Pharoah Sanders

[rostasi]

I like Spirits too.

Meta is another one of those labels that

has some surprising goodies.

As an aside:

About 1981 or 82, I got a copy of

a Mandingo Griot Society LP on Flying Fish

that Adam Rudolph was part of and wondered

if he'd continue his fine playing in a solo situation.

Over the years I've been pleasantly surprised

by his output.

[7/4]

Another very good one!

[ep1str0phy]

I have always found the Impulse's to each have their moments, and each have their dross. 'Black Unity' was the most consistent for me. While I'm as horrified in general as the next guy at the idea of jazz "best of" collections, it may actually make sense for Sanders. There's a good one on him called 'You-ve Got To Have Freedom' which collects a lot of the highlights and leaves behind a lot of stuff best left behind. My favorite Sanders is actually 'Africa', which came out on Timeless in the late 80's. A great rhythm section (Hicks/Lundy/Muhammad) and career highlights in the versions of his "You've Got To Have Freedom" and Hicks' beautiful "After The Morning". I also like 'Crescent With Love' quite a bit. Both of these are consistently strong, unlike his other work. Another Sanders highlight is the album he did with Art Davis on Soul Note, 'Life'. Lousy recording quality, but amazing music. It is also a quarter with Hicks (loved his playing in general) and Muhammad.

Good call on Life, felser. The sound does suck, but there's some hardcore Pharoah on there. For the more 'inside' bent, this is probably one of his better sides.

[chris olivarez]

I liked "Summum Bukmun Umyun" as well as "Thembi". I haven't played "Karma" in such a long time that to be honest with you I really don't remember it and on "Jewels of Thought" I liked the opening number with Leon Thomas and after that I just couldn't deal. The rest of the Impulse sides I haven't heard. I really wasn't aware that Pharoah had such a lengthy history with the label.

[Late]

I think Thembi, in general, gets a bad rap. The album's pretty darn good for what it is. If only for Cecil McBee's solo track alone — Jesus! Nobody ain't got nothin' on McBee.

Oh — Verve Japan released two "best-of" discs (Vol.s 1&2) of Pharoah's Impulse! recordings. I can't remember the titles right now (they're fairly generic), but that might be a good (distilled) way to approach this period of Sanders' work.

[rostasi]

Those Japanese sides are called Meditation and come in two volumes as you said,

but good luck in finding them under $25 each.

Tho not strictly a Pharoah CD, this one is nice:

[Guy Berger]

I am listening to Summun... for the first time -- it's great!

Guy

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Funny; been playing a bit of Pharoah this morning. "Spirits" on at this moment.

Always loved his playing. NO ONE plays the blues like Pharoah! And goes right back to Illinois Jacquet, Gator Tail, Arnett Cobb and the other honkers.

I've bought all the Impulses except "Village of the Pharoashs" - but not on day of issue stuff - and didn't keep "Summum" or "Wisdom through music". Only bought "Elevation" last year.

Bought - and kept - all the Theresas. I prefer most of them to most of the Impulses. "Rejoice" is a miracle, I feel. So is "Lord let me do no wrong".

Also have the ESP, "Izipho Zam", the one on India Navigation, called "Pharoah", which is very nice. Never bought his Arista album "Love will find a way"; his 4th and biggest hit album (unsurprisingly).

But the Timeless and Venus albums and are all great to listen to.

I really like his work with Bill Laswell, particularly "The trance of seven colours", with Maleem Mahmoud Ghania, which I've also been playing this morning. But "Message from home" is wonderful - "Our roots belong to Africa" - yessir! (Though "Save our children" seemed a bit mealy-mouthed to me and I gave up on him until last year.)

To me, the Sanders' I love most are:

Karma

Rejoice

Pharoah Sanders Live

Lord, let me do no wrong

Message from home

As a sideman, I love his work on Benny Golson's "This is for you John" and on the Elvin Jones/McCoy Tyner "Reunion". And then there's his stuff with Trane...

MG

[7/4]

I really like his work with Bill Laswell, particularly "The trance of seven colours", with Maleem Mahmoud Ghania, which I've also been playing this morning.

A monster album, I do say...love it. I would welcome a dozen albums like this.

[Lush Life]

The only Pharaoh Sanders album I ever owned (and, the only one I've ever heard...) is "Love In Us All"

Somehow, I don't even remember how, I acquired a copy of the vinyl when it first came out in 1974. And I thought "Love Is Everywhere" was fantastic. I've been looking for a CD for the last several years, since the vinyl and I were parted long ago...so I'm glad to see it finally has been issued in Japan.

