Rip, Rig and Panic
| Rip, Rig and Panic | ||||
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| Roland Kirk's studio album | ||||
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Publication |
1965 |
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| Label (s) | Limelight / Mercury Records | |||
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Format (s) |
LP, CD |
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Title (number) |
7th |
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running time |
35:05 |
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| occupation |
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Studio (s) |
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Rip, Rig and Panic is a jazz album by jazz saxophonist Roland Kirk from 1965.
History of the album
The album was recorded on January 13, 1965 in Rudy Van Gelder's studio. The album consists mostly of compositions by Kirk. Rooted in the history of jazz and apparently adhering to all conventions, many possibilities of the emerging avant-garde jazz are shown at the same time . Kirk shines not only through the simultaneous play of several wind instruments, which significantly expand the sonority. It was on this record that he used the achievements of electronic music very sparingly compared to later albums .
Kirk called Edgar Varèses compositions Poeme electronique and Ionisation an inspiration for the album: In the title track "Rip, Rig And Panic" and "Slippery, Hippery, Flippery" he combined the acoustic sound of his quartet with pre-produced sounds, computer-generated sounds, noises from sirens, Glockenspiel and castanets, the alienation of one's own voice, baby cries and the breaking of a glass thrown on the floor.
The rhythm group with Elvin Jones on drums, Jaki Byard on piano and Richard Davis on bass was called the greatest group that Kirk had ever made a record with. In particular, pianist Byard turned out to be an ideal partner for Kirk, as both shared a thorough knowledge of the entire jazz tradition (up to the present day), a lot of wit and the conviction that they wanted to perform everything in swing . The rhythm section was quick and responsive.
The album was released on the Mercury - Sublabel Limelight that stood out because of its luxurious presentation in the United States: "It was the dream of Artdirektors , but had no marketing success, although Mercury used it for some of his most famous musicians."
Music of the album
There are numerous references to role models and pioneers on “Rip, Rig And Panic”. In the liner notes, Kirk wrote about the title: “Rip stands for Rip Van Winkle (or rest in peace?); so are people, even musicians. They sleep. Rig stands for Rigor Mortis , a state that many people's minds are in. If you hear me doing things that you didn't trust me to do, you panic mentally. "
Even if Kirk refers here to forerunners and role models, he “tries nowhere to copy his idols. He creates quasi musical-futuristic portraits by combining known style elements with new ones and painting over them innovatively. "
With "No Tonic Pres" Kirk bows to Lester Young . It is based on a riff that Kirk first heard on Young; on this he built the melody of the piece, which sounds strangely ambiguous in its harmonies. Suddenly the up tempo piece changes to the stride piano . The bluesy ending, played at half speed, is reminiscent of “Prez”.
"From Bechet, Byas, And Fats" is a tribute to the soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet , the tenor saxophonist Don Byas and pianist Fats Waller : The intensity of Kirk manzello game in "From Bechet, Fats, and Byas" recalls critic Dan Morgenstern at the energy of the early soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet, who introduced the soprano saxophone to jazz . The pianist's accompanying playing bears Fats Waller's characteristic features over long stretches; He apparently breaks away from this in the modal solo, in whose arpeggio, however, Waller's Jitterbug Waltz appears before it mixes with a celesta-like sound.
“Slippery, Hippery, Flippery” begins with pre-recorded electronic effects that mix with Kirk's sirens and saxophones; the piano sounds like Cecil Taylor , the saxophone like John Coltrane . The spirit of optimism in free jazz interweaves, however, with an exuberant atmosphere such as that in " Freedom Jazz Dance " by Eddie Harris .
"Black Diamond", a theme by the Canadian pianist Milton Sealy, is a slightly sparkling jazz waltz in which Kirk plays a solo on the manzello that has been rated as excellent.
