Fes Fas / ⴼⴰⵙ / فاس Fez
View on the old medina of Fes
Flag
Fes Location in Morocco
Coordinates: 34°2′N 5°0′W / 34.033°N 5°W / 34.033; -5Coordinates: 34°2′N 5°0′W / 34.033°N 5°W / 34.033; -5
Country	Morocco
Region	Fès-Boulemane
Founded	789
Founder	Idrisid dynasty
Government
• Mayor	Hamid Chabat
• Governor	Mohamed Rerrhabi
Elevation[1]	1,258.9 ft (383.7 m)
Population (2004)[2]
• Total	1,044,376

Bab Bou Jeloud, "The Blue Gate" of Fez.

Leather tanning in Fes

Fes or Fez (Arabic: فاس‎ Arabic pronunciation: [fɛs]) is the second largest city of Morocco, with a population of approximately 1 million (2010). It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region.

Fez, the former capital, is one of the country's four "imperial cities," the others being Rabat, Marrakech and Meknes. It comprises three distinct parts, Fes el Bali (the old, walled city), Fes-Jdid (new Fes, home of the Mellah) and the Ville Nouvelle (the French-created, newest section of Fes).

"Fas el Bali" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its medina, the larger of the two medinas of Fes, is believed to be the world's largest contiguous car-free urban area. The University of Al-Karaouine, founded in AD 859, is the oldest continuously functioning university in the world. The city has been called the "Mecca of the West" and the "Athens of Africa".^[3]

History[link]

Etymology[link]

Until the Almoravid rule in the 11th century, Fes consisted of two separate cities or medinas: Madinat Fas and Al-'Aliya. The former being founded by Idris I, the latter by his son, Idris II. During Idrisid rule the capital city was known as Al-'Aliya, with the name Fas being reserved for the separate site on the other side of the river: no Idrisid coins have been found with the name Fes, only al-'Aliya and al-'Aliya Madinat Idris. It is not known whether the name al-'Aliya was ever used to refer to both medinas. It wasn't until 1070 that the two agglomerations were united and the name Fas was used for both sites.^[4]

Foundation and the Idrisids[link]

The city was founded on a bank of the Jawhar river by Idris I in 789, founder of the Zaydi Shi'ite Idrisid dynasty. His son, Idris II (808),^[5] built a settlement on the opposing river bank. These settlements would soon develop into two separate, walled and largely autonomous sites, often in conflict with one another: Madinat Fas and Al-'Aliya. In 808 Al-'Aliya replaced Walili as the capital of the Idrisids.

Arab emigration to Fez, including 800 Muladi families in 817–818 expelled after a rebellion against the Ummayads of Córdoba, and other 2,000 families banned from Kairouan (modern Tunisia) after another rebellion in 824, gave the city a more Arabic character than other cities of the region. The Andalusians settled in Madinat Fas, while the Tunisians found their home in al-'Aliya. These two waves of immigrants would subsequently give their name to the two sites: 'Adwat Al-Andalus and 'Adwat al-Qarawiyyin.^[6] An important aspect of the city's population, largely ignored in modern historiography, was of Berber descent, with rural Berbers from the surrounding countryside settling the city throughout this early period, mainly in Madinat Fas (the Andalusian quarter) and later in Fes Jdid.^[7]

Upon the death of Idris II in 828, the dynasty’s territory was divided among his sons, and the eldest, Muhammad, received Fes. The newly-fragmented Idrisid power would never again be reunified. During Yahya ibn Muhammad's rule in Fes the Kairouyine mosque, one of the oldest and largest in Africa, was built and its associated Al-Karaouine University was founded (859).^[8] Comparatively little is known about Idrisid Fes, owing to the lack of comprehensive historical narratives from this period and the fact that little has survived of the architecture and infrastructure of early Fes (Al-'Aliya). The sources that mention Idrisid Fes, describe a rather rural one, not having the cultural sophistication of the important cities of Al-Andalus and Ifriqiya.

In the 10th century the city was contested by the Caliphate of Córdoba and the Fatimids of Tunisia. The later took the city in 927 and expelled the Idrissids, after which the Miknasa allies of the Fatimids were installed in the city. The Miknasa were driven out of Fes in 1001 by the Maghrawa, allies of the Caliphate of Córdoba. According to the Rawd al-Qirtas and other Marinid era sources, the Maghrawi emir Dunas Al-Maghrawi filled up the open spaces between the two medinas and the banks of the river dividing them with new constructions. Thus, the two cities grew into each other, being now only separated by their city walls and the river flowing through them. His sons fortified the city to a great extent. This could not keep the Almoravids from conquering the city in 1070.

