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Roland Kirk – The Limelight / Verve Albums
Roland Kirk - The Limelight / Verve Albums album cover
Label: Mosaic Records (2) – MRLP-3006
Format:
Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Box Set, Compilation, Limited Edition, Numbered
Country: US
Released: 2014
Genre: Jazz
Style: Hard Bop, Latin Jazz, Soul-Jazz
I Talk With The Spirits
A1 Roland Kirk– Serenade To A Cuckoo
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
4:30
A2 Roland Kirk– We'll Be Together Again
Written-By – B. Merrill*, Carl Fischer*, F. Lane*, J. Styne*
4:38
A3 Roland Kirk– A Quote From Clifford Brown
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
4:22
A4 Roland Kirk– Trees
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
6:18
A5 Roland Kirk– Fugue'n And Alludin'
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
0:41
B1 Roland Kirk– The Business Ain't Nothin' But The Blues
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
5:02
B2 Roland Kirk– I Talk With The Spirits
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
3:56
B3 Roland Kirk– Ruined Castles
Written-By – Rentaroh Taki*
1:17
B4 Roland Kirk– Django
Written-By – John Lewis (2)
4:50
B5 Roland Kirk– My Ship
Written-By – I. Gershwin*, K. Weill*
5:05
Rip, Rig And Panic
C1 The Roland Kirk Quartet Featuring Elvin Jones– No Tonic Pres
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
4:33
C2 The Roland Kirk Quartet Featuring Elvin Jones– Once In A While
Written-By – B. Green*, M. Edwards*
3:59
C3 The Roland Kirk Quartet Featuring Elvin Jones– From Bechet, Byas And Fats
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
6:27
C4 The Roland Kirk Quartet Featuring Elvin Jones– Mystical Dream
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
2:39
D1 The Roland Kirk Quartet Featuring Elvin Jones– Rip, Rig And Panic
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
6:57
D2 The Roland Kirk Quartet Featuring Elvin Jones– Black Diamond
Written-By – M. Sealey*
5:22
D3 The Roland Kirk Quartet Featuring Elvin Jones– Slippery, Hippery, Flippery
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
4:57
Slightly Latin
E1 Roland Kirk– Walk On By
Written-By – B. Bacharach-H.David*
2:35
E2 Roland Kirk– Raouf
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
3:10
E3 Roland Kirk– It's All In The Game
Written-By – C. Sigman*, C. Dawes*
5:24
E4 Roland Kirk– Juarez
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
5:28
E5 Roland Kirk– Shakey Monkey
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
2:40
F1 Roland Kirk– Nothing But The Truth
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
3:39
F2 Roland Kirk– Safari
Written-By – Eddie Mathias
4:33
F3 Roland Kirk– And I Love Her
Written-By – J. Lennon*, P. McCartney*
3:04
F4 Roland Kirk– Ebrauqs
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
8:30
Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith
G1 Roland Kirk– Blue Rol
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
6:11
G2 Roland Kirk– Alfie
Written-By – B. Bacharach-H. David*
2:54
G3 Roland Kirk– Why Don't They Know
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
2:56
G4 Roland Kirk– Silverization
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
5:00
H1 Roland Kirk– Fall Out
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
3:03
H2 Roland Kirk– Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
4:25
H3 Roland Kirk– Stompin' Grounds
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk*
4:49
H4 Roland Kirk– It's A Grand Night For Swinging
Written-By – Billy Taylor
3:09
Record Company – UMG Recordings, Inc.
Manufactured By – Universal Music Enterprises
Copyright © – Mosaic Records, L.L.C.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Island Def Jam Music Group
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – The Verve Music Group
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Lacquer Cut At – Sterling Sound
Designed At – Inkwell, Inc.
