Waiting to see what kind of sonic wind will fill our sails to navigate in the forthcoming 2026’s waters, what’s better than a quick warm up trip towards an old, safe harbor? Coming out: being pretty obsessed with underrated artists, whatever their field, having in our hands, not one but two (!) live recordings of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, the epitome of such beautiful losers, represents a chance hugely immoral to be missed. We all know that this “much loved maverick,” as defined by the Penguin Guide to Jazz, was an astonishing multi-instrumentalist, totally at ease with the whole reeds family, clarinets, harmonica, English horn, trumpet, m’bira and flute, this last played while singing (the “humming” technique, main influence for Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull fame) or with the nose. His deep and ongoing passion for sounds, drove Kirk to play ancient instruments such as the manzello (a soprano with a mellophone bell) and the stritch, a contralto without bell, or to invent brand new sonic devices like the rokon (a sort of whistle), the black mystery pipes (rubber hoses) or the evil box, an electro noise maker.
Kirk often embraced three saxes together, not to show a bizarre posture but for the sake of a strict, handy necessity due to his blindness since the age of two. This legendary picture, part of the timeless jazz imaginary, has been often used by kritiks (the “k” is not a typo) and musicians to downgrade Kirk as a freakshow, criminally overlooking the amazing sound explorer he was, the timbric balance and the smart eclecticism that allows him to deal with dixie, blues, gospel, soul and funky in a visionary, infectious, furious, passionate but always respectful way. Championed by Charles Mingus until the very last days, revered by Eric Clapton and Frank Zappa, Kirk was for Jimi Hendrix a “stone cold blues musician”, while the black community will never forget when, along with other members of the Jazz and People’s Movement founded in 1970 (Billy Harper, Andrew Cyrille and Lee Morgan), he entered the CBS Studios, showing banners like “More black artists on TV” or “Honor American Jazz Music”, forcing the stop of the Merv Griffin Show that was on air. Fuckin’ ultimate punk gesture, man!
As a late stop, Santa's sledge, with the license plate Resonance Records, left at our front door two magnificent live gifts by Mr. Kirk. Moving chronologically, the first one, Vibrations in the Village, Live at the Village Gate, was recorded at the New York’s Village Gate on November 26-27, 1963 with pianist Horace Parlan, Melvin Rhyne and Jane Getz, along with bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Sonny Brown. The music, originally recorded for a documentary film, was in storage for the next 62 years until now, when finally restored and mastered from the original tapes by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab and 9 tracks for an hour of ecstatic pleasure taking no prisoners, driving the listener on a brakeless rollercoaster of blues, ballads, edgy swinging originals and fearless improvisations. Icing on the cake, an extensive booklet with rare photos and liner notes from Jan Persson, Tom Copi, Raymond Ross, John Kruth and May Cobb, plus interviews and testimonials from Jane Getz, James Carter, Chico Freeman, Steve Turre, Adam Dorn (son of long-time Kirk’s producer Joel Dorn) and others.
With the second, Seek & Listen, Live at the Penthouse, we set the time machine to September 8 and 15, 1967, when Our Man played at the Penthouse jazz club in Seattle accompanied by Rahn Burton on piano, Steve Novosel on bass and Jimmy Hopps on drums. The music, never before released, was originally recorded by radio DJ Jim Wilke for King-FM Radio, then ended up lost somewhere, before being unearthed, restored and mastered, as for the previous record, by Matthew Lutthans. Covers and medleys by Duke Ellington (I’ve got it bad; Sophisticated Lady; Prelude to a kiss; Satin Doll), Burt Bacharach (Alfie), Cole Porter (Every time we say goodbye), Milton Ager (Happy Days are here again) and Bobby Gentry (Ode to Billie Joe) are interspersed with originals, for a joyful, relaxed, even tender journey. Two different live records, two sides of the same coin, the one of a real Maestro: don't miss it. Post Scriptum. A legendary West London post-punk combo formed in 1980, Rip Rig & Panic, took their name after the most famous Kirk’s album, and the sublime Neneh Cherry had the chance to collaborate with them before the band disbanded in 1983. Yes, exactly, dear reader: tout se tient.
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