Rahsaan Roland Kirk was a bit of an enigma of the jazz scene. In many ways he was the jazz equivalent to Ray Charles, and not just because he was blind, but because of the way he was able to fuse genres to create his own sound. While usually thought of in a hard-bop context what really set Kirk apart was the way he was able to fuse the hard-bop aesthetic with sounds you don’t traditionally think of in that context, like soul and classical.
Volunteered Slavery is easily my favorite Kirk album as well as one of my favorite albums of all time. I’m a sucker for music with spiritual undertones and “Spirits Up Above” always hits me in that soft spot. Written by Kirk himself and sung by the illustrious Roland Kirk Spirit Choir, it places all of Kirks music in a context well grounded in a oneness with the universe. Listening to him from that place you can hear the way he tries to touch that essence in every note.
You’ll probably want to head on over to MOOVMNT to check out the first single from James’ new album coming out later this year.
On the Volunteered Slavery album Kirk also does a fair share of covers including one of Stevie Wonder’s classic “My Cherie Amour.”
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Published under: ArtTags: beatmakers • covers • hard-bop • jazz • Jose James • Roland Kirk • Simo
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