Blacknuss

Rahsaan Roland Kirk | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 10, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collectables
• ASIN: B00006IT4K
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,943 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ain't No Sunshine

2. What's Goin' On/Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)

3. I Love You, Yes I Do

4. Take Me Girl, I'm Ready

5. My Girl

6. Which Way Is It Going

7. One Nation

8. Never Can Say Goodbye

9. Old Rugged Cross

10. Make It with You

11. Blacknuss

Editorial Reviews

"Blacknuss", like The Inflated Tear, Volunteered Slavery, Rip, Rig and Panic, and I Talk to the Spirits, is Rahsaan at his most visionary. He took the pop out of pop and made it Great Black Music. He took the jazz world down a peg to make it feel its roots in the people's music, and consequently made great jazz from pop tunes in the same way his forbears did with Broadway show tunes. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Miracle, July 3, 2003

By 

Jack Young (San Marino, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blacknuss (Audio CD)

Just noticed this album hadn't been reviewed. So I felt it my duty to enlighten you. Look, this guy is such a genius. His music will be listened to forever. As to this album: It's more "arranged" than most of his albums and somehow covers more utterly unpredictable bases than most. At the same time it is also more melodic than his normal album. He's "covering" some very pretty and entrancing songs (melodies). This album is so full of a kind of wild, energetic beauty that you will laugh out loud, cry, reflect on failures and triumphs. Yes, it's great jazz and great art. I'am not gonna get into much about individual tunes, but will leave you with this: Listen to "The Old Rugged Cross". The performance is like nothing you could ever possibly imagine. The energy, intensity, beauty and triumph invested in this one tune is just monumental. And remember, Roland is not an "out" or "free" musician; his music makes musical sense. If not moved to ecstasy, time to start thinking about your burial plot.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible, October 27, 2005

By 

TheBandit (SEA-TAC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blacknuss (Audio CD)

I always have thought that Roland Kirk is one of the most accessible jazz musicians for non-jazz fans. People who aren't accustomed to listening to jazz or even just instrumental-based music in general sometimes feel intimated about getting into it. I've talked to people who feel basically if you aren't a skilled musician or if you don't have an education in music, that you can't get into jazz. It's too bad there is that perception. The music of Roland Kirk crosses genres often, and "Blacknuss" is one of those crossovers that gets into R&B and pop. It's really not even a jazz album. He covers Bill Wither's "Ain't No Sunshine" and the Temptations "My Girl." His version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" is almost too soulfull for words, you just need to hear it. You remember the old Bread song "Make It With You" - I mean, you just won't believe what you're hearing when you hear Kirk reinvent this song.

One of my favorite things about Kirk is his flute playing, and there is a flute showcase on this that is simply mindblowing: "Which Way Is It Going," where he just goes wild.

Overall, this is a very good way to get interested in Rahsaan's music, especially if you haven't heard him before. The man was basically superhuman, it's that simple. That's not a superlative or an exaggeration, but rather a hard fact. If you haven't heard him, you really should, because his skills were unmatched.

This album came out in 1972.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kirk takes jazz to Africa, July 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Blacknuss (Audio CD)

Upon the first listen of "Blacknuss" you get the feeling of novelty and inspired invention. The nose flute on "Ain't No Sunshine" that opens the record ushers in a crazy and beautifully musical jazz experience. Kirk is in top form on this record, from the controlled voodoo chaos of the title track to the cheery and popping covers of "Never Can Say Good-bye" or "What's Goin' On". As with all Kirk CDs there is an underlying spirit of humour and fun that is most evident on the "My Girl" cover (that is reminiscent of "Say a Little Prayer" from the wonderful cd "Volunteered Slavery"). By the time "Blacknuss" ends you feel like you've been taken on a trip into the dark and strange back alleys of jazz and for good measure Kirk speaks in a musical language that encapsulates the spirit and soul of jazz; always looking forward, always looking back, always in it for the "Blacknuss"... Kir! k Rules.