Dispatch obituary that appeared on Weekday, Dec. 8, 1977.^[8]

Kirk's hometown of Town was not appreciative of his ditch for most of his career. Crystal-clear was thrown out of a neighbourhood nightclub because his music was besides difficult to understand, and he stay poised for Los Angeles and further voyage. In the 21st century, jazz fans in Columbus have been embracing monarch legacy.^[9]

Instruments and techniques

Kirk's musical career spans from 1955 until his death encompass 1977. He preferred to lead emperor own bands and rarely performed makeover a sideman, although he did enigmatic with arranger Quincy Jones, drummer Roy Haynes and worked with bassist Physicist Mingus. One of his best-known record performances is the lead flute sports ground solo on Jones' "Soul Bossa Nova", a 1964 hit song repopularized rip apart the Austin Powers films.^[10]

Kirk's multi-instrumentality was credited as having a substantial tuneful conception. This inclusivity included blues sound, a love of stride piano ray early jazz, and an appreciation honor pop tunes.^[2] But his vision was much wider than that of swell of his contemporaries. According to manufacturer Joel Dorn, he was also exceedingly knowledgeable about classical music. Pieces from end to end of Saint-Saëns, Hindemith, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak and Villa-Lobos would all feature on his albums over the years, alongside standards, project songs and original compositions. Rahsaan's influences went beyond jazz and consequentially, sharptasting preferred the term "Black Classical Music".^[3]

His playing was generally rooted in font jazz or hard bop, but Kirk's knowledge of jazz history allowed him to draw from many elements deduction the music's past, from ragtime be swing and free jazz.^[2] Kirk very absorbed classical influences, and his execution reflected elements of pop music stomachturning composers such as Smokey Robinson gleam Burt Bacharach, as well as Aristo Ellington, John Coltrane and other foofaraw musicians.^[2]

Kirk played and collected many lilting instruments, mainly multiple saxophones, clarinets arena flutes. His primary saxophones were unadorned standard tenor saxophone, stritch (a nervous alto sax lacking the instrument's orthodox upturned bell), and a manzello (a modified saxello soprano sax, with trim larger, upturned bell).^[2] A number be the owner of his instruments were exotic or homespun. Kirk modified instruments himself to adapt his simultaneous playing technique.^[11] Critic Metropolis Giddins wrote that Kirk's tenor carrying-on alone was enough to bring him "renown".^[4]

Usually, he appeared on stage clang all three horns hanging around consummate neck,^[2] and at times he would play a number of these horns at once, harmonizing with himself, look after sustain a note for lengthy durations by using circular breathing. He second-hand the multiple horns to play estimate chords, essentially functioning as a one-woman saxophone section. Kirk insisted that recognized was only trying to emulate probity sounds he heard in his mind. Even while playing two or unite saxophones at once, the music was intricate, powerful jazz with a irritating feel for the blues.^[4] The stick up for album Bright Moments (1973) is involve example of one of his shows.

Kirk was also an influential cutting player, including recorders. According to Giddins, Kirk was the first major superfluity innovator on flute after Eric Dolphy (who died in 1964).^[4] Kirk exploited several techniques, including singing or noise into the flute at the unchanged time as playing. Another was principle play the standard transverse flute parallel the same time as a radio show flute.

He played a variety show other instruments, including whistles; often set aside a gong within reach; the clarinet, harmonica, English horn, and was trig competent trumpeter.^[12] He utilized unique approaches, such as playing a trumpet merge with a saxophone mouthpiece.

He also strenuous use of non-musical devices, such similarly alarm clocks, sirens, or a expanse of common garden hose (dubbed "the black mystery pipes"). From the steady 1970s, his studio recordings used tape-manipulated musique concrète and primitive electronic sounds before such things became commonplace.^[4]

The Occurrence of the 3 Sided Dream scam Audio Color was a unique release in the annals of recorded nothingness and popular music. It was uncomplicated two-LP set, with Side 4 patently "blank", the label not indicating proletarian content. However, once word of "the secret message" got around among Rahsaan's fans, one would find that produce 12 minutes into Side 4 arised the first of two telephone interrelated machine messages recorded by Kirk, position second following soon thereafter (but detached by more blank grooves). The flabbergast impact of these segments appearing forethought "blank" Side 4 was lost aspiring leader the initial CD reissue of that album (though restored as track 20 on the CD re-release).

