You slackers with doublenecks better get busy

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 21 Dec 2012 3:22 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiI2ZHmxPPo

Rahsaan Roland Kirk has been accused of being "gimmicky" by those jazz critics who played saxophone in the high school marching band, moved to New Yawk or LA to become stars, and found out a bit too late that they sucked... become a music critic! You get to carp something about all the people better than you.

Kirk's use of two saxes sounds perfectly musical to me, like at 1:30, 2:40 and 4:00 and out. Anybody can learn parlor tricks if they're really determined, but in the coda especially he's improvising two lines? It ain't all in his lucky hat, that guy has a serious case of weird-brain. Way I figure it, you could velcro another bar to your left forearm and play the C6th and E9th neck simultaneously? That's one way to keep busy and stay out of the bars. Actually it'd probably work two ways.

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 21 Dec 2012 9:53 am

Maybe one long bar, with a kink in the middle... like the new Mullen crossroads...
you might really be on to something here.

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 21 Dec 2012 2:47 pm

Along with the multiple saxes, he used to add nose flute. He was from another planet.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 5 Jan 2013 2:30 pm

Hmmm...I heard a lotta unisons and dragged-out drones against a melody line. Big whoop. Now, if he hadda done more counterpoint, and some separate but intricate melody lines, I mighta been suitably impressed. $:\$

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 6 Jan 2013 6:26 am

"Hmmm...I heard a lotta unisons and dragged-out drones against a melody line. Big whoop. Now, if he hadda done more counterpoint, and some separate but intricate melody lines, I mighta been suitably impressed"

I don't know a musician on the face of the earth that isn't suitably impressed by Roland Kirk, one of the most innovative and talented reed players the jazz world has ever known. By the way, all that is done with circular breathing. Try that sometime and see if you are impressed.

If you want to hear Rahsaan teach some lessons, listen to the Charlie Mingus jam at Carnegie Hall with a line up of famous sax players playing C jam blues on one side and Perdido on the other. Kirk cuts every other sax player. I would have hated to be on that stage while Roland Kirk gave me my lesson.

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 6 Jan 2013 6:54 am

He quotes "My Favorite Things" @ 2:30.

Two quotes from Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s Times obit:

Mingus: “This man is what jazz is all about. He’s real.

Roland Kirk: (Had a series of dreams) “which led me to see music even more clearly as a way of setting off vibrations within a person so that he can more deeply feel and recognize his identity and potential.”

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 6 Jan 2013 7:37 am

Bill, my comments weren't about the player as much as they were about what he's doing. Players holding those "forever notes", whether it's on reeds or brass, just isn't something I go all gaga about. No doubt the man's a legend, a really great player, but I just consider that clip more "gimmick" than anything. Sure, playing two instruments at once is always a major feat, but when it's done, I happen to like harmonies more than unisons or octaves.

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 6 Jan 2013 11:59 am

Donny, I hear you. there is a bit of hookum in what he is doing but that is Rahsaan. He is a monster player though.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 6 Jan 2013 12:17 pm

This is the clip of Kirk that you want, a beautiful tune, The Inflated Tear:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIqLJmlQQNM

Chris Schlotzhauer · Post by **Chris Schlotzhauer** » 6 Jan 2013 1:29 pm

How does circular breathing work?

How is that even possible?

Wow!

Frank Montmarquet · Post by **Frank Montmarquet** » 6 Jan 2013 4:54 pm

How does circular breathing work?

Something like this:

Fill lungs with air, puff up cheeks and fill mouth cavity with air while playing horn, as lungs run out of air continue blowing using air in cheeks/mouth while closing off the back of throat and refilling lungs while breathing in through nose. When lungs are full breath out through mouth into horn and re puff cheeks. Repeat..

Practice using a straw to continuously blow bubbles in a glass of water.

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 6 Jan 2013 6:40 pm

The minor pentatonic scale from 2:05 to 2:10 would sound good on both C-6th and E9th.

Talk about a crossover artist - Roland Kirk was so popular back in the day he would be booked on Rock shows like at the Fillmore East & Fillmore West. I remember seeing him on R&R TV shows. He's hard bop but he hasn't let go of his R&B honkin' neither.

Here's Roland Kirk at the height of his powers on “Hog Callin’ Blues” from a 1962 Mingus date for the great Atlantic LP “Oh Yeah.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=donDOIiuWc0

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 6 Jan 2013 6:55 pm

he is appreciated more now than he was then. critics didnt understand what he was doing. called him a show boat. i really enjoy his playing!!