Recordings As A Leader
PHAROAH' S FIRST ESP 1964. No producer listed. CD. Track list Seven By Seven Bethera Musicians Pharoah Sanders, sax Stan Foster, trumpet Jane Getz, piano William Bennett, bass Marvin Pattillo, drums/percussion Capsule Info: Once upon a time he was just another jazz guy pushing the straight-ahead envelope. SUN RA FEATURING PHAROAH SANDERS AND BLACK HAROLD Saturn 1964. No producer listed. No CD. Track list Gods On A Safari The World Shadow The Voice Of Pan Dawn Over Israel Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax Sun Ra, keyboards Al Evans, trumpet Marshall Allen, alto sax Danny Davis, alto sax, flute Robert Cummings, bass clarinet Pat Patrick, baritone sax Black Harold, flute Alan Silva, bass, cello Clifford Jarvis, drums Art Jenkins, space voice others Capsule Info: Here's an album lost to the ages: thanks to Larry Nai for letting me listen to his. I used to think Pharoah and Sun Ra lived in parallel universes (from each other, not the rest of us!) but it turns out that when Pharoah was struggling to break into the ranks of recognized jazz artists he was living on NYC's lower east side and gigging with Sun Ra. Sun Ra in turn egged him on in the use of "Pharoah" instead of "Farrell" as a moniker. While I think both Sun Ra and Pharoah made albums more to my taste than this one, it is fascinating in its suggestion of where some great music was born. TAUHID Impulse! Records 1967/MCA 1993. Produced by Bob Thiele. CD. Track list Upper Egypt & Lower Egypt Japan Aum Venus Capricorn Rising Musicians Pharoah Sanders, sax, piccolo, voice Dave Burrell, piano Henry Grimes, bass Sonny Sharrock, guitar Roger Blank, drums Nate Bettis, percussion Capsule Info: While still playing with the still-living Coltrane, Pharoah took some time off to predict his own future. (Recorded, by the way, on my 8th birthday). "Upper & Lower Egypt" meanders into a great funky guitar line courtesy of Sharrock. Has typically clueless liner notes by Nat Hentoff. The 1998ish Japanese CD reissue is vastly improved sound over the 1993 US one. SPOTLIGHT ON PHAROAH SANDERS with the Latin Jazz Quintet Upfront/Springboard International (mid to late 1960s?). Producer not listedNo CD (I have an 8-track cassette!). Track list Oh, Pharoah Speak Daria Harlem Midnight Montuno P's And Q's Musicians Virgil Jones, trumpet, fhorn Bill Ellington, double bass Jerry Patterson, el guitar Tommy Derrick, perc Juan Amalbert, perc Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax Harold Vick, tenor Kiawni Zawadi, trombone Ray Armando, perc Charles "Chuck" Rainey, el bass Cornell Dupree, el guitar Stanley Johnson, piano and many more Capsule info: Here's a real mystery. This alleged Pharoah album is a re-packeged (pre-packaged?) version of an equally mysterious album credited to Juan Amalbert's (later Emanuel Rahim of Kahlios fame) Latin Jazz Quintet with guest Pharoah Sanders The cover art (different on each version) looks to be about the same time as TAUHID, otherwise I'm clueless as to the vintage of this recording. Funky New York Afro-Cuban jazz recording with maddeningly incomplete and unspecific liner notes. The music is soulful boogaloo, wih occasional lapses into protosalsa and bigband souljazz. Hard to tell in a horn-heavy album, but Pharoah seems to have one solo vehicle, where he sounds really out of place in front of a way-way in horn section and funky rhythm section. There's a story here, I wish I knew it! See also OH, PHAROAH SPEAK! in the guest artist album listings. . KARMA Impulse! Records 1969/MCA 1995. AS-9181. Produced by Bob Thiele. CD. Track list The Creator Has A Masterplan Colors Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax Leon Thomas, vocal and percussion Lonnie Liston Smith, piano Richard Davis, bass Julius Watkins, french horn Billy Hart, drums Reggie Workman, bass Nate Bettis, percussion Ron Carter, bass Freddie Waits, drums Capsule Info: Pharoah's classic; and probably his only real hit: "The Creator Has A Masterplan". For more on this see the Leon Thomas pages. JEWELS OF THOUGHT Impulse! Records 1970. AS-9190. Produced by Ed Michel. CD Track list Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum Allah Sun In Aquarius Musicians Pharoah Sanders, sax, perc, flute Leon Thomas, percussion, vocals Lonnie Liston Smith, piano, flute, percussion Richard Davis, bass, percussion Cecil McBee, bass, percussion Idris Muhammad, drums & percussion Roy Haynes, drums Capsule Info: With Leon Thomas, Sanders revisits IZIPHO ZAM's "Prince Of Peace" in a quite differently arranged "Hum-Allah". "Sun In Aquarius" is wild and free, rewarding to the patient listener. It's also great to hear the latter cut on CD uninterrupted by flipping the record, as in the old days. DEAF DUMB BLIND SUMMUN BUKMUN UMYUN Impulse! Records 1970. AS-9199. Produced by Ed Michel. CD. Track list Summun, Bukmun, Umyun Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord Musicians Pharoah Sanders, sax, perc, flute Woody Shaw, trumpet Lonnie Liston Smith, piano, percussion Gary Bartz, alto