Wilbert Kirk

Wilbert Kirk is an especially interesting character, a lot more than one among the innovative early percussionists given birth to in New Orleans near to the start of 20th hundred years, although that alone could have been a lot. He was also a harmonica participant, allowing him the choice to either pack significantly less musical equipment than other people in addition to a lot more. Kirk’s functions were break up between these devices throughout his profession; during the past due ’40s he was the home drummer at NY City’s infamous Golf club Zanzibar, adults just, but in the first days of tv was also apt to be seen on variety displays leading a novelty harmonica combo. His romantic relationship with New Orleans is in fact somewhat fleeting, with regards to both the town as well as the jazz from there. Kirk was in fact elevated upriver in St. Louis, where his early professional history contains playing in theatre orchestras. He became a member of the Dewey Jackson music group in 1930 and was quickly associated with Destiny Marable along with the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra. In the first ’40s, Kirk spent period with well-known bandleaders whose documenting sessions would offer mounds of discographical particles, including Don Redman, Claude Hopkins, and Noble Sissle. Within the ’60s, Kirk drummed frequently with Wilbur DeParis, including a 1960 tour of photography equipment. Discographer Tom Lord pinpoints Kirk’s last documenting activity as occurring in 1973. A Jazz Classics video entitled Harlem Harmonies, Vol. 1 features video footage of Kirk executing with Sissle.