Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Return Of The 5000 Lb. Man (1976 Japanese Warner Bros. Vinyl LP)

Vinyl: EX
Sleeve: VG+
Obi: None

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Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Return Of The 5000 Lb. Man | Vinyl LP - 1976 Japanese Warner Bros. (P-10230W, Warner-Pioneer Corporation)

Kirk played tenor saxophone, flute, harmonica, stritch and vocals across these seven tracks, and the material he chose to cover says as much about him as his own writing. "Loving You" is Minnie Riperton's pop hit, taken on flute with Arthur Jenkins on keyboards and Billy Butler on guitar in a reading that strips Riperton's original to its melodic core. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," Mingus's tribute to Lester Young, gets Kirk's own lyrics sung over Fred Moore's washboard, Hank Jones on piano and Milt Hinton (the most recorded bassist in jazz history) walking alongside. "Giant Steps" closes the album with Frank Foster's arrangement of Coltrane's most technically demanding composition, Betty Neals adding lyrics to a melody most musicians struggle to play as an instrumental, Kirk tearing through the changes on tenor while the vocal ensemble sings behind him. "Sweet Georgia Brown" is a duo between Kirk's unaccompanied tenor and an audience that was apparently in the studio. "I'll Be Seeing You" features Trudy Pitts on organ with Kirk in a quieter, more reflective mood.

"Theme for the Eulipions" opens the album and is Kirk at his most expansive. Nine minutes, with Maeretha Stewart delivering Neals's spoken text, Kirk's harmonica sitting alongside Hilton Ruiz's piano, Howard Johnson's tuba, Romeo Penque's oboe and baritone, and Charlie Persip's drums, the whole thing building through sections that shift between soul, free jazz and something closer to theatrical performance. "Eulipion" was Kirk's term for people whose consciousness had expanded beyond ordinary limitations. Joel Dorn co-produced with Kirk. Bob Liftin recorded and mixed at Regent Sound Studios. Kirk arranged five of the seven tracks himself; Frank Foster arranged the two bookends ("Theme for the Eulipions" and "Giant Steps"). In November 1975, shortly after these sessions, Kirk suffered a massive stroke that paralysed his right side. He modified his instruments to play with one hand and continued performing until a second stroke killed him in December 1977. This is the 1976 Japanese pressing on Warner Bros. P-10230W, made by Warner-Pioneer Corporation.