sax, percussion Cecil McBee, bass Clifford Jarvis, drums Nathaniel Bettis, African percussion, voice Anthony Wiles, African percussion, congas Capsule Info: From Jameelah Ali's liner notes: "This album is predicated on spiritual truths and to the future enlightenment of El Kafirun or The Rejectors of Faith (non believers).... Deaf, dumb and blind as used here does not refer to the physical state, but, instead, to the spiritually handicapped... Deaf--To the pleas of fellow creatures to harken, Dumb--To spiritual enlightenment and Blind--To the essence of Beauty and Truth." THEMBI Impulse! Records 1971. Produced by Ed Michel & Bill Szymczyk. CD. Track list Astral Traveling Red, Black & Green Thembi Love Morning Prayer Bailophone Dance Musicians Pharoah Sanders, sax and percussion Lonnie Liston Smith, piano,percussion Cecil McBee, bass, perc Michael White, violin and perc James Jordan, cymbals Roy Haynes, drums James Chief Bey, African percussion Majid Shabazz, African percussion Anthony Wiles, African percussion Nat Bettis, African percussion Capsule Info: Quintessential early '70s Pharoah & Lonnie. Keorapetse Kgositsile's liner notes/poem summarizes: "He, traveler in soundspirit/is direction firm, strong, firmly/connected to root. Expression/past any word. Energies of sound/old as ear of any god known or not/now redistributed here to move us". Look for the late '90s digipak reissue not the 1987 jewel-case version. BLACK UNITY Impulse! Records 1971/MCA 1997. AS-9219. Produced by Lee Young. CD. Track list Black Unity Musicians Pharoah Sanders, sax and percussion Hannibal Marvin Peterson, trumpet Cecil McBee, bass Stanley Clarke, bass Norman Connors, drums Billy Hart, drums Joe Bonner, piano Lawrence Killian, congas, perc Capsule Info: Brilliantly reissued on an awesome-sounding CD, this is 37 minutes of percussive, African influenced propulsion. PHAROAH SANDERS LIVE AT THE EAST Impulse! Records 1972. AS-9227. Produced by Lee Young. No CD. Track list Healing Song Lumkili, Parts 1&2 Memories Of J.W. Coltrane Musicians Pharoah Sanders, saxophone Joseph Bonner, piano & harmonium Lonnie Liston Smith, piano, flute, percussion Stanley Clarke, bass Cecil McBee, bass Harold Vic(k), Tenor & voice Lawrence Killian, congas & bailophone William Hart, drums Marvin Peterson, trumpet Carlos Garnett, flute & voice Capsule Info: From Pharoah's liner notes: "The Creator, my Father, the Divine Principle which flows thru me is All, All the the Creator is I am...We are, We are We are... I will direct only Positive Vibrations toward all my Brothers, and Sisters... Stop, Stop stepping back. Step in and Be still and know God. The Creator is All Love and Harmony. There is no fear or doubt in the Creator. All we do is before the Creator. For We Are, the Creator is All one." VILLAGE OF THE PHAROAHS Impulse! Records 1973. AS-9254. Produced by Ed Michel. No CD. Track list Village Of The Pharoahs, parts 1,2,3 Myth Mansion Worlds Memories Of Lee Morgan Went Like It Came Musicians Pharoah Sanders, saxophone, perc, vocal Sedatrius Brown, vocal and percussion Joe Bonner, piano, flute, perc Calvin Hill, bass Cecil McBee, bass Stanley Clarke, bass Art Webb, flute Kenneth Nash, percussion Jimmy Hopps, drums Lawrence Killian, congas, perc Norman Connors, drums Marvin Peterson, percussion Kylo Kylo, tamboura, perc Capsule Info: Dynamic and varied album; with vocals. IZIPHO ZAM (MY GIFTS) Strata East 1973/Bellaphon 1993/Charly 1998. Produced by Clifford Jordan, Jr.. CD Europe. Track list Prince Of Peace Balance Izipho Zam Musicians Pharoah Sanders, sax, percussion Leon Thomas, vocal and percussion Lonnie Liston Smith, piano Cecil McBee, bass Sirone, bass Billy Hart, drums Howard Johnson, tuba Nate Bettis, percussion Sonny Fortune, sax Chief Bey, African drums Majid Shabazz, drums Tony Wylie, percussion Sonny Sharrock, guitar Capsule Info: Recorded in 1969 and released by groundbreaking black jazz label Strata East, reissued in Europe. WISDOM THROUGH MUSIC Impulse! Records 1973. AS- 9233. Produced by Lee Young. No CD. Track list High Life Love Is Everywhere Wisdom Through Music The Golden Lamp Seflessness Musicians Pharoah Sanders, sax, vocal, flute Joe Bonner, piano James Branch, flute Norman Connors, drums Lawrence Killian, congas, perc Mtume, percussion Badal Roy, percussion Capsule Info: For some reason critics hate this one but not me. It's cool. A little lighter than most of his Impulse albums. ELEVATION Impulse! Records 1974. AS-9261 Produced by Ed Michel. CD (Japan only). Track list Elevation Greeting To Saud (Brother McCoy Tyner) Ore-se-rere The Gathering Spiritual Blessing Musicians Pharoah Sanders, sax, vocal, percussion Joe Bonner, piano,percussion Calvin Hill, bass, tamboura Michael Carvin, drums Lawrence Killian, congas, perc Kenneth Nash, percussion John Blue, percussion Jimmy Hopps, percussion Sedatrius Brown, vocal Capsule Info: Recorded live in Los Angeles in 1973 this is probably my favorite Pharoah album. It's got Nigerian rhythms, chanting, two serene meditative pieces, and the