Golden age and the Marinid period[link]

Madinat Fas and Al-'Aliya were united in 1070 by the Almoravids: the walls dividing them were destroyed, bridges connecting the two parts were built and connecting walls were constructed that unified the medinas. Although the capital was moved to Marrakech and Tlemcen under the Almoravids, Fez acquired a reputation for Maliki legal scholarship and became an important centre of Jewish trade.

Like many Moroccan cities, Fes was greatly enlarged in the Almohad era and saw its previously dominating rural aspect lessen. This was accomplished partly by the settling there of Andalusians and the further improvement of the infrastructure. At the start of the 13th century they broke down the Idrisid city walls and constructed new ones, which covered a much wider space. These Almohad walls exist to this day as the outline of Fes el Bali. Under Almohad rule the city grew to become the largest city in the world for a short period of time, with an estimated 200.000 people living there in the late 12th century.^[9] In the early 13th century the sources for the first time describe it as being 'a grand city'.

In 1250 Fes regained its capital status under the Marinid dynasty. In 1276 they founded Fes Jdid, which they made their administrative and militairy centre. Fez reached its golden age in the Marinid period, which marked the beginning of an official, historical narrative for the city.^[10][11] It is from the Marinid period that Fes' reputation as an important intellectual centre largely dates.^[12] They established the first madrassas in the city and country.^[13][14] The principal monuments in the medina, the residences and public buildings, date from the Marinid period.^[15] The madrasas are a hallmark of Marinid architecture, with its striking blending of Andalusian and Almohad traditions. Between 1271 and 1357 seven madrassas were built in Fes, the style of which has come to be typical of Fassi architecture. The Jewish quarter of Fes, the Mellah was built in 1438, near the royal residence in Fes Jdid. The Mellah at first consisted of Jews from Fes el Bali, but soon saw the arrival of Berber Jews from the Atlas range and Jewish immigrants from Al-Andalus. The Marinids spread the cult of Idris I and encouraged sharifism, financing sharifian families as a way to legitimize their (in essence secular) rule: from the 14th century onwards hundreds of families throughout Morocco claimed descent from Idris I, especially in Fes and the Rif mountains. In this regard they can be seen as the enablers of the latter sharifian dynasties of Morocco. A revolt in 1465 overthrew the last Maranid sultan and in 1474 the Marinids were replaced by their relatives of the Wattasid dynasty, who faithfully (but for a large part unsuccessfully) continued Marinid policies.^[16]

Modern period[link]

In the Early Modern Age, the Ottoman Empire came close to Fez after the conquest of Oujda in the 16th century. In 1554, the Wattasid Dynasty took Fez with the support of the Turks, and the city became a vassal of the Ottomans, who finally conquered it in 1579 under sultan Murad III.^[17]

The Ottoman power in North Africa focused on threats posed by the Habsburg Spain and the Portuguese Kingdom. As a result, Fez was not under pressure from the Ottoman rulers. The conquest of Fez was the catalyst for the move of the capital city of the Saadi Dynasty to Marrakech. Early in the 17th century the town returned to Moroccan control under Ahmad al-Mansur.^[18]

After the fall of the Saadi Dynasty (1649), Fez was a major trading post of the Barbary Coast of North Africa. Until the 19th century it was the only source of Fez hats (also known as the tarboosh). Then manufacturing began in France and Turkey as well. Originally, the dye for the hats came from a berry that was grown outside the city, known as the Turkish "kızılcık" or Greek "akenia" (Cornus mascula). Fez was also the end of a north-south gold trading route from Timbuktu. Fez was also a prime manufacturing location for leather goods such as the Adarga.

The city became independent in 1790, under the leadership of Yazid (1790–1792) and later, of Abu´r-Rabi Sulayman. In 1795 control of the city returned to Morocco. Fez took part in a rebellion in 1819-1821, led by Ibrahim ibn Yazid, as well as in the 1832 rebellion led by Muhammad ibn Tayyib.

Fez was again the capital of Morocco until 1912, when most of Morocco came under French control and Rabat was chosen as the capital of the new colony. Rabat remained the capital even when Morocco achieved independence in 1956. While many of the original inhabitants of Fez have since emigrated, and the Jewish quarter has been emptied of its Jewish population. This has led to a stagnation of the city's economy.

Despite the traditional character of most of the city, there is also a modern section, the Ville Nouvelle, or "New City". Today that is a bustling commercial center. The popularity of the city has increased since the King of Morocco took a computer engineer from Fes, Salma Bennani, as his wife.

Climate[link]

Fez has a Mediterranean climate. Located by the Atlas Mountains, Fez has a seasonal climate, shifting from cool and sometimes rain in the winter to dry and hot days in the summer months between July and September. The nights are always cool (or colder in winter). The winter highs typically reach only 16 °C (61 °F) in December–January (see weather-table below).

Subdivisions[link]

The prefecture is divided administratively into the following:^[19]

Main sights[link]

The Bou Inania Madrasa built by the Marinid sultan Abu Inan Faris in 1351.

Fez is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination and many non-Moroccans are now restoring traditional houses (riads and dars) as second homes in the Fez medina. The most important monuments in the city are:

• Bou Inania Madrasa
• Al-Attarine Madrasa
• University of Al-Karaouine
• Zaouia Moulay Idriss II
• Dar al-Magana
• Aben Danan Synagogue

Transport[link]

The city is served by Saïss Airport. It also has an ONCF train station with lines east to Oujda and west to Tanger and Casablanca.^[20]

Notable residents[link]

• Muhammad XII of Granada, last Moorish king of Al-Andalus.
• Jamal Fakir, French international rugby league player.
• Madame Guinaudeau, French cookery and travel writer.^[21]

International relations[link]

Twin towns — Sister cities[link]

Fez is twinned with:

• Montpellier, France, since 1961
• Strasbourg, France, since 1961
• Florence, Italy, since 1961
• Kairouan, Tunisia, since 1965
• Saint Louis, Senegal, since 1979
• Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain, since 1982
• İzmir, Turkey, since 1995^[22]
• Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, since 2003
• Suwon, South Korea, since 2003
• Coimbra, Portugal^[23]
• Lahore, Pakistan
• Puebla, Mexico

Partnerships[link]

• Kraków in Poland (since 1985)^[24]

Notes[link]

See also[link]

• Treaty of Fez
• Book by Roger Le Tourneau (English translation by Besse Clement), Fez in the Age of the Marinides, Oklahoma University, editions 1961 and 1974 (latter ISBN 0-8061-1198-4).
• Article by Julian Vigo. "The Renovation of Fes’ medina qdima and the (re)Creation of the Traditional", Writing the City, Transforming the City, New Delhi: Katha, edition 2006.
• The Open International Project Competition for Lalla Yeddouna, A Neighborhood in the Medina of Fez, announced in September 2010 in collaboration with the Union International des Architectes (UIA) and the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC), to renew the area and upgrade the living and working standards of the artisans in the medina. The approach of the project is probably one of the most ambitious for an Arab medina and therefor of exemplary character (www.projectcompetition-fez.com). The Open International Project was won by the London based architecture practice Mossessian & Partners.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fes

• Official government website of the city
• Fes travel guide from Wikitravel
• Fez Portal at Ville Fes
• Complexe culturel de Fes, Cultural Complex of Fes
• The portal of Fez at Fes-City
• The Fez Festival: Sacred Music From Around The World – audio report by NPR

v t e Fes-Boulman region Capital: Fes Provinces Boulman province · Fes province · Moulay Yacoub Province  · Sefrou Province Cities Ain Cheggag  · Bhalil  · Boulman  · El Menzel  · Fes  · Guigou  · Imouzzer Kandar  · Imouzzer Marmoucha  · Missour  · Moulay Yacoub  · Oulad Tayeb  · Outat El Haj  · Ribat El Kheir  · Sefrou  · Skhinate  · Zaouiat Bougrin

v t e Prefectures and provinces of Morocco Prefectures Agadir-Ida Ou Tanane · Casablanca · Fahs-Anjra · Fès-Dar-Dbibegh · Inezgane-Aït Melloul · Marrakech · Meknès-El Menzeh · Mohammedia · Oujda-Angad · Rabat · Safi  · Salé · Skhirat-Témara · Tangier-Assilah Provinces Al Haouz · Al Hoceïma · Aousserd · Assa-Zag · Azilal · Ben Slimane · Béni-Mellal · Berkane · Boujdour · Boulemane · Chefchaouen · Chichaoua · Chtouka Aït Baha · El Hajeb · El Jadida · El Kelaa des Sraghna · Errachidia · Es Semara · Essaouira · Figuig · Guelmim · Ifrane · Jerada · Kénitra · Khémisset · Khénifra · Khouribg · Laâyoune · Larache · Médiouna · Moulay Yacoub · Nador · Nouaceur · Ouarzazate · Oued Eddahab · Safi · Sefrou · Settat · Sidi Kacem · Tan-Tan · Taounate · Taourirt · Taroudant · Tata · Taza · Tétouan · Tiznit · Zagora

v t e World Heritage Sites in Morocco Northern Medina of Fes el Bali  · Medina of Tétouan (formerly known as Titawin) Archaeological Site of Volubilis · Historic City of Meknes · Central Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador) · Medina of Marrakech · Portuguese City of Mazagan (El Jadida) Southern Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2010)

Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Background information
Birth name	Ronald Theodore Kirk
Born	(1935-08-07)August 7, 1935 Columbus, Ohio, United States
Died	December 5, 1977(1977-12-05) (aged 42)
Genres	Jazz Hard-bop[1] Soul jazz[1] Post-bop[1] Avant-garde jazz[1] Mainstream jazz[1]
Occupations	Musician, composer, arranger, bandleader
Instruments	Tenor saxophone, clarinet, stritch, manzello, flute
Years active	1955–1977
Labels	King, Chess, Prestige, Mercury, Limelight, Verve, Atlantic, Warner Bros
Website	http://www.alfanet.hu/kirk/index2.html

Rahsaan Roland Kirk (August 7, 1935^[2] – December 5, 1977) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and many other instruments. He was renowned for his onstage vitality, during which virtuoso improvisation was accompanied by comic banter, political ranting, and the ability to play several instruments simultaneously.

Biography[link]

Kirk was born Ronald Theodore Kirk^[2] in Columbus, Ohio, but felt compelled by a dream to transpose two letters in his first name to make Roland. He became blind at an early age as a result of poor medical treatment. In 1970, Kirk added "Rahsaan" to his name after hearing it in a dream.

Preferring to lead his own bands, Kirk rarely performed as a sideman, although he did record with arranger Quincy Jones and drummer Roy Haynes and had notable stints with bassist Charles Mingus. One of his best-known recorded performances is the lead flute and solo on Jones' "Soul Bossa Nova", a 1964 hit song repopularized in the Austin Powers films (Jones 1964; McLeod et al. 1997).

His playing was generally rooted in soul jazz or hard bop, but Kirk's knowledge of jazz history allowed him to draw on many elements of the music's past, from ragtime to swing and free jazz. Kirk also absorbed classical influences, and his artistry reflected elements of pop music by composers such as Smokey Robinson and Burt Bacharach, as well as Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and other jazz musicians. The live album Bright Moments (1973) is an example of one of his shows. His main instrument was the tenor saxophone, supplemented by other saxes, and contrasted with the lighter sound of the flute. At times he would play a number of these horns at once, harmonizing with himself, or sustain a note for lengthy durations by using circular breathing, or play the rare, seldom heard nose flute. A number of his instruments were exotic or homemade, but even while playing two or three saxophones at once, the music was intricate, powerful jazz with a strong feel for the blues.

Kirk was politically outspoken. During his concerts, between songs he often talked about topical issues, including black history and the civil rights movement. His monologues were often laced with satire and absurdist humor.

In 1975, Kirk suffered a major stroke which led to partial paralysis of one side of his body. However, he continued to perform and record, modifying his instruments to enable him to play with one arm. At a live performance at Ronnie Scott's club in London he even managed to play two instruments, and carried on to tour internationally and even appear on television.

He died from a second stroke in 1977 after performing in the Frangipani Room of the Indiana University Student Union in Bloomington, Indiana.

Instruments and technique[link]

Kirk played and collected a number of musical instruments, mainly various saxophones, clarinets and flutes. His main instruments were tenor saxophone and two obscure saxophones: the stritch (a straight alto sax lacking the instrument's characteristic upturned bell) and a manzello (a modified saxello soprano sax, with a larger, upturned bell). Kirk modified these instruments himself to accommodate his simultaneous playing technique.

He typically appeared on stage with all three horns hanging around his neck, as well as a variety of other instruments, including flutes and whistles, and often kept a gong within reach. Kirk also played clarinet, harmonica, English horn, and recorders, and was a competent trumpeter. He often had unique approaches, using a saxophone mouthpiece on a trumpet or playing nose flute. He additionally used many non-musical devices, such as alarm clocks, sirens, or a section of common garden hose (dubbed "the black mystery pipes"). His studio recordings also used tape-manipulated musique concrète, and primitive electronic sounds (before such things became commonplace).

Listen to this audio clip · (info)

Rahsaan simultaneously playing flute and singing, punctuated with a siren whistle. (audio help)

Listen to this audio clip · (info)

Rahsaan playing black mystery pipes. (audio help)

Listen to this audio clip · (info)

Rahsaan simultaneously playing multiple saxophones. (audio help)

Kirk was also an influential flautist, employing several techniques that he developed himself. One technique was to sing or hum into the flute at the same time as playing. Another was to play the standard transverse flute at the same time as a nose flute.

Some observers thought that Kirk's bizarre onstage appearance and simultaneous multi-instrumentalism were just gimmicks, especially when coming from a blind man, but these opinions usually vanished when Kirk began to play. He used the multiple horns to play true chords, essentially functioning as a one-man saxophone section. Kirk insisted that he was only trying to emulate the sounds he heard in his head.

Kirk was a major exponent of circular breathing. Using this technique, Kirk was not only able to sustain a single note for an extended period; he could also play sixteenth-note runs of almost unlimited length, and at high speeds. His circular breathing ability enabled him to record "Concerto For Saxophone" on the Prepare Thyself to Deal With a Miracle LP in one continuous take of about 20 minutes' playing with no discernible "break" for inhaling. His long-time producer at Atlantic Jazz, Joel Dorn, believed he should have received credit in The Guinness Book of World Records for such feats (he was capable of playing continuously "without taking a breath" for far longer than exhibited on that LP), but this never happened.

The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color was a unique album in jazz and popular music recorded annals. It was a two-LP set, with Side 4 apparently "blank," the label not indicating any content. However, once word of "the secret message" got around among Rahsaan's fans, one would find that about 12 minutes into Side 4 appeared the first of two telephone answering machine messages recorded by Kirk, the second following soon thereafter (but separated by more blank grooves). The surprise impact of these segments appearing on "blank" Side 4 was lost on the CD reissue of this album. These spoken-word segments reflected the tenor of the times, so to speak, with the rather pessimistic theme that humanity had "blown" its chance to live in a world of peace and harmony. But this was entirely in keeping with the fact that, despite his loss at an early age of his sight, Rahsaan was very much on top of societal developments, racial and economic injustice and disparity. Indeed, he had participated many years previously in protests against the failure of TV show hosts like Merv Griffin to hire any non-white musicians.

He gleaned information on what was happening in the world via audio media like radio and the sounds coming from TV sets. His later recordings often incorporated his spoken commentaries on current events, including Richard Nixon's involvement in the Watergate scandal. The 3-Sided Dream album was a 'concept album', somewhat akin to the Beatles' 'psychedelic' phase in the incorporation of "found" or environmental sounds and tape loops, tapes being played backwards, etc. Snippets of Billie Holiday singing are also heard briefly. The album even confronts the rise of influence of computers in society, as Rahsaan threatens to pull the plug on the machine trying to tell him what to do.

Legacy and influence[link]

• Virtuoso guitarist Jimi Hendrix "idolized" Kirk, and even hoped to one day collaborate with him.^[3]
• Trombonist Steve Turre was strongly influenced by Kirk's music (and by his use of a conch shell as a second instrument).^{[citation needed]}
• Kirk's technique of humming while playing the flute was adopted later by many other players, including Dave Valentín, Jeremy Steig, Thijs van Leer and Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull (who covered the Kirk tune "Serenade to a Cuckoo" on Jethro Tull's first album This Was in 1968).
• David Jackson, of Van der Graaf Generator, was also highly influenced by the style and technique of Kirk, and he plays multiple saxophones simultaneously since at least 1969.^[4]
• Eric Burdon and War's debut 1970 release Eric Burdon Declares War has a track on it entitled "Roll On Kirk", which is a tribute to Kirk.
• British reed player Dick Heckstall-Smith also emulated Kirk in playing multiple saxophones simultaneously.
• Courtney Pine, a saxophonist from the UK, also uses circular breathing and plays two saxophones at once in live performance.^{[citation needed]}
• Jeff Coffin, solo artist and member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (from 1988 on), plays multiple saxophones simultaneously.
• Thurston Moore wore a Rahsaan Roland Kirk t-shirt for a promo shoot for Sonic Youth's album Goo (1990).^[5]
• Hope Clayburn, one-time lead singer and multi-instrumentalist for funky band Deep Banana Blackout, was frequently known to hum and play flute and to sing while playing multiple saxophones at the same time, teasing common themes and soul standards.^{[citation needed]}
• Jonny Greenwood, the guitarist and multi-instrumentalist of Radiohead, acknowledged his respect and love for Kirk's music on the band's blog.^{[citation needed]}
• Drummer Ramon Lopez paid tribute to Rahsaan Roland Kirk in his 2002 album Duets 2 Rahsaan Roland Kirk, inviting nine differents artists (Joëlle Léandre, Thierry Madiot, Harry Beckett, Majid Bekkas, Beñat Achiary...) for nine duets on nine compositions of Kirk's.
• Guitarist Michael Angelo Batio mentioned in an interview with Ultimate Guitar Archive that Kirk's playing of two saxophones at once inspired him to create his "double guitar".^[6]
• T.J. Kirk was a San Francisco-based band named after the three artists it tributed: Thelonious Monk, James Brown, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Formed by eight-string guitarist Charlie Hunter as a side group to his own self-titled and San Francisco-based band, other members include Scott Amendola, Will Bernard and John Schott.^[7]
• Paul Weller cited the Kirk album I Talk with the Spirits (1964) as one of his 'Most Influential Albums' in an interview with The Times.^[8]
• Rahsaan Roland Kirk is the namesake of jazz artists Roland and Rahsaan Barber, brothers who play trombone and saxophone respectively.

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

King Records

• 1956 - Triple Threat

Argo/Cadet/Chess Records

• 1960 - Introducing Roland Kirk

Prestige Records

• 1961 - Kirk's Work - with Jack McDuff on organ

Mercury Records

• 1961 - We Free Kings - with Richard Wyands on piano
• 1962 - Domino
• 1963 - Reeds & Deeds
• 1964 - The Roland Kirk Quartet Meets the Benny Golson Orchestra
• 1964 - Kirk in Copenhagen
• 1964 - Gifts & Messages

Limelight Records

• 1964 - I Talk with the Spirits - album of Kirk playing the flute
• 1965 - Slightly Latin
• 1965 - Rip, Rig and Panic - fast bop with Jaki Byard on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and drummer Elvin Jones

Verve Records

• 1967 - Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith

Atlantic Records

• 1965 - Here Comes the Whistleman (Live) - including all Kirk's banter between tracks
• 1967 - The Inflated Tear
• 1968 - Left & Right
• 1969 - Volunteered Slavery - a meltdown of pop tunes, hard bop, African chanting
• 1970 - Rahsaan Rahsaan
• 1971 - Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata - mostly Kirk alone, on many instruments
• 1971 - Blacknuss
• 1972 - A Meeting of the Times w ex-Duke Ellington singer Al Hibbler
• 1973 - Prepare Thyself to Deal With a Miracle
• 1973 - Bright Moments - live at Keystone Korner, San Francisco
• 1975 - The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color
• 1976 - Other Folks' Music

Warner Bros. Records

• 1976 - The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man
• 1977 - Kirkatron
• 1977 - Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real

Posthumous releases of new material

• I, Eye, Aye: Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival, 1972 (Rhino)
• The Man Who Cried Fire (Night)
• Dog Years in the Fourth Ring (32 Jazz)
• Compliments of the Mysterious Phantom (Hyena)
• Brotherman in the Fatherland - Recorded "Live" in Germany 1972 (Hyena)

Compilations

• Rahsaan: The Complete Mercury Recordings Of Roland Kirk
• Does Your House Have Lions: The Rahsaan Roland Kirk Anthology
• Simmer, Reduce, Garnish & Serve - compilation from his last three albums
• Talkin' Verve: Roots of Acid Jazz
• The Art of Rahsaan Roland Kirk
• Third Dimension and Beyond combines Triple Threat and Introducing Roland Kirk
• Left Hook, Right Cross combines Volunteered Slavery and Blacknuss
• Aces Back to Back combines Left & Right, Rahsaan Rahsaan, Prepare Thyself to Deal With a Miracle, and Other Folks' Music
• A Standing Eight combines The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man, Kirkatron and Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real
• Only The Best Of Rahsaan Roland Kirk Volume 1 combines Blacknuss, The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color, The Inflated Tear/Natural Black Inventions: Roots Strata, Kirkatron, Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real, and Other Folks' Music (7CD)

As sideman[link]

With Charles Mingus

• Oh Yeah (1962)
• Tonight at Noon (1965)
• Mingus at Carnegie Hall (1974)

With Roy Haynes

• Out of the Afternoon (1962)

With Tubby Hayes

• Tubby's Back in Town (1962)

With Quincy Jones

• Big Band Bossa Nova (1962)
• Explores Music of Henry Mancini (1964)
• Walking in Space (1969)

With Tommy Peltier

• The Jazz Corps Under the Direction of Tommy Peltier

With Jaki Byard

• The Jaki Byard Experience (1968)

With Les McCann

• Les McCann Live at Montreux (1972)

Bibliography[link]

• Jones, Quincy (Composer). (1964). Big band bossa nova [Phonograph]. Mercury. (Reissued on compact disc by Verve in 1998, 2005)
• Kruth, John: Bright Moments. The Life and Legacy of Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Welcome Rain Publishers, New York 2000 ISBN 1-56649-105-3
• McLeod, Eric (Producer), & Roach, Jay (Director). (1997). Austin Powers: International man of mystery [DVD]. New Line Home Video

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roland Kirk

• the Rahsaan Roland Kirk website
• Stopping the white wash - Rahsaan Roland Kirk on TV
• Roland Kirk Discography (Jazz Discography Project)
• Sound?? film of Kirk with John Cage at UbuWeb
• Video: Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1975)
• Video: Rahsaan Roland Kirk and The Vibration Society (1972)

Michael Fassbender
Fassbender in March 2012.
Born	(1977-04-02) 2 April 1977 (age 35) Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Nationality	Irish, German
Alma mater	Drama Centre London
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1994–present

Michael Fassbender (born 2 April 1977) is an Irish-German actor. He is perhaps best known for having played Lieutenant Archie Hicox in the war film Inglourious Basterds (2009), Magneto in the superhero film X-Men: First Class (2011), and the android David in the science fiction film Prometheus.

