Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata (1971) [2014 Japan 24-bit Remaster]

A totally amazing album – and one of the clearest examples of Roland Kirk's genius approach to reeds! The set's essentially solo, and features Kirk playing without any tape tricks or overdubbing – but still at a level that has multiple saxophones layered on top of one another – thanks to his creative approach to playing more than one instrument at once, and groundbreaking use of circular breathing! The record has these fantastic throbbing pulsating reed lines –with one horn blowing rhythm, and one playing an adventurous solo – and both being blown live a the same time, in a style that's still very soulful and swinging overall – and amazingly done without any sense of overindulgence.
Other than a couple of percussionists (and piano accompaniment on "Day Dream" by Sonelius Smith), all of the music on this rather unusual solo LP was created by Rahsaan Roland Kirk without overdubs or edits. He plays tenor, stritch, manzello, clarinets, flutes, black mystery pipes, percussion, and adds various sound effects, often two or three instruments simultaneously. The performances are episodic and colorful with plenty of humor and adventurous moments, worthy of repeated listenings and amazement.

Tracks:

01 - Something For Trane That Trane Could Have Said
02 - Island Cry
03 - Runnin' From The Trash
04 - Day Dream
05 - The Ragman And The Junkman Ran From The Business Man They Laughed And He Cried
06 - Breath-A-Thon
07 - Rahsaanica
08 - Raped Voices
09 - Haunted Feelings
10 - Prelude Back Home
11 - Dance Of The Lobes
12 - Harder & Harder Spiritual
13 - Black Root

Personnel:

Rahsaan Roland Kirk - tenor saxes, clarinets, stritch, manzello, flute, piccolo, harmonium, black mystery pipes, black puzzle flute, bird calls, music box, bells, gong, sock cymbal, bass drum, tabourine, vocals
Maurice McKinley - conga drums on "Trane", "Rahsaanica" & "Voices"
Joe "Habao" Texidor - washboard on "Island", triangle on "Prelude", thundersheet on "Haunted", tambourine on "Ragman"
Sonelius Smith - piano on "Day Dream"