Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and

multiphonic A multiphonic is an extended technique on a monophonic musical instrument (one that generally produces only one note at a time) in which several notes are produced at once. This includes wind, reed, and brass instruments, as well as the human voi ...

techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of " sheets of sound", Sanders played a prominent role in the development of

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians dur ...

and spiritual jazz through his work as a member of

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and rai ...

's groups in the mid-1960s, and later through his solo work. He released over thirty albums as a leader and collaborated extensively with vocalist Leon Thomas and pianist Alice Coltrane, among many others. Fellow saxophonist

Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Col ...

once described him as "probably the best

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...

player in the world". Sanders' take on “spiritual jazz” was rooted in his inspiration from religious concepts such as

Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively ...

and

Tawhid Tawhid ( ar, , ', meaning "unification of God in Islam (Allāh)"; also romanized as ''Tawheed'', ''Tawhid'', ''Tauheed'' or ''Tevhid'') is the indivisible oneness concept of monotheism in Islam. Tawhid is the religion's central and single ...

, and his rich, meditative performance aesthetic. This style was seen as a continuation of Coltrane's work on albums such as '' A Love Supreme''. As a result, Sanders was considered to have been a disciple of Coltrane or, as Albert Ayler said, "Trane was the Father, Pharoah was the Son, I am the Holy Ghost".

Early life

Pharoah Sanders was born on October 13, 1940, in

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

. His mother worked as a cook in a school cafeteria, and his father worked for the City of Little Rock. An only child, Sanders began his musical career accompanying church hymns on clarinet. His initial artistic accomplishments were in the visual arts, but when he was at Scipio Jones High School in North Little Rock, Sanders began playing the tenor saxophone. After finishing high school in 1959, Sanders moved to

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, and lived with relatives. He briefly studied art and music at

Oakland City College The Peralta Community College District is the community college district serving northern Alameda County, California. The district operates four community colleges: Berkeley City College, Laney College and Merritt College in Oakland, and Colleg ...

Career

Pharoah Sanders (1981) by Wojciech Soporek

Sanders pharoah ts william henderson p 070208 altes-pfandhaus koeln

1960s

Pharoah Sanders began his professional career playing

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

in Oakland. He moved to New York City in 1961 after playing with

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed p ...

bands. Sun Ra's biographer wrote that Sanders was often homeless and Ra gave him a place to live, clothes, and encouraged him to use the name "Pharoah". In 1965, he became a member of John Coltrane's band, as Coltrane began adopting the avant-garde jazz of Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, and Cecil Taylor. Sanders first recorded with Coltrane on '' Ascension'' (recorded in June 1965), then on their dual-tenor album ''

Meditations ''Meditations'' () is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from AD 161 to 180, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the ''Meditations'' in Koin ...

'' (recorded in November 1965). After this Sanders joined Coltrane's final quintet, usually playing long, dissonant solos. Coltrane's later style was influenced by Sanders. Although Sanders' voice developed differently from John Coltrane's, Sanders was influenced by their collaboration. 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

, 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 The Jazz Composer's Orchestra was an American jazz group, founded by Carla Bley and Michael Mantler in 1965, to perform orchestral avant-garde jazz. Its origins lay in the Jazz Composers Guild, an organization founded by Bill Dixon which grew out ...

'', featuring Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry,

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. Early life Larry Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas, United States. He never knew his biological father, a musician. He w ...

, and Gato Barbieri. Pharoah's first album, ''

Pharoah's First ''Pharoah's First'' is the debut album by American free jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, recorded in New York City at the loft of audio engineer Jerry Newman on September 10, 1964, and first released in 1965 on the ESP-Disk label. The album was ...

'', was not what he expected. The musicians playing with him were much more straightforward than Sanders, which made the solos played by the other musicians a bit out of place. Starting in 1966 Sanders signed with Impulse! and recorded '' Tauhid'' that same year. His years with Impulse! caught the attention of jazz fans, critics, and musicians alike, including John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Albert Ayler.

1970s and 1980s

In the 1970s, Sanders continued to produce his own recordings and also continued to work with Alice Coltrane on her '' Journey in Satchidananda'' album. Most of Sanders' best-selling work was made in the late 1960s and early 1970s for Impulse Records, including the 30-minute wave-on-wave of free jazz "The Creator Has a Master Plan" from the album ''

''. This composition featured vocalist Leon Thomas's unique, "umbo weti" yodeling, and Sanders' key musical partner, pianist Lonnie Liston Smith, who worked with Sanders from 1969 to 1971. Other members of his groups in this period include bassist Cecil McBee, on albums such as ''

Jewels of Thought ''Jewels of Thought'' is an album by the American jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. It was recorded at Plaza Sound Studios in New York City on October 20, 1969, and was released on Impulse! Records in the same year. The 1998 reissue merged "Sun In ...

