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Baker's Dozen

Gorgeous: Graham Massey Of 808 State's Favourite Albums
Julian Marszalek , March 4th, 2020 08:41

Graham Massey guides Julian Marszalek through 13 favourite albums, from Santana to Bowie, Gong, Magma, Miles Davis, and the time he went out for kebabs with Marshall Allen

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Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Vibration Continues
That was the first of his records that I jumped in on. It's a good record to jump in. For starters, he's like a one-man orchestra and he plays three saxes at once, but that kind of overshadows him as a musician in some ways. It's the emotional punch in his playing that's the important thing here. His personality really comes across and he also sounds impish at times, just like a naughty boy. Or like a street fighter. He's got so many aspects to his personality that he really does wear them on his sleeves. He can take things like a Rogers and Hammerstein tune and he can turn it into something else.

The thing with jazz is that people think you have to approach it thinking really deeply, but with Rahsaan Roland Kirk the music is so immediate. It should impact you immediately. He's got a pop sensibility but he gets into some really deep stuff as well.