_{These are the liner notes and tune list from the album, Volunteered Slavery, released by Roland Kirk on Atlantic, SD 1534. I hope to add other albums as well, so that the words of Kirk and his admirers may be available as well as the sounds.}

Volunteered Slavery

We are all driven by an Invisible whip. Some run, some have fun, some are hip, some tip, some dip, but we all must answer to the Inedible whip.

Roland Kirk 1969

Roland's dream exploded out of the "Inflated Tear." Unlike others, the "Inflated" one awakened within him at a very early age, a kind of vision ordinary men never know. Roland sees himself in true perspective, as a man in the universe, and his vision is of a supreme nature. He doesn't care to look at you, he sees in you. Likewise, his music communicates from within. He has little (if any) time for sham and surface things. Roland is free and he is in consent celebration of that fact through his music. He speaks his truth directly and always with maximum clarity.

"Everyone has a dream, everything has a scheme, let's all search for the reason why."

Roland's search is relentless, and for him music holds the key. There can be no question as to why Roland is on earth once you've witnessed him in action. His message is much too compelling and his sound too beautiful for there to ever be any doubt. Many of the answers lie with the preceding masters, Bud, Bird, Billie, Bechet. He is an extension of his roots, not somewhere else studying them. In short, Roland Kirk is a Black man who is very proud of his cultural heritage. You can listen to a man play the blues and know just how he feels (or what he knows) about his roots. Remember 'Trane's Slow Blues or Bessie's Blues.

Roland wants it known that they're playing tunes from the repertoire of "today" not because of any pressure from Atlantic, but because they enjoy playing the ones they've chosen. That's why it's "Volunteered Slavery."

There is more "presence" on this date than any of his previous ones. I'm sure this is occasioned by the fact that the Roland Kirk unit today, is more Involved spiritually with both the music and each other.

Recording voices (as in choirs) on a date such as this can lead to a very sterile session if they're not "used" understandably. I think Max Roach has been the most successful to date in exploiting voices. Of course in his date, he used several voices while Roland is using an entire vocal ensemble or choir.

The nature of the material Roland presented the choir is not very far removed from the music they normally sing. The members of the chorus obviously viewed their task as an extension of their talents. These are tunes that Miss Mahalia Jackson would enjoy singing.

The first time I ever saw Roland Kirk he was playing with John Coltrane. I don't think this fact has been reflected in the record keeping. Anyway, this was before Roland began to receive the kind of respect he not only deserves but demands. There were attempts to place him in the "sideshow-playing-for-nickels-and-dimes" category, but John sensed the man's true potential.

Whenever Roland does a medley of tunes that are either written or popularized by Trane, it's because of his deep respect for the man and his dedication to the work that he did. The festival side of this date deals primarily with the Coltrane medley.

Roland once gave me a card bearing something he wrote. It read: "God loves Black sound." Sound is very important to Roland. On the stage and at home, he is surrounded by sound. The listener is always engulfed by it. There are times when Roland completely overwhelms you with a sonic-outpouring that transforms the stage into the altar of an ancient African rite where Roland is the link between this and the spiritual 'world, transmitting strength to the weak, hope to the dejected, peace, healing and protection to the faithful.

"Can't you feel the spirit up above-up above-up above please don't fight the spirit sent from love..."

The color possibilities of sound are infinite. Certainly, in sound, there are as many degrees of shading as there are to be found In color. For Roland, sound represents color, hence, a kind of sight.

"A daffodil a rose, no matter where it grows, a flower is a lonesome thing."

I'm sure Roland's sense of smell lends itself to his overall conception of color. Witness the way he described Mr. Strayhorn's flower garden in his previous album. Through sound, Roland is able to depict both color and fragrance in his music.

The men who make this music are very important to Roland; an acknowledged fact by him. One morning before the release of this date, Roland and I had a long telephone conversation about these men and what they mean to him. It seems that Dick Griffin writes everything Roland conceives. He has called upon Dick at some rather un-Godly hours to discuss musical impressions. Dick's pitch is nearly perfect.

Vernon Martin was with the Toledo Symphony, but now he plays for fun. His association with Roland stretches over a ten year span. You can see the joy Vernon gets from his playing. Everybody in the group has a ball, it's just that Vernon is the only one who lumps up and down. (If that s the way you feel about it man, lump up and down!)

Ron Burton is the exact opposite, he Is very still, but his mind runs riot, and his fingers race across the keyboard in pursuit of his thoughts. Ron's is one of the most original sounds I've heard in some time on the piano. The fact that he has accompanied singers in his past would account for the reflective thoughtfulness he gives the group. Ron and Roland met in Chicago.

Charles Crosby, although from Memphis, spent quite a bit of his time in the Ohio region. That's where he met Roland. They're tight. Charles has plenty working experience. I could drop the names of the people that he's worked with but that would constitute a resume. My feeling is, the best resume an artist can have is his talent. Charles has plenty.

Jimmy Hopps comes from D.C. He covers the Newport side of this date. He bears a striking resemblance to Malcolm X. Jimmy is hard driver and knows how to swing. He believes in getting right down to business.

This date comes close to where Roland is right now, but please, don t hold him to it, for tomorrow he'll be elsewhere. Stay alert and keep your mind and ears open.

ED WILLIS
"Maiden Voyage"
WLIB/FM-NYC