Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Vibrations in the Village∶ Live at the Village Gate

Styles: Post Bop
Year: 2025
Time: 01:17:27
File: MP3 @ 0K/s
Size: 178 MB
Art: Front

(15:28) 1. Jump Up And Down - Fast
(5:50)   2. Ecclusiastics
(7:33)   3. All the Things You Are
(7:33)   4. Laura
(12:30) 5. Kirk's Delight
(10:16) 6. Oboe Blues
(6:36)   7. Blues Minor at the Gate
(5:48)   8. Falling In Love With Love
(5:53)   9. Three For the Festival

In November 2025, producers Zev Feldman and George Klabin's Resonance Records released two unissued live recordings by Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Vibrations in the Village: Live at the Village Gate is the first, captured live in 1963. The tapes were cut for a documentary soundtrack about Kirk's life, which was never made. The tapes survived for more than 60 years in the care of engineer Ivan Berger. When Feldman received them, he initially contacted saxophonist James Carter who, impressed, made the case for release. Feldman then contacted Kirk's indomitable widow Dorthaan Kirk (whose wonderful liner essay here is titled "My Life with Rahsaan"); she enthusiastically approved.

Recorded over two nights in November 1963, Kirk used three different pianists: Horace Parlan, Melvin Rhyne, and Jane Getz (no relation to Stan), bassist Henry Grimes, and drummer Sonny Brown. The program includes five original compositions, "Ecclusiasstics" by Charles Mingus, and three standards.

Kirk is introduced and opens the show with "Jump Up and Down - Fast." Over 15-minutes long, it's a stellar exercise in hard bop improvisation. Parlan is the pianist -- a welcome, hard-swinging foil for Kirk, he was already versed in modalism as his kinetic solo attests. Kirk plays tenor, stritch, and manzello simultaneously, soloing against himself and the sax section. The stritch is a straight alto saxophone with a bell end; the manzello is a variation on soprano sax with a straighter pipe and an upturned bell. He duets with himself near the end and pulls out a whistle. Grimes is the quartet's bridge, at once propulsive and suggestive. Mingus' deep blue "Ecclusiastics" from Oh Yeah (that featured Kirk in the line-up) finds Parlan laying out fat chords as Kirk plays the head on all the horns and sings. It winds through blues, gospel and bop.

"All the Things You Are" and "Laura" feature Rhyne. The latter is a ballad with Kirk playing flute. The interplay between Kirk and Grimes is remarkable, but the audio warbles a bit. Parlan returns on "Kirk's Delight" and "Oboe Blues," both over ten minutes, they reveal how locked in this quartet is. The former is a swinging hard bop jam, the latter a progressive jazz ballad. "Blues Minor at the Gate" is a fingerpopper, more bop than hard bop, with Grimes and Brown sprinting as Rhyne holds it down. Closer "Three for the Festival" features Jane Getz on piano. Kirk plays ringleader on flute, whistle, and horns in a furious progression that recalls Mingus and Tadd Dameron. Typical of Resonance releases, the booklet offers rare photos, deft and deep critical essays by Kirk biographer John Kruth and best-selling novelist/critic May Cobb -- who is writing her own book on Kirk. There is also an essay by Adam Dorn, son of Kirk's producer Joel Dorn, and reminiscences by Carter, Steve Turre, and Chico Freeman. Vibrations in the Village: Live at the Village Gate is a welcome addition to Kirk's discography, revealing that even early on, he was a true force of creativity, power, and innovation. (by Thom Jurek)

https://www.allmusic.com/album/vibrations-in-the-village-live-at-the-village-gate-mw0004635648

Vibrations in the Village∶ Live at the Village Gate (mp3 320)
Vibrations in the Village∶ Live at the Village Gate (FLAC)

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Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Seek & Listen: Live at the Penthouse

Styles: Post Bop
Year: 2025
Time: 86:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 199,5 MB
Art: Front

( 1:18) 1. The Jump Thing
( 5:22) 2. Alfie
(12:12) 3. Mingus-Griff Song
(14:31) 4. Medley: Ev’rytime We Say Goodbye, I've Got It Bad (And                    That Ain't Good), Sophisticated Lady, Satin Doll
( 8:14) 5. Medley: Blues for C & T, Happy Days Are Here Again, Down 

                By The Riverside
(12:23) 6. Ode to Billie Joe
( 7:50) 7. Prelude To A Kiss
( 4:59) 8. Funk Underneath
( 7:12) 9. Lovellevelliloqui
( 7:57) 10. Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith
( 4:29) 11. Making Love After Hours

In November 2025, producers Zev Feldman and George Klabin's Resonance Records released two unissued live recordings by Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Seek & Listen: Live at the Penthouse is the second. A double disc, it was recorded in 1967. The package contains rare photos and essays by widow Dorthaan Kirk, biographer John Kruth, best-selling novelist and Kirk authority May Cobb, James Carter, Steve Turre, Chico Freeman, and Adam Dorn. Kirk’s band included pianist Ron Burton, bassist Steve Novosel, and drummer Jimmy Hopps in 11 selections.