title track which is a wonderful rhythm and screechfest. Great, if overpriced, CD reissue packaging and sound. LOVE IN US ALL Impulse! Records 1974. AS-9280. Produced by Lee Young. No CD. Track list Love Is Everywhere To John Musicians Pharoah Sanders, saxophones, perc, vocals performers not listed, however, deducing from sound & photos Joe Bonner, piano, vocal Lawrence Killian, congas ?, bass ?, drums Capsule Info: This turns out to be a great record. Side one is kinda familiar: one suspects it's spliced together from stuff you've heard before, the shouted raspy vocal included. But the Joe Bonner piano solo is terrific. Side two is, well, a compelling screechfest: a taste I've acquired of course. One does wonder why this album has no credits, and that 1970s graphic design is just too much. PHAROAH India Navigation 1977/1996. No producer listed. CD. Track list Harvest Time Love Will Find A Way Memories Of Edith Johnson Musicians Pharoah Sanders, saxophone, perc, vocal Steve Neil, bass Lawrence Killian, percussion Munoz, guitar Jiggs Chase, organ Greg Bandy, drums Bedria Sanders, harmonium Capsule Info: A wildly eclectic live recording that suggests Pharoah was grasping for paths to take. The almost raga-sounding "Harvest Time" leaps into an electric blues number. LOVE WILL FIND A WAY Arista Records 1978. Produced by Norman Connors. No CD*. Track list Love Will Find A Way Pharomba Love Is Here* Got To Give It Up As You Are* Answer Me My Love Everything I Have Is Good# Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor & soprano sax, vocals Norman Connors, drums, percussion, vocals Phyllis Hyman, vocals Bobby Lyle, keyboards Khalid Moss, keyboards Hubert Eaves, keyboards Kenneth Nash, percussion Lenny White, drums Raymond Pounds, drums Wah Wah Watson, elec guitar David T. Walker, elec guitar Alex Blake, bass Donny Beck, bass The Waters Family, vocals plus horns and strings Capsule Info: Pharoah's leap into the world of glossy jazz funk, the quiet storm, and sadly, obscurity, though I personally happen to LOVE this album. Norman Connors' production machine at full speed featuring beautiful vocals of the late Phyllis Hyman. (Two of the songs(*) were reissued on CD in Spring 1998 on the Phyllis Hyman collection ONE ON ONE, and a third(#) was reissued on CD in Spring 1999 on MELANCHOLY FIRE: The Best Of Norman Connors, by Razor&Tie.) MEDITATION Jazz file, no date. Unproduced; bootleg recording. CD. Track list The Creator Has A Masterplan Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax, vocal Norman Connors, drums, vocal Bobby Lyle, piano Duke Jones, trumpet Lawrence Killian, congas, percussion Billy McCoy, keyboards Capsule Info: Live set recorded at Montreux, July 22, 1978; fiery and abstract, and not really the tune it claims to be, but kind of a medley of Pharoah and Norman sounds. Plus I think that's "You've Got To Have Freedom" thrown in there. JOURNEY TO THE ONE Theresa Records, 1980 (and later Evidence). Produced by Pharoah Sanders and Allen Pittman. CD. Track list Greetings To Idris Doktor Pitt Kazuko (Peace Child) After The Rain Soledad You've Got To Have Freedom Yemenja Easy To Remember Think About The One Bedria Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax, perc John Hicks, piano Idris Muhammad, drums Ray Drummond, bass Carl Lockett, guitar Eddie Henderson, flugelhorn Yoko Ito Gates, koto Paul Arslanian, harmonium Joe Bonner, piano Bedria Sanders, harmonium Babatunde, congas Mark Isham, synthesizer Bobby McFerrin, vocals Vickie Randle, vocals Claudette Allen, vocals others Capsule Info: There is a sense of happiness and celebration in Pharoah's Theresa period: the albums are eclectic, marriages of standards and vocals, of hauntingly meditative pieces, and joyful explorations of rhythm. The seriousness and explosiveness of the Impulse! time is gone, but depth remains evident. This was the first one and it's great. REJOICE Theresa Records, 1981 (and later Evidence). Produced by Pharoah Sanders and Allen Pittman. CD. Track list Rejoice Highlife Nigerian Juju Highlife Origin When Lights Are Low Moments Notice Central Park West Ntjilo Ntjilo/Bird Song Farah Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax, perc John Hicks, piano Billy Higgins, drums Art Davis, bass Peter Fujii, guitar Bobbby Hutcherson, vibes Elvin Jones, drums Big Black, congas, voice Joe Bonner, piano Lois Colin, harp Babatunde, congas, perc, voice Steve Turre, trombone Flame Braithwaite, vocals and many others Capsule Info: Wiliam Fischer's vocal arrangements seem at first hear very un-Pharoah Sanders, but as always everybody pulls things off. Herbie Wong in his liner notes says: "This album, although limited to its inherent storehouse of invention, does underscore an evolutionary benchmark of a persistently searching, sincere, uninhibited jazzmaker". Pharoah Sanders & Norman Connors: BEYOND A DREAM Arista Records/Novus 1981. Produced by Michael Cuscuna and Norman Connors. No CD. Track list Babylon Beyond A Dream Montreux Overture The End Of The Beginning Casino Latino Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax Norman Connors, drums, percussion Bobby Lyle, keyboards Buzzy Jones, sax & flute Duke Jones, trumpet Jacques Burvick, keyboards Alex Blake, bass Lawrence Killian, congas, percussion Petro Bass, percussion, congas Billy McCoy, keyboards Capsule Info: Lackluster live set recorded at Montreux, July 22, 1978. SHUKURU Theresa Records, 1987? (and later Evidence). Produced by Pharoah Sanders and Allen Pittman. CD. Track list Shukuru Body And Soul Mas In Brooklyn Sun Song Too Young To Go Steady Jitu For Big George Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax, voice Leon Thomas, voice Idris Muhammad, drums Ray Drummond, bass William Henderson, synthesizer Capsule Info: Wiliam Henderson's early '80s novelty synthesized strings and voices are weird and dated, but it's great to hear Leon Thomas yodelling again. A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN Theresa Records, 198_? . Produced by Pharoah Sanders and Allen Pittman. CD. Track list The Light At The End Of The World Dedication To James W. Clark Softly For Shyla The Greatest Love Of All Midnight At Yoshi's Living Space After The Rain In Your Own Sweet Way Christmas Song Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax, perc William Henderson, keyboards John Hicks, piano Brian McLaughlin, tabla Lyn Taussig, sarod and chandrasarang Alvin Queen, drums Capsule Info: Well this is mostly a duet album. And a very lowkey one. Yes, that's the Christmas Song and a Whitney Houston number; and well, they're as close as Pharoah has ever come to schlock. AFRICA Timeless/Bellaphon 1988. Produced by Wim Wigt. CD. Track list You've Got To Have Freedom Naima Origin Speak Low After The Morning Africa Heart To Heart Duo Musicians John Hicks, piano Idris Muhammad, drums Curtis Lundy, bass Capsule Info: Pharoah returns to the straight and narrow; recorded in Europe in 1987. A TRIBUTE TO JOHN COLTRANE Impulse! Records1988. Produced by Bob Thiele and Ken Glancy. CD. Track list Bluesin' For John C. Naima The Promise Trane plus tracks w/o Pharoah Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax McCoy Tyner, piano Cecil McBee, bass David Murray, tenor sax Roy Haynes, drums Capsule Info: Recorded in 1987 this is kind of a rematch. OH LORD, LET ME DO NO WRONG Signature/CBS Special Products1989. Produced by Bob Thiele. CD. Track list Oh Lord, Let Me Do No Wrong Equinox Polka Dots And Moonbeams If It Wasn't For A Woman Clear Out Of This World Next Time You See Me Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor saxophone Donald Smith, electric piano William Henderson, piano Tarik Shah, bass Leon Thomas, vocal Greg Banoy, drums Capsule Info: Again Pharoah is astoundingly eclectic: taking on reggae, Coltrane and the blues, with old partner Leon Thomas along for the ride. MOONCHILD Timeless Records/Bellaphon 1990. Produced by Wim Wigt. CD. Track list Moonchild Moon Rays The Night Has A Thousand Eyes All Or Nothing At All Soon Moniebah Musicians Pharoah Sander, sax and vocals William Henderson, piano Stafford James, bass Eddie Moore, drums Cheikh Tidiane Fale, percussion Capsule Info: Strong 1989 European recording. WELCOME TO LOVE Timeless Records/Bellaphon 1991. Produced by Tetsuo Hara and Russ Musto. CD. Track list You Don't Know What Love Is The Nearness Of You My One And Only Love I Want To Talk About You Soul Eyes Nancy Polka Dots And Moonbeams Say It Lament The Bird Song Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor and soprano sax William Henderson, piano Stafford James, bass Eccleston W. Wainwright, drums Capsule Info: Pharoah plays the standards on this European recording. It's not that he plays them badly--on the contrary--but still one wonders why he'd want to. Most of these tunes were played by Trane, but were the songs Trane left behind when he began to play with Pharoah. An odd album but not a bad one. ED KELLY & PHAROAH SANDERS Evidence 1993. Produced by Allen Pittman & Al Evers. CD. Track list Rainbow Song Newborn You Send Me Pippin Answer Me My Love You've Got To Have Freedom plus more cuts sans Pharoah Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax Eddie Marshall, drums Ed Kelly, piano Peter Barshay, bass Babatunde, congas Junius Simmons, guitar plus strings, horns & voices Capsule Info: A 1978 session released originally without credit to Pharoah, this recording sits squarely between his glossy commercial Arista work and his Theresa period. HEART IS A MELODY Evidence 1993. Produced by Pharoah Sanders and Allen Pittman. CD. Track list Olé On A Misty Night Heart Is A Melody Of Time Goin' To Africa (Highlife) Naima Rise 'N' Shine Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax Idris Muhammad, drums William Henderson, piano John Heard, bass vocal chorus including Andy Bey, Flame Braithwaite etc. Capsule Info: Recorded live in San Francisco in early 1982 this album is full of the diversity of Pharoah's Theresa Records period. Maleem Mahmoud Ghania with Pharoah Sanders: THE TRANCE OF SEVEN COLORS Axiom/Island 