"Rip, Rig and Panic" begins with sounds that are reminiscent of the sound research of free improvisation, but are all acoustically created by Kirk and Richard Davis. After an extended solo, Kirk plays Coltranesque lines, which he increases to a particular intensity through circular breathing , while the pianist develops Monk-like traits. Sirens sound over the drum solo. The end is characterized by electronics with Kirk's voice and synthesizer-like sounds.
"Once in a While" was inspired by trumpeter Clifford Brown . In this piece, played at a medium tempo, Kirk emphasizes the tenor saxophone, which he plays very warmly, bringing back memories of Don Byas and Ben Webster .
“Mystical Dream” is named after a dream that Kirk had and in which - as in this piece - he played oboe, stritch and tenor saxophone at the same time. He also plays a flute in the middle section, heavily inspired by Eric Dolphy's lines, for the only time on this album.
Track list
- No Tonic Pres - 4:34
- Once in a While (Michael Edwards, Bud Green) - 4:02
- From Bechet, Byas, and Fats - 6:31
- Mystical Dream - 2:39
- Rip, Rig & Panic - 7:00
- Black Diamond (Milt Sealey) - 5:23
- Slippery, Hippery, Flippery - 4:56
All titles by Kirk unless otherwise noted.
Evaluation and impact of the album
The album received belated recognition from jazz critics. Richard Cook and Brian Morton give the Emarcy edition the second highest grade in their Penguin Guide to Jazz ; The All Music Guide gave the album the highest rating of five stars. For Arte the album is one of the “recordings of the century of jazz”.
Don Byron called the album a prime example of Afro-American aesthetics. Bert Noglik emphasizes "the creation of new music from the appropriation and transformation of jazz-historical, sometimes even rough and archaic material".
The music magazine Jazzwise added the album to The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook the World list ; Keith Shadwick wrote:
“Many maintain that Kirk never made the perfect album: if so, this one comes closer than any other, mostly because Elvin Jones is consistently lighting a fire under the quartet generally and Kirk in particular. The multi-reed man is also self-evidently inspired by pianist Jaki Byard's playing and is consistently taking risks in everything he's doing. "
“Many claim that Kirk never made the perfect album: if so, this one is closer to it than any other, especially because Elvin Jones is so consistently cheering on the quartet and Kirk in particular. The woodwind player is obviously inspired by Jaki Byard's playing and always takes risks in everything he does. "
Rolling Stone magazine voted the album at number 73 in its 2013 list of The 100 Best Jazz Albums .
The British punk jazz band Rip, Rig + Panic , to which the singer Neneh Cherry belonged, named themselves after this album.
Editorial note
Rip, Rig and Panic was released on CD in 1990 on Emarcy Records , coupled with the Verve album Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith from 1967. Rip, Rig and Panic is also included in the 1990 10-CD Rahsaan Collection . The Complete Mercury Recordings of Roland Kirk .
literature
- Dan Morgenstern: Roland Kirk. ( Liner Notes to :) Rahsaan. The Complete Mercury Recordings of Roland Kirk (Mercury / Universal 1990)
Web links
- Recordings of the century of jazz at Arte
- Review at Somethingelse
- Rip, Rig and Panic at Allmusic (English)
Remarks
- ↑ a b c d e f g Morgenstern Liner Notes , p. 38
- ^ "It was an art director's dream, but not a marketing success, though Mercury used it for some of ist biggest names." Morgenstern, p. 36
- ↑ (Rip means Rip Van Winkle (or Rest in Peace?); It's the way people, even musicians are. They're asleep. Rig means like rigor mortis. That's where a lot of peoples mind are. When they hear me doing things they didn´t think I could do they panic in their minds.)
- ^ Bert Noglik recordings of the century of jazz at Arte
- ↑ cit. n. Ingrid Monson (1994): Doubleness and Jazz Improvisation: Irony, Parody, and Ethnomusicology, in: Critical Inquiry 20 (2), pp. 283-313
- ^ The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World
- ↑ Rolling Stone: The 100 Best Jazz Albums . Retrieved November 16, 2016.