You have to hand it to Kirk, he never quits in his search for something new, and each one of his albums introduces us to further stages in his restless pursuit of new sounds. This one is no exception, and is an improvement on his last album, which was spoiled for me by superfluous electronic effects.
Here he communicates his enormous energy to the others taking part, including a vocal group. The use of the brass instruments, notably trombonist Brown, fills a gap which has previously been noticeable – the horns have a mellowing effect on Kirk’s angular and agitated lines, and even the vocal group takes on an urgency and sense of purpose which makes them fitting to the Kirk idea.
Walk and Raouf open the album like a small war, the general atmosphere being one of ferocious banditry. The first number doesn’t prove much, being a kind of jam session broadly aimed at the title. Game is taken at a medium bouncing tempo and, like Domino and the other odd numbers that Roland tackles from time to time, suits him perfectly. Parlan solos nicely and in accompaniment demonstrates how well the partnership between himself and the leader has grown.
Kirk introduces us to his baritone work with this record. Juarez, very reminiscent of Mingus’ Tijuana suite, has some nice flugel from Banks and some broadly modern trombone from Brown, a man who has broadened his outlook with his r-and-b experiences. Kirk’s baritone proves to be less wild if just as dynamic than the rest of his horns. As you might imagine, he sounds like no one except Kirk. Juarez, by the way, has the rhythm section throwing everything including the kitchen sink, and is one of the most exciting things on the album.
Garnett Brown has also been responsible for a lot of the arrangements, and I suspect that he did Money, which has some of the Slide Hampton sound about it. After a clever introduction there is a passage for trombone and bagpipe chanter (McScotland is in McPeril), which can best be described as unusual. The nearest sound I know to it is the mouth harp of Sonny Terry. It’s nice to have it on one track, but one wouldn’t want it overdone.
The choir is back for Nothing, a Latin-flavoured blues with fat-toned tenor from Roland. This swings heatedly, and the choir prove that, if they don’t do much for Kirk (one can imagine this record being just as successful without them) at least they don’t get in the way. Once again Parlan plays a good solo, before the track ends in a maze of gibbering.
Safari, by bassist Mathias, is a strange feature for bass, with everyone playing rhythm on various objects. There is some atmospheric flute from Roland – in fact the whole thing is merely atmosphere, and doesn’t appeal to me very much. However, I understand that other critics have cited it as the best track.
Love features tenor and manzello – I’m not familiar with the Beatles’ original version. Certainly the theme here is a good one, and it responds to the Latin treatment. So does Kirk, for throughout the album he plays like a born lat.
Roland says that ‘the sound effects and wooden flutes and stuff’ which open Ebrauqs ‘might sound odd to some squares’. No comment. This track, apart from a bevy of Mingusian groans, features a Japanese Nagoya harp, ‘trick sticks with pipes (made by Kirk)’, chimes, bells and celeste. The results are good, with a fine stout-hearted trumpet solo from Jones.
At least there are no dull moments, and I am glad to say that this is a typically consistent development in Kirk’s career. Anyone who likes him will want the record, which is as modern and yet much more coherent than most of the advanced output of today.
Discography
Walk On By; Raouf; It’s All In The Game; Juarez; Shaky Money (20 min) – Nothing But The Truth; Safari; And I Love Her; Ebrauqs (19½ min)
Kirk (piccolo, strich, chanter, manzello, flutes, whistle, siren, ten, bari): Virgil Jones (tpt); Garnett Brown (tbn); Martin Banks (flugel); Horace Parlan (p); Edward Mathias (bs); Gerald Brown (d): Manuel Ramos (perc); Montego Joe (conga); voices arr. by Coleridge Perkinson. November 16-17, 1965.
(Limelight LML 4019 32s.)
