Rahsaan Roland Kirk Almost Invented Hip Hop
Rahsaan Roland Kirk was two letters away from inventing Hip-Hop over a decade in advance. The closest anyone of his age came was "Hip Drop" by The Explosions.
What hip-chops actually means is playing the flute and the manzello at the same time, which is a pretty hip thing to do with your chops. He doesn't even mention how many instruments are in his nose or how hip his nose is.
"Who has the hippest chops in the world?" Rahsaan asks at the end of the recording.
You do, Rahsaan. You have the hippest chops in the world.
Song #194: Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Hip Chops (won't play? Click here)
You're full of wonderful surprises. I saw RRK in concert around 1974. He was blind and half paralyzed by a stroke. He still managed to play two saxes simultaneously, pulled off some long, long notes with his circular breathing and as if that weren't enough he played a flute through his nose. One of the most memorable parts of the evening was his pianist, a young (and outrageously talented) Hilton Ruiz. Without a doubt it was the most astounding jazz show I have ever attended.
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