'', '' Izipho Zam'', ''

Deaf Dumb Blind ''Deaf Dumb Blind'' is the debut studio album by Swedish rap metal band Clawfinger. It was released on 21 April 1993. Background The musical content is mainly metal/hard rock modernized with a few electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electr ...

'', and '' Thembi''. Although supported by African-American radio, Sanders' brand of brave free jazz became less popular. 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 1970s and 1980s, Sanders explored different musical modes including R&B ('' Love Will Find a Way''),

modal jazz Modal jazz is jazz that makes use of musical modes, often modulating among them to accompany the chords instead of relying on one tonal center used across the piece. Although precedents exist, modal jazz was crystallized as a theory by compose ...

, and

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gosp ...

. Sanders left Impulse! in 1973 and explored various other labels, such as Theresa in 1980, which was sold to

Evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field. In epistemology, eviden ...

in 1991.

1990s

In 1992, Sanders appeared on a reissue (''Ed Kelly and Pharoah Sanders'') for the Evidence label of a recording that he completed for Theresa Records in 1979 entitled ''Ed Kelly and Friend.'' The 1992 version contains extra tracks which feature Pharoah's pupil Robert Stewart. In 1994, Sanders traveled to

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...

to record the Bill Laswell-produced album '' The Trance Of Seven Colors'' with Gnawa musician Mahmoud Guinia. The same year, he appeared on the Red Hot Organization album '' Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool'' on the track "This is Madness" with Umar Bin Hassan and Abiodun Oyewole and on the bonus track "The Creator Has A Master Plan (Trip Hop Remix)." The album was named "Album of the Year" by ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

''. He also collaborated with drummer–composer Franklin Kiermyer on Kiermyer's album ''Solomon's Daughter'', also released on the Evidence label (re-released with 3 previously unreleased tracks on the Dot Time label in 2019). Sanders's major-label return came in 1995 when Verve Records released ''

Message from Home ''Message from Home'' is an album by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. It was recorded in New York City and Brooklyn, New York, and was released in 1996 by Verve Records. On the album, which was produced by Bill Laswell, Sanders is joined by kora playe ...

'', followed by ''

Save Our Children Save Our Children, Inc. was an American political coalition formed in 1977 in Miami, Florida, to overturn a recently legislated county ordinance that banned discrimination in areas of housing, employment, and public accommodation based on sex ...

'' (1998). But again, Sanders's disgust with the recording business prompted him to leave the label. Sanders worked with Laswell, Jah Wobble, and others on the albums ''Message From Home'' (1996) and ''Save Our Children'' (1999). In 1999, he complained in an interview that despite his pedigree, he had trouble finding work. In 1997 he was featured on several Tisziji Muñoz albums which include Rashied Ali.

2000s and 2020s

In the 2000s, a resurgence of interest in jazz kept Sanders playing festivals including the 2004

Bluesfest Byron Bay The Byron Bay Bluesfest, formerly the East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, is an annual Australian music festival that has been held over the Easter long weekend in the Byron Bay, New South Wales, area since 1990. The festiva ...

, the 2007 Melbourne Jazz Festival, and the 2008 Big Chill Festival, concerts, and releasing albums. He has a strong following in Japan, and in 2003 recorded with the band Sleep Walker. In 2000, Sanders released '' Spirits'' and, in 2003, a live album titled ''

The Creator Has a Master Plan ''The Creator Has a Master Plan'' is a live album by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. It was recorded on April 23, 2003 at Wonder Station in Tokyo, Japan, and was released later that year by Venus Records. On the album, Sanders is joined by pianist Wi ...

''. He was awarded an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for 2016 and was honored at a tribute concert in Washington DC on April 4, 2016. In 2020, Sanders recorded a collaboration with

electronic music Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...

producer

Floating Points Sam Shepherd, known professionally as Floating Points, is a British electronic music producer, DJ, and musician. He is the founder of Pluto Records, co-founder of Eglo Records and leader of a 16-piece group called Floating Points Ensemble. Bi ...

and the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

. Titled ''

Promises A promise is a transaction whereby a person makes a vow or the suggestion of a guarantee. Promise(s) may also refer to: Places * Promise, Oregon *Promise, South Dakota *Promise City, Iowa *Promise Land, Tennessee or Promise Film and TV * ''Pro ...

'', the album was released in March 2021, making it the first major new album released by Sanders in nearly two decades. The album was widely acclaimed by critics, with ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' declaring it "a clear late-career masterpiece".

