Episode Details

In this episode we sit down with Bill Shoemaker to talk about one of the most powerful jazz albums ever recorded- Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s The Inflated Tear.

Released in 1968, this record isn't just music—it's an outpouring of pain, joy, and resilience. Kirk, a blind multi-instrumentalist known for playing three saxophones at once, was a force of nature. But on The Inflated Tear, he stripped away the spectacle and gave us something deeply personal. The title itself references a traumatic experience in his childhood—and you feel every ounce of that memory in his playing.

So grab your headphones, close your eyes, and let’s journey through a record that wails, whispers, and shouts with everything jazz can be."

Listen to the full album

1. The Black and Crazy Blues

2. A Laugh For Rory

3. Many Blessings

4. Fingers In The Wind

5. The Inflated Tear - Live Version

6. The Creole Love Call

7. A Handful of Fives

8. Fly By Night

9. Lovellevelliloqui

10. I'm Glad There Is You