Standing Eight (1998)

About this title: In 1998, 32 Jazz reissued three albums from Rahsaan Roland Kirk's late period on the double CD A Standing Eight. Those albums were The Return of the 5000lb. Man and Kirkatron -- both of which consisted of recordings made not long before the innovator suffered a debilitating stroke in 1975 -- and the post-stroke session Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real. Hearing the pre-stroke and post-stroke material on the same collection, one cannot help but notice the contrast. The pre-stroke Kirk of Return and Kirkatron is a risk-taking, unpredictable, fearless daredevil of a musician who dazzles with ... read more

Tracks:

1. Theme for the Eulipions [Kirk/Neals]
2. Sweet Georgia Brown [Bernie/Casey/Pinkar]
3. I'll Be Seeing You [Kahal/Fain]
4. Loving You [Riperton/Rudolph]
5. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat [Mingus/Kirk]
6. There Will Never Be Another You [Warren/Gordon]
7. Giant Steps [Coltrane]
8. Serenade to a Cuckoo [Kirk]
9. This Masquerade [Russell]
10. Sugar [Turrentine/Kirk]
11. Los Angeles Negro Chorus
12. Steppin' into Beauty [Kirk]
13. The Christmas Song [Torme/Wells]
14. Bagpipe Medley [Kirk]
15. Mary McLeod Bethune
16. Bright Moments [Kirk]
17. Lyriconon [Kirk]
18. A Night in Tunisia [Gillespie/Paparelli]
19. J. Griff's Blues [Traditional]
20. Boogie Woogie String Along for Real [Kirk]
21. I Loves You, Porgy [Gershwin/Gershwin]
22. Make Me a Pallet on the Floor [Traditional]
23. Hey Babebips [Kirk]
24. In a Mellow Tone [Ellington/Gabler]
25. Summertime [Gershwin/Gershwin]
26. Dorthaan's Walk [Kirk]
27. Watergate Blues [Heath]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.