Death

Sanders died on September 24, 2022, at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 81.

Discography

As leader

As sideman

;with

:'' Ascension'' (Impulse!, 1965) :'' Live In Seattle'' (Impulse!, 1965) :'' Om'' (Impulse!, 1965) :'' A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle'' (Impulse!, 1965) :'' Kulu Sé Mama'' (Impulse!, 1965) :'' Selflessness: Featuring My Favorite Things'' (Impulse!, 1965) :''

'' (Impulse!, 1965) :'' Live at the Village Vanguard Again!'' (Impulse!, 1966) :''

Live In Japan ''Live in Japan'' can refer to one of the following albums or videos: Albums * ''Live in Japan'' (21st Century Schizoid Band album) * ''Live in Japan'' (22-20s album) * ''Live in Japan'' (B.B. King album) * ''Live in Japan'' (Beck, Bogert & Appice ...

'' (Impulse!, 1966) :'' Offering: Live at Temple University'' (Impulse!, 1966) :'' Expression'' (Impulse!, 1967) :'' The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording'' (Impulse!, 1967) ;with Don Cherry :'' Symphony for Improvisers'' (Blue Note, 1966) :''

Where Is Brooklyn? ''Where Is Brooklyn?'' is an album by Don Cherry featuring Henry Grimes, Ed Blackwell, and Pharoah Sanders recorded in 1966 and released on the Blue Note label. In 2022, the Ezz-thetics label reissued the album along with ''Eternal Rhythm'' on th ...

'' (Blue Note, 1967) ;with Alice Coltrane :'' A Monastic Trio'' (Impulse!, 1968) :'' Ptah, the El Daoud'' (Impulse!, 1970) :'' Journey in Satchidananda'' (Impulse!, 1970) :'' Carnegie Hall '71'' (Hi Hat, 2018) ;with

Kenny Garrett Kenny Garrett (born October 9, 1960) is an American post-bop jazz musician and composer who gained recognition in his youth as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and for his time with Miles Davis's band. His primary instruments are alto a ...

:'' Beyond the Wall'' ( Nonesuch, 2006) :'' Sketches of MD: Live at the Iridium'' ( Mack Avenue, 2008) ;with

Norman Connors Norman Connors (born March 1, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and producer who has led a number of influential jazz and R&B groups. He also achieved several big R&B hits of the day, especially with love ballads. He is pos ...

:'' Romantic Journey'' (Buddah 1977) :''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'' (Buddah 1978) :''Remember Who You Are'' (MoJazz 1993) ;with Tisziji Muñoz :''Visiting This Planet'' (Anami Music, 1980's) :''River of Blood'' (Anami Music, 1997) :''Present Without a Trace'' (Anami Music, 1980's) :''Spirit World'' (Anami Music, 1997) :''Divine Radiance'' (Dreyfus/Anami Music, 2003) :''Divine Radiance Live!'' (Anami Music, 2013) :''Mountain Peak'' (Anami Music, 2014) ;with McCoy Tyner :'' Love & Peace'' (Trio 1982) :'' Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane'' (Impulse!, 1987) ;with Randy Weston :'' The Spirits of Our Ancestors'' (Verve 1992) :'' Khepera'' (Verve 1998) ;with others :1964 –

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific ou ...

– ''

Featuring Pharoah Sanders & Black Harold Featuring Pharoah Sanders and Black Harold is a jazz album by Sun Ra, recorded live on December 31, 1964, but not released until 1976, on Ra and Alton Abraham's El Saturn label. An expanded version of the album was reissued in 2009 by ESP-Disk, a ...

'' :1965 –

– ''

Chappaqua Suite ''Chappaqua Suite'' is a free jazz album by alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman which was recorded in 1965 for Columbia Records. It was originally commissioned by director Conrad Rooks as the soundtrack to his film '' Chappaqua''; however, the mus ...

'' (Columbia) :1968 – Michael Mantler –

Jazz Composer's Orchestra The Jazz Composer's Orchestra was an American jazz group, founded by Carla Bley and Michael Mantler in 1965, to perform orchestral avant-garde jazz. Its origins lay in the Jazz Composers Guild, an organization founded by Bill Dixon which grew out ...

– ''

'' (JCOA) :1968 –

Gary Bartz Gary Bartz (born September 26, 1940) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has won two Grammy Awards. Biography Bartz studied at the Juilliard School. In the early 1960s, he performed with Eric Dolphy and McCoy Tyner in Charles Mingus' Jazz Works ...