1994. Produced by Bill Laswell. CD. Track list La Allah Dayim Moulenah Bala Moussaka Hamdouchi Peace In Essaouira (for Sonny Sharrock) Boulandi Samawi Moussa Berkiyo/Koubaliy Beriah La'Foh Salat Anbi Casa Casa Atougra Mahraba Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax Maleem Mahmoud Ghania, vocals, guimbri, tbei The Gnawa Musicians of Morocco Capsule Info: Originally brought north to Morocco as slaves, the Gnawa are black Africans who perform musical trance and healing ceremonies; there is something wonderfully full circle about Pharoah's interaction with their centuries-old traditions. Franklin Kiermyer featuring Pharoah Sanders: SOLOMON'S DAUGHTER Evidence 1994. Produced by Franklin Kiermyer. CD. Track list If I Die Before I Wake Three Jewels Akdemus Peace On Earth Solomon's Daughter Birds Of The Nile Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax Franklin Kiermyer, drums John Esposito, piano Drew Gress, double bass Capsule Info: Its liner-notes call this "Ecstatic American Music....still practiced here with the original spiritual intent." And this fiery album harkens back to late period Coltrane; it brings Pharoah back to where he started before he began to explore the forms of the Third World. This is a great record. CRESCENT WITH LOVE Evidence 1994. Produced by Tetsuo Hara. CD. Track list Lonnie's Lament Misty In A Sentimental Mood Softly For Shyla Wise One Too Young To Go Steady Body And Soul Naima Feelin' Good Light At The Edge Of The World Crescent After The Rain Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax Sherman Ferguson, drums William Henderson, piano Charles Farmbrough, bass Babatunde, congas Capsule Info: A 2-disc tribute to John Coltrane with much more depth and feeling than the earlier "Welcome To Love". John Szwed's liner notes refer accurately to these meditative takes on the master's work as "chastened romanticism". MESSAGE FROM HOME Verve 1996. Produced by Bill Laswell. CD. Track list Our Roots (Began in Africa) Nozipho Tomoki Ocean Song Kumba Country Mile Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax, flutes, perc, vocals Michael White, violin William Henderson, keyboards, vocals Bernie Worrell, keyboards, vocals Jeff Bova, keyboards Foday Musa Suso, kora, dousongonni, vocals Dominic Kanza, guitar Charnett Moffatt, bass Steve Neil, bass Hamid Drake, drums, tablas, vocals Aiyb Deng, congas, vocals plus background vocalists Capsule Info: Pharoah's best album in years revisits his African-tinged rhythmic past. Bill Laswell's electronic edge is evident but not overwhelming. Pharoah's playing is wonderfully warm and woody but still capable of shrieking feeling. The rhythms are real spiritual grooves like the old days. PHAROAH SANDERS: PRICELESS JAZZ 10 GRP/MCA 1997. Compilation. CD. Track list Astral Traveling Thembi Naima Bluesin' For John C. Japan Upper Egypt And Lower Egypt The Promise The Creator Has A Master Plan (edit) Musicians see source albums Capsule Info: A compilation of tunes from several Impulse! albums: Thembi, Karma, Tauhid and A Tribute To John Coltrane. SAVE OUR CHILDREN Verve 1998. Produced by Bill Laswell. CD. Track list Save Our Children Midnight In Berkeley Square Jewels Of Love Kazuko The Ancient Sounds Far-Off Sand Musicians Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax, flutes, perc, vocals William Henderson, piano, harmonium Bernie Worrell, keyboards Tony Cedras, harmonium Jeff Bova, synths & programming Alex Blake, bass Zakir Hussain, tabla, perc, voice Trilok Gurtu, drums, tabla, perc Abdou Mboup, talking drums, voice Abiodun Oyewole, voice Asante, voice Capsule Info: Well the problem with this album is not that it's bad. It's not. It's pleasant. But it's really hard to hear this and think it's a Pharoah Sanders album. There's a third worldish vibe, but it's the mellow world music living room thrill seeker kind ala 1999 rather than the ecstatic revolutionary culture one ala 1972. Pharoah cuts loose occasionally. But his presence is pushed way way back...kinda like overproducer extraordinaire Bill Laswell hired a bunch of musicians and then asked Pharoah if he could plunk his name on the front. I would be the last to say that all music has to be challenging, not even all of Pharoah's. Heck, I loved LOVE WILL FIND A WAY. I guess my problem is that this album somehow suggests it's gonna be a spiritual experience and just fails to deliver, projecting instead a kind of spiritual and earthly weariness. Oh yeah, the unspecified African language rap has just gotta go. In addition to the above, there's a Europe-only boxed set of his Timeless albums, plus a single disc best-of from the same period: I don't yet have specifics on these. Pharoah Sanders can also be heard as a featured or supporting artist on many other albums. Continue HERE with a discography of these appearances. Pharoah Sanders | Creator | Discography 1 | Discography 2 Ian's Guide | Artists | Links | Sitemap | About Us
Capsule Info: Once upon a time he was just another jazz guy pushing the straight-ahead envelope.
