Album of the Day

Montreux, Switzerland has seen many a triumphant musical performance, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk's appearance there 45 years ago certainly qualifies. I, EYE, AYE: LIVE AT THE MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL, 1972 captures the jazz eccentric in peak form – even if the recording took nearly a quarter-century to be released. Kirk was famous for playing several instruments at once; while that could prove difficult to keep up with, the quartet behind him here (pianist Ron Burton among them) rises to the challenge. Raucous and powerful, these seven songs include terrific versions of “Balm in Gilead” and “Volunteered Slavery,” and Kirk's interstitial raps show a sense of humor as sharp as his sax playing. I, EYE, AYE is a reminder of the vitality of jazz in the early 1970s, and a tribute to one of its true masters.