Rahsaan Roland Kirk is a true legend. With his mastery of circular breathing, ability to play two or even three horns at once, boundless imagination, and ability to tap into something deeper than the material, the sight-impaired multi-reedist was known for his incredible live shows. Kirk followed his muse wherever it led, through standards, originals, and improvisations, and trusted the audience to come with him. There was no one quite like him.
Originally recorded as part of a documentary that was never completed, Vibrations in the Village: Live at the Village Gate captures a 1963 gig over two November nights at the titular venue. Kirk and his band – bassist Henry Grimes, drummer Sonny Brown, and rotating pianists Horace Parlan, Melvin Rhyne, and Jane Getz – enter swinging right away with “Jump Up and Down – Fast,” a swinging speedball that interpolates blues, bop, and anything else Kirk fancies tossing in for a fifteen-minute introduction to his world. From there, Kirk alternates between fast and slow, ripping off the roof with “Kirk’s Delight” and “Blues Minor at the Gate,” and massaging the heart with “Ecclusiastics” and the appropriately titled “Oboe Blues” – like he’s wrapping up all of jazz history to that point into a beautifully wrapped package. Though the audio isn’t the greatest (the piano in particular sounds like no mic was pointed at it), Kirk sounds relaxed and happy here, communing with the muse with a real sense of joy and fun.
Recorded four years later at Seattle’s famed shrine to jazz, the two-disk Seek & Listen: Live at the Penthouse presents a show professionally recorded over two Fridays a week apart. Accompanied by pianist Rahn Burton, bassist Steve Noveosel, and drummer Jimmy Hopps, Kirk blends the same elements as on Vibrations and keeps the party going. If anything, the atmosphere scans even more fun-filled. Back-to-back medleys on disk 1 combine classic jazz (one of them consists of Duke Ellington tunes with a Cole Porter chaser) and a near-delirious mix of pop and gospel with his own original “Blues For C&T.” Disk 2 pumps the energy level higher with the burning original “Lovellevelliloqui” and a cover of Bobby Gentry’s hit “Ode to Billie Joe,” refashioned as a bopping bossa nova. Ballads include “Now Please Don’t You Cry, Beautiful Edith” and a cover of Burt Bacharach’s “Alfie,” but this set sticks mainly to party music, closing with the bluesy flute showcase “Making Love After Hours.”
Compiled and produced by Resonance co-director/Jazz Detective Zev Feldman, who has an uncanny knack for finding great concert recordings buried deep in someone’s archives, Vibrations in the Village and Seek & Listen give both jazz and Kirk fans pure satisfaction.
