Videos: Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Rahsaan Roland Kirk was one of the purest and most fascinating jazz artists and composers of the post-war period. Blind from birth, he was a soulful and experimental and romantic multi-instrumentalist who defied his own physical limitations to become the very essence of jazz in all its free but gifted glory.

Here are five clips of Kirk in action...

Here's Kirk playing Stevie Wonder's My Cherie Amour in Paris in 1972...



Here's Making Love After Hours in 1967, with pianist Ron Burton, bassist Niels Henning Ørsted-Pedersen and drummer Alex Riel in Norway...



Here's Sound?, a 1967 documentary of Kirk with John Cage...



Here's Roland Kirk in Montreux performing his Bright Moments...



Here's Part II...



Bonus: Here's Vibration Society, a 1980s vocal group dedicated to the music of Kirk, singing Bright Moments. I remember seeing them perform at Barry Harris's Jazz Cultural Theater in 1986 just after this album came out. On this track, singers Suzanne Klewan and Timmy Shepherd were joined by trumpeter Bill Hardman, saxophonist Junior Cook, trombonist Steve Turre, pianist Hilton Ruiz, bassist Paul Brown and drummer Leroy Williams...