Rahsaan Roland Kirk (born Ronald Theodore Kirk; August 7, 1935Kernfeld, Barry.
Kirk, Roland
" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2nd ed. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. '' Grove Music Online''. '' Oxford Music Online''. Retrieved February 1, 2009-. "The year of his birth has been widely given as 1936, but his birth certificate gives 1935 and confirms Ronald, not Roland." – December 5, 1977), known earlier in his career simply as Roland Kirk, was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where ...

who played

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

, flute, and many other instruments. 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.

Life

Ronald Theodore Kirk was born in Columbus, Ohio, where he lived in a neighborhood known as Flytown. He became blind at two years old, which he said was a result of improper medical treatment. As a teenager, Kirk studied at the Ohio State School for the Blind. By age fifteen he was on the road playing rhythm and blues on weekends with Boyd Moore's band. According to saxophonist Hank Crawford, "He would be like this 14-year-old blind kid playing two horns at once. They would bring him out and he would tear the joint up." Crawford heard him during this period and said he was unbelievable. He remarked, "Now they had him doing all kinds of goofy stuff but he was playing the two horns and he was playing the shit out of them. He was an original from the beginning." Kirk felt compelled by a dream to transpose two letters in his first name to make '"Roland". In 1970, Kirk added "Rahsaan" to his name after hearing it in a dream. Giddins, Gary (2000), "Chapter 47: Rahsaan Roland Kirk (One Man Band)", ''Visions of Jazz: The First Century''. Oxford University Press. Kirk was politically outspoken. During his concerts, between songs he often talked about topical issues, including

African-American history African-American history began with the arrival of Africans to North America in the 16th and 17th centuries. Former Spanish slaves who had been freed by Francis Drake arrived aboard the Golden Hind at New Albion in California in 1579. The ...

and the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

. His monologues were often laced with satire and absurdist humor. According to comedian Jay Leno, when Leno toured with Kirk as Kirk's 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!" In 1975, Kirk had a major stroke which led to partial paralysis of one side of his body. He continued to perform and record, modifying his instruments to enable him to play with one arm. At a live performance at

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sc ...

in London he even managed to play two instruments, and carried on to tour internationally and to appear on television. He died from a second stroke in 1977, aged 42, the morning after performing in the Frangipani Room of the

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

Student Union in

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside the Indianapolis metropolitan area. According to the Mo ...

Instruments and techniques

Kirk's musical career spans from 1955 until his death in 1977. He preferred to lead his own bands and rarely performed as a sideman, although he did record with arranger

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

, drummer

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer. He is among the most recorded drummers in jazz. In a career lasting over 80 years, he has played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jaz ...

and worked 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 repopularized in the '' Austin Powers'' films. Kirk's multi-instrumentality was credited as having a substantial musical conception. This inclusivity included blues music, a love of stride piano and early jazz, and an appreciation for pop tunes. But his vision was much wider than that of most of his contemporaries. According to producer

Joel Dorn Joel Dorn (April 7, 1942 – December 17, 2007) was an American jazz and R&B music producer and record label entrepreneur. He worked at Atlantic Records, and later founded the 32 Jazz, Label M, and Hyena Records labels. He called himself "T ...

, he was also hugely knowledgeable about classical music. Pieces by Saint-Saens,

Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

, Dvorak and Villa-Lobos would all feature on his albums over the years, alongside standards, pop songs and original compositions. Rahsaan's influences went beyond jazz and consequentially, he preferred the term "Black Classical Music". His playing was generally rooted in

soul jazz Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including ten ...

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...

, but Kirk's knowledge of jazz history allowed him to draw from many elements of the music's past, from

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

to swing and

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...

. Kirk also absorbed classical influences, and his artistry reflected elements of

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...

by composers such as Smokey Robinson and Burt Bacharach, as well as Duke Ellington,

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

and other jazz musicians. Kirk played and collected many musical instruments, mainly multiple

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

s, clarinets and flutes. His primary saxophones were a standard

, stritch (a straight alto sax lacking the instrument's conventional upturned bell), and a

manzello The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...

