He played flute on “Soul Bossa Nova,” Quincy Jones’ iconic 1962 hit—later immortalized in pop-culture history as the instantly recognizable theme to Austin Powers, Mike Myers’ mega-successful James Bond parody franchise. Deep fans of Jethro Tull also know that frontman Ian Anderson drew direct inspiration from his unorthodox, physically expressive flute style. In this case, “he” is the late, great multi-instrumental reedman Rahsaan Roland Kirk, who became a major focal point of Resonance Records’ Record Store Day / Black Friday offerings this year.
Officially sanctioned by Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s estate, two new releases from the label document distinct phases of his career. Seek & Listen: Live At The Penthouse captures Kirk in blazing form at The Penthouse in September 1967, while Vibrations In The Village: Live At The Village Gate finds him leading an earlier 1963 ensemble at New York’s legendary Village Gate. Freshly mastered for vinyl from the original tapes by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab, both titles arrive on 180-gram vinyl pressed by Le Vinylist in Canada.
I’ve been especially drawn to the 1963 Vibrations In The Village: Live At The Village Gate set (the primary focus of this review), sourced from tapes originally recorded for a documentary film that was never completed—and then quietly shelved for six decades. These inspired performances find the maestro and his band channeling the restless, combustible spirit of Charles Mingus—one of my personal musical heroes. Nearly fresh off his appearance on one of Mingus’ finest albums, Oh Yeah (my favorite Mingus LP, bar none), Kirk carries that creative DNA forward here, even covering “Ecclusiastics.” At times, this concert feels less like a live date and more like a lost Mingus session that somehow slipped through the cracks of jazz history.
The driving “Three For The Festival” features a then relatively unknown Jane Getz on piano, who the internet tells me subsequently recorded with no less than rock icons Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr and even Charles Mingus. Speaking of rock and roll, along the way here do expect to hear plenty of wild, trademark breathy flute soloing, underscoring just how much Jethro Tull front man Ian Anderson was influenced by Mr. Kirk.
The recording quality on Vibrations In The Village: Live At The Village isn’t perfect — it takes some time for the engineer to get the levels set — but ultimately its a very enjoyable listen as archival releases go. I suspect this was recorded with limited microphones. There is nice club ambiance coming through in these recordings, so once you get used to the flavor of the sound they captured that night, the album becomes super pleasant to listen to and you can just settle back to enjoy the performances. Highly recommended.
Where to buy: $59.99 at Amazon
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.
Related Reading:
- Mark Smotroff’s Baker’s Dozen: The Best New & Reissue Music Releases Of 2025
- Keith Jarrett At The Deer Head Inn (ECM): A Lost Night, Fully Restored — Complete Recordings Box Set Review
- Bill Evans’ Haunted Heart 5LP Set Brings The Legendary 1959-61 Riverside Trio Recordings Back To Life With Spectacular Plangent Restoration
