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Favorite or least liked Roland Kirk albums


dave9199

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With the music clips I've heard on CD Universe & Amazon, I didn't really initally like much after The Inflated Tear which means the 70's stuff. Anyone like the orchestrated one, Left & Right?

Does anyone have the Rhapsody video Sound? How is this? And how is the I, Eye, Aye video?

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With the music clips I've heard on CD Universe & Amazon, I didn't really initally like much after The Inflated Tear which means the 70's stuff. Anyone like the orchestrated one, Left & Right?

YEAH!!

I got hold of a copy of that 4CD 32jazz release which includes it. I think I might love the Atlantic studio stuff better in its entirety than the albums one by one. But then that's the way I got them, and I listened to all of them at virtually the same time, so I tend to mix them etc.

There's fabulous music on each one of them, in my opinion.

ubu

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Does anyone have Jazz Corps or The Jaki Byard Experience with Kirk on it? How are they?

Here's a question: I picked up the book Bright Moments (2000) and noticed in the discography that it says that Atlantic was putting together a 13 disc box set of all of his albums on that label. Does anyone know what happened?

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Does anyone have Jazz Corps or The Jaki Byard Experience with Kirk on it? How are they?

Here's a question: I picked up the book Bright Moments (2000) and noticed in the discography that it says that Atlantic was putting together a 13 disc box set of all of his albums on that label. Does anyone know what happened?

The Jazz Corps w/ Kirk is really great. There is a nice contrast between wild, wild enthousiasm and cool restraint that pervades the date. Some of the playing is carefully probing, then plunges into bold forward movements. All are in great shape. The lines bop and swing around from the first beat. I love it, get it.

The Byard was gone before I came. I always have to remember myself to look for it. It seems to escape me time and again...

As for the Atlantic box, rumours of such a box have been making their round amoung Kirk fans for years and years now. Dorn wants to do it, but never seems to find enough focus to get it done. There is very little extra material to be expected after the Atlantic warehouse fire and most of the stuff is already out there; several times I might add as Dorn has been re-issuing it over and over again with each new label he has created. This project will probably not head off very soon.

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As for the Atlantic box, rumours of such a box have been making their round amoung Kirk fans for years and years now. Dorn wants to do it, but never seems to find enough focus to get it done. There is very little extra material to be expected after the Atlantic warehouse fire and most of the stuff is already out there; several times I might add as Dorn has been re-issuing it over and over again with each new label he has created. This project will probably not head off very soon.

It wasn't a matter of focus, but of finances. Dorn wanted to do it on his 32Jazz label and had a release date set when the label folded. He did what he could to reissue LPs by the artists he worked with at the label.

If it wasn't for Rhino as an outlet for Atlantic box sets, it would be a nice task for Mosaic to assemble the complete Atlantic recordings of Eddie Harris, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, John Lewis, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Yusef Lateef, in chronological order and, to keep it affordable, separate sets for live and studio dates.

Dreams of a jazz fan ... :(

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It wasn't a matter of focus, but of finances. Dorn wanted to do it on his 32Jazz label and had a release date set when the label folded. He did what he could to reissue LPs by the artists he worked with at the label.

If it wasn't for Rhino as an outlet for Atlantic box sets, it would be a nice task for Mosaic to assemble the complete Atlantic recordings of Eddie Harris, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, John Lewis, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Yusef Lateef, in chronological order and, to keep it affordable, separate sets for live and studio dates.

Dreams of a jazz fan ... :(

Not wanting to bad-mouth Dorn here as he is a helluvan important factor in getting this stuff out there, but sometimes I have the impression that he is very reluctant to share what he considers "his" legacy. I can imagine that his self-importance, as it also pervades his linernotes, somehow gets in the way to pull such large projects off. What I meant with focus is that he spends money and time in label after label putting out the same stuff. Great stuff that needs to be out there and I am grateful for that, but cannot escape the idea that if he would maybe plan his actions a bit more carefully instead of living by the day and sort of making a big deal out of the fact that nobody is interested in poor me and "my" beautiful misunderstood catalogue; I think if he were to accept that - damned - there are a lot of fans out there who will buy this stuff if only it were available longer than the 6 months before his current label folds and if only it were put out there instead of the same material once more in a different package with different cover art that is even uglier than in its last incarnation...

Ah well, I guess I am not qualified to judge anybody trying to have this great music kept alive, but it all is frustrating at times, also for the fans.

