For those who believed
Bright Moments was "it" when it came to
Rahsaan Roland Kirk live recordings -- meaning that Joel Dorn's various live
Kirk packages have been substandard in comparison, though not without considerable interest -- Christmas came early in 2003.
Compliments of the Mysterious Phantom is a performance of the
Roland Kirk band on the final night of a western tour, recorded in November of 1974 in San Diego. Even though this has been released on Dorn's Hyena Records label, which has put out some dodgy stuff in the past -- including the infamously substandard Man Who Cried Fire -- this performance is excellent. It was recorded just a couple of weeks after the sets that became
Bright Moments. The band is
Kirk,
Hilton Ruiz on piano, Henry Pearson on bass, drummer John Goldsmith and a percussionist dubbed "Samson Verge."
The set starts out with a smoking, completely in your face, blowing version of
McCoy Tyner's "Passion Dance." It's all fire as
Kirk takes the stage and goes head to head with
Ruiz. But just as quickly, the band drifts with very little pause into an absolutely heartbreaking rendition of "My One and Only Love," until
Kirk begins his unaccompanied circular breathing solo that nonetheless stays in the same harmonic range as the main body of the tune -- and the solo is glorious. He talks of bringing "bright moments, and we bring you 'miraclized music'," the great tenderness and brilliance of the man and artist is borne out in what follows. Jumping directly into "Fly Town Nose Blues," on which he jams on the nose flute,
Kirk moves through the history of the evolution of blues with a funky Latin backbeat. From there the recording moves into "Volunteered Slavery" and another monologue, and then to a pair of excerpts from "Old Rugged Cross" and "Bright Moments," before the most amazing rendition of blacknuss ever released to the public. The musical part of the set closes with "Freaks for the Festival," with unbelievable left-hand work by
Ruiz. This is groove jazz from outer space, and should have been playing in the barroom scene in the very first Star Wars movie.
Kirk sends it out by saying he is not afraid of death, he is ready to die (how manhy of us can say that) -- "Bring it on," bring it on" he says. The last sound one on the record is hears is his laughter. While the sound on this date is not pristine by any means, it nonetheless captures all the magic and mystery of the man himself. Essential. ~ Thom Jurek