Description
Renowned for his high energy live performances, a technical virtuosity which allowed him to play multiple instruments simultaneously, and deeply held convictions for political and social justice, Rahsaan Roland Kirk was a highly eccentric figure in the jazz genre, but also an incredibly influential one. Maintaining an illustrious career stretching from 1955 to his passing in 1977, Kirk had performed and collaborated with the likes of Quincy Jones & Charles Mingus, and brought new and exciting techniques and styles to jazz, pioneering the usage of circular breathing, and utilizing unorthodox musique concrete instrumentation in his pieces, including broadcast footage, sirens, alarm clocks, and other non-musical devices.
1973's Prepare Thyself To Deal With A Miracle is a prime example of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's genius. His 9th album with Atlantic Records featured a powerhouse group of session musicians, including Dick Griffin on Trombone, Ron Burton on Piano, and Ralph MacDonald on percussion, while Kirk himself works overtime, providing alto and tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute, nose flute, and what he referred to as "black mystery pipes." (A length of garden hose.) Prepare Thyself featured multiple jazz concertos running a gamut of genres, ranging from free jazz to avant-garde to hard bop, while creating layers upon layers of aural architecture, and droning, sonic pillars of
sound. An unheralded masterpiece of jazz exploration and frantic, chromatic expression.
