Kirk was born Ronald Kirk on 7th August 1935, in Columbus, Ohio, but felt compelled by a dream to transpose two letters in his first name to make Roland. After another dream in about 1970 he added Rahsaan to his name.
His playing was generally rooted in soul jazz or hard bop, but Kirk's encyclopedic knowledge of jazz history allowed him to draw convincingly on any element of the music's history, from ragtime to swing and free jazz. Kirk also regularly explored classical and pop music.
Kirk played and collected a vast number of musical instruments, mainly various saxophones, clarinets, and flutes. His main instruments were tenor saxophone, and two obscure saxophones: the manzello (similar to a soprano sax) and the stritch (a straight alto sax lacking the instrument's characteristic upturned bell). Kirk modified these instruments himself to accommodate his simultaneous playing technique. He typically appeared on stage with all three horns hanging around his neck, as well as a variety of other instruments, including flutes and whistles. Kirk also played harmonica, cor anglais, recorders, and was a competent trumpeter. He often used unusual instruments or combinations of instrument parts, using a saxophone mouthpiece on a trumpet or playing nose flute. He additionally used many extramusical sounds in his music, such as alarm clocks, whistles, sirens, and even primitive electronic sounds (before such things became commonplace).
In addition to the saxophones, Kirk was also an influential flautist, employing several novel techniques that he developed himself. One technique was to sing or hum into the flute at the same time as playing. (This technique was adopted later by many other players, including Jeremy Steig and Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull.) Another was to play the standard transverse flute at the same time as a nose flute.
Charade
Rahsaan Roland Kirk Lyrics
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We were like children posing
Playing at games, acting out names
Guessing the parts we played
Oh, what a hit we made
We came on next to closing
Best on the bill, lovers until
Fate seemed to pull the strings
I turned and you were gone
While from the darkened wings
That music box played on
Sad little serenade
Song of my heart's composing
I hear it still; I always will
Best on the bill, charade
The song Charade by Rahsaan Roland Kirk speaks about a love affair that has ended with one partner leaving unexpectedly, leaving the other feeling heartbroken and lost. The opening lines of the song describe how the couple, who were playing charades or pretending to be someone else, were like children enjoying a game. However, as the song progresses, it is clear that the love between the couple was true, as they were the "best on the bill," until love "left the masquerade." These lines suggest that their love was a performance, that it was just a game being played until it ended tragically.
The last two stanzas are the most poignant and heartrending. Fate seemed to have played a part in their separation, and when the partner turned around, they were gone. The music box then played on, which may symbolize the flow of time and how life moves on even when our hearts are broken. The singer is left with a sad little serenade, a song of the heart's composition that they will always hear, remembering the love once shared in the masquerade.
Line by Line Meaning
When we played our charade
When we pretended and acted out our relationship
We were like children posing
We acted naively like children playing a game
Playing at games, acting out names
We were playing roles and pretending to be different characters
Guessing the parts we played
We were trying to figure out the roles we had in the relationship
Oh, what a hit we made
We were successful in pretending and acting out our relationship
We came on next to closing
We were almost at the end of our performance
Best on the bill, lovers until
We were the best performers, playing the role of lovers
Love left the masquerade
Our pretend love ended when we stopped pretending
Fate seemed to pull the strings
The events seemed to be out of our control
I turned and you were gone
When I looked back, you were no longer with me
While from the darkened wings
From the shadows of the theater stage
That music box played on
The music continued to play despite the end of our performance
Sad little serenade
A melancholic melody
Song of my heart's composing
The melody was created by my own emotions
I hear it still; I always will
I still hear the music and miss the relationship we pretended to have
Best on the bill, charade
We were the best performers in our relationship, but it was still a facade
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Henry Nicola Mancini, John H. Mercer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind