Does Your House Have Lions: The Rahsaan Roland Kirk Anthology

Does Your House Have Lions: The Rahsaan Roland Kirk Anthology

ASIN: B00000332F

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The Charles Mingus set ends with Kirk blowing tenor sax on Mingus's "Ecclusiastics," and this set begins with "Wham Bam Thank You M'am" from the same '61 session. Kirk's inconsistent but gem-filled career is better suited for the confines of a 2 CD set than Coltrane's or Mingus's, and this collection makes it clear that Kirk was much more than an oddity who often played two or three reed instruments simultaneously. A saxophone iconoclast who emerged at the same time as Coltrane and Coleman, Kirk was far more willing to incorporate the playful humor of Armstrong and Gillespie, and the gospel/blues of Mingus, into the free-jazz revolution than either of his peers. This set includes 25 tracks from his 1967-'76 years on Atlantic, an unreleased live version of "Three for the Festival," and snippets of witty chatter. --Geoffrey Himes

Tracks:

Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am
Conversation
Bye Bye Blackbird
Horses (Monogram/Republic)
If I Loved You
Old Rugged Cross
Ain't No Sunshine
Volunteered Slavery
Seasons
Introduction
Medley
The Black and Crazy Blues
I Say A Little Prayer
Medley

Tracks:

The Inflated Tear
Blacknuss
I Love You Yes I Do
Portrait of Those Beautiful Ladies
Water for Robeson and Williams
A Laugh for Rory
The Entertainer (Done in the Style of the Blues)
Black Root
Carney and Begard Place
Anysha
Making Love After Hours
Freaks for the Festival
Sesroh
Bye Bye Blackbird
Conversation
Three for the Festival
Bright Moments

Amazon.com

The Charles Mingus set ends with Kirk blowing tenor sax on Mingus's "Ecclusiastics," and this set begins with "Wham Bam Thank You M'am" from the same '61 session. Kirk's inconsistent but gem-filled career is better suited for the confines of a 2 CD set than Coltrane's or Mingus's, and this collection makes it clear that Kirk was much more than an oddity who often played two or three reed instruments simultaneously. A saxophone iconoclast who emerged at the same time as Coltrane and Coleman, Kirk was far more willing to incorporate the playful humor of Armstrong and Gillespie, and the gospel/blues of Mingus, into the free-jazz revolution than either of his peers. This set includes 25 tracks from his 1967-'76 years on Atlantic, an unreleased live version of "Three for the Festival," and snippets of witty chatter. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

The New York City Public Critique Of Instrumental Reason.......2004-01-02

There isn't too much to say about this record, except what it less-than-obviously is not (namely, a message to future generations of all ages). As Joel Dorn's for-once-respectful liner notes make clear, Kirk was a public figure in an age of public figures and perhaps one of the last of them: his famed three-horn method (a sight to see) derives from vaudeville, rather than the military brass bands of Albert Ayler's "dreams". And the absolute modernism of the "chitlin circuit" compared to various modalities of bop is something to consider, as is the very sad story about Kirk and the fusion group Stuff (who knew how to play "King Heroin", but not "A Night In Tunisia") and the extremely instructive stories about Kirk's sense of humor in the face of incredible (insuperable) obstacles. A figure richly deserving a sentimental and melancholy book, music that demands a listenership.

"Say A Little Prayer" meets "A Love Supreme".......2003-12-07

As Stanley Crouch observes in his liner notes to this excellent two-disk set, Rahsaan Roland Kirk occupied an uncomfortable place in the saxophone pantheon clearly a notch below Coltrane and Rollins but clearly above professional journeyman. What set him apart (other than his absence of sight and his ability to play multiple reed instruments simultaneously) was his extraordinary capacity for synthesizing diverse musical styles, as amply documented in this excellent career overview.

Kirk ranged from the straight-ahead bop of "Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am" from a 1961 session with Mingus, to the eerie atmospherics of "The Inflated Tear" and "Seasons," to R&B "Volunteered Slavery" and "The Old Rugged Cross" (the word play of the spoken introduction to the latter is worth the price of admission alone - I would have loved to hear what Rahsaan would have made of rap) to pop "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Say A Little Prayer" (in which he quotes the "Acknowledgement" movement from "A Love Supreme") to observations on racial and sexual relations. A cranky sort of humane-ness comes through throughout.

If Coltrane was a seeker and Rollins a virtuoso, Rahsaan Roland Kirk was your eccentric neighbor sitting on his porch dealing out street wisdom. A worthy introduction to the career of a sadly missed musician.

a great introductory collection but not cohesive enough........2000-07-05

This 2CD anthology from Rhino is a great introduction to Rahsaan Roland Kirk. The set has selections from Kirk's recordings with the Atlantic label, from his early days with Charles Mingus to his solo work. As with the other sets in Rhino's Atlantic Jazz Gallery series the production for the set is excellent. The sound is great and the 40 page booklet makes interesting reading The only reason this does not get5 stars is that the selection of tracks is not very cohesive and does not give the listener a consistent feel for Kirk. A more comprehensive set such a the Complete Mercury Recordings is ideal ,however this is much more affordable and makes a great introduction to Kirk. Be warned you will find yourself buying more of Kirk after listening to this.

It is a great Best-Of... but being a Best-Of is the problem.......2000-01-03

This is a great best-of for rahsaan, to be sure, and if you don't have alot of his music already, I would recommend it highly, but being a best-of means that the songs are taken out of the context of the albums they were recorded for, and it always leaves me with a feeling like... "hey, this is great..., but what about the music I am missing?". With Rahsaan, you don't want to be missing anything. My preference for Rahsaan is actually for box sets that are entire albums like Aces Back to Back, or Dog Years in the Fourth Ring, etc. Don't avoid buying this box if you just want a little, but get hip to rahsaan and accept the fact that you can't eat just one.

brillant.......1999-11-21

i dig the whole vibe on these discs.very funky and funny and great music.it has challenge to it and is daring.

Does Your House Have Lions - The Rahsaan Roland Kirk Anthology

Average customer rating:

Does Your House Have Lions - The Rahsaan Roland Kirk Anthology
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Manufacturer: Rhino
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000JL9K7O

Product Description

Two CD restrospective. DISC ONE: WHam Bam Thank You Ma'am, Conversation, Bye Bye Blackbird, Horses (Monogram/Republic), If I Loved You, Old Rugged Cross, Ain't No Sunshine, Volunteered Slavery, Seasons, Introduction, Going Home/Sentimental Journey/In Monument/Lover, Black & Crazy Blues, I Say a Little Prayer, This Love of Mine/Roots. DISC TWO: Inflated Tear, Blacknuss, I Love You Yes I Do, Portrait of Those Beautiful Ladies, Water for Robeson and Williams, A Laugh for Rory, Entertainer (Done in the Style of the Blues), Black Root, Carney and Begard Place, Anysha, Making Love After Hours, Freaks for the Festival, Sesroh, Bye Bye Blackbird, Conversation, Three for the Festival, Bright Moments (excerpt).

Jazz Music:

Jazz Music

Jazz Music