Pressed By – Quality Record Pressings
Recorded At – Nola Recording Studios
Recorded At – Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Recorded At – Capitol Studios, New York City
Arranged By – Garnett Brown (tracks: E1 to F4), Roland Kirk (tracks: E1 to F4)
Arranged By [Voices Arranged By] – Coleridge Perkinson* (tracks: E1 to F4)
Bass – Eddie Mathias (tracks: E1 to F4), Michael Fleming (2) (tracks: A1 to B5), Richard Davis (2) (tracks: C1 to D3), Ronnie Boykins (tracks: G1 to H4)
Congas – Montego Joe (tracks: E1 to F4)
Drums – Elvin Jones (tracks: C1 to D3), Grady Tate (tracks: G1 to H4), Sonny Brown (tracks: E1 to F4), Walter Perkins (tracks: A1 to B5)
Flugelhorn – Martin Banks (tracks: E1 to F4)
Flute, Alto Flute, Tenor Saxophone, Siren, Clarinet, Castanets [Castenets], Saxophone [Stritch], Flute [American Wooden Flute] – Roland Kirk
Harp – Nagoya (3) (tracks: F4)
Lacquer Cut By – RKS*
Mastered By [Mastered From The Original Tapes By] – Ryan Smith (2)
Percussion, Other [Vocal Choir] – Manuel Ramos (tracks: E2, F1, F4)
Piano – Jaki Byard (tracks: C1 to D3), Lonnie Liston Smith (tracks: G1 to H4)
Piano, Celesta, Vibraphone – Horace Parlan (tracks: A1 to B5, E1 to F4)
Producer – Bobby Scott (tracks: A1 to B5), Creed Taylor (tracks: G1 to H4), Hal Mooney (tracks: E1 to F4), Jack Tracy (tracks: C1 to D3)
Producer [Produced For Release By] – Michael Cuscuna
Recorded By – Bob Arnold (tracks: E1 to F4), Rudy Van Gelder (tracks: C1 to D3, G1 to H4)
Supervised By – Jack Tracy (tracks: A1 to B5)
Trombone – Garnett Brown (tracks: E1 to F4)
Trumpet – Virgil Jones (tracks: E1 to F4)
Vibraphone – Bobby Moses (tracks: A5)
Vocals – Miss C. J. Albert* (tracks: A1, B2)
Limited to 3,500 numbered copies, booklet is numbered.
SESSIONS DATE AND LOCATION:
# A1 to B5: Recorded at Nola Studios, New York City on September 16 & 17, 1964.
# C1 to D3: Recorded at the Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on January 13, 1965.
# E1 to F4: Recorded Capitol Studios, New York City on November 16 & 17, 1965.
# G1 to H4: Recorded at the Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on May 2, 1967.
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A etched, exc. STERLING, stamped): MRLP-3006 B0019596-01 LP1-A RKS STERLING
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B etched, exc. STERLING, stamped): MRLP-3006 B0019596-01 LP1-B RKS STERLING
Matrix / Runout (Runout side C etched, exc. STERLING, stamped): MRLP-3006 B0019596-01 LP2-A RKS STERLING
Matrix / Runout (Runout side D etched, exc. STERLING, stamped): MRLP-3006 B0019596-01 LP2-B RKS STERLING
Matrix / Runout (Runout side E etched, exc. STERLING, stamped): MRLP-3006 B0019596-01 LP3-A RKS STERLING
Matrix / Runout (Runout side F etched, exc. STERLING, stamped): MRLP-3006 B0019596-01 LP3-B RKS STERLING
Matrix / Runout (Runout side G etched, exc. STERLING, stamped): MRLP-3006 B0019596-01 LP4-A RKS STERLING
Matrix / Runout (Runout side H etched, exc. STERLING, stamped): MRLP-3006 B0019596-01 LP4-B RKS STERLING
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...... Roland Kirk - tenor sax., bariton sax., manzello, stritch, flute, clarinet, percussion
Horace Parlan & Lonnie Liston Smith - piano
Virgil Jones - trumpet
Michael Fleming & Ronnie Boykins - bass
Elvin Jones & Grady Tate - drums
u.a. ..................
