Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Brotherman In The Fatherland

Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Brotherman In The Fatherland

By Glenn Astarita
April 19, 2006
View read count

Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Brotherman In The Fatherland

If there's any doubt left about Rahsaan Roland Kirk's brilliance, then this newly issued and previously unreleased live recording provides yet more evidence of his talents. Culled from tapes of his band's 1972 performance at Hamburg, Germany's Funkhaus, these sides present Kirk's all-encompassing approach to jazz. Asymmetrical combining free-form, pop-jazz and dabs of world music, the multi-reedman uses his modified saxophones, manzello and stritch, for additional tone clusters and divergence. Pianist Ron Burton's ascending choruses and harmonic chord progressions draw a very close to parallel to McCoy Tyner, yet he remains a strong foil for the leader. Kirk's blistering flurries and power-packed phrasing set the parameters for turbocharged musical realism.

Kirk morphs a hot and nasty blues vamp into the soul/pop hit "Make It With You. Elsewhere, he directs the quintet into tumultuous, free-form exhibitions embedded with drummer Richie Goldberg and percussionist Joe "Habao Texidor's crashing rhythms. Regardless, one of Kirk's gifts lies within his ability to reengineer melody lines into submission as he liberates familiar themes with fury and resolve. Kirk's showmanship surfaces on "Pedal Up, where he sustains one note for over a minute, without a break.

The quintet finalizes the set with venomous takes on John Coltrane's "Afro Blue" and "Blue Trane. These performances by Kirk and his hard-hitting ensemble give credence to the notion that jazz is a timeless craft. Bona fide pioneers like Kirk can motivate and entertain in a consistent fashion, and also provide a jazz education along the way. Essential listening.

Track Listing

Intro/Like Sonny; Make It with You; Rahsaan's Spirit; My Girl; Seasons/Serenade to a Cuckoo; Pedal Up; Lush Life; Afro Blue; Blue Trane.

Personnel

Rahsaan Roland Kirk

woodwinds

Rahsaan Roland Kirk: clarinet, flute, tenor saxophone, stritch, manzello, nose flute; Ron Burton: piano; Richie Goldberg: drums; Henry Pete "Mettathias" Pearson: bass; Joe "Habao" Texidor: percussion.

Album information

Title: Brotherman in the Fatherland | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Collectables

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing ...
< Previous

Reiter In
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.