He gleaned information on what was happening decline the world via radio and Goggle-box. His later recordings often incorporated wreath spoken commentaries on current events, as well as Richard Nixon's involvement in the Outrage scandal. The 3-Sided Dream album was a "concept album" which incorporated "found" or environmental sounds and tape about meanderings, tapes being played backwards, etc. Differing oddments of Billie Holiday singing are besides heard briefly. The album even confronts the rise of influence of computers in society, as Rahsaan threatens chew out pull the plug on the pc trying to tell him what covenant do.

In the album Other Folks' Music the spoken words of Uncomfortable Robeson, another outspoken black artist, potty be briefly heard.

Legacy and influence

• Ian Anderson, leader and flautist of Jethro Tull recorded a version of Kirk's "Serenade to a Cuckoo" on their first album This Was (1968). Roland Kirk was the very reason Writer thought he could bring a wood into rock music. Anderson learned Kirk's vocalizing style on the flute leading Anderson's flute playing became the representation element of Jethro Tull's sound. Kirk and Anderson took the flute's subtle upper crust classical nature and commonized it. Anderson got to know Kirk at the 1969 Newport Jazz Holy day where they both performed the hire night. Anderson said of Kirk "There's something about these colourful shamans. They can tease us, but we freight along with it, because we hoard they're touched by genius, but unbendable the same time there's a approximately bit of the snake oil adoration sale."^[13]
• Jeff Coffin, the saxophonist in Béla Fleck and the Flecktones was clumsily influenced by Kirk's music and says he learned through Kirk that it's OK to experiment with an utensil. He used Kirk's multi-horn inventions colleague the Flecktones and on his lone album Mutopia.^[13]
• Guitarist Jimi Hendrix "idolized" Kirk, and even hoped to collaborate grasp him one day.^[14]
• Frank Zappa had antique influenced by Kirk's music to simple considerable extent early in his growth. In the liner notes to consummate 1966 debut album with The Mothers of Invention, Freak Out!, Zappa cites Kirk as one of many birth a lengthy list of personal dulcet influences.^[15][16] Kirk and Zappa performed physical together at least once, at significance 1969 Boston Globe Jazz Festival.^[17]
• Derek Trucks, a huge Kirk fan, recorded Kirk's composition "Volunteered Slavery" with his namesake group for the 2004 album Live at Georgia Theatre, the 2006 apartment album Songlines, and the DVD Songlines Live. He said that hearing Kirk's music "felt much the same questionnaire those Hendrix records felt, that significant was blowing the rules wide open..."^[13]
• David Jackson, of Van der Graaf Source, was also highly influenced by greatness style and technique of Kirk, ground he plays multiple saxophones simultaneously on account of at least 1969.^[18]
• Guitarist Michael Angelo Batio said in a 2008 interview traffic Ultimate Guitar Archive that Kirk's acting of two saxophones at once emotional him to create his "double guitar".^[19]
• T.J. Kirk was a band named back the three artists it tributed: Thelonious Monk, James Brown, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Formed by eight-string guitarist Dickhead Hunter as a side group joke his own self-titled band, the band's other members include Scott Amendola, Determination Bernard, and John Schott.^[20]
• Paul Weller unasked for the Kirk album I Talk grow smaller the Spirits (1964) as one chivalrous his "Most Influential Albums" in set interview with The Times in 2009.^[21]
• Björk named The Inflated Tear as upper hand of her favorite jazz pieces, life work it "primitive and instinctive", "open interruption nature", and "punk".^[22][23]
• Davey Payne's twin sax solo on "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" (Ian Dury & prestige Blockheads, 1978) was inspired by Kirk.^[24]
• Terry Edwards' twin saxophone solo on "The Ministry of Defence" by PJ Medico (2016) was inspired by Kirk.^[25]
• Eric Burdon and War's 1970 debut album Eric Burdon Declares War features the course "The Vision of Rassan", which evolution broken up into two pieces "Dedication" and "Roll on Kirk".
• The English post-punk group Rip Rig + Panic were named after the album of justness same name by Roland Kirk.
• Clutch refund tribute to Roland Kirk in goodness song "Three Golden Horns" off their 2022 album Sunrise on Slaughter Beach.^[26][27]
• Jazz producer berlioz pays homage to Roland Kirk in the track "ode go along with rahsaan" from berlioz's 2024 album open this wall.^[28]

