Pharoah Sanders

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Pharoah Sanders
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Background information
Birth name Farrell Sanders
Born October 13, 1940 (1940-10-13) (age 69)
Origin Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Genres Free jazz
Avant-garde jazz
World fusion
Post-bop
Hard bop
Occupations Saxophonist, Band leader
Instruments Tenor saxophone, Flute, Piccolo, Tambourine
Pharoah Sanders (born October 13, 1940) is an Grammy Award winner American Jazz Saxophonist. Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world."[1] Emerging from John Coltrane's groups of the mid-60s Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "Sheets of sound." Albert Ayler famously said "Trane was the Father, Pharoah was the Son, I am the Holy Ghost."[2]

Contents

Biography

Early life and career

Born Ferrell Sanders in Little Rock, Arkansas, he began his professional career playing tenor Saxophone in Oakland, California.

He moved to New York City in 1961 after playing with Rhythm and blues bands. He received his Nickname "Pharoah" from Sun Ra, with whom he was performing. He came to prominence playing with John Coltrane's band, starting in 1965, as Coltrane began adopting the Avant-garde jazz of Albert Ayler, Ra and Cecil Taylor. Sanders first performed on Coltrane's Ascension (recorded in June 1965), then famously on their dual-tenor recording Meditations (recorded in November 1965). After this Sanders joined Coltrane's final quintet, usually performing very lengthy, Dissonant solos. Coltrane's later style was strongly influenced by Sanders. Amiri Baraka lays claim naming him Pharoah in an early sixties Downbeat review upon hearing him introduce himself as Farrell Sanders and thinking he said "Pharaoh Sanders."

After Coltrane

Although Sanders' voice developed differently from Coltrane, Sanders was strongly influenced by their collaboration together. Spiritual elements such as the chanting in Om would later show up in many of Sanders' own works. Sanders would also go on to produce much Free jazz, modified from Coltrane's solo-centric conception. In 1968 he participated in Michael Mantler and Carla Bley's Jazz Composer's Orchestra Association album The Jazz Composer's Orchestra, featuring Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, Larry Coryell and Gato Barbieri. This solo, featured on the fourth track entitled 'Preview', has been referenced by John Zorn and others, as the most intense and inspiring free tenor solo ever put to tape.[citation needed]

In the 1970s, Sanders pursued his own recordings and continued to work with the likes of Alice Coltrane on her Journey In Satchidananda album. Most of Sanders' best-selling work was made in the late 60's and early 70s for Impulse Records, including the 30-minute wave-on-wave of free jazz "The Creator has a Master Plan" from the album Karma. This featured Sanders' key musical partner, pianist Lonnie Liston Smith, who worked with Sanders from 1969-1971. Other members of his groups in this period include bassist Cecil McBee and vocalist Leon Thomas, on albums such as Jewels of Thought, Izipho Zam, Deaf Dumb Blind and Thembi.

The 1970s and beyond

Then, although supported by African-American Radio, Sanders' brand of revelatory and sometimes political free jazz became less popular and from the experiments with African rhythms on the 1971 album Black Unity (with bassist Stanley Clarke) onwards he began to diversify his sound. In the late seventies and eighties, Sanders sometimes explored different musical modes including smokey R'n'B (on Love Will Find a Way), Modal jazz and Hard bop. Popular work of the 1980s include the Live in San Francisco DVD from 1981, a rare film of him performing, and the 1981 album Rejoice.

In 1994 he traveled to Morocco to record with master Gnawa musician Mahmoud Guinia, resulting in the Bill Laswell-produced The Trance Of Seven Colors. Sanders continued to work with Laswell, Jah Wobble and others on the albums Message From Home (1996) and Save Our Children (1998). In 1999, he complained in an interview that despite his pedigree, that he had trouble finding work.[3]

In the 2000s, a resurgence of interest in Free jazz has kept Sanders playing festivals (including the 2007 Melbourne Jazz Festival), concerts, and releasing albums. He has a strong following in Japan, and in 2003 recorded with the band Sleep Walker.

Discography

As leader

With William Henderson
With William Henderson
Title Year Label
Pharoah's First1964ESP-Disk
Tauhid1966Impulse! Records
Izipho Zam1969Strata-East Records
Karma1969Impulse!
Jewels of Thought1969Impulse!
Deaf Dumb Blind (Summun Bukmun Umyun)1970Impulse!
Thembi1971Impulse!
Village of the Pharoahs1971Impulse!
Black Unity1971Impulse!
Live at the East1971Impulse!
Wisdom Through Music1972Impulse!
Elevation1973Impulse!
Love in Us All1973ASD
Voyage to Uranus1974Capitol
Pharoah1977India Navigation
Love Will Find a Way1977Arista
Beyond a Dream1978Arista
Journey to the One1980Theresa (Evidence)
Live1981Theresa (Evidence)
Rejoice1981Theresa (Evidence)
Heart is a Melody1982Theresa (Evidence)
Shukuru1985Theresa (Evidence)
Oh Lord, Let Me Do No Wrong1989Columbia
A Prayer Before Dawn1987Theresa (Evidence)
Africa1987Timeless
Moonchild1989Timeless
Welcome to Love1990Timeless
Crescent with Love1992Evidence
The Trance Of Seven Colors (with Mahmoud Guinia)1994 Axiom
Naima1995Evidence
Message from Home1996Verve
Save our Children1999Verve
Spirits2000Meta
With a Heartbeat2003Evolver
The Creator Has a Master Plan2003Venus

As sideman

With John Coltrane With Alice Coltrane With McCoy Tyner With Don Cherry With others

References

  1. ^ Tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders burst through the gates in John Coltrane's group. At 65, he's going strong
  2. ^ Albert Ayler: Holy Ghost
  3. ^ Jazz - AllAboutJazz.com

External links

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