The set opens at the tail-end of the rowdy "The Jump Thing,” then gives way to Burt Bacharach's and Hal David's "Alfie." Burton embellishes Kirk's gorgeous tenor lines with graceful elegance as the rhythm section walks behind him. "Mingus-Griff Song" is an original. At over 12 minutes, this band fires on all cylinders. Whether Kirk is playing tenor, manzello, stritch, flutes, or whistles, his creative intensity is total. Tenor sings first, but all three horns appear. Burton’s deft right-hand runs and chromatic chords provide the rhythm section with fuel. Two medleys close disc one, the first joins Cole Porter's "Ev'ry time We Say Goodbye" (introduced by gorgeous flute) to Duke Ellington's "Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye/I’ve Got It Bad/Sophisticated Lady/Satin Doll." Manzello enjoys the first Ellington number as Hopps’ brushes whisper to Burton and Novosel. Kirk sings on “I've Got It Bad," his tender flute providing innate, revelatory lyricism. "Satin Doll" has a quick tempo, layering soul-jazz, swing, and melodic hard bop. The set closer is Kirk's "Blues for C & T/Happy Days Are Here Again/Down by the Riverside." Introduced by freewheeling improv, it shapeshifts into Kirk's trademark "tent style” performance, threading gospel, blues, swing, soul, and avant jazz with shouts, chants, and riotous horns as the band swings like mad.

Disc two opens with a Latinized soul-jazz version of "Ode to Billy Joe" that recalls Mingus, Horace Silver, and Ray Barretto’s boogaloo. At over 12 minutes, everybody gets to solo as Burton quotes from "Wade in the Water" with a punchy groove. Kirk's read of Ellington’s "Prelude to a Kiss” offers a slightly dissonant head. Novosel adds a driving bassline as a guide. Kirk’s manzello solo rings out, joining blues, swing, and gritty improvisation. The remaining four tunes are originals. “Funk Underneath” is a blues with Kirk playing flutes. It’s loose, wooly, and joyful, combining bop and blues with killer solos from Kirk and Burton. The iconic “Now Don’t You Cry, Beautiful Edith” is rendered with resonant emotion, dissonance, joy, and infectious grooves. His solo melds sweet melody and gutbucket blues. “Love After Hours” uses boogie woogie with Hopps leading the charge. Kirk, amid the entire horn section, solos on flute and shouts the blues over fat soulful piano chords, a walking bassline, and a cut-time kit shuffle. Seek & Listen: Live at the Penthouse adds a new dimension to Kirk’s catalog in showcasing him at a true creative and musical peak. (by Thom Jurek)

https://www.allmusic.com/album/seek-listen-live-at-the-penthouse-mw0004635646

Seek & Listen: Live at the Penthouse (mp3 320)
Seek & Listen: Live at the Penthouse (FLAC)

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Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Compliments of the Mysterious Phantom

Styles: Post Bop
Year: 2016
Time: 51:46
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 125,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:42) 1. Passion Dance
(9:43) 2. My One and Only Love
(1:58) 3. Rahspeak #1
(5:49) 4. Fly Town Nose Blues
(7:16) 5. Volunteered Slavery
(1:30) 6. Rahspeak #2
(7:45) 7. Bright Moments
(3:54) 8. Old Rugged Cross
(4:51) 9. Blacknuss
(3:56) 10. Franks for the Festival
(0:18) 11. Rahspeak #3

If Sun Ra was jazz music's Timothy Leary, then Rahsaan Roland Kirk was its Elijah.

Kirk, jazz music's most iconoclastic character, was also one of its most gifted. Once dismissed as a circus sideshow, he has seen his popularity, as well as his influence, steadily increase over the past twenty years. Kirk has been called many things'shaman, sage, charlatan, sideshow barker. But Rahsaan Roland Kirk represents the free spirit of jazz. He was a fearless improviser who invented his own instruments and played them all at once. He was most effective when playing tenor and flute, but made a good argument for his approach when he worked up a gale force, blowing four reeds at once (I note his last Hyena release, The Man Who Cried Fire and his variations on Paganini's 24th Caprice in Am, "Multi-Horn Variations.")

Compliments includes previously unknown and unreleased Rahsaan Roland Kirk. It is a collection of fragments and complete performances from his November 5, 1974 show at the Backdoor in San Diego, California. This appearance took place about nine months after Kirk recorded his landmark live recording Bright Moments.

In keeping with the artist's prophet status, these recordings, as well as those on The Man Who Cried Fire, can be thought of as the Dead Sea Scrolls of jazz. Kirk and company fade in on a hot "Passion Dance," only to cool down with a beautiful tenor rendition of "My One and Only Love." A superb juxtaposition of style and genre that characterized Kirk shows of the period (or any period). "Fly Town Nose Blues" is a flute blues that is very effective and swinging, albeit weird. Early '70s funk is in attendance with "Volunteer Slavery" and "Blacknuss," peppered with Kirk standards "Old Rugged Cross" and "Bright Moments."

Kirk's support is very good, but as in any Rahsaan Roland Kirk performance, the man himself is the center around which all revolves. He passionately referred to jazz as "black classic music" and never considered it anything less. Like Beethoven, Kirk elbowed his way to the front of the line and never acted as if he did not belong there. Kirk allegedly passed away December 5, 1977. That is certainly not true. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/compliments-of-the-mysterious-phantom-rahsaan-roland-kirk-hyena-records-review-by-c-michael-bailey

Compliments of the Mysterious Phantom (mp3 320)
Compliments of the Mysterious Phantom (FLAC)

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