Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Bright Moments

Drew Layman
1 day ago
4 min read

The fellow passengers aboard the Columbus Transit Company bus headed toward West Mound Street and Jets Stadium in 1955 may or may not have realized they were witnessing the beginning of a friendship that would help shape jazz history. Roland Kirk was already something of a local prodigy. Todd Barkan was a young pianist and devoted jazz fan. Their chance meeting that day forged a bond that would last a lifetime and leave an indelible mark on both of their careers.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Bright Moments

Atlantic – SD 2-907

1974

Front cover of Rahsaan Roland Kirk Bright Moments album

Kirk's name remains the more familiar of the two, but Barkan's contributions to jazz as a club owner, producer, broadcaster, and advocate have also been profound. In 2018, he received the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award, one of the field's highest honors.

The bus ride has become the stuff of jazz lore, if not outright legend. Although Kirk left Columbus early in his career and often expressed frustration with how his music was received in his hometown, one of his most celebrated recordings could not have existed without that fateful encounter.

Less than a week after returning to Columbus to perform at the second ComFest, Kirk arrived at his favorite venue, Todd Barkan's legendary Keystone Korner in San Francisco. There, on June 8 and 9, 1973, he recorded what would arguably become the critical and commercial peak of his career: Bright Moments.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Todd Barkan in 1972 - Photo: Keystone Korner

After producing jazz concerts while attending Oberlin College, Barkan moved to San Francisco in 1968. He played keyboards with Kwane & The Kwan-Ditos before seizing an unexpected opportunity to purchase Keystone Korner in 1972. Barkan ran the club as the jazz enthusiast he was and the businessman he wasn't. His vision was to create a psychedelic jazz club: murals covered the walls, the atmosphere was intimate, and audiences came to listen.

The reputation of Keystone Korner quickly spread. It became an essential stop on the jazz circuit and a favorite of many musicians, including Barkan's old friend from Columbus.

Kirk's comfort in the room is immediately apparent on Bright Moments. A train whistle sounds as he invites the audience to join him on a trip: "We're goin' everywhere." Barkan's tambourine mimics the rhythmic clatter of train wheels as the performance departs the station.

Keystone Korner Makes Change from Rock to Jazz — The City College of San Francisco Guardsman - December 7, 1972

For listeners who never had the opportunity to see Kirk perform, Bright Moments may be the closest thing to being there. Kirk was a virtuoso capable of playing multiple horns simultaneously, but technical brilliance was only one aspect of his art. His performances blended humor, storytelling, social commentary, and spontaneous audience participation into an experience that could be joyous, provocative, and unpredictable. As AllMusic noted, the album stands as "a near-definitive document of the Kirk live experience."

"Fly Town Nose Blues" is a nod to the Columbus neighborhood where Kirk grew up. The train imagery continues throughout the set as Kirk builds a rapport with the audience that culminates during the title track. Some critics felt the album would have benefited from tighter editing, but they missed the point. The conversation was as important as the music. Laughter, joy, anger, confusion, discomfort, and reflection were all part of the experience. Kirk hoped the record would "bring some bright moments to a gloomy day," and more than fifty years later, it still does.

Keystone Korner ad for the Rahsaan Roland Kirk gig — San Francisco Bay Guardian - June 7-20, 1973

Kirk and Barkan remained close until Kirk's death in 1977. In 1975, Kirk performed at a benefit concert featuring Ron Carter, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, and others to help Barkan secure a liquor license for Keystone Korner. The following year, he played another fundraiser to support the club's addition of a kitchen and even found the right chef for the job.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk on stage at the Keystone Korner - Down Beat, August 15, 1974

Barkan later returned to Ohio with plans to open a jazz club in Columbus, helping found The Nite Owl Jazz Club with Fritz "the Nite Owl" Peerenboom. Aside from promoting a handful of concerts at the Agora and booking shows for the short-lived Major Chord in the Short North after Keystone Korner closed in 1983, those ambitions never fully materialized.

In 2019, Barkan opened a new Keystone Korner in Baltimore, where he continues to champion the music he loves. Although Rahsaan Roland Kirk has yet to receive the NEA Jazz Master honor, his widow, Dorthaan Kirk, was recognized in 2020 for her decades of work in broadcasting and jazz advocacy.

Keystone Turns The Korner — Down Beat - November 22, 1973

When Kirk recorded a studio version of "Bright Moments" for Kirkatron, he used lyrics written by Barkan. Two Columbus natives from different backgrounds found a profound connection through a shared love of jazz. Their friendship shaped one of the defining live jazz albums of the 1970s and serves as a reminder that sometimes the most important moments in a city's cultural history begin in the most ordinary places.