Third Dimension

Album review

When the pre-Rahsaan Roland Kirk stormed the jazz scene in the mid-'50s, certainly nobody was ready for his virtuosity, as he demonstrated ability, not gimmickry, to play the tenor sax, manzello, and stritch simultaneously. Third Dimension is his introductory foray into this arena, as he presents a program of half standards and half his basic bluesy originals taken into this upper realm of multiphonic capacity. Of the covers, the ballad "Stormy Weather" has Kirk playing counter-melodies rather than harmonics on his horns, and it is remarkable. "The Nearness of You" is a bit distant in its production values with Kirk using tentative or staggered phrasings, and "Easy Living" has the lead played on the manzello, with the multiple horns only on the final phrase of the melody. The originals are pretty simple, with a repeat swing groove setting off the jam "Ronald's Tune" and Kirk working the controlled, non-exploited harmonics of the three woodwinds on "Slow Groove"; using a happy shuffle R&B feeling on mostly tenor for "A La Carte"; and finishing up with the now famous 12-bar blues bopper "Triple Threat," which was his signature dish. The liner notes of this recording have always been irritating bordering on condescending, implying that the tenor sax was always a more popular instrument and misidentifying the manzello and stritch as a "straight alto" and "straight soprano" when they were actually distinct instruments, exclusively played by Kirk. No matter -- this is a marvelous introduction to the greatest soloist in the history of jazz and, despite its very short running time (under 30 minutes), is a true pivot point in modern music.

© Michael G. Nastos /TiVo