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....

If it wasn't for Rhino as an outlet for Atlantic box sets, it would be a nice task for Mosaic to assemble the complete Atlantic recordings of Eddie Harris, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, John Lewis, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Yusef Lateef, in chronological order and, to keep it affordable, separate sets for live and studio dates.

Dreams of a jazz fan ... :(

:wub:

dreams indeed, but you know, sometimes they come true...

(And Mosaic did do the Atlantic output of Jimmy Giuffre and the TKM set)

Back on topic: I just started listening to the 32jazz reissue of Kirk's three Warner albums. If you're open to his music, and don't mind the sometimes rather sixtie-ish vocals and backgrounds, there's some very fine music to be found! Kirk's tenor on "Theme for the Eulipions" sound marvellous! Then "Sweet Georgia Brown" with Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, tenor & washboard, is another highlight! The vocal version (Kirk's lyrics) of Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is another good one. And then there's a Kirk/Charlie Persip duo on Coltrane's "Giant Steps" - sure one hell of a fine album! ("The Return of the 5000lb Man" was the original title, by the way).

ubu

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Find the Jaki Byard Experience album!

There is no no-nonsense Kirk. It's just a question of the point at which the nonsense overwhelms the jazz. I prefer mine well-done (Rip, Rig & Panic, Mercury sides).

If you're a fan of Rahsaan's tenor, dig into Parisian Thoroughfare or Teach Me Tonight on the Byard

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For me, "The Inflated Tear" is completely no-nonsense, and one of the most stunning Kirk albums. By the way it's from 1967, so no seventies there.

I mixed things up about "Giant Steps" on the 5000lb man - it's not a duo, but a large band (not listed in the booklet of the 32jazz reissue, but probably a similar one as on the first track - tuba, vocals etc.)

ubu

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Some of Kirk's best no-nonsense playing.

No-nonsense playing?

"No-nonsense" in the meaning that whereas Kirk often plays on the verge of gimmickry, which is alright with me, and which I really dig, here he just digs in and plays without superficial jokes or references to the black music tradition.

No negative judgement intended.

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Not wanting to bad-mouth Dorn here as he is a helluvan important factor in getting this stuff out there, but sometimes I have the impression that he is very reluctant to share what he considers "his" legacy. I can imagine that his self-importance, as it also pervades his linernotes, somehow gets in the way to pull such large projects off. What I meant with focus is that he spends money and time in label after label putting out the same stuff. Great stuff that needs to be out there and I am grateful for that, but cannot escape the idea that if he would maybe plan his actions a bit more carefully instead of living by the day and sort of making a big deal out of the fact that nobody is interested in poor me and "my" beautiful misunderstood catalogue; I think if he were to accept that - damned - there are a lot of fans out there who will buy this stuff if only it were available longer than the 6 months before his current label folds and if only it were put out there instead of the same material once more in a different package with different cover art that is even uglier than in its last incarnation...

Ah well, I guess I am not qualified to judge anybody trying to have this great music kept alive, but it all is frustrating at times, also for the fans.

That's a legitimate way to view his attitude as a producer - self-indulgence seems to be a sign of the trade, with individual marks - Teo Macero, Orrin Keepnews, Joel Dorn, Manfred Eicher, even Michael Cuscuna somehow show an ego thing of some sort to confirm their importance for the music.

There are great producers who just stand back and disappear behind the music - so it's no wonder I cannot come up with any names right now - Chuck Nessa perhaps?

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I got that one on vinyl before the 3CD with the live performances was released. I have always dug the shite out of it. Especially "Black Root," which drove it all right home on first listening. I have always imagined Kirk taking his horn apart untill he is humming through the bell alone and then putting it all back togethher again while continuing to blow his song. Absolutely marvellous. One of those performances that make you jump up and dance around the room... HELL-friggin'-YEAH!

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Yes, it´s in the June 22 batch:

(from The Verve Music Group Release Schedule)

6/22/04

Johnny Griffin - JG (LPR) - Reissue - GRP Records

Illinois Jacquet - Desert Winds (LPR) - Reissue - GRP Records

Roland Kirk - Live In Copenhagen (LPR) - Reissue - Verve Records

James Moody - James Moody (LPR) - Reissue - GRP Records

Sonny Stitt - Personal Appearance (LPR) - Reissue - Verve Records

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