''Rip, Rig and Panic'' is a 1965 jazz album by saxophonist
Roland Kirk. It features a quartet of Kirk,
Jaki Byard (piano),
Richard Davis (bass), and
Elvin Jones (drums); they were described as "the most awesome rhythm section he ever recorded with". The session was held at
Rudy Van Gelder's
Englewood Cliffs studio.
The set is made up primarily of original Kirk compositions.
The title of the album was explained by Kirk in the liner notes as follows: "Rip means
Rip Van Winkle (or Rest in Peace?); it's the way people, even musicians are. They're asleep. Rig means like rigor mortis. That's where a lot of peoples mind are. When they hear me doing things they didn't think I could do they panic in their minds". Kirk made many references to pioneers of jazz. "No Tonic Pres" refers to
Lester Young; "From Bechet, Byas, and Fats" is a homage to
Sidney Bechet,
Don Byas, and
Fats Waller
Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...
; and "Once in a While" was inspired by
Clifford Brown
Clifford Benjamin Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He died at the age of 25 in a car accident, leaving behind four years' worth of recordings. His compositions "Sandu", "Joy Spring", an ...
. Kirk also mentioned the work of
Edgar Varèse, the compositions ''Poeme electronique'' and ''Ionisation'', as inspiration for the album.
The album's title inspired the name for 1980s English post-punk group
Rip Rig + Panic.
Reception
Richard Cook and
Brian Morton rated the Emarcy edition of the album, combined with the album ''
Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith'', with the second-highest grade in their ''
Penguin Guide to Jazz'', and named the combined reissue as part of their suggested “core collection” of essential recordings;
awarded the album five stars.
Track listing
''All compositions by Roland Kirk except where indicated.''
# "No Tonic Pres" – 4:34
# "Once in a While" (Michael Edwards,
Bud Green) – 4:02
# "From Bechet, Byas, and Fats" – 6:31
# "Mystical Dream" – 2:39
# "Rip, Rig & Panic" – 7:00
# "Black Diamond" (Milt Sealey) – 5:23
# "Slippery, Hippery, Flippery" – 4:56
:*Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ on January 13, 1965
Personnel
*
Roland Kirk:
tenor saxophone,
stritch,
manzello,
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
,
siren
Siren or sirens may refer to:
Common meanings
* Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies
* Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology
Places
* Siren (town), Wisconsin
* Siren, Wisco ...
,
oboe,
castanets
*
Jaki Byard:
piano
*
Richard Davis:
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
*
Elvin Jones:
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
References
{{Authority control
1965 albums
Rahsaan Roland Kirk albums
Limelight Records albums
Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio