Explanation
Title
To honor the memory of Rahsaan Roland Kirk and proclaim August 7-11, 2006 Rahsaan Roland Kirk Week in Columbus, Ohio.
Body
WHEREAS, Rahsaan Roland Kirk was born Ronald Kirk, the eldest child of Gertrude and Theodore Kirk, in Columbus, Ohio, on August 7, 1936; and
WHEREAS, Rahsaan Roland Kirk in his brief but amazingly productive 41 years of life, gained international acclaim for his virtuosity as a jazz saxophonist, flautist and uniquely original composer; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Kirk won the Down Beat magazine jazz award as "best miscellaneous instrument" performance for 14 consecutive years between 1961 and 1975 and also performed on the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning 1967 movie "In the Heat of the Night"; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Kirk, in addition to creating his own music, devoted his life to preserving and promoting the collected works of jazz icons, such as John Coltrane, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong and thereby inspired a new generation of jazz artists that included Grover Washington, Jr., Hubert Laws, Wayne Shorter and Anthony Braxton; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Kirk served as a majestic example of self -empowerment for those who face physical challenges and who was a courageously outspoken advocate for the politically disenfranchised and economically disadvantaged; and
WHEREAS, during Rahsaan Roland Kirk week NPR station 90.5 WCBE as well as National NPR affiliate 820 AM WOSU will air documentaries on the famed musician; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That Columbus City Council, with the enthusiastic concurrence of Mayor Michael B. Coleman, proclaims the week of August 7, 2006, as "Rahsaan Roland Kirk Week."