Celebrating Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Rahsaan Roland Kirk (sax, b. 1936 - d. 1977)

Rahsaan Roland Kirk was born in Columbus, OH and developed the ability to play and compose music in various genres (jazz, classical and pop). But essentially he was a hard bop player with an extreme cutting edge. You could almost call it free jazz but I believe there was more structure in ideas than just mere adventure of thought.

He is famous among the jazz community to his unique performance style which he would play two or three instruments (mainly sax or flute) at once. For many the thought sounds like white noise but the harmonics Kirk would produce were unbelievably fascinating. All of this and Rahsaan Roland Kirk was blind (since the age of two).

Rahsaan Roland Kirk may not be a household name to many but the masses are very familiar with one tune in which he famously performers. "Soul Bossa Nova" recorded by Quincy Jones, Rahsaan Roland Kirk plays flute throughout. "Soul Bossa Nova" was already when it was originally released in 1962 and has been used ad-nauseam in film and commercials but 35 years later it became an international sensation thanks to Mike Myers Austin Powers films.

Kirk recorded mainly as leader (Quincy Jones, Tubby Hayes, Roy Haynes and a short stint with Charles Mingus the major exceptions) and his catalog is massive. His first release was in 1956, but my personal favourite is also the first Roland Kirk album I ever bought, Rip, Rig and Panic (Verve; 1965). This is a great hard bop date that really shouldn't be ignored. It features a stellear lineup of Elvin Jones (drums), Jaki Byard (piano) and Richard Davis (bass).

From the killer opening of "No Tonic Press" to the lovely free moving flute work of "Mystical Dreams" and bluesy avant garde foreshadowing of his later work on the closing number "Slippery, Hippery, Flippery", Roland Kirk puts himself in a whole different strata than his contemporaries of the period.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk's thinking and modal structure was definitely ahead of its time and many listeners had no idea what to think of the blind multi-reed playing musician. He would go on to record a series of really avant garde albums for Atlantic Records during the late 60s and early 70s. These albums are much more for the die-hard fan. There have been a whole batch of compilations in the last few years on both Kirk's Verve and Atlantic years and they are worth picking up if you don't want to acquire any of the individual albums. My suggestions would Finest Hour (Verve) and Introducing Rahsaan Roland Kirk (Warners UK).

Kirk suffered two strokes in late 70s and finally succumbed to the second stroke in 1975 but he continued to play up to that point. Rahsaan Roland Kirk's legacy as a true innovator and prognosticator of improvisation is without question and today we should celebrate one of the true originals of Jazz. Happy Birthday Mr. Kirk.

Celebrating The Life Of Fred Anderson

Fred Anderson (sax, b. 1929 - d. 2010)

Fred Anderson, considered the father of the Chicago Free Jazz Movement, passed away this past Thursday. His influenced could be felt throughout not only Chicago jazz but also European jazz. He was a co-founder of AACM (the Association for the Advancement of Creative Music) in Chicago. Anderson while a late contemporary of fellow saxophone free jazz legends, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and Archie Shepp--never really reach to popular heights those artist did. That is until the last decade or so of his life.

I really did start getting into Fred Anderson until 1997 when I picked up a used copy of Fred Anderson and The DKV Trio (Okka Disk). The DKV trio was a side project of Ken Vandermark (sax), Hamid Drake (percussion) and Kent Kessler (bass). It was mesmerizing recording that forced me to seek out more music from Fred Anderson. At the time his material was extremely hard to find. If you were living in Chicago you probably didn't know about Fred Anderson let alone could find a record by him.

Fred Anderson also ran his own jazz club in Chicago called the Velvet Lounge. He recorded a large majority of his latter releases there. And live was probably the best way to hear him. The club was forced to shut down in 2005 but reopen with the help of fellow Chicago jazz musician in a new location and has thrived ever since.

Anderson's playing and vision was direct and powerful. He possessed a full body way of performing that was reminiscent of the aforementioned legends but he too would carve out a distinct path that made each of his record their own. In addition to the DKV Trio, Anderson also worked with Marilyn Crispell (piano), William Parker (bass), Kidd Jordan (sax).

I never got the opportunity to see Fred Anderson perform live. He played the renowned Vision Festival in NYC numerous times. Like an idiot I always felt my favourite artists would live forever, so there would be plenty opportunities to see him. How wrong I was. But Anderson leaves a wealth of music for new fans to dive into. Whether you're into free jazz or not you need to at least experience a Fred Anderson record to understand what a legend he has become and will forever be.

If you decide to pick up any of Fred Anderson's music, I highly recommend you go to order from Downtown Music Gallery (in NYC) or Dusty Groove (in Chicago). They both have the best selection of Fred Anderson material.

