Rahsaan Roland Kirk & the Vibration Society: Rahsaan Rahsaan (Atlantic)

RAHSAAN ROLAND Kirk is an irrepressible wit, musically and verbally; he's also a fine, funky philosopher, an exhilarating entertainer, and one of the best damn tenor players in the world. When one of his albums fails, then — as this one does — it's hard to believe that the masterful Mr. Kirk is very much to blame. There's clearly little fault with his music or his words on Rahsaan Rahsaan, and the problem isn't exactly one of production. Rather, it's a matter of conception, I think. A matter of the album's whole idea.