– '' Another Earth'' (Milestone) :1969 – Leon Thomas – ''

Spirits Known and Unknown ''Spirits Known and Unknown'' , subtitled ''New Vocal Frontiers'', is the debut album by American jazz vocalist and percussionist Leon Thomas recorded in 1969 and released by the Flying Dutchman label.Larry Young – '' Lawrence of Newark'' (Perception) :1979 – Ed Kelly – ''Ed Kelly & Friend'' (Theresa Records) :1979 – Hilton Ruiz – ''Fantasia'' (Denon) :1980 –

Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad ( ar, إدريس محمد; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He had an extensive career performing jazz, funk, R&B, and soul music and recorded with musicians suc ...

– '' Kabsha'' (Theresa) :1984 –

Benny Golson Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/ hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before launc ...

– ''

This Is for You, John ''This Is for You, John'' is an album by saxophonist/composer Benny Golson that was recorded in 1983 and released on the Japanese Baystate Records, Baystate label the following year. The album features saxophonist Pharoah Sanders performing tunes a ...

'' (Baystate) :1985 –

Art Davis Arthur David Davis (December 6, 1934 – July 29, 2007) was a double-bassist, known for his work with Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner and Max Roach. Biography Davis was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United S ...

– ''Life'' :1991 –

Sonny Sharrock Warren Harding "Sonny" Sharrock (August 27, 1940 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. He was married to singer Linda Sharrock, with whom he recorded and performed. One of only a few prominent guitarists who participated in the fir ...

– ''

Ask the Ages ''Ask the Ages'' is the final album recorded by jazz guitarist Sonny Sharrock during his lifetime (though posthumous albums of earlier recorded material would follow). It was recorded with producer Bill Laswell and released in 1991; It featured Sha ...

'' (Axiom) :1992 – Ed Kelly – ''Ed Kelly and Pharoah Sanders'' (Evidence Records) with Robert Stewart (saxophonist) :1992 – New York Unit – '' Over the Rainbow'' (Paddle Wheel) :1994 – Franklin Kiermyer – ''Solomon's Daughter'' :1994 – Bheki Mseleku – ''Timelessness'' (Verve) :1994 – Maleem Mahmoud Ghania – '' The Trance of Seven Colors'' (Axiom) :1995 – Aïyb Dieng – '' Rhythmagick'' :1996 – Jah Wobble – ''Heaven & Earth'' (Island) :1997 – Wallace Roney – ''

Village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

'' (Warner Bros.) :1997 –

Music Revelation Ensemble ''Music Revelation Ensemble'' is the eponymous second album by James Blood Ulmer's Music Revelation Ensemble featuring saxophonist David Murray, bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma and drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson, recorded in 1988 and released on the J ...

– '' Cross Fire'' (DIW) :1998 –

Terry Callier Terrence Orlando "Terry" Callier (May 24, 1945 – October 27, 2012) was an American soul, folk and jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter. Life and career Callier was born in the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in the Cabrini– ...

– ''Time Peace'' (Verve) :2000 – Alex Blake – ''Now is the Time: Live at the Knitting Factory'' :2000 – Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio – ''

Africa N'Da Blues ''Africa N'Da Blues'' is an album by Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio featuring saxophonist Pharoah Sanders that was recorded in 1999 and released on the Delmark label. Reception In his review for AllMusic, Alex Henderson notes "the group couldn't ...

'' (Delmark) :2004 – David Murray – ''

Gwotet ''Gwotet'' is an album by David Murray released on the Justin Time label. Recorded in 2003 and released in 2004 the album features performances by Murray and the Gwo-Ka Masters with Pharoah Sanders. It is Murray's second album with the Gwo-Ka M ...

'' (Justin Time) :2005 – Will Calhoun – ''Native Lands'' :2008 – Sleep Walker – ''Into the Sun'' (in ''The Voyage'') :2014 – Chicago Underground/São Paulo Underground – ''Spiral Mercury'' :2019 – Joey DeFrancesco – '' In the Key of the Universe'' :2021 –

and the

– ''

References

External links

*
Pharoah Sanders's Page at Wide Hive Records
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Pharoah 1940 births 2022 deaths American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Hard bop saxophonists Post-bop saxophonists Grammy Award winners Musicians from Little Rock, Arkansas Musicians from Oakland, California Timeless Records artists Strata-East Records artists Capitol Records artists India Navigation artists Arista Records artists Impulse! Records artists Verve Records artists Avant-garde jazz saxophonists ESP-Disk artists African-American jazz musicians African-American Muslims Converts to Islam Atomic Bomb! Band members 21st-century American saxophonists American male jazz musicians 21st-century American male musicians Jazz musicians from Arkansas Jazz musicians from California Spiritual jazz musicians