Rating: 
Summary: Inspired Tribute to a Great Musician
Review: "Bright Moments" is an inspired book about about an exceptional musician who lived his music with every breath he took. Rahsaan Roland Kirk's life was filled with all the drama, angst and courage that makes music worth listening to. Mr Kruth captures the intensity and depth of the short, challenging life of the man who was perhaps the greatest practioner of "black classical music". This book is informative, inventive and reads like a sax solo that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat waiting for the next heartfelt note. Whether you are well versed or only know a little about this great multi-instrumentalist, composer and performer, this is a book will make you want to hear more of Rahsaan's music. And what could be a greater tribute to this legendary artist?
Rating:
Summary: Inspired Tribute to a Great Musician
Review: "Bright Moments" is an inspired book about about an exceptional musician who lived his music with every breath he took. Rahsaan Roland Kirk's life was filled with all the drama, angst and courage that makes music worth listening to. Mr Kruth captures the intensity and depth of the short, challenging life of the man who was perhaps the greatest practioner of "black classical music". This book is informative, inventive and reads like a sax solo that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat waiting for the next heartfelt note. Whether you are well versed or only know a little about this great multi-instrumentalist, composer and performer, this is a book will make you want to hear more of Rahsaan's music. And what could be a greater tribute to this legendary artist?
Rating: 
Summary: A note from the Publisher
Review: BILLBOARD MAGAZINE "Author John Kruth has wisely drawn not only on articles and reviews of Rahsaan Roland Kirk-the provocative multi-reed virtuoso who dies at 41 in 1977-but also on interviews and recollections with dozens of musicians who worked with the artist and knew his ways and means. "The picture that emerges of Kirk is of a true eccentric: a highly motivated blind man who, despite being aware of the cookie-cutter template of the culture, developed a highly individual (if sometimes less than successful) way of exploiting his gifts . . . While it is probably true that Kirk's impact wasn't as wide-ranging as it should have been, the author makes a persuasive case that the saxophonist deserves to be reevaluated for greatness in the larger continuum of music development." LA WEEKLY "From a personality standpoint, reading about jazz is almost as fun as listening to it, the latest evidence being John Kruth's Bright Moments: The Life and Legacy of Rahsaan Roland Kirk . . . What's new here is the image of Kirk as an exponent, promoter and encyclopedic repository of jazz. All his sirens and bells, raving and showboating are revealed as inevitable, explosive effluent, as if African-American musical history were billions of gallons of water and Kirk's mouth were the only hole in the dam." LIBRARY JOURNAL "Kruth, a musician and journalist, has written the first full-length biography of multi-instrumental jazz icon Kirk (1936-77). Using dozens of interviews and a just-unearthed audio autobiography narrated by Kirk, Kruth traces Kirk's life from his childhood in Columbus, OH, to his mid-career vocal black-power stance, to his debilitating stroke and premature death in the mid-1970s. Throughout, Kruth highlights Kirk's pioneering efforts-such as his reintroduction of the stritch and manzello saxophones and his innovative circular breathing that enabled him to play several instruments simultaneously. Though he sometimes overstates Kirk's admittedly prodigious talents, Kruth offers a revealing biography that captures a complex jazz artist. He portrays Kirk as an original steeped in tradition, open to all types of sound but critical of rock 'n' roll, a jolly prankster who humiliated his audiences, and a serious jazz player who destroyed chairs as part of his stage act. This engaging biography about an often-neglected talent will be welcomed by general readers as well as jazz scholars."
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK CAPTURES KIRK'S SPIRIT!
Review: Bright Moments is opening this book and discovering that the author has captured the spirit and essence of this great musician. As someone who had the great honor of knowing him, I can assure you that Mr. Kruth has painted a strong, vivid and honest portrait of Rahsaan. It moved me to tears.
Rating:
Summary: Bright Moments is the story of a neglected jazz genius.
Review: Bright Moments! and welcome to the wild world of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, a one of a kind musician and human being. As some of you may know Rahsaan played two and three saxophones at a time and developed a unique system of breathing some called circular breathing or spherical breath which allowed him to play continous, non-stop solos that mezmerized audiences everywhere. He was also fantastic on the clarinet and flute (an enormous influence on Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson). Kirk played the history of jazz or what he called "black classical music" from the roots to the fruits, recorded over 35 records and toured the world. In this, his first biography, I have interviewed his peers, friends, band members, widow and doctor. They include: Quincy Jones, Sonny Rollins, Grover Washington, Ken Kesey, Allen Ginsberg, Eric Burdon and Ian Anderson to name a few. Find out who Jimi Hendrix's "favorite musician" was!As Charles Mingus once said, "This man is what jazz is all about - He's REAL!" Music aside - Rahsaan's life was a series of hurdles which he lept with courage and integrity. Blinded at the age of two when a careless nurse put too much medicine in his eyes, Kirk travelled the world playing his unique music and spreading "bright moments." Every day was a battle for Rahsaan. He was constantly confronted with issues of race and people's ignorance and lack of consideration for the blind (or "the sightless" as he preferred). Then there was his music - He was constantly attacked by critics and jealous musicians for his sensational musicianship and outspoken opinions. He was once actually arrested in Cleveland in the early seventies for supposedly trying to hi-jack a plane and spent 3 days in jail in Akron!(I did tell you he was sightless right?)There are plenty of outrageous stories recalled by his widow,Dorthaan friend and producer, Joel Dorn and fellow musicians but what was most touching in writing Kirk's odyssey was how he fearlessly continued performing after his devistating stroke at age 39 in November of 1975. Rahsaan re-designed his saxophone and flute in order to play them with one hand and a number of musicians (Sonny Rollins and Pharoah Sanders) testify to the fact that Kirk was better with one hand than most saxophinists were with two. This book was a joy to write! If you already know and love Kirk's music you're sure to get a kick out of it. If you don't, I'm jealous. I wish I could rediscover this man's music and life all over again!Rahsaan was a true American original and 23 years after his death the time has come for the public to appreciate his genius. Bright Moments (Right Now) - John Kruth