(a modified

saxello The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

soprano sax, with a larger, upturned bell). A number of his instruments were exotic or homemade. Kirk modified instruments himself to accommodate his simultaneous playing technique. Critic

Gary Giddins Gary Giddins is an American jazz critic and author. He wrote for ''The Village Voice'' from 1973; his "Weather Bird" column ended in 2003. In 1986 Gary Giddins and John Lewis created the American Jazz Orchestra which presented concerts using a ...

wrote that Kirk's tenor playing alone was enough to bring him "renown". Usually, he appeared on stage with all three horns hanging around his neck, and 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 Circular breathing is a technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption. It is accomplished by breathing through the nose while simultaneously pushing air through the mouth using air stored ...

. He used the multiple horns to play true chords, essentially functioning as a one-man saxophone section. Kirk insisted that he was only trying to emulate the sounds he heard in his head. Even while playing two or three saxophones at once, the music was intricate, powerful jazz with a strong feel for the blues. The live album '' Bright Moments'' (1973) is an example of one of his shows. Kirk was also an influential flute player, including recorders. According to Giddins, Kirk was the first major jazz innovator on flute after Eric Dolphy (who died in 1964). Kirk employed several techniques, including singing or humming into the flute at the same time as playing. Another was to play the standard transverse flute at the same time as a

nose flute The nose flute is a musical instrument often played in Polynesia and the Pacific Rim countries. Other versions are found in Africa. Hawaii In the North Pacific, in the Hawaiian islands the nose flute was a common courting instrument. In Haw ...

. He played a variety of other instruments, including whistles; often kept a gong within reach; the clarinet, harmonica, English horn, and was a competent

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...

. He utilized unique approaches, such as playing a trumpet with a saxophone mouthpiece. He also made use of non-musical devices, such as alarm clocks, sirens, or a section of common garden hose (dubbed "the black mystery pipes"). From the early 1970s, his studio recordings used tape-manipulated '' musique concrète'' and primitive electronic sounds before such things became commonplace. '' The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color'' was a unique album in the annals of recorded jazz and popular music. It was a two-LP set, with Side 4 apparently "blank", the label not indicating any content. However, once word of "the secret message" got around among Rahsaan's fans, one would find that about 12 minutes into Side 4 appeared the first of two telephone answering machine messages recorded by Kirk, the second following soon thereafter (but separated by more blank grooves). The surprise impact of these segments appearing on "blank" Side 4 was lost on the CD reissue of this album. He gleaned information on what was happening in the world via radio and TV. His later recordings often incorporated his spoken commentaries on current events, including

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

's involvement in the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's contin ...

. The ''3-Sided Dream'' album was a "concept album" which incorporated "found" or environmental sounds and

tape loops Tape or Tapes may refer to: Material A long, narrow, thin strip of material (see also Ribbon (disambiguation): Adhesive tapes * Adhesive tape, any of many varieties of backing materials coated with an adhesive * Athletic tape, pressure-sensiti ...

, tapes being played backwards, etc. Snippets of

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

singing are also heard briefly. The album even confronts the rise of influence of computers in society, as Rahsaan threatens to pull the plug on the machine trying to tell him what to do. In the album '' Other Folks' Music'' the spoken words of

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplish ...

, another outspoken black artist, can 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 Anderson thought he could bring a flute into rock music. Anderson learned Kirk's vocalizing style on the flute and Anderson's flute playing became the signature element of Jethro Tull's sound. Kirk and Anderson took the flute's refined upper crust classical nature and commonized it. Anderson got to know Kirk at the 1969

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hir ...

where they both performed the same night. Anderson said of Kirk "There’s something about these colourful shamans. They can tease us, but we go along with it, because we know they’re touched by genius, but at the same time there’s a little bit of the snake oil for sale.” *

Jeff Coffin Jeff Coffin (born August 5, 1965) is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator. He is a three-time Grammy Award winner as a member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, with whom he performed from 1997 until 2010. In July 2008, Coffin began t ...

, the saxophonist in

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, bringing the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classi ...

and the Flecktones was heavily influenced by Kirk's music and says he learned through Kirk that it's OK to experiment with an instrument. He used Kirk's multi-horn inventions with the Flecktones and on his solo album ''Mutopia''. * Guitarist Jimi Hendrix "idolized" Kirk, and even hoped to collaborate with him one day.Saunders, William (2010), ''Jimi Hendrix London'', Roaring Forties Press. * Frank Zappa had been influenced by Kirk's music to a considerable extent early in his career. In the liner notes to his 1966 debut album with

The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...

, '' Freak Out!'', Zappa cites Kirk as one of many in a lengthy list of personal musical influences. Kirk and Zappa performed live together at least once, at the 1969 Boston Globe Jazz Festival. *

Derek Trucks Derek Trucks (born June 8, 1979) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and founder of The Derek Trucks Band. He became an official member of The Allman Brothers Band in 1999. In 2010, he formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band with his wife, blues sin ...

, a huge Kirk fan, recorded Kirk's composition “Volunteered Slavery” with his namesake group for the 2004 album ''Live at Georgia Theatre'', the 2006 studio album ''Songlines'', and the DVD ''Songlines Live''. He said that hearing Kirk's music "felt much the same way those Hendrix records felt, that he was blowing the rules wide open..." * David Jackson, of

Van der Graaf Generator Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester by singer-songwriters Peter Hammill and Chris Judge Smith and the first act signed by Charisma Records. They did not experience much commercial success i ...

, was also highly influenced by the style and technique of Kirk, and he plays multiple saxophones simultaneously since at least 1969. * Guitarist

Michael Angelo Batio Michael Angelo Batio (), also known as Michael Angelo, Mike Batio or MAB, is an American heavy metal guitarist and columnist from Chicago, Illinois. He was the lead guitarist for the Los Angeles-based glam metal band Nitro in the late 1980s an ...

said in a 2008 interview with ''

Ultimate Guitar Archive Ultimate Guitar (Ultimate Guitar USA LLC), which is also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is an online platform for guitarists and musicians. Its website and mobile application provides guitar tablature catalogues and chord sheets. ...

'' that Kirk's playing of two saxophones at once inspired him to create his "double guitar". * T.J. Kirk was a band named after the three artists it tributed:

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

, James Brown, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Formed by eight-string guitarist

Charlie Hunter Charlie Hunter (born May 23, 1967) is an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. First coming to prominence in the early 1990s, Hunter plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars on which he simultaneously plays bass lines, chords, a ...

as a side group to his own self-titled band, the band's other members include

Scott Amendola Scott Amendola (born February 6, 1969) is an American drummer from the San Francisco Bay Area. His styles include jazz, blues, groove, and rock.Andrew Gilbert"Exploring New Degrees In Drumming" ''sfgate.com'', October 3, 2004. Amendola is origi ...

Will Bernard Will Bernard is a guitarist and band leader. He has led the Will Bernard Band, Will Bernard Trio, Will Bernard 4-tet, and Motherbug. Career In the 1980s Bernard was a member of the Hieroglyphics Ensemble led by Peter Apfelbaum. In the 1990s he fo ...

, and John Schott. *

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul mu ...

cited the Kirk album '' I Talk with the Spirits'' (1964) as one of his "Most Influential Albums" in an interview with ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' in 2009. * Björk named ''The Inflated Tear'' as one of her favorite jazz pieces, calling it "primitive and instinctive", "open to nature", and "punk". *

Davey Payne David Stanley Payne (born 11 August 1944) is an English saxophonist best known as a member of Ian Dury's backing band The Blockheads, and for his twin saxophone solo on their 1978 UK No. 1 single " Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick". He also appeare ...

's twin saxophone solo on " Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" (Ian Dury & the Blockheads, 1978) was inspired by Kirk. *

Terry Edwards Terry Edwards (born 10 August 1960) is an English musician who plays trumpet, flugelhorn, saxophones, guitar and keyboards. Biography Edwards gained a degree in music from the University of East Anglia in 1982, where he was also a founding me ...

