rahsaan roland kirk

     from: randal bass (rbass@dellnet.com)

does anyone know if there exists a tape of the jam/performance of zappa with guest rahsaan roland kirk? such a recording would be a great find.

     from: charles ulrich (ulrich@sfu.ca)
fz and kirk played together at both the boston globe jazz festival (1/31/69) and the miami jazz festival (6/29/69).  and it's not far-fetched to imagine that they may have played together at some of the other jazz festivals of 1969. unfortunately, no recordings are in circulation.

     from: tan mitsugu (studiot@anet.ne.jp)
this is a translation of the press conference that took place 26 years ago (jan. 31st '76).

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article: "the mothers at the press conference"

magazine title: new music magazine - published date: april 1976

question: i heard that in '69 you sat in with roland kirk.... [note: a unique black jazz player who plays three saxophones simultaneously.]

zappa: i met him at the backstage of boston jazz festival, and asked him to play together if he was interested in our music.  then, during our set, led by his attendant, he came up to the stage.  as you know, he's blind.  but his body understood all of our signals.  at one point, everybody in the band was supposed to get down on their back and kick their feet in the air while they still keep playing.  as soon as we got on our back, he also got his back.  when we got up, he also got up.  he grasped everything.  he is an excellent musician.  three weeks later, we played together again in florida jazz festival.