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.
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
Rahsaan Roland Kirk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Into a tenor saxophone
He had his way a talking
'T was a language of his own.
Life story love and glory
If you listen when he plays it for you
Now listen and listen, and dig it-
Can't you dig it?
Dealing and dancing you home.
Now someone might have told you,
Lester Young he's out of style.
But now I'm here to tell you,
Tell you, Prez is happening right now.
Life's story, love and glory if you listen
When he plays it for you
Now listen, and listen, and dig it,
Can't you dig it?
Lester Young is playing what he's feeling
Dealing and dancing you home.
He put all of his soul
Into a tenor saxophone
He had his way a talking
'T was a language of his own.
Life story love and glory
If you listen when he plays it for you
Now listen and listen, and dig it-
Can't you dig it?
Lester Young is playing what he's feeling
Dealing and dancing you home.
The lyrics for Rahsaan Roland Kirk's "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" pay tribute to one of the greatest tenor saxophonists of all time, Lester Young. The song is a eulogy, written by Charles Mingus, that mourns the death of Young and celebrates his unique style of playing jazz. The first verse tells us that Young put "all of his soul" into his tenor saxophone and that he spoke a "language of his own" when he played it. The second verse challenges those who might think that Young's style is outdated by proclaiming that he is "happening right now." The last verse repeats the first, underscoring Young's unparalleled artistry.
The song also makes clear that listening to Young's music is a transformative experience, one that can take the listener on a journey through "life story, love and glory." The repeated refrain, "Can't you dig it?" is a challenge to the listener to fully engage with the music, to let themselves be swept away by Young's improvisational style. This is music that is meant to make you dance, meant to make you feel something deep in your soul.
Overall, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is a powerful tribute to a legendary musician and a beautiful example of how jazz can be used to express complex emotions and ideas.
Line by Line Meaning
He put all of his soul
He poured all his passion and emotions into his performance
Into a tenor saxophone
Using the saxophone as his instrument of choice, he expressed himself through music
He had his way a talking
His style of playing had a voice and personality all its own
'T was a language of his own.
His music was a unique language that only he could speak
Life story love and glory
His music conveyed a message of life, love, and experience
If you listen when he plays it for you
By truly listening to his music, you can experience his message firsthand
Now listen and listen, and dig it-
Listen intently and embrace the music
Can't you dig it?
Don't you feel the depth and meaning in the music?
Lester Young is playing what he's feeling
This song is a tribute to the influential jazz musician, Lester Young, who expressed himself through his music
Dealing and dancing you home.
His music leads you on a journey, ultimately bringing you back home
Now someone might have told you,
People may have said that Lester Young's music is outdated or no longer relevant
Lester Young he's out of style.
They may have believed that his music is no longer fashionable
But now I'm here to tell you,
However, the singer is here to contradict those opinions
Tell you, Prez is happening right now.
They are assuring the listener that Lester Young's music is still current and meaningful
Writer(s): Charles Mingus
Contributed by Audrey O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@anahnb
He put all of his soul into a tenor saxophone
He had his way of talkin'; t'was a language of his own
Life’s story, love and glory if you listen
when he plays it for you, now listen
and listen, and dig it. Can't you dig it?
Lester Young is playin' what he's feelin'
Dealing and dancing on home
Now someone might have told you
Lester Young he's out of style [out of style!?!?!]
but now I'm here to tell you, tell you
Prez is happening now
Life’s story love and glory if you listen
when he plays it for you, now listen
and listen, and dig it. Can't you dig it?
Lester Young is playin' what he's feelin'
Dealin' and dancin' on home
@michaelhernandez439
Big time, thank you to the poster of this really great
Composition.
@macfunkey
It should be pointed out here that the beautiful lyrics were composed by Rahsaan Roland Kirk himself. In my opinion, a true giant of music, not ashamed to be entertaining as well as musical, unlike some (too serious?) jazzers.
@stevemurray9925
Also Jimi's favourite jazzer.
@kasperbolding18
Entertainment and Music, is 2 things, enjoyed best seperately.
Usually the lesser talented musicians NEEDS some crazy entertainment scheme, to attract people, but it has nothing to do what so ever with the music.
@HippolitoJuancheese
^ I can be a stuffy purist at times too, but entertainment and music are intertwined (much to my disdain when I was a young, religiously practicing, tone and technique chaser). There’s nothing wrong with wanting to achieve an idea of perfection and constantly striving for improvement but chops mean little to nothing to the general public if the only message in your performances and recordings is “hey check out my killer technique!!!”
Perfection is both unattainable and overrated anyway.
“There’s nothing worse than seeing musicians taking themselves too seriously”
- Col. Bruce Hampton
RIP
@jackhammer111
@@kasperbolding18 You never saw a Rahsaan Roland Kirk, did you? Do you think the same music played by somebody with a likable personality is somehow diminished? You have a General point that doesn't apply to this case
@davidlamb7524
Kasper Bolding I can't believe you mean that !
So according to you, Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan, Louis Prima, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Waller, The Andrews Sisters, Mose Allison, Hoagy Carmichael, Sammy Davis Junior, Ray Charles, Mel Torme, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Mozart, Perez Prado, Lonnie Johnson and Howlin' Wolf (to name but a few) had nothing to do with music ? Are you sure ? What none of them ?
@naughtymonkey1563
Wow. Just WOW. I'm an Australian drum'n'bass and hiphop DJ.. I just randomly clicked on this because I found the name amusing. I've listened to it 7 times in a row now. Mind. Blown!
@saxchillz2328
Spiritual Thankyou Gracious Mench
@jahblessin3996
My favorite song on the album