' twin saxophone solo on "The Ministry of Defence" by PJ Harvey (2016) was inspired by Kirk. *

Eric Burdon and War War (originally called Eric Burdon and War) is an American funk/ rock/soul band from Long Beach, California, known for several hit songs (including " Spill the Wine", " The World Is a Ghetto", "The Cisco Kid", " Why Can't We Be Friends?", "Low ...

's 1970 debut album '' Eric Burdon Declares War'' features the track "The Vision of Rassan", which is broken up into two pieces "Dedication" and "Roll on Kirk". * The English post-punk group

Rip Rig + Panic Rest in peace (RIP), a phrase from the Latin (), is sometimes used in traditional Christian services and prayers, such as in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist denominations, to wish the soul of a decedent eternal rest and peace. ...

were named after the album of the same name by Roland Kirk. * Clutch pay tribute to Roland Kirk in the song "Three Golden Horns" off their 2022 album '' Sunrise on Slaughter Beach.''

Discography

As leader

;King Records * '' Triple Threat'' (1956) ;Argo/Cadet/Chess Records * '' Introducing Roland Kirk'' (1960) ;Prestige Records * ''

Kirk's Work ''Kirk's Work'' (also reissued as ''Funk Underneath'') is an album by Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Roland Kirk with Jack McDuff. Prestige Records released the album in 1961, with Original Jazz Classics and Concord Music Group issuing subsequent re-releases ...

'' (1961) ;Mercury Records * 1961: '' We Free Kings'' * 1962: ''

Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also c ...

'' * 1963: '' Reeds & Deeds'' * 1963: '' The Roland Kirk Quartet Meets the Benny Golson Orchestra'' * 1964: '' Kirk in Copenhagen'' * 1964: '' Gifts & Messages'' ;Limelight Records * 1964: '' I Talk with the Spirits'' * 1965: '' Slightly Latin'' * 1965: '' Rip, Rig and Panic'' ;Verve Records * '' Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith'' (1967) ;Atlantic Records * 1965: ''

Here Comes the Whistleman ''Here Comes the Whistleman'' is a live album by jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Roland Kirk recorded in March 1965 at Atlantic Studios in New York, and released in February 1967. It was his first release on the Atlantic Records, A ...

'' * 1967: '' The Inflated Tear'' * 1968: '' Left & Right'' * 1969: ''

Volunteered Slavery ''Volunteered Slavery'' is an album by jazz multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk containing portions of his 1968 Newport Jazz Festival performance along with studio recordings from July 1969. It was released on the Atlantic label and features perf ...

'' * 1970: '' Rahsaan Rahsaan'' * 1971: '' Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata'' * 1972: '' Blacknuss'' * 1972: '' A Meeting of the Times'' * 1973: '' Prepare Thyself to Deal With a Miracle'' * 1973: '' Bright Moments'' * 1975: '' The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color'' * 1976: '' Other Folks' Music'' ;Warner Bros. Records * 1976: '' The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man'' * 1977: '' Kirkatron'' * 1977: '' Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real'' Posthumous releases of new material * ''The Man Who Cried Fire'' (Night, 1990) * '' I, Eye, Aye: Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival, 1972'' (Rhino, 1996) – live recorded in 1972 * '' Dog Years in the Fourth Ring'' (32 Jazz, 1997) – recorded in 1963-75 * ''Compliments of the Mysterious Phantom'' (Hyena, 2003) – live recorded in 1974 * '' Brotherman in the Fatherland'' (Hyena, 2006) – live recorded in Germany in 1972 Compilations and box sets * ''Hip'' (Fontana, 1965) * ''Rahsaan: The Complete Mercury Recordings of Roland Kirk'' (Mercury, 1990) 0CD* ''Does Your House Have Lions: The Rahsaan Roland Kirk Anthology'' (Rhino, 1993) CD* ''Simmer, Reduce, Garnish & Serve'' (Warner Archives, 1995) – compilation from his last three albums * ''Talkin' Verve: Roots of Acid Jazz'' (Verve, 1996) * ''The Art of Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Atlantic'' (Atlantic, 1996) LP* ''Aces Back to Back'' (32 Jazz, 1998) CD– combines '' Left & Right'' (1968), '' Rahsaan Rahsaan'' (1970), '' Prepare Thyself to Deal With a Miracle'' (1973) and '' Other Folks' Music'' (1976) * ''A Standing Eight'' (32 Jazz, 1998) CD– combines '' The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man'' (1976), '' Kirkatron'' (1977) and '' Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real'' (1977) * ''Left Hook, Right Cross'' (32 Jazz, 1999) CD– combines ''