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Rahsaan Roland Kirk gehört mit Sicherheit zu den verwirrendsten und facettenreichsten Figuren der Jazzgeschichte. Sein exzentrischer Humor durchbrach mitunter die Grenzen zur dadaistischen Kunst, und wer bereit war, sich auf seine spannenden Experimente (wie etwa drei Saxofone gleichzeitig zu spielen, oder während des Flötespielens zu singen) vorbehaltlos einzulassen, der wurde stets mit einem ganz besonderen Musikerlebnis belohnt. Vier Alben nahm Kirk für Limelight bzw. Verve auf: „I Talk With The Spirits“ (1964, sein einziges Album, auf dem er ausschließlich Flöte spielt), „Rip, Rig And Panic“ (1965), „Slightly Latin“ (1965) und „Now Please Dont Cry, Beautiful Edith“ (1967). Alle vier gibt es nun in einer hochwertigen Sammlerbox von Mosaic, die auf 3500 Stück limitiert ist. Zu den vier Alben, die jedes für sich ein swingendes, unterhaltsames aber auch anspruchsvolles Stück Jazzgeschichte sind, gibt es ein großformatiges 12seitiges Booklet mit Fotos, einem Überblick über alle vier Alben und den jeweiligen Original-Liner-Notes. Ein echtes Must-Have!
Mastering von den Original-Analog-Tapes durch Ryan Smith bei Sterling Sound, USA.
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Das Album ist auf 3500 Stück limitiert und kommt auf vier LPs in einer Box aus festen Karton, in welcher auch ein zwölfseitiges Booklet mit vielen Schwarzweiß-Photographien und Linernotes von Bob Blumenthal enthalten ist.
Für Jazzliebhaber sind diese Mosaic-Veröffentlichungen eine Wucht. Musikalisch einzigartig mit hohem Repertoirewert für den Jazz und ausgezeichneter Klangqualität
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................... Tracklisting .....................
Record One:
Side A:
1. Serenade To A Cuckoo (A) 4:30
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
2. We’ll Be Together Again/People (A) 4:38
(C. Fischer-F. Laine/B. Merrill-J. Styne)
3. A Quote From Clifford Brown (A) 4:22
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
4. Trees (A) 6:18
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
5. Fugue’n And Alludin’ (A) 0:41
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
Side B:
1. The Business Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues (A) 5:02
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
2. I Talk With The Spirits (A) 3:56
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
3. Ruined Castles (A) 1:17
(Rentaroh Taki)
4. Django (A) 4:50
(John Lewis)
5. My Ship (A) 5:05
(K. Weill-I.Gershwin)
Record Two:
Side A:
1. No Tonic Pres (B) 4:33
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
2. Once In A While (B) 3:59
(M. Edwards-B. Green)
3. From Bechet, Byas And Fats (B) 6:27
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
4. Mystical Dreams (B) 2:39
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
Side B:
1. Rip, Rig And Panic (B) 6:57
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
2. Black Diamond (B) 5:22
(Milt Sealey)
3. Slippery, Hippery, Flippery (B) 4:57
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
Record Three:
Side A:
1. Walk On By (C) 2:35
(B. Bacharach-H. David)
2. Raouf (C) 3:10
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
3. It’s All In The Game 5:24
(C. Dawes-C. Sigman)
4. Juarez (C) 5:28
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
5. Shakey Money (C) 2:40
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
Side B:
1. Nothing But The Truth (C) 3:39
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
2. Safari (C) 4:33
(Eddie Mathias)
3. And I Love Her (C) 3:04
(J. Lennon-P. McCartney)
4. Ebrauqs (C) 8:30
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
Record Four:
Side A:
1. Blue Rol (D) 6:11
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
2. Alfie (D) 2:54
(B. Bacharach-H. David)
3. Why Don’t They Know (D) 2:56
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
4. Silverlization (D) 5:00
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
Side B:
1. Fall Out (D) 3:03
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
2. Now Please Don’t Cry, Beautiful Edith (D) 4:25
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
3. Stompin’ Grounds (D) 4:49
(Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
4. It’s A Grand Night For Swinging (D) 3:09
(Billy Taylor) ............
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.....................Produktinfo .....................
Roland Kirk war im Prinzip von Geburt an blind (hell und dunkel konnte er unterscheiden) und schon früh zeigte sich sein Bedürfnis, mit allem Möglichen Musik zu machen wie z. B. einem Stück Wasserschlauch. Sein erstes wirkliches Instrument im Alter von neun Jahren war eine Trompete, aber sein Arzt war der Auffassung, dass der Druck auf seine Augen zu stark wäre, weshalb er auf Saxophon und Klarinette umstieg. .....................
