Label: Verve / Mercury
Recorded on October 1963 at Jazzhus Montmartre, Copenhagen, Denmark
Audio CD (June 22, 2004)
Jazz
Frontrunner for the "Most Joyously Fun Jazz Musician of All Time" award, multi-instrumentalist and sonic inventor extraordinaire Roland Kirk is a universe of music unto himself. A listen to 1964's KIRK IN COPENHAGEN, the artist's first live ... Full Descriptionalbum, should substantiate such claims. With an international band that includes Spanish pianist Tete Montoliu, Danish bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, and Americans Don Moor (bass) and J.C. Moses (drums), Kirk wreaks beautiful, subversive havoc on the bop, swing, and free-jazz idioms without once
skipping an iota of technical precision.
That Kirk plays tenor, flute, manzello, strich, siren, and nose flute on Ellington's "Mood Indigo," and makes the chestnut sound as lovely and surprising as ever, should be testament enough to his skills. But Kirk's originals shine as well. "Narrow Bolero," an angular blues inspired by Ravel's Bolero, gives way to the "Mingus-Griff Song," a swinging tribute to friends Charles Mingus and Johnny Griffin. But the highlight is "The Monkey Thing," a crazed blues circus of a tune that features flute and vocal interpolations by Kirk and smoking harmonica lines from a musician credited as "Big Skol" (who is, in fact, blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson). A more rollicking good time is hard to come by.
CD Universe.
**
Many years ago I saw Rasaan on TV playing with the winners of the Playboy jazz poll winners. Some heavy weight players. They were all blown away by Rasaan circular breathing and of course never for a gimmick playing some totally way out stuff on three reeds at the same time. All of those heavy weights standing around mouths agape.
WILD!
Here's a good story. One night at Keystone Corner in San Francisco Rasaan was playing "Three Blind Mice" in his own inimitable way. He decided to lead the crowd out onto the streets like the Pied Piper. You can just imagine the blind Rasaan playing "Three Blind Mice" leading his sighted fans down the streets he knew so well! Ahhh, it must have been something. Rasaan and a San Francisco night and the good company of people who could well appreciate him.
What a joker.
Nice recording. Nice performance. Just listened to cut 2 and was blown away by his playing. Dense, complex, swinging, singing.
By D. Garcia
**
Roland Kirk spent 1961 and 1962 developing his craft by performing with some of jazz's finest players, from Jack McDuff, Charles Mingus, and Benny Golson to Herbie Hancock and Roy Haynes, the latter two who appear on Kirk's seminal 1962 session, Domino. With these experiences in the bag, Kirk hit his stride by late 1963, especially in his live performances. Kirk in Copenhagen, a live date from the famed Club Montmartre, reveals just how electrifying a performer Kirk had quickly become. "Cabin in the Sky" has it all – a standard opening bop statement, a fine Montoliu solo, and a blazing Kirk improvisation including a run from 1:18 to 1:53 that just may contain the most amount of notes ever heard in 35 seconds!
By Eric Novod.
**
Roland Kirk: Tenor saxophone, manzello, stritch, flute, nose flute, and/or siren whistle
Tete Montoliu: Piano
Don Moore: Bass guitar
Niels-Henning 0rsted Pedersen: Bass
J.C. Moses: Drums
Also:
Sonny Boy Williamson: Harmonica.
**
01. Narrow Bolero 5:23
02. Mingus-Griff Song 8:07
03. The Monkey Thing 5:43
04. Mood Indigo 7:17
05. Cabin In The Sky 7:46
06. On The Corner Of King And Scott Streets 4:12
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