Rahsaan Roland Kirk, an unsung hero in his hometown, to be remembered with Columbus events – The Columbus Dispatch
Though blind since age 2, Rahsaan Roland Kirk had a keen vision that set him apart from most musicians.
The Columbus-born artist knew music both viscerally and intellectually, fusing jazz, soul, bebop, classical and other genres in an unorthodox style that captivated some and confused others.
Unsure what to make of him, the latter were not exactly receptive. In fact, Kirk was thrown out of a club because the crowd could not comprehend his esoteric sound.
That lack of appreciation would linger for decades after his death in 1977, an unsung hero at age 42.
“He was really a genius when it came to music. He doesn’t get the acclaim he deserves,” said Jack Marchbanks, host of WCBE’s weekly “Jazz Sunday.”
Often pictured playing a saxophone – or three at the same time – Kirk played multiple instruments including flute, recorder, clarinet, harmonica, English horn, trumpet and whistles.
His musical arsenal was also stocked with gadgets like alarm clocks, a piece of garden hose and a music box from his niece’s rocking chair.
“Anything he put his hands or mouth on, he could play,” said his sister, Candice Kirk.
Rahsaan Roland Kirk recorded 30-plus albums and jammed with a who’s who of music from Charles Mingus to Jimi Hendrix. A young comic named Jay Leno once opened for him, and he was one of the late Quincy Jones’s favorite session artists.
Still, he is largely unknown in his hometown.
“He was before his time. They couldn’t understand the music,” Candice Kirk said.
“Although it was jazz, Rahsaan called it ‘Black classical music.’ Their minds just weren’t there yet.”
Those mental doors are creaking ajar as people begin to discover Kirk’s music, with folks like his sister and Marchbanks leading the charge to keep those doors open.
Marchbanks attributes what he called the “Rahsaan renaissance” partly to Jones’s effusive praise of the multi-instrumentalist in a video recorded shortly before Jones died in 2024.
“He talked about how Rahsaan was his favorite musician, how no one was better, how he was a whole horn section by himself. That sparked people’s interest,” Marchbanks said.
“Also, WCBE has more than 10,000 people who listen to ‘Jazz Sunday’ on the internet, and we always talk about Rahsaan. There’s been a lot of interest over the last 18 months or so. We’ve been holding the torch high.”
Candice Kirk and Marchbanks aren’t just holding the torch, they’re passing it on to a new generation of artists through the Rahsaan Roland Kirk Scholarship Fund.
Established through the Columbus Foundation in 2008, the scholarship awards $4,000 –payable over four years – to Columbus City Schools seniors planning to pursue an undergrad degree in music or fine arts.
“He loved children. He always wanted to do something for the kids. This is keeping his name alive and making children understand his legacy,” Candice Kirk said.
“It’s not just for playing music. It can be painting, dancing, acting – just the arts, period. Rahsaan’s message was to be creative and use what God gave you.”
Dreams played a significant role in Kirk’s life as a wellspring of ideas including his chosen first name and his trademark performance style.
It’s fitting, then, that the late musician is inspiring young artists to dream.
To date, 13 scholarships have been awarded to creatives, or “Eulipions” – a term Kirk coined for “agents of change” – poets, painters, musicians, writers and artists who change the world.
A weekend of events will raise scholarship funds as well as celebrate Kirk, who would have marked his 90th birthday on Aug. 7.
A concert by Columbus jazz icon Bobby Floyd and friends will kick off the weekend at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St. Tickets are $39.72 at capa.com.
Sept. 19 will be devoted to programming for jazz students from the Ohio State School for the Blind, where Kirk was a student, and Fort Hayes Metropolitan Educational Center.
On Sept. 20, the Ohio History Center, 800 E. 17th Ave., will host “Remembering Rahsaan,” a 2 p.m. discussion with panelists Candice and Rory Kirk (Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s son) and Dick Griffin, an alumnus of Rahsaan’s band.
“The Case of the Three-Sided Dream,” a 2014 documentary about the musician’s life and work will be screened after the panel. Both events are free and open to the public.
“We want to elevate and promote Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s name in Columbus so that people know they had a genius born here,” Marchbanks said.
Features, entertainment and things to do reporter Belinda M. Paschal can be reached at bpaschal@dispatch.com.
