Biography of Rahsaan Roland Kirk

His incredible musicianship, vibrant onstage personality, and fondness for creating sometimes-outlandish instruments led some in the jazz world to mistakenly downplay Rahsaan Roland Kirk's immense skills. But Kirk was an amazing improviser, a musician completely knowledgeable of the entire jazz spectrum, and a cultural advocate who was displeased that both he and the music he loved were often viewed with disdain or ignored. He could swing, play fiercely or with serenity, handle blues, bop, or free, interpret the anthems, or make up his own songs and lyrics on demand. Kirk was blinded shortly after birth and studied at the Ohio State School for the Blind. He was playing sax and clarinet at 12 and was heading his own dance band in 1951, while doing freelance work with other groups as well. He began his technique of playing three instruments at once at 16, going into a music store and finding two long-forgotten saxophones that had been used in turn-of-the-century Spanish marching bands: the manzello and the stritch. He found a way to play these two plus the tenor at the same time, and generated some unforgettable moments on record and in concert over the years. Kirk was also a master of circular breathing, a means of holding notes and sustaining them while still finding a way to breathe. Kirk's 1956 debut release didn't get much attention, but when Ramsey Lewis got him a date with the Cadet label, detractors dismissed him as a showman and charlatan. In 1961 he played on The Mingus album Oh Yeah, obliterating much of the early criticism. He toured with Mingus as well, going with his band to Europe and appearing at a festival in West Germany. From 1963 until his death, Kirk headed his own bands and was never unwilling to buck the odds or sound off in print or on television about the plight of jazz and African-American musicians. ~ Ron Wynn