My essential Fred Anderson recordings:
Dark Day (Atavistic Records reissue from 1979)
Fred Anderson/DKV Trio (Okka Disk; 1997)
2 Days In April (Eremite; 1999)
Back At The Velvet Lounge (Delmark; 2002)
Timeless (Delmark; 2005)
Live At The Velvet Lounge 2007 (Estrad Poznanska)

Eric Dolphy In Transition

Eric Dolphy (sax, clarinet, flute; b. 1928 d. 1964)

Out There (Prestige, 1960)

The L.A. native, Eric Dolphy, made a number of appearances as sideman before recording his debut Outward Bound (Prestige. 1960), brilliant slice of hard bop with exceptional promise. He had become a multi-instrumentalist, particularly through his improvisational work on the bass clarinet. He worked with both Charles Mingus and John Coltrane whom along with Charlie Parker were huge influences on his compositional work.

Many people, myself included, will site that the ultimate Eric Dolphy album to own is Out To Lunch (Blue Note; 1964) but I also believe that there is an album that marks the origins of what Dolphy would continue to explore for the rest of his career. That album is Out There (Prestige; 1960). Eric Dolphy employed a quartet that was minus a piano player. Instead he chose the legendary Ron Carter (cello), which would result in some of the most memorable interchanges you will ever hear. The quartet also included George Duviveier (bass) and Roy Haynes (drums) whom both add tremendous dimension to the proceedings.

The opening "Out There" is wonderful piece of free jazz in which Dolphy expresses the angular emotion that made his recorded output so unique that he former employer Coltrane would later take note and say that mention that many people missed the beauty in Eric Dolphy's music. A large majority of sessions features Dolphy on clarinet but it is an excellent opportunity for the listener to hear why he was considered one the few musicians to turn the clarinet into an unbelievable improvisational instrument.

On the Charles Mingus penned "Eclipse" Dolphy and Carter connect in one of most hauntingly beautiful ways. The ballad "Sketch Of Melba" illustrates the more melodic bluesier side which Dolphy could turn with ease. The session closes with a drifting and scale jumping "Feathers" in which Carter and Dolphy connect again with an uncanny beauty that would be reminiscent of Monk and Rouse.

Out There is a transitional album--bridging the more standard bop of its predecessor, Outward Bound with the future exploration of free jazz that would later result in the masterpiece of Out To Lunch. The Dali-esque album cover is slightly misleading to the accesible nature of the entire recording. But make no mistake, Out There is an album that stands on its own and should be a must in your music collection. A brilliant album by an artist would be gone all to soon.

Jimmy Giuffre

Jimmy Giuffre (clarinet, sax; b. 1921 - d. 2008)

The Texas born, Jimmy Giuffre is sometimes a mythical figure even amongst jazz fans. He was classically trianed on clarinet--learned and perfected counterpoint (harmonic structure of two different musical lines which function together) which would be make his work standout high and above many of his contemporaries.

With well over 30 albums to his credit, he is widely known for his pianoless/drumless trios from the 50s/60s. These groups were unprecedented and highly inventive (saxophonist Gerry Mulligan also had a pianoless quartet) are recorded a series influential albums over the span of 10 years. The trio feature Jim Hall (guitar) and Ralph Pena (bass) and later a second trio with Hall and Bobby Brookmyer (trombone). The two trios performed some absolutely beautiful folksy and blues influenced jazz sessions during the mid to later 50s.

The bulk of these are extremely hard to find individually but Jim Hall/Ralph Pena sessions can be found on a great import collection entitled, The Origial Studio Recordings (Gambit). This contains some stellar material including the wonderful "Train and The River". The Brookmyer sessions can be found on a very expensive boxed set, The Complete Capitol & Atlantic Recordings (Mosaic Records). This also includes some killer performances of "Blue Monk" and "Pickin' em Up and Layin' em Down". A later Giuffre trio featuring would create another influential trio with Paul Bley (piano) and Steve Swallow (bass) which would record series of even more influential records.

The most famous sets were 1961 (ECM) (aka the two albums Fusion and Thesis) and Free Form (Columbia). These were part of what Giuffre were early experiments in Free Jazz. Unlike what some would associate with Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy or even John Coltrane, these sessions were introspective yet adventurous for their use of space. It is a melodic session were Bley, Swallow and Giuffre each explore different aspects emotionally. This is a landmark recording in jazz history and well worth seeking out.

Giuffre would record and teach throughout the 70s and 80s but made a return to recording during the late 80s and 90s and even recorded two more sessions with Bley and Swallow which saw the three still in top form after a twenty year hiatus. Jimmy Giuffre's lineups may sound complete out of left-field for the uninitiated but when you hear them (jazz fan or not) you will be spellbound at how powerful and creative the groups could be.