His other credits include the fantasy action film 300 (2007); the drama film Fish Tank (2009); the romantic drama film Jane Eyre (2011); the historical film A Dangerous Method (2011), directed by David Cronenberg, in which he plays psychologist Carl Jung; as well as the biographical film Hunger (2008) and the drama film Shame (2011), both directed by Steve McQueen. For his role in Shame, he won the Volpi Cup best-actor award at the 68th Venice International Film Festival held in August 2011 along with being nominated for a Golden Globe Award and BAFTA.

Early life and education[link]

Fassbender was born in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany (now Germany). His mother is from Larne, County Antrim in Northern Ireland, and his father, Josef Fassbender, is German.^[1][2] According to Fassbender's "family lore", his mother is the great-great-niece of Michael Collins, an Irish leader during the War of Independence.^[1][3] When he was two years old, his parents moved to Killarney, County Kerry, in the Republic of Ireland, where they ran the West End House, a restaurant where his father worked as a chef.^[1][2] Fassbender was brought up as a Roman Catholic and served as an altar boy.^[4]

He attended St. Brendan's, Killarney (The Sem) and the Drama Centre London.^[5]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

Fassbender first played the part of Burton "Pat" Christenson in Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's award-winning television miniseries Band of Brothers. He played the character of Azazeal in both series of Hex on Sky One and he also starred as the main character in the music video for the song "Blind Pilots", by the British band The Cooper Temple Clause. In the video, he plays the part of a man on a stag night with his friends, only to slowly transform into a goat due to wearing a cowbell necklace.

Fassbender played the part of Jonathan Harker in a ten-part radio serialization of Dracula produced by BBC Northern Ireland and broadcast in the Book at Bedtime series between 24 November and 5 December 2003. He was also seen in early 2004 in a Guinness television commercial, The Quarrel, playing a man who swims across the ocean from Ireland to apologize personally to his brother in New York.

During the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Fassbender played Michael Collins in Allegiance, a play by Mary Kenny based on the meeting between Winston Churchill and Collins, of whom Fassbender's mother is a great-niece.^[6] In addition, he produced, directed and starred in the stage version of Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, along with his production company.

He appeared in Angel (UK title: The Real Life of Angel Deverell), about the rise and fall of an eccentric young British writer (played by Romola Garai) in the early 20th century. Fassbender plays her love interest and average painter Esmé. The drama – the first English-language effort by French director François Ozon and based on the novel by Elizabeth Taylor – premiered on 17 February 2007 at the Berlin International Film Festival and on 14 March 2007 in Paris. He then made a brief appearance in Wedding Belles as Barney, speaking with a Scottish accent.

Mainstream success[link]

Michael Fassbender at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival

In 2006, Fassbender played the role of Stelios, a young Spartan warrior, in 300, a fantasy action film directed by Zack Snyder. The film was a commercial success.^[7]

In preparation for his role as Provisional Irish Republican Army prisoner Bobby Sands in Steve McQueen's 2008 film Hunger, Fassbender underwent a crash diet that restricted him to 600 calories a day. He received the British Independent Film Award for his performance.^[8]

One year after his success at the Cannes Film Festival with Hunger, he appeared in two films. The first was Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, in which he played the British officer Lieutenant Archie Hicox. The other film was Fish Tank directed by Andrea Arnold. Both films were critically acclaimed and Fassbender's work in them also well received.

In 2010, Fassbender appeared as Burke in Jonah Hex, a Western film.^[9] In an interview at San Diego Comic-Con International, a comic book convention, Fassbender commented of the role: "I kind of developed this character and really pushed it – I’ll see how far I pushed it ... I had this idea about the character, he’s kind of psychotic, he gets his kicks in perverted ways. I didn’t want to make it very obvious or like something you’ve seen before".^[10] Hex received predominately negative reviews.^[11] Responding to criticism of Jonah Hex in 2011, Fassbender commented: "Pretty awful, was it? I haven't seen it myself."^[12]

He also portrayed Quintus Dias in Neil Marshall's war-thriller-drama film Centurion.^[13] and was cast as 'Richard Wirth' in the Joel Schumacher film Blood Creek alongside Dominic Purcell. The story centers on a West Virginia man who comes to terms with his moral qualms and helps his brother wipe out a family that had been protecting a Nazi occultist and who had kept his brother captive for him to feed off for years.