SUN RA FEATURING PHAROAH SANDERS AND BLACK HAROLD Saturn 1964. No producer listed. No CD.
Capsule Info: Here's an album lost to the ages: thanks to Larry Nai for letting me listen to his. I used to think Pharoah and Sun Ra lived in parallel universes (from each other, not the rest of us!) but it turns out that when Pharoah was struggling to break into the ranks of recognized jazz artists he was living on NYC's lower east side and gigging with Sun Ra. Sun Ra in turn egged him on in the use of "Pharoah" instead of "Farrell" as a moniker. While I think both Sun Ra and Pharoah made albums more to my taste than this one, it is fascinating in its suggestion of where some great music was born.
TAUHID Impulse! Records 1967/MCA 1993. Produced by Bob Thiele. CD.
Capsule Info: While still playing with the still-living Coltrane, Pharoah took some time off to predict his own future. (Recorded, by the way, on my 8th birthday). "Upper & Lower Egypt" meanders into a great funky guitar line courtesy of Sharrock. Has typically clueless liner notes by Nat Hentoff. The 1998ish Japanese CD reissue is vastly improved sound over the 1993 US one.
SPOTLIGHT ON PHAROAH SANDERS with the Latin Jazz Quintet Upfront/Springboard International (mid to late 1960s?). Producer not listedNo CD (I have an 8-track cassette!).
Capsule info: Here's a real mystery. This alleged Pharoah album is a re-packeged (pre-packaged?) version of an equally mysterious album credited to Juan Amalbert's (later Emanuel Rahim of Kahlios fame) Latin Jazz Quintet with guest Pharoah Sanders The cover art (different on each version) looks to be about the same time as TAUHID, otherwise I'm clueless as to the vintage of this recording. Funky New York Afro-Cuban jazz recording with maddeningly incomplete and unspecific liner notes. The music is soulful boogaloo, wih occasional lapses into protosalsa and bigband souljazz. Hard to tell in a horn-heavy album, but Pharoah seems to have one solo vehicle, where he sounds really out of place in front of a way-way in horn section and funky rhythm section. There's a story here, I wish I knew it! See also OH, PHAROAH SPEAK! in the guest artist album listings.
. KARMA Impulse! Records 1969/MCA 1995. AS-9181. Produced by Bob Thiele. CD.
Capsule Info: Pharoah's classic; and probably his only real hit: "The Creator Has A Masterplan". For more on this see the Leon Thomas pages.
JEWELS OF THOUGHT Impulse! Records 1970. AS-9190. Produced by Ed Michel. CD
Capsule Info: With Leon Thomas, Sanders revisits IZIPHO ZAM's "Prince Of Peace" in a quite differently arranged "Hum-Allah". "Sun In Aquarius" is wild and free, rewarding to the patient listener. It's also great to hear the latter cut on CD uninterrupted by flipping the record, as in the old days.
DEAF DUMB BLIND SUMMUN BUKMUN UMYUN Impulse! Records 1970. AS-9199. Produced by Ed Michel. CD.
Capsule Info: From Jameelah Ali's liner notes: "This album is predicated on spiritual truths and to the future enlightenment of El Kafirun or The Rejectors of Faith (non believers).... Deaf, dumb and blind as used here does not refer to the physical state, but, instead, to the spiritually handicapped... Deaf--To the pleas of fellow creatures to harken, Dumb--To spiritual enlightenment and Blind--To the essence of Beauty and Truth."
THEMBI Impulse! Records 1971. Produced by Ed Michel & Bill Szymczyk. CD.
