- Aliases
-
Rahsaan Roland Kirk & The Vibration Society
Roland Kirk
Roland Kirk Quartet
The Roland Kirk Quartet
- Real name
- Ronald Theodore Kirk
- Born
- August 7, 1935
- Died
- December 5, 1977
- Country
- United States
- IPI
-
00016276397 17 works
- Affiliation
- BMI
- Comments
- Multi-instrumentalist and composer, Kirk recorded primarily on tenor saxophone and flute, but he also recorded on such exotic instruments as the manzello, stritch, and instruments of his own creation. Mastering the technique of circular breathing, Kirk was able to sustain notes for extended periods. He became blind at the age of two. Kirk adopted the name "Rahsaan" after it came to him in a dream in 1969. After a stroke left him paralyzed on one side of his body in 1975, he continued performing, relying on the skills he had developed over the course of his career playing several instruments with a single hand.
- Buy