Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Inflated Tear (Live in Prague, 1967)

Line-up:
Roland Kirk - multiple reeds
Ron Burton -piano
Steve Novosel - bass
Jimmy Hopps - drums

Roland Kirk - The Inflated Tear (1967)

The debut recording by Roland Kirk (this was still pre-Rahsaan) on Atlantic Records, the same label that gave us Blacknuss and Volunteered Slavery, is not the blowing fest one might expect upon hearing it for the first time. In fact, producer Joel Dorn and label boss Neshui Ertegun weren't prepared for it either. Kirk had come to Atlantic from Emarcy after recording his swan song for them, the gorgeous Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith, in April. In November Kirk decided to take his quartet of pianist Ron Burton, bassist Steve Novosel, and drummer Jimmy Hopps and lead them through a deeply introspective, slightly melancholy program based in the blues and in the groove traditions of the mid-'60s. Kirk himself used the flutes, the strich, the Manzello, whistle, clarinet, saxophones, and more -- the very instruments that had created his individual sound, especially when some of them were played together, and the very things that jazz critics (some of whom later grew to love him) castigated him for. Well, after hearing the restrained and elegantly layered "Black and Crazy Blues," the stunning rendered "Creole Love Call," the knife-deep soul in "The Inflated Tear," and the twisting in the wind lyricism of "Fly by Night," they were convinced -- and rightfully so. Roland Kirk won over the masses with this one too, selling over 10,000 copies in the first year. This is Roland Kirk at his most poised and visionary; his reading of jazz harmony and fickle sonances are nearly without peer. And only Mingus understood Ellington in the way Kirk did. That evidence is here also. If you are looking for a place to start with Kirk, this is it.

by Thom Jurek in All Music Guide

Styles:
Post-Bop
Avant-Garde

Tracks:
01 - The Black and Crazy Blues (06:07)
02 - A Laugh for Rory (02:54)
03 - Many Blessings (04:45)
04 - Fingers in the Wind (04:18)
05 - The Inflated Tear (04:58)
06 - The Creole Love Call (03:53)
07 - A Handful of Fives (02:42)
08 - Fly by Night (04:19)
09 - Lovellevellilloqui (04:17)
10 - I'm Glad There is You (02:12)

Line-up:
Roland Kirk - tenor sax, manzello, stritch, clarinet, flute, whistle, English horn or flexafone
Ron Burton - piano
Steve Novosel - bass
Jimmy Hopps - drums
Dick Griffith - trombone

Pharoah Sanders - Elevation (1974)

Elevation, Pharoah Sanders' final album for Impulse!, is a mixed bag. Four of the five cuts were recorded live at the Ash Grove in Los Angeles in September of 1973, and the lone studio track, "Greeting to Saud (Brother McCoy Tyner)," was recorded in the same month at Wally Heider's studio. The live date is fairly cohesive, with beautiful modal piano work from Joe Bonner, Pharoah playing tenor and soprano as well as a myriad of percussion instruments and vocalizing in places, and a percussion and rhythm section that included Michael Carvin on drums, bassist Calvin Hill, and hand drummers John Blue and Lawrence Killian. The standout on the set is the opener. At 18 minutes, it's the longest thing here and gives the band a chance to stretch into African and Latin terrains. Sanders' long, loping, suspended lines create a kind of melodic head that is underscored by Bonner's hypnotically repetitive piano work, playing the same chord progression over and over again as he begins his solos (one on each horn). Somewhere near the five-minute mark, Pharoah enters into a primal wail and the whole thing becomes unhinged, moving into a deep blowing session of free improv. Honks, squeals, wails, and Bonner pounding the hell out of the piano erase any trace of what came before, and this goes on for four minutes before the theme restates itself and once more the magic begins. It's utterly compelling and engaging. "Saud" finds a host of percussionists (including Sanders) along with Hill on tamboura, Bonner, and violinist Michael White. It's a subtle and droning work, full of a constant hum. The other long track, "The Gathering," clocks in at almost 14 minutes, but instead of being a somber nocturnal work it's a lively South African-inspired work that nods to Dollar Brand for inspiration. A gorgeous, nearly carnival piece, it rolls and chugs and runs along on the steam created by Bonner's beautiful chord work. The chorus of vocals chanting in the foreground and background adds to the party feel, but once again it choogles right off the track into some rather angry and then spooky free improv, with a fine solo by Hill. This may not rate as highly as some of Sanders' other recordings for the label like Thembi or Karma, but there is plenty here for fans, and it is well worth the investigation and the purchase.
by Thom Jurek in All Music Guide

Styles:
Progressive Jazz
Modal
Post-Bop

Tracks:
01 - Elevation (18:01)
02 - Greetings to Saud (Brother McCoy Tyner) (04:07)
03 - Ore-Se-Rere (05:36)
04 - The Gathering (13:51)
05 - Spiritual Blessing (05:41)

Line-up:
Pharoah Sanders - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, vocals, percursion
Joe Bonner - piano, cow horn, wood flute, vocals, harmonium, percursion
Calvin Hill - bass, tamboura, vocals, percursion
Michael Carvin - drums, vocals, percursion
Lawrence Killian - congas, bell tree, vocals, percursion
Jimmy Hopps - percursion, vocals,
John Blue - percursion, vocals