Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1935-1977) was a blind American jazz saxophonist, perh… Read Full Bio ↴Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1935-1977) was a blind American jazz saxophonist, perhaps best known for his ability to play more than one saxophone at once.
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.
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.
The Inflated Tear
Rahsaan Roland Kirk Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Rahsaan Roland Kirk:
Ain You ever want something That you know you shouldn´t have …
Ain't No Sunshine You ever want something That you know you shouldn´t have Th…
Alfie What′s it all about, Alfie? Is it just for the moment…
And Don Missed the Saturday dance Heard they crowded the floor Could…
And Don't You Forget It I love you, Hums an april breeze, I love you, Echo the hi…
And I Love Her I give her all my love That's all I do And if…
Blacknuss Now we gathered here on the universe at this time…
Blue Rol bring it down there thats right unhh... all right mmm…
By Myself The party's over, the game is ended, the dreams I…
Charade When we played our charade We were like children posing Play…
Christmas Song Chestnuts roasting on an open fire Jack Frost nipping at yo…
Daybreak Daybreak, another new day, The mist on the meadow is driftin…
Days of Wine and Roses The days of wine and roses laugh and run away…
Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me Someone told someone and someone told you But they wouldn't …
Don Missed the Saturday dance Heard they crowded the floor Could…
Don't get around much anymore Missed the Saturday dance Heard they crowded the floor Cou…
Dreamsville I'm in Dreamsville, holding you A dreamy view, just we two…
Fugue yeah that was nice hahahahah fugue'n and Alludin Ha Ha Haaa…
Get Out of Town Get out of town Before it's too late, my love Get out…
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat He put all of his soul Into a tenor saxophone He had…
I Come on let's twist again Like you did last summer…
I Didn Once I was young Yesterday, perhaps Danced with Jim and Pa…
I Loves You I give her all my love That's all I do And if…
I Loves You Porgy I love you, Porgy Don't let him take me Don't let him…
I Say a Little Prayer They shot him down They shot him down Whoa, they shot him…
I'll Be Seeing You I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places That…
If I Loved You But somehow I can see Just exactly how I′d be- If I…
It I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm I'm as…
Jitterbug Waltz The night is getting on The band is getting slow The crowd…
Lover Come Back To Me You went away I let you We broke the ties that bind I…
Ma Cherie Amour La la la la la la, la la la la…
Medley%3A We'll Be Together Again %01 People From Funny Girl People, People who need people, Are the luckiest people in…
mercy mercy me Woo ah mercy, mercy me Ah, things ain't what they used…
Mood Indigo You ain't never been blue; no, no, no, You ain't…
Moon River Moon River, wider than a mile I'm crossin' you in style…
My Cherie Amour La la la la la la, la la la la…
My Girl I've got sunshine on a cloudy day When it's cold outside…
My Heart Stood Still I took one look at you That's all I meant to…
My Heart Stood Still ) I took one look at you That's all I meant to…
My One and Only Love The very thought of you makes my heart sing Like an…
Never Can Say Goodbye I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now Never…
Night In Tunisia In the still of the night As I gaze out of…
Old Rugged Cross Ну, вот малыш и мы с тобой наедине И то, что…
Once in a While Once in a while will you try to give One little…
Our Love is Here to Stay It's very clear, our love is here to stay Not for…
Our Waltz Our waltz is music fashioned in heaven, Angels composed it f…
Prelude to a Kiss If you hear A song in blue Like a flower crying For the…
simone Darling, let's stop this pretending What more is there to sa…
Someone to Watch Over Me There's a saying old says that love is blind Still were…
Spirits Up Above There's a girl that I once knew Who often had a…
Take Me Girl There's a saying old says that love is blind Still were…
The Business Ain the business aint nothin but the blues tell me what…
The Christmas Song Chestnuts roasting on an open fire Jack Frost nipping at you…
The Nearness of You Its not the pale moon that excites me That thrills and…
The Things I Love I give her all my love That's all I do And if…
Theme For The Eulipions you wouldn't forget him either if you met im where…
This Is Always This isn't sometimes, this is always. This isn't maybe, thi…
We People, People who need people, Are the luckiest people in…
What Once I was young Yesterday, perhaps Danced with Jim and Pa…
What's Goin' On Mother, mother There's too many of you crying Brother, bro…
What's Goin' On / Mercy Mercy Me Woo ah mercy, mercy me Ah, things ain't what they used…
What's Goin' On\u0001Mercy Mercy Me Woo ah mercy, mercy me Ah, things ain't what they…
You I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places That…
You Dit It I love you, Hums an april breeze, I love you, Echo the hi…
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DeptIndAccts
This is the side of youtube that is amazing. This incredible footage of Roland Kirk has been rescued from oblivion and presented here. Thanks to the uploader!!!!
SunflowerArcher
you have to realize how hard it is to get great tone and stay in tune with three differing mouthpieces like that. Some people called it a gimmick, but he was probably the best saxophone player just about ever. Such an amazing talent. Plus that straight tenor. You just don't see horns like that anymore.
Jean Hodgson
The tenor is the normal shape - on his left side. The middle horn is an almost straight alto, and the one on the right is an almost straight soprano.
FemMales will be PEGGED
Omg that is a really weird horn eh.
FemMales will be PEGGED
I mean for jazz
k.
sounds like an alto to me
Marcel Simon
@Jean Hodgson The straight alto was a Buescher from the 1920s that he modified with a wider bell and called the stritch. The third horn (on his right) was a saxello, a curved B-flat soprano that he also altered a bit and called the manzello.
yeda77 Hicks
Walk into my brothers house one day, high as can be, and Rahsaan's Inflated tear was playing. To this day I still have no words to describe or articulate in rational terms what I experienced that day. Even now after so many years has gone by this music just make me feel other worldly Thanks for posting.
Garrett Cummins
Kirk was not of this world. He was just visiting for a while. Thank goodness we had the technology to capture his work.
jamison lewis
What's amazing is that he pretty much duplicates the recorded version. I think this guy would have been big as a rock star if anybody had really known about him. Along with Eric Dolphy, one of the great individualists of 20th century jazz.