Roland Kirk, Gifts and Messages (Live at Ronnie Scott's))

I believe that someone mentioned having been to this show in the comments to an earlier RK post so I couldn't resist bringing this one back from the Crypt. You may or may not know that one of the rocks this blog was founded on was the music of Roland Kirk, primarily the pre-Rahsaan recordings. This is one of the rarest of the rare and this time in glorious, crisp FLAC. Here is my original review from May 2009.

"There are two albums bearing this title, this one here is the live set from Ronnie Scott's Club. The showmanship, humor and boundless energy that made a Kirk show unforgettable are all on display in this marvelous show. A Roland Kirk live show was an encounter with a musical force of nature. All you could do was ride the wave, resistance was futile (Kirk as a Borg?). The accompanying group was Ronnie's house band and the very young Rick Laird sounds a little overwhelmed but that's easy to overlook.

A 78 minute slice of wonderment - Kirk's power and magnetism will quickly erase any of this recording's shortcomings."

Roland Kirk, Gifts and Messages (Live)
Ronnie Scott's Jazz House (JHAS 606)
Recorded live at Ronnie Scott's Club, 1964

1. Ronnie's Intro
2. Bags Groove
3. Roland's Intro
4. It Might as Well be Spring
5. (On a) Misty Night
6. Come Sunday
7. Avalon
8. My Ship
9. A Strich in Time
10. Gifts and Messages
11. Reeling and Rhyming

Roland Kirk tenor, strich, manzello, flute, whistle, nose flute, siren, saxophonium
Stan Tracy piano
Rick Laird bass
Allan Ganley drums

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