Mit sechzehn träumte er, dass er drei Instrumente gleichzeitig spielte. In einer örtlichen Musikalienhandlung fand er bald darauf zwei Raritäten: ein Manzello, eine spanische Variante eines Sopransaxophons mit gebogen auslaufendem Schalltrichter und eines, das er stritch nannte, ein gerades Altsaxophon Marke Buescher mit großem Schalltrichter. Er erarbeitete sich seinen eigenen unrichtigen Fingersatz, um in der Lage zu sein, dreistimmig auf den drei Saxophonen zu spielen. Im Alter von 23 Jahren produzierte er sein erstes Album für King Records in Cincinnati. Er entwickelte sich schnell weiter und wurde in Chicago sehr bekannt, wo er 1960 sein zweites Album für Argo machte. .....................
1964 gab Mercury die Gründung von Limelight bekannt, ein neues Subunternehmen mit unglaublich aufwändig produzierten Covern. Roland wechselte zu dem neuen Label und machte die Aufnahmen, die man als seine erste Konzept-Platte bezeichnen könnte. Er ließ alle seine Saxophone zuhause und nahm ein ganzes Album mit den verschiedensten Flöten auf. Für "I Talk With The Spirits" fügte er seinem Quartett den Vibraphonspieler Bobby Moses hinzu, außerdem Miss C. J. Alberts wortlosen Gesang bei zwei weiteren Stücken. Das gesamte Material war auf die Flöte abgestimmt, aber es reichte vom Lyrischen bis zum Funk. Rolands Original zu Beginn, die unwiderstehliche "Serenade To A Cuckoo" wurde zu einem Hit im Radio. .....................
Kirk live zu sehen war vergleichbar mit einer sicheren Sitzgelegenheit im Auge eines Wirbelsturms, wobei man der Naturgewalt dabei zusehen konnte, wie sie mit Leichtigkeit zugriff auf die gesamte Geschichte des Jazz und das voll umwerfender Energie, Humor und Vorstellungskraft. Darauf lässt sich ein Blick werfen bei "Kirk In Kopenhagen" von 1963, aber die Intensität, die sowohl Kirk als auch seine Musik ausstrahlten, wurde erst so richtig eingefangen bei einem Studioalbum voller Stars: "Rip, Rig And Panic," das in Rudy Van Gelders Studio aufgenommen wurde. Die Rhythmusgruppe, bestehend aus Jaki Byard, Richard Davis und Elvin Jones, war für Kirk ein Dreamteam. In dies Studioalbum war all die Kraft und Energie hineingepackt, die Roland Kirk live freisetzte, wobei er mühelos vom New Orleans zum Swing und weiter zum Bop und zur freien Form oder zur Musique concrète wechselte. .....................
Kirks letztes Album bei Limelight war keineswegs weniger ambitioniert, obwohl es ein eindeutiger Versuch war, zu populäreren Radioformaten zu wechseln. Kirk und sein Arrangeur Garnett Brown fügen Blech und Schlagzeug zum Mix für "Slightly Latin" hinzu, zu dem auch drei Stücke mit dem Coleridge-Perkinson-Chor gehören. .....................
Ehe er 1967 einen exklusiven Vertrag bei Atlantic Records abschloss, machte er ein Album für Creed Taylor bei Verve. Dies war sein drittes und letztes Album im Van Gelder Studio. "Now Please Don't Cry, Beautiful Edith" ist ein gefeiertes Quartett mit Lonnie Liston Smith am Klavier, Ronnie Boykins am Bass und dem unermüdlichen Grady Tate am Schlagzeug. Das Programm besteht hauptsächlich aus Eigenkompositionen, aber mit großer Vielfalt an Grooves und melodischem Material.
.....................
Diese vier Juwelen aus der Mitte der 60er Jahre zeigen Roland Kirk auf der Höhe seiner Fähigkeiten, wobei seine Identität bereits voll ausgebildet ist, in viererlei wunderbaren Zusammenhängen.
