I Talk With the Spirits

Recorded in 1964, I Talk with the Spirits is one of Roland Kirk's most revered, yet scarce, concept albums. It was the first and only time that the innovative multi-instrumentalist would focus entirely on flutes. The result is a bizarre, otherworldly album on which beautiful ballads, blues-inflected vocalization, and iconic humor easily coalesce. Propelled by the supple rhythm section of pianist Horace Parlan, bassist Michael Fleming, and drummer Walter Perkins and special appearances by vocalist Crystal Joy Albert and Bob Moses on vibraphone, Kirk delivers a mixed bag of well-worn classics ("We'll Be Together Again," "People," and "My Ship") plus brilliant originals, like the wonderfully nutty "Serenade to a Cuckoo" and the haunting, Japanese-influenced title track. Although gimmicky and dated at places, this is essential Kirk. --John Murph