I wanted to provide a video of Kirk's performance to compliment this article and demonstrate some of the techniques and music described in it

Roland Kirk died 31 years ago on Dec 5th 1977, I believe his life illustrates what in the Isha and Kena Upanishad is referred to as the workings of Prana and Kratu . Following Sri Aurobindo's excellent commentary on these two Upanishads in this article - that has been recently updated - I trace the self-formulation of prana and kratu in the biography of this amazing musician

Prana, Kratu, Jazz
(the life and will of Rashaan Roland Kirk)

  By whom yoked moves the first life-breath forward on its path? By whom impelled is this word that men speak? What god set eye and ear to their workings?....  

- Kena Upanishad     more »