Roland Kirk rankings

[Shrdlu]

I'm going to list "Rip, Rig and Panic", "I Talk With the Spirits" and a Prestige one with Jaki Byard whose name I forget - it will be easy to find.

Nice pic, JohnJ. That you?

[John L]

Are there any opinions about the 2 discs "Live in Paris" from 1970?

[jazzbo]

Good stuff! Also available on eMusic.

[John L]

Good stuff! Also available on eMusic.

Thanks, Lon, and also thanks for reminding me of "Prepare Thyself to Deal With a Miracle." After your post, I played it for the first time in years, and was astonished. What a fantastic record!

[kh1958]

Are there any opinions about the 2 discs "Live in Paris" from 1970?

I have this on France's Concerts. The recording quality is fine. I think the volume 1 set is the superior set of the two.

[jazzbo]

Agreed, this one tends to be overlooked but has some jaw-dropping blowing!

[AndrewHill]

Any opinions on Reeds and Deeds?

[WorldB3]

Rip, Rig, & Panic"/Please Don't you Cry Now, Beautiful Edith and Kirk's Work.

Bright Moments has some great playing on it as well, the opening track is a classic.

Conn, thanks for reminding me about the Jaki Byard Experience. I will grab that one this week off emusic.

[B. Clugston]

As leader:

Slightly Latin

Rip, Rig and Panic

We Free Kings

As sideman

Live at Carnegie Hall with Mingus

Out of the Afternoon with Haynes

The Jaki Byard Experience

Tubby's Back In Town

[sal]

RIP RIG AND PANIC

[Free For All]

Happy birthday, Rahsaan!

I first heard him when I was in college in the 70s. I've been listening to him ever since and my admiration has only grown.

Definitely will be spinning some today. Hard to decide what to put on first!

[paul secor]

Only two Kirks I own are Kirk's Works and Rip, Rig and Panic. Those are all I need.

[Bright Moments]

happy birthday RRK!!!!

[kh1958]

I need pretty much all of them.

One that I didn't see mentioned is his excellent final pre-stroke recording, Other Folk's Music (Atlantic). Simone popped up on my ipod yesterday (with Richard Williams and Roy Haynes), and it is a great recording. Trudy Pitts also appears on the record.

[Guest Bill Barton]

Nice to see this thread resurfacing...

I could have sworn that I replied before, but apparently not!

If I had to narrow it down to the top three, my choices would be:

Rip, Rig & Panic

Kirk in Copenhagen

Here Comes the Whistleman

The first two are in the Kirk box with additional material from Copenhagen.

[John L]

I need pretty much all of them.

One that I didn't see mentioned is his excellent final pre-stroke recording, Other Folk's Music (Atlantic). Simone popped up on my ipod yesterday (with Richard Williams and Roy Haynes), and it is a great recording. Trudy Pitts also appears on the record.

I believe that the Return of the 5000 Pound Man was also recorded pre-stroke, although perhaps released post-stroke. I saw him play that material live post-stroke. It was very moving. Edited August 23, 2010 by John L

[Hot Ptah]

I need pretty much all of them.

One that I didn't see mentioned is his excellent final pre-stroke recording, Other Folk's Music (Atlantic). Simone popped up on my ipod yesterday (with Richard Williams and Roy Haynes), and it is a great recording. Trudy Pitts also appears on the record.

I believe that the Return of the 5000 Pound Man was also recorded pre-stroke, although perhaps released post-stroke. I saw him play that material live post-stroke. It was very moving.

Producer Joel Dorn wrote a description of the last three Kirk albums, recorded for Warner Brothers. From what I remember about his writing, 5000 Pound Man was the first recorded, pre-stroke. Kirkatron was assembled from the leftovers of the 5000 Pound Man sessions. There wasn't enough there for another full album. So Kirkatron was finished off with pre-stroke live recordings from the Montreux Jazz Festival, which the festival organizers graciously made available.

Boogie Woogie String Along For Real was recorded post-stroke, and the sessions were nearly impossible, according to Dorn. Kirk was in a lot of pain. He wrote that when Kirk left the studio after the last session, he knew he would never see Kirk again.

Edited August 24, 2010 by Hot Ptah

[AmirBagachelles]

Jaki Byard Experience

Natural Black Inventions

If I ever do manage to find another Rahsaan box, I promise to hold on to it. I think I sold it here a few years ago.

[BeBop]

After a few concerts at the Keystone Korner, Rahsaan became a minor obsession for me. I picked up every LP I could find. When I gave up fixed-point living for perpetual travel, the LPs went to storage and I went MP3 by way of CDs. (A bummer in itself.) I had the Mercury Box and a set of Atlantic CDs and I've enjoyed the heck out them.

A few days ago, I was in Lexington and spotted Jaki Byard Experience in a cheap CD rack. I probably haven't heard it in nearly 20 years. Damn! What a great album. Three seconds into Parisian Thoroughfare, I swimming in a pool of memories - Bud, Max and Brownie, Byrd and Jaspar - but the Byard and Kirk version is like new to me, as if I've never heard it before. Amazing what 20 years can do. For me, definitely a top Rahsaan Roland Kirk album.

[sidewinder]

After a few concerts at the Keystone Korner, Rahsaan became a minor obsession for me. I picked up every LP I could find. When I gave up fixed-point living for perpetual travel, the LPs went to storage and I went MP3 by way of CDs. (A bummer in itself.) I had the Mercury Box and a set of Atlantic CDs and I've enjoyed the heck out them.

A few days ago, I was in Lexington and spotted Jaki Byard Experience in a cheap CD rack. I probably haven't heard it in nearly 20 years. Damn! What a great album. Three seconds into Parisian Thoroughfare, I swimming in a pool of memories - Bud, Max and Brownie, Byrd and Jaspar - but the Byard and Kirk version is like new to me, as if I've never heard it before. Amazing what 20 years can do. For me, definitely a top Rahsaan Roland Kirk album.

Thanks for the reminder - I'll pull the Prestige LP of that one out of the racks tonight !

[BeBop]

Thanks for the reminder - I'll pull the Prestige LP of that one out of the racks tonight !

I hope you enjoy it. I really hated to discard the CD this morning, but...well, anyway, the LP is in storage.

[Morganized]

Listening to this one right now!! Its all there but so much more to come

[HutchFan]

What an inspiring thread. Thanks for resurrecting it, BeBop.

Need to pull out some my Kirk records tonight.

My all-time favorite RRK is Bright Moments.

Edited May 12, 2015 by HutchFan

[soulpope]

What an inspiring thread. Thanks for resurrecting it, BeBop.

Need to pull out some my Kirk records tonight.

My all-time favorite RRK is Bright Moments.

!!!!

[duaneiac]

My all time favorite RRK performance. His amazing solo is like a mini-history of jazz itself and his rap at the beginning is as relevant today as it was then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axMpEhnHfSc