Capsule Info: Quintessential early '70s Pharoah & Lonnie. Keorapetse Kgositsile's liner notes/poem summarizes: "He, traveler in soundspirit/is direction firm, strong, firmly/connected to root. Expression/past any word. Energies of sound/old as ear of any god known or not/now redistributed here to move us". Look for the late '90s digipak reissue not the 1987 jewel-case version.
BLACK UNITY Impulse! Records 1971/MCA 1997. AS-9219. Produced by Lee Young. CD.
Capsule Info: Brilliantly reissued on an awesome-sounding CD, this is 37 minutes of percussive, African influenced propulsion.
PHAROAH SANDERS LIVE AT THE EAST Impulse! Records 1972. AS-9227. Produced by Lee Young. No CD.
Capsule Info: From Pharoah's liner notes: "The Creator, my Father, the Divine Principle which flows thru me is All, All the the Creator is I am...We are, We are We are... I will direct only Positive Vibrations toward all my Brothers, and Sisters... Stop, Stop stepping back. Step in and Be still and know God. The Creator is All Love and Harmony. There is no fear or doubt in the Creator. All we do is before the Creator. For We Are, the Creator is All one."
VILLAGE OF THE PHAROAHS Impulse! Records 1973. AS-9254. Produced by Ed Michel. No CD.
Capsule Info: Dynamic and varied album; with vocals.
IZIPHO ZAM (MY GIFTS) Strata East 1973/Bellaphon 1993/Charly 1998. Produced by Clifford Jordan, Jr.. CD Europe.
Capsule Info: Recorded in 1969 and released by groundbreaking black jazz label Strata East, reissued in Europe.
WISDOM THROUGH MUSIC Impulse! Records 1973. AS- 9233. Produced by Lee Young. No CD.
Capsule Info: For some reason critics hate this one but not me. It's cool. A little lighter than most of his Impulse albums.
ELEVATION Impulse! Records 1974. AS-9261 Produced by Ed Michel. CD (Japan only).
Capsule Info: Recorded live in Los Angeles in 1973 this is probably my favorite Pharoah album. It's got Nigerian rhythms, chanting, two serene meditative pieces, and the title track which is a wonderful rhythm and screechfest. Great, if overpriced, CD reissue packaging and sound.
LOVE IN US ALL Impulse! Records 1974. AS-9280. Produced by Lee Young. No CD.
Capsule Info: This turns out to be a great record. Side one is kinda familiar: one suspects it's spliced together from stuff you've heard before, the shouted raspy vocal included. But the Joe Bonner piano solo is terrific. Side two is, well, a compelling screechfest: a taste I've acquired of course. One does wonder why this album has no credits, and that 1970s graphic design is just too much.
PHAROAH India Navigation 1977/1996. No producer listed. CD.
Capsule Info: A wildly eclectic live recording that suggests Pharoah was grasping for paths to take. The almost raga-sounding "Harvest Time" leaps into an electric blues number.
LOVE WILL FIND A WAY Arista Records 1978. Produced by Norman Connors. No CD*.
Capsule Info: Pharoah's leap into the world of glossy jazz funk, the quiet storm, and sadly, obscurity, though I personally happen to LOVE this album. Norman Connors' production machine at full speed featuring beautiful vocals of the late Phyllis Hyman. (Two of the songs(*) were reissued on CD in Spring 1998 on the Phyllis Hyman collection ONE ON ONE, and a third(#) was reissued on CD in Spring 1999 on MELANCHOLY FIRE: The Best Of Norman Connors, by Razor&Tie.)
MEDITATION Jazz file, no date. Unproduced; bootleg recording. CD.
Capsule Info: Live set recorded at Montreux, July 22, 1978; fiery and abstract, and not really the tune it claims to be, but kind of a medley of Pharoah and Norman sounds. Plus I think that's "You've Got To Have Freedom" thrown in there.
JOURNEY TO THE ONE Theresa Records, 1980 (and later Evidence). Produced by Pharoah Sanders and Allen Pittman. CD.
Capsule Info: There is a sense of happiness and celebration in Pharoah's Theresa period: the albums are eclectic, marriages of standards and vocals, of hauntingly meditative pieces, and joyful explorations of rhythm. The seriousness and explosiveness of the Impulse! time is gone, but depth remains evident. This was the first one and it's great.
REJOICE Theresa Records, 1981 (and later Evidence). Produced by Pharoah Sanders and Allen Pittman. CD.
Capsule Info: Wiliam Fischer's vocal arrangements seem at first hear very un-Pharoah Sanders, but as always everybody pulls things off. Herbie Wong in his liner notes says: "This album, although limited to its inherent storehouse of invention, does underscore an evolutionary benchmark of a persistently searching, sincere, uninhibited jazzmaker".
Pharoah Sanders & Norman Connors: BEYOND A DREAM Arista Records/Novus 1981. Produced by Michael Cuscuna and Norman Connors. No CD.
Capsule Info: Lackluster live set recorded at Montreux, July 22, 1978.
SHUKURU Theresa Records, 1987? (and later Evidence). Produced by Pharoah Sanders and Allen Pittman. CD.
