Introducing Roland Kirk
This 1960 session was the first on which Kirk revealed his extraordinary ability to play multiple saxophones simultaneously, adding the exotic manzello and stritch to his tenor to simulate a reed section. He's joined on this Chicago recording by excellent if underrated local sidemen who shared some of his unusual prowess.Ira Sullivan, a fine bop journeyman who had played withArt Blakey's Jazz Messengers, had already mastered the unusual double of trumpet and tenor saxophone, with his own voice on each instrument, while the bassist Donald Rafael Garrett would later play bass clarinet withJohn Coltrane. Even the keyboard player, William Burton, doubles here on piano and organ. The music is hard bop at its most soulful, with Kirk's strong gospel and blues roots evident on originals like "The Call" and "Spirit Girl." This recording captures him as he was rapidly developing into one of the most fluently creative tenor soloists in jazz. --Stuart Broomer