Jazz Icons: Rahsaan Roland Kirk Live In '63 & '67 is a new DVD offering a relatively rare chance to see a musical genius who's work was seldom captured on film or video. Few other musicians have so fully embodied their art than the late Rahsaan Roland Kirk. His ceaseless musical explorations led him to find countless ways to express himself. No method of playing an instrument was too unusual or extreme, provided it reproduced the sounds he heard in his mind.
Having become sightless as a child due to inadequate medical care, he immersed himself in the world of sound and music. His trademark was a self-developed technique of playing three different saxophones simultaneously. The invention did not stop there, however, as Kirk also mastered the ability to play many other combinations of instruments. This DVD from Reelin' In The Years Productions, part of their 23 title Jazz Icons series, offers a truly outstanding opprotunity to see a jazz giant at the top of his game. Throughout it's 80 minute running time, Jazz Icons: Rahsaan Roland Kirk Live In '63 & '67 presents three sets: the first from a Belgium TV broadcast in 1963, the second from a Holland TV broadcast also in '63, and the third from Kongsberg Jazz Festival in Norway in 1967.
Each of these concerts features unique surprises that will thrill everyone from hardcore jazz buffs to those with only limited knowledge of the genre. Let one thing be clear: Rahsaan Roland Kirk was one of the most defiantly original artists in music history. During his career, Kirk fought the perception that his multi-horn approach was some sort of parlour trick or sideshow gimmick. Even to this day, there are those that refuse to acknowledge him as a true giant. Hearing the music on this DVD, I find it hard to believe anyone would deny Kirk's mastery of the art of jazz improv.
I was first introduced to Kirk's music some years ago while browsing through Verve's Jazz Masters CD series. Even though I'd never heard of him before, I was transfixed by the cover photo of Jazz Masters 27 showing Kirk playing two saxophones at once. I simply had to hear what that sounded like, thereby initiating a near-obsessive quest to obtain as many of the man's recordings as I could find. Much of his recorded output is readily available on CD, including many live albums (some of which were released after his 1977 passing). But finding high quality film footage of his performances has been much more difficult.
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