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Born August 7, 1936 in Columbus, Ohio, Roland Kirk grew up to become one of the most all-encompassing and unique virtuosos in jazz
Born essentially blind (his eyes could distinguish light), he showed an early desire to try to make music from things such as the end of a water hose. His first real instrument, at age 9, was the trumpet, but his doctor felt that it put too much pressure on his eyes, so he switched to saxophone and clarinet. He was a natural musician and a fast learner who was playing professional gigs while still in high school.
He dreamt at age 16 that he was playing three instruments at once. In a local music store, he soon found two rare oddities: a manzello which is a Spanish variant of the soprano sax with a bent, flaired bell and a stritch, which was essentially a straight alto sax with a large bell at the end. He worked out his own false fingerings to be able to play three-part harmony on the three saxophones. At age 23, he made his first album for King Records in Cincinnati. That label was the home of James Brown and other great R & B acts and Kirk's album quickly became a rare collector's item. He progressed quickly and became well known in Chicago where he made his second album for Argo in 1960 at the behest of Ramsey Lewis. He ventured to New York in 1961 making an album for Prestige Records with organist Jack McDuff. The war between the pro-Kirk and anti-Kirk factions in the musical and critical communities was taking shape. Genius or gimmick-laden huckster? History fell on the side of genius.
At The Height Of His Powers
In 1964, Mercury announced Limelight, a new subsidiary with incredibly elaborate packaging. Roland moved to the new label and recorded what could be called his first concept record. He left all the saxophones at home and recorded an entire album on a variety of flutes. "I Talk With The Spirits" added vibist Bobby Moses to his quartet with Miss C. J. Albert's wordless vocal on two tunes. The material was all geared to the flute but ranged from the lyrical to the funky. Roland's kick-off original, the irresistible "Serenade To A Cuckoo" became a radio hit. The whole album is a coherent and beautiful statement.
To see Kirk live was like having a safe seat at the core of a typhoon and witnessing a force of nature facilely draw upon the entire history of jazz with dazzling energy, humor and imagination. That was glimpsed on 1963's "Kirk In Copenhagen," but the intensity that was Kirk and his music was not properly captured until an all-star studio album "Rip, Rig And Panic," made at Rudy Van Gelder's studio. The rhythm section of Jaki Byard, Richard Davis and Elvin Jones was a dream team for Roland. These were men who could follow him anywhere in a heartbeat and who meshed musically on the highest plane. They were, quite simply, on his level. This studio album packed all the power and energy of Roland Kirk live, moving effortless from New Orleans to swing to bop to free form to musique concrete.
Kirk's final Limelight album was no less ambitious though it was a clear attempt to cross over into more popular radio formats. Kirk and arranger Garnett Brown add brass and percussion to the mix for "Slightly Latin" which also includes the Coleridge Perkinson choir on three tracks. Two pop tunes are covered, a smokin' "Walk On By" and the Beatles' "And I Love Her." The rest is densely textured originals on which Roland plays a fair amount of baritone sax with the grace and power he brings to any reed instrument.
Before committing to an exclusive contract with Atlantic Records in 1967, he made one album for Creed Taylor at Verve. This would be his third and final album at the Van Gelder studio. "Now Please Don't Cry, Beautiful Edith" is a celebrated quartet affair with Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Ronnie Boykins on bass and the indefatigable Grady Tate on drums. The program is mostly originals, but with a wide variety of grooves and melodic material. Fittingly, it kicks off with a beautiful Ellingtonian original blues "Blue Rol" which is a rare feature for Roland on clarinet.
Roland's collaborations with producer Joel Dorn on Atlantic would soon take a more conceptual shape and a variety of settings and themes. These four mid-sixties gems capture Roland Kirk at the height of his powers with his identity fully formed in four wonderful contexts.
This is the first Mosaic set to be pressed at Chad Kassem's Quality Record Pressings in Salina, Kansas. About the pressings coming out of QRP, Michael Fremer wrote on TrackingAngle.com," all I can say is THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!!!!! The sonics are spectacular and the pressing quality is as good as has ever been pressed in my opinion. The backgrounds are dead, black, silent the way Japanese pressings used to come on JVC 'Supervinyl!' and believe me it doesn't get any better than that, though this may even be richer, darker and blacker."
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