'' (1969) and '' Blacknuss'' (1972) * ''Third Dimension and Beyond'' (Gambit, 2005) – combines '' Triple Threat'' (1957) and '' Introducing Roland Kirk'' (1960) * ''Only The Best of Rahsaan Roland Kirk Volume 1'' (Collectables, 2009) CD– combines '' Blacknuss'', '' The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color'', '' The Inflated Tear''/'' Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata'', '' Kirkatron'', '' Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real'', and '' Other Folks' Music''

As sideman

With

Jaki Byard John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for hi ...

* '' The Jaki Byard Experience'' (Prestige, 1969) – recorded in 1968 With Tubby Hayes * '' Tubby's Back in Town'' (Smash, 1962) With

* '' Out of the Afternoon'' (Impulse!, 1962) With

* '' Big Band Bossa Nova'' (Mercury, 1962) * '' Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini'' (Mercury, 1964) * '' I/We Had a Ball'' (Limelight, 1965) – recorded in 1964–65 * '' Quincy Plays for Pussycats'' (Mercury, 1965) – recorded in 1959–65 * '' In the Heat of the Night OST'' (United Artists, 1967) * '' Walking in Space'' (CTI, 1969) With Les McCann * ''

Live at Montreux Live at Montreux is the name of live concert releases from Montreux Sounds and Eagle Vision, on CD and/or DVD, by various musicians, usually referring to recordings at the Montreux Jazz Festival: * James Brown: ''Live at Montreux 1981, Sex Machine'' ...

'' (Atlantic, 1973) – live recorded in 1972 With Charles Mingus * '' Tonight at Noon'' (Atlantic, 1964) – recorded in 1961 * '' Oh Yeah'' (Atlantic, 1962) * '' Mingus at Carnegie Hall'' (Atlantic, 1974) With Tommy Peltier * '' The Jazz Corps Under the Direction of Tommy Peltier'' (Pacific Jazz, 1967)

Bibliography

* Jones, Quincy (Composer). (1964). ''Big Band Bossa Nova'' honograph Mercury. (Reissued on compact disc by Verve in 1998, 2005) * Kruth, John: ''Bright Moments. The Life and Legacy of Rahsaan Roland Kirk.'' Welcome Rain Publishers, New York 2000 * McLeod, Eric (Producer), & Roach, Jay (Director). (1997). ''Austin Powers: International man of mystery'' VD New Line Home Video * Kahan, Adam (Filmmaker). (2014).
Rahsaan Roland Kirk, The Case of the Three Sided Dream
' VD Documentary

References

External links

*
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
discography at Jazz Discography Project
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
''Rahsaan Roland Kirk: The Cases of the Three Sided Dream'', a documentary by Adam Kahan

''Sound??'', film of Kirk with John Cage at UbuWeb
Rahsaan Roland Kirk and The Vibration Society
performing live (October 1972), video, thirteen.org

Three for Festival and Volunteered Slavery, live performance (1975), video, jazzonthetube.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Kirk, Rahsaan Roland 1935 births 1977 deaths African-American saxophonists American jazz composers American male jazz composers American jazz flautists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American multi-instrumentalists Atlantic Records artists Avant-garde jazz musicians Blind musicians Cor anglais players Hard bop musicians Musicians from Columbus, Ohio Soul-jazz musicians Chess Records artists King Records artists Mercury Records artists Prestige Records artists Verve Records artists Warner Records artists 20th-century American composers 20th-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Ohio 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century jazz composers 20th-century African-American musicians Blind people from the United States Spiritual jazz musicians 20th-century flautists Argo Records artists