The early 1960s were a turbulent time in jazz. The cool detachment of West Coast jazz was fading; Hard Bop was holding the middle ground, and the New Thing (free jazz) led by Ornette Coleman and Coltrane was fracturing the audience. Kirk refused to pick a side. He was a radical traditionalist. He loved the past (Sidney Bechet, Fats Waller) but spoke in a future tense. The Mercury sessions capture this tension beautifully. They are his "Blue Note period" in spirit, but without the rigid formula. They are strange, swinging, and deeply soulful.
For enthusiasts of "Black Classical Music"—a term coined by the legend himself—few releases hold as much weight as This massive 10-CD (plus one bonus disc) box set, released by Verve/PolyGram in 1990, chronicles the most transformative years of a musician who was often dismissed as a "gimmick" act before being recognized as a multi-instrumental visionary. The early 1960s were a turbulent time in jazz
Here is an in-depth exploration of why this box set remains the essential cornerstone of the Roland Kirk discography. He was a radical traditionalist