Fassbender played Edward Rochester in the 2011 film Jane Eyre, featuring Mia Wasikowska in the title role, with Cary Fukunaga directing.^[14]

Fassbender (right), Josh Brolin and Megan Fox promoting the 2010 film Jonah Hex at Comic-Con in 2009.

Fassbender portrayed Magneto in the superhero blockbuster X-Men: First Class, the prequel to X-Men. Set in 1962, it focuses on the friendship between Charles Xavier (played by James McAvoy) and Magneto and the origin of their groups, the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants. The film was released on 3 June 2011 to general acclaim and financial success and promoted Fassbender to being more of a popular movie star.

In 2011, Fassbender starred in A Dangerous Method by director David Cronenberg, playing Swiss psychiatrist and psychologist Carl Jung. The film premiered at the 2011 Venice Film Festival.^[15] He also starred in Shame, as a man in his thirties struggling with his sex addiction. Shame reunited him with director Steve McQueen and premiered at the 2011 Venice Film Festival, where Fassbender won a Volpi Cup best actor award for his portrayal of Brandon.^[16] Fassbender was a serious contender for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, but he was not nominated, and according to various sources his full-frontal nudity and depiction of sexual encounters inspired voters "to fantasize, and not actually vote."^[17][18] Fassbender achieved critical acclaim for his performance in Shame and received nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

In 2012, he appeared in Haywire, an action-thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh.^[19]

Future projects[link]

Due to a schedule conflict, Fassbender had to pull out of negotiations to work with Oscar-winning director, Danny Boyle, in his new film, Trance.^[20]

Fassbender signed to star in actor Brendan Gleeson's directorial debut of At Swim-Two-Birds,^[21] a film adaptation of Irish author Flann O'Brien's novel. He will also team up for a third time with McQueen to co-star in a yet-to-be-determined role, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, portraying Solomon Northup, in Twelve Years A Slave, filming to commence in late summer of 2012.

Together with a screenwriter Ronan Bennett, Fassbender formed a production company Finn McCool Films. Fassbender and Bennett are currently developing a film about the Irish mythological hero Cú Chulainn.^[22]

In February, Fassbender signed on to play a title role as a lawyer in The Counselor, a film directed by Ridley Scott and based on the Cormac McCarthy script, filming is to start in mid-June.^[23]

He is also going to play Thomas Wolfe in a movie Genius about a famous literary editor Max Perkins, to be played by Colin Firth.^[24]

In 2013, Fassbender is set to take on the role of Harry Flashman in a film adaptation of the books by George MacDonald Fraser.

Personal life[link]

Shifting between British films and American films, Fassbender resides in London, England where he has lived for the last 15 years, while making career-related visits to Los Angeles, California.

He speaks conversational German, though he has stated that he needed to brush up a bit on his spoken German before filming Inglourious Basterds, as it was a bit rusty.^[25][26] He has also expressed interest in performing in a German-language film or theater production one day.^[27]

Fassbender is currently dating his Shame costar Nicole Beharie. ^[28]

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Fassbender was at the Top Gear studios in Surrey, England, on 8 February 2012 to film Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, where celebs try to set a fastest lap time of the Top Gear test track in a low-spec family hatchback. The lap and his interview with Jeremy Clarkson was aired on BBC2 on 19 February 2012.

See also[link]

• List of awards and nominations received by Michael Fassbender

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Michael Fassbender

• Michael Fassbender at the Internet Movie Database

Benny Greb
Background information
Born	(1980-06-13) June 13, 1980 (age 32)
Origin	Augsburg, Germany
Genres	New Wave/rock , Jazz
Occupations	Musician, Music Teacher
Instruments	Drums, Percussion,
Years active	2002 – present
Website	http://www.bennygreb.de/

Benny Greb (born on June 13, 1980 in Augsburg, Germany) is a prolific German drummer and clinician. He started playing the drums at age six and began taking lessons at age twelve. He plays a large variety of music and can be seen playing rock with Stoppok and The Ron Spielman Trio, jazz with The Benny Greb Brass Band and Sabri Tulug Tirpan, funk with Jerobeam, reggae with Bobby McFerrin, fusion with the NDR Big Band on their Frank Zappa Project, with 3erGezimmeR and Wayne Krantz, and acoustic punk with Strom & Wasser. He has also performed at the Modern Drummer Festival 2010 and at many clinics and drum festivals around the world. Greb is endorsed by Meinl Percussion and has a signature line of Vintage Series cymbals including the "Sand Ride" and "Sand Hats," both known for their sandblasted finishes.

Greb appeared on the scene in 2009 with his Hudson Music DVD "The Language of Drumming".

External links[link]

• Official website
• Drummerworld Profile

Notes[link]