The Quiet One

Columbus music and culture

Roland Kirk With Jack McDuff – Kirk's Work

Roland Kirk recorded three albums before his deal with Mercury Records in 1961 began a period on major labels that lasted the rest of his all too brief life. Recorded live in Rudy Van Gelder’s Englewood Cliffs, NJ studio on July 11, 1961, Prestige Records released Kirk’s Work later that year after Kirk had signed and recorded an album with Mercury. Prestige couldn’t compete with Mercury’s distribution, and Kirk’s Work would get overlooked upon its original release as We Free

Drew Layman

May 21, 20244 min read

Introducing Roland Kirk

By 1960, it had been three years since King Records released his debut Triple Threat album and Roland Kirk had left Columbus for good. He felt underappreciated in his hometown, but more than anything he felt he was being pigeonholed as a “local artist.” “You have to be a gypsy in this country to make money,” Kirk later told an audience at the Village Vanguard. “When you stay in one place you get tagged and the guys say, ‘Oh that’s a local group, y’know.’” He toured more natio

Drew Layman

Jan 7, 20238 min read

Roland Kirk – Triple Threat

Before he was Rahsaan and before he’d left Columbus, where he was still known as "Ronnie," Roland Kirk recorded his first album, Triple...

Drew Layman

Apr 17, 20215 min read

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