Kirk, Roland: Here Comes The Whistleman (Coloured Vinyl LP)

Sightless, peerless, multi-instrumentalist, Roland’s Kirk’s 1967 debut for Atlantic is a monster of a live set from ‘65 featuring pianists Lonnie Liston Smith and Jaki Byard, bassist Major Holley and drummer Charles Crosby - all put to tape in Atlantic Studios NYC. Cut all analogue, pressed on orange vinyl.

Think of Rahsaan Roland Kirk and a series of images flick through one’s mind. There he is, black beret and shades blowing three saxophones at once, next he’s draped in a kaftan with bells, horns, flutes, whistles and all manner of strange things hanging round his neck and then in a frock coat and top hat playing his saxophone on a street corner. He’s one of the most surreal sights you’ve ever seen and each image contains a thousand narratives. One of the things that made Kirk so special was his rapport with an audience. They weren’t just there to watch and listen. They were part of the show. Kirk would hand out whistles to the punters then lead them pied-piper-like out of the club and into the street.

Nothing beats having seen Rahsaan live but Here Comes The Whistleman is a fine live date with some great music, featuring separately pianists Jaki Byard and Lonnie Smith. In a way, the spoken intros are key to the atmosphere of the record. Kirk has the audience eating out of his hand and as soon as he puts the horn to his mouth you are there with him at that moment.