Rating: 
Summary: "Overblown" Expectations
Review: I applaud and thank Mr. Kruth for being the one to finally get down to business and try and write a book on this great man. However, what I feel to be a fairly disorganized book, with amateurish writing, predominantly conveyed though a "fan's" voice (with Rahsaan as musical "hero") ultimately does not measure up to the enormous contribution Rahsaan Roland Kirk made both as a musician and as a human spirit walking this earth, spreading the gospel of truth and love. I wouldn't want to dissuade anyone from reading this book - for those who don't know anything about Rahsaan or his music, this may very well be their introduction. But some of us needed a book that would try to go deeper. It's great to hear Sonny Rollins, a peer of Rahsaan's and a musical giant as well, give the man his "props", but Mr. Kruth seemingly chose to include the comments of any and everybody who had even the slightest bit of contact with the man. Indeed, the expressions of astonishment over Rahsaan's virtuosity (as well as his sometimes outrageousness) became redundant and rather tedious to read after awhile. What I hoped for from this book was a crucial (and critical) biography which would tell the STORY of this strange and wonderful character, and one which would "fill in the holes". What I read was (mostly) a well-intentioned but fairly messy book of tributes, which therefore fell short of the mark for me. However, if it will get more people listening to Rahsaan, more power to it. It sure made me pull my Rahsaan records off the shelf!
Rating: 
Summary: Liner Notes for the Boxed Set
Review: I encountered this book when I ducked into a library on a sweltering day while on vacation. The title attracted me because of its association with Kirk. Lo and behold, it was about Roland Kirk! I sat down with it and was immediately pulled in. The book is mostly anecdotal which means you get to enjoy many "voices" but it does occasionally get confusing because people refer to people you haven't been introduced to and much of what is said is repeated by others throughout the book. It must have been a bear organizing the stuff. Still..Kirk was simply amazing and if you love to read liner notes on jazz albums, well this is like reading one giant liner note, worthy of a giant boxed set. Lots of fun and you have to be inspired by the man's spirit.
Rating:
Summary: The ONLY RRK biography.
Review: I only made it about 150 pages into this book. I have recently discovered Roland Kirk's wonderful music and wanted to know more about his life, musical influences, and achievements. Kruth is long on interview comments, but short on evaluation or insight. He relates many stories about Kirk, who was quite a character (to put it nicely), but these tend to be repetitious. Especially overdone are comments to the effect that: "Yes, he could play three instruments at once, but he was a serious musician." Fine, I got it after the fifth reference. Some readers will be bothered by the needless profanity of the book. This could have been edited out of the interview comments. I found them distasteful. There are some very humorous and revealing stories about Kirk. The story of how a blind, African-American left his mark on jazz is not without merrit. The musical analysis, however, cannot hold a candle to Lewis Porter's "John Coltrane." How Kirk fit into the larger cultural, racial movements of the 1960s was not explored any real depth--although I did not read the entire book. Given the level of analysis of what I did read, I doubt it gets much more profound later int the book. Because Kirk was underrated and often dismissed as a novelty act, it is good, I suppose, that there is finally an entire book about his life and music. However, the book leaves something to be desired. Douglas Groothuis
Rating:
Summary: Interesting material on an underrated musician.
Review: I only made it about 150 pages into this book. I have recently discovered Roland Kirk's wonderful music and wanted to know more about his life, musical influences, and achievements. Kruth is long on interview comments, but short on evaluation or insight. He relates many stories about Kirk, who was quite a character (to put it nicely), but these tend to be repetitious. Especially overdone are comments to the effect that: "Yes, he could play three instruments at once, but he was a serious musician." Fine, I got it after the fifth reference. Some readers will be bothered by the needless profanity of the book. This could have been edited out of the interview comments. I found them distasteful. There are some very humorous and revealing stories about Kirk. The story of how a blind, African-American left his mark on jazz is not without merrit. The musical analysis, however, cannot hold a candle to Lewis Porter's "John Coltrane." How Kirk fit into the larger cultural, racial movements of the 1960s was not explored any real depth--although I did not read the entire book. Given the level of analysis of what I did read, I doubt it gets much more profound later int the book. Because Kirk was underrated and often dismissed as a novelty act, it is good, I suppose, that there is finally an entire book about his life and music. However, the book leaves something to be desired. Douglas Groothuis
Rating:
Summary: The ONLY RRK biography.
Review: It is truly sad that this is the only Rahshaan Roland Kirk bio. It really has very little biographical information beyond the day he was born and the day he died. There is little or no mention of what his parents were like, his multiple wives and divorces, his children, his education. What it does contain is anecdote after anecdote after anecdote. These can be very intertesting and very repetitive. In fact, the author repeats himself so many times I felt like the record was skipping. Also, you get the feeling that John Kruth wrote the whole thing in one sitting with practically no editing. This book should have been an excellent artcile in some jazz mag. Instead, it is a sad presentation of Kirk's fascinating life and the only bio we have. For that reason alone I would reccomend it to the hard-core Kirk fans (and you must be one if you're taking the time to read this). Otherwise turn on the TV.
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