Capsule Info: Wiliam Henderson's early '80s novelty synthesized strings and voices are weird and dated, but it's great to hear Leon Thomas yodelling again.
A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN Theresa Records, 198_? . Produced by Pharoah Sanders and Allen Pittman. CD.
Capsule Info: Well this is mostly a duet album. And a very lowkey one. Yes, that's the Christmas Song and a Whitney Houston number; and well, they're as close as Pharoah has ever come to schlock.
AFRICA Timeless/Bellaphon 1988. Produced by Wim Wigt. CD.
Capsule Info: Pharoah returns to the straight and narrow; recorded in Europe in 1987.
A TRIBUTE TO JOHN COLTRANE Impulse! Records1988. Produced by Bob Thiele and Ken Glancy. CD.
Capsule Info: Recorded in 1987 this is kind of a rematch.
OH LORD, LET ME DO NO WRONG Signature/CBS Special Products1989. Produced by Bob Thiele. CD.
Capsule Info: Again Pharoah is astoundingly eclectic: taking on reggae, Coltrane and the blues, with old partner Leon Thomas along for the ride.
MOONCHILD Timeless Records/Bellaphon 1990. Produced by Wim Wigt. CD.
Capsule Info: Strong 1989 European recording.
WELCOME TO LOVE Timeless Records/Bellaphon 1991. Produced by Tetsuo Hara and Russ Musto. CD.
Capsule Info: Pharoah plays the standards on this European recording. It's not that he plays them badly--on the contrary--but still one wonders why he'd want to. Most of these tunes were played by Trane, but were the songs Trane left behind when he began to play with Pharoah. An odd album but not a bad one.
ED KELLY & PHAROAH SANDERS Evidence 1993. Produced by Allen Pittman & Al Evers. CD.
Capsule Info: A 1978 session released originally without credit to Pharoah, this recording sits squarely between his glossy commercial Arista work and his Theresa period.
HEART IS A MELODY Evidence 1993. Produced by Pharoah Sanders and Allen Pittman. CD.
Capsule Info: Recorded live in San Francisco in early 1982 this album is full of the diversity of Pharoah's Theresa Records period.
Maleem Mahmoud Ghania with Pharoah Sanders: THE TRANCE OF SEVEN COLORS Axiom/Island 1994. Produced by Bill Laswell. CD.
Capsule Info: Originally brought north to Morocco as slaves, the Gnawa are black Africans who perform musical trance and healing ceremonies; there is something wonderfully full circle about Pharoah's interaction with their centuries-old traditions.
Franklin Kiermyer featuring Pharoah Sanders: SOLOMON'S DAUGHTER Evidence 1994. Produced by Franklin Kiermyer. CD.
Capsule Info: Its liner-notes call this "Ecstatic American Music....still practiced here with the original spiritual intent." And this fiery album harkens back to late period Coltrane; it brings Pharoah back to where he started before he began to explore the forms of the Third World. This is a great record.
CRESCENT WITH LOVE Evidence 1994. Produced by Tetsuo Hara. CD.
Capsule Info: A 2-disc tribute to John Coltrane with much more depth and feeling than the earlier "Welcome To Love". John Szwed's liner notes refer accurately to these meditative takes on the master's work as "chastened romanticism".
MESSAGE FROM HOME Verve 1996. Produced by Bill Laswell. CD.
Capsule Info: Pharoah's best album in years revisits his African-tinged rhythmic past. Bill Laswell's electronic edge is evident but not overwhelming. Pharoah's playing is wonderfully warm and woody but still capable of shrieking feeling. The rhythms are real spiritual grooves like the old days.
PHAROAH SANDERS: PRICELESS JAZZ 10 GRP/MCA 1997. Compilation. CD.
Capsule Info: A compilation of tunes from several Impulse! albums: Thembi, Karma, Tauhid and A Tribute To John Coltrane.
SAVE OUR CHILDREN Verve 1998. Produced by Bill Laswell. CD.
Capsule Info: Well the problem with this album is not that it's bad. It's not. It's pleasant. But it's really hard to hear this and think it's a Pharoah Sanders album. There's a third worldish vibe, but it's the mellow world music living room thrill seeker kind ala 1999 rather than the ecstatic revolutionary culture one ala 1972. Pharoah cuts loose occasionally. But his presence is pushed way way back...kinda like overproducer extraordinaire Bill Laswell hired a bunch of musicians and then asked Pharoah if he could plunk his name on the front. I would be the last to say that all music has to be challenging, not even all of Pharoah's. Heck, I loved LOVE WILL FIND A WAY. I guess my problem is that this album somehow suggests it's gonna be a spiritual experience and just fails to deliver, projecting instead a kind of spiritual and earthly weariness. Oh yeah, the unspecified African language rap has just gotta go.
In addition to the above, there's a Europe-only boxed set of his Timeless albums, plus a single disc best-of from the same period: I don't yet have specifics on these. Pharoah Sanders can also be heard as a featured or supporting artist on many other albums. Continue HERE with a discography of these appearances.
Pharoah Sanders | Creator | Discography 1 | Discography 2
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