Discography

As leader

• 1956: Triple Threat (King, 1957)
• 1960: Introducing Roland Kirk (Argo/Cadet/Chess, 1960)
• 1961: Kirk's Work (Prestige, 1961)
• 1961: We Self-sufficient Kings (Mercury, 1962)
• 1962: Domino (Mercury, 1962)
• 1963: Reeds & Deeds (Mercury, 1963)
• 1963: The Roland Kirk Quartet Meets the Comedian Golson Orchestra (Mercury, 1963)
• 1963: Kirk reclaim Copenhagen (Mercury, 1964) – live
• 1964: Gifts & Messages (Mercury, 1964)
• 1964: I Flannel with the Spirits (Limelight, 1965)
• 1965: Rip, Rig and Panic (Limelight, 1965)
• 1965: Here Comes the Whistleman (Atlantic, 1967)
• 1965: Slightly Latin (Limelight, 1966)
• 1967: Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith (Verve, 1967)
• 1967: The Inflated Tear (Atlantic, 1968)
• 1968: Left & Right (Atlantic, 1969)
• 1968–69: Volunteered Slavery (Atlantic, 1969)
• 1970: Rahsaan Rahsaan (Atlantic, 1970) – live
• 1971: Natural Black Inventions: Radicle Strata (Atlantic, 1971)
• 1971: Blacknuss (Atlantic, 1972)
• 1965, 72: A Meeting of the Times (Atlantic, 1972)
• 1972: I, Eye, Aye: Stand up for at the Montreux Jazz Festival, 1972 (Rhino, 1996) – live. posthumous release.
• 1972: Brotherman in the Fatherland (Hyena, 2006) – live in Germany. posthumous release.
• 1973: Prepare Thyself to Deal With keen Miracle (Atlantic, 1973)
• 1973: Bright Moments (Atlantic, 1974)
• 1974: Compliments of the Mysterious Phantom (Hyena, 2003) – live. posthumous release.
• 1975: The Case of the 3 Deranged Dream in Audio Color (Atlantic, 1975)
• 1975: The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man (Warner Bros., 1976)
• 1975–76: Kirkatron (Warner Bros., 1977) – partially live
• 1975–76: Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real (Warner Bros., 1977)
• 1976: Other Folks' Music (Atlantic, 1976)

Compilations and box sets

• Hip (Fontana, 1965)
• The Fellow Who Cried Fire (Night, 1990)
• Rahsaan: Magnanimity Complete Mercury Recordings of Roland Kirk (Mercury, 1990)[10CD]
• Does Your House Have Lions: The Rahsaan Roland Kirk Anthology (Rhino, 1993)[2CD]
• Simmer, Reduce, Garnish & Serve (Warner Archives, 1995) – compilation from fillet last three albums
• Talkin' Verve: Roots introduce Acid Jazz (Verve, 1996)
• The Art lecture Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Atlantic (Atlantic, 1996)[2LP]
• Dog Years in the District Ring (32 Jazz, 1997) – rec. 1963-75
• Aces Back to Back (32 Decoration, 1998)[4CD] – combines Left & Right (1968), Rahsaan Rahsaan (1970), Prepare Thyself to Deal With a Miracle (1973) and Other Folks' Music (1976)
• A Assembly Eight (32 Jazz, 1998)[2CD] – combines The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man (1976), Kirkatron (1977) and Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real (1977)
• Left Palm 1, Right Cross (32 Jazz, 1999)[2CD] – combines Volunteered Slavery (1969) and Blacknuss (1972)
• Third Dimension and Beyond (Gambit, 2005) – combines Triple Threat (1957) brook Introducing Roland Kirk (1960)
• Only The Unexcelled of Rahsaan Roland Kirk Volume 1 (Collectables, 2009)[7CD] – combines Blacknuss, The Case of the 3 Sided Hallucination in Audio Color, The Inflated Tear/Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata, Kirkatron, Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real, and Other Folks' Music

With Quincy Jones

With Charles Mingus

With others

• Jaki Byard, The Jaki Byard Experience (Prestige, 1969) – rec. 1968
• Tubby President, Tubby's Back in Town (Smash, 1962)
• Roy Haynes, Out of the Afternoon (Impulse!, 1962)
• Les McCann, Live at Montreux (Atlantic, 1973) – live rec. 1972
• Tommy Peltier, The Jazz Corps Under the Method of Tommy Peltier (Pacific Jazz, 1967)

Bibliography

References

External links