Rahsaan Roland Kirk/Tete Montoliu - Copenhagen Concert (Bonus Tracks) (Spa) (Rmst) (CD)

All Music Guide

There are many wonderful ways to get acquainted or stay in touch with the spirit of Rahsaan Roland Kirk. For a truly mindaltering and lifechanging listening experience, try this Lone Hill Jazz double CD reissue of Kirk's amazing performances recorded live at the Club Montmartre in Copenhagen on October 24th and 25th 1963. (Present in the audience on the second night was John Coltrane, who was resting his chops after playing the Tivolis Koncertsal.) Earlier that year Kirk was working out of Chicago when a promoter from Sweden heard him and suggested a Scandinavian tour. By late September Kirk was in London playing to packed houses at Ronnie Scott's and the Marquee Club. The tour then expanded as Kirk roared through Italy, France, Belgium, Germany and Holland in addition to Sweden and Denmark. Fortunately Quincy Jones arranged for the Copenhagen concerts to be recorded, preserving for posterity the magical interplay between this joyously driven multiinstrumental Ohioan and Barcelonaborn ...pianist Tete Montoliu, bassists Don Moore and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen and drummer J.C. Moses, who by the end of the decade would serve as the house drummer at Café Montmartre. Two tracks feature special guest blues harmonica legend Sonny Boy Williamson, identified on most previous issues only as ‘Big Skol'. The gutsy combination of Kirk and Williamson on "Untitled Blues" and "The Monkey Thing" is a spicy treat that meshes nicely with Williamson's other European and British adventures in the company of Memphis Slim, Eric Clapton, The Yardbirds and Eric Burdon and the Animals. According to what Kirk says by way of introduction, he and Sonny Boy Williamson had previously gigged together in Milwaukee, which makes their Danish rendezvous somewhat of a reunion jam. Every aspect of Kirk's artistry is documented on the Copenhagen recordingsgorgeous ballads, gleefully reconstituted standards and fiery originals. Essential features are his supreme oneman threesax and flute adaptation of "Mood Indigo", a bouncing medley that opens with a rousing "RockABye Baby" and Kirk's blustery, screaming overthetop flute solo during "On the Corner of King and Scott Streets". This edition also contains two exciting bonus tracks: a sunny seven minute version of "A Stritch In Time" recorded live at the 1962 Newport Jazz Festival and a rare recording of a nearly fifteen minute jam on Charlie Parker's "Au Privave", tape recorded by an enterprising amateur at a gig in Berlin on September 24th 1964. In addition to Tete Montoliu, bassist Jimmy Woode and drummer Kenny Clarke, this steamy blowout features alto saxophonist Sonny Stitt. Those who really love their jazz will want to absorb this track in all its muddysounding ‘bootleg' splendor, as this is the only known recording of Sonny Stitt and Rahsaan Roland Kirk performing together. Don't miss it. - arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide Read more Less