I'm not certain how representative this particular work is for Sanders, but I gather that folks here either love it or hate it.

[7/4]

I've said it many times before, I either love it or hate it.

[brownie]

Pharaoh's best on Impulse was his first 'Tauhid'.

Others were good but none was better!

[7/4]

Pharaoh's best on Impulse was his first 'Tauhid'.

Others were good but none was better!

Even Karma??? Time for a Pharoah Impulse fest to refresh my memory. Maybe this weekend...

[Kari S]

There's a 2CD compilation released by UK label Soul Brother, called "You've Got To Have Freedom - The Pharoah Sanders Anthology".

Some of the songs have been edited, to make it a bit more "accessible". It's fine by me, sometimes Pharoah can be...a bit too much. It's not also Impulse! exclusive, but has stuff from his later years as well.

------

I also like this from 1973, "Village Of The Pharoahs"

[sidewinder]

Pharaoh's best on Impulse was his first 'Tauhid'.

Others were good but none was better!

I have to agree with that.

[J Larsen]

It's great that Verve put so many Sanders records on cds back when they still had a real reissue program, but I really wish they had gotten around to Live at the East. That's a really tough one to find on vinyl, and I have to say it is my hands-down favorite.

[JSngry]

It's great that Verve put so many Sanders records on cds back when they still had a real reissue program, but I really wish they had gotten around to Live at the East. That's a really tough one to find on vinyl, and I have to say it is my hands-down favorite.

Yeah, that's the Impulse! I keep coming back to more than any other. Tauhid is unexplainably unsatisfying for me, & Karma, vibe-heavy though it is, is one I wore out back in the day. The others all have their charms, but Live At The East has a freakin' mojo.

[alocispepraluger102]

I liked "Summum Bukmun Umyun" as well as "Thembi". I haven't played "Karma" in such a long time that to be honest with you I really don't remember it and on "Jewels of Thought" I liked the opening number with Leon Thomas and after that I just couldn't deal. The rest of the Impulse sides I haven't heard. I really wasn't aware that Pharoah had such a lengthy history with the label.

'house of the lord' from summum is a personal favorite, but it's pretty much just blowing.

[AndrewHill]

Sander's Impulse! sides are for the most part, really good. Tauhid is probably the best out of the lot although Black Unity is a close second, and Deaf, Dumb, Blind a third. Karma does have a really nice groove, which I like. I'm not really a fan of vocals, but Leon Thomas is a nice fit in this context. I even like the lyrics. Thembi has its moments, and it was mentioned that McBee is impressive on this side, and I completely agree. Jewels of thought's first song is interesting but the second tune can be discarded. Have not heard Live at the East, but I'd really like to. Besides these records, I own the ESP, which is almost like the same problem that Ayler had on 'My Name is Albert Ayler' where Pharoah is fighting a really straight-laced band. Enjoyable enough though. The Strata East date, though, is another affair, and largely successful. Great band on that one.

[Guy Berger]

I liked "Summum Bukmun Umyun" as well as "Thembi". I haven't played "Karma" in such a long time that to be honest with you I really don't remember it and on "Jewels of Thought" I liked the opening number with Leon Thomas and after that I just couldn't deal. The rest of the Impulse sides I haven't heard. I really wasn't aware that Pharoah had such a lengthy history with the label.

'house of the lord' from summum is a personal favorite, but it's pretty much just blowing.

Really beautiful, nonetheless. Luminous.

Guy

Edited May 6, 2007 by Guy

[JSngry]

Besides these records, I own the ESP, which is almost like the same problem that Ayler had on 'My Name is Albert Ayler' where Pharoah is fighting a really straight-laced band.

You think so? I don't hear it that way at all. I hear it as a typical "practicing" jam session, the kind that's different from the staged public kind. I hear Pharoah ebbing and flowing in terms of inspiration, playing through it all. It's the way real jam sessions sound. As for the band, Jane Getz is no slouch, even if she's no Titan either. The rest of the band is jam-session caliber, I think.

The difference for me is that everybody was more or less on the same page. Pharoah in 1964 was not the Pharoah of a year later. Ayler, otoh, was aready someplace else, far removed from his what his accompaniment could even begin to think about.

[Guest donald petersen]

tahuid is unsatisfying because the first tune is like 65 percent insubstantial, the second tune is kind of insubstantial and the third tune is patchy.

though i also think live at the east has a lot of dull patches.

black unity is the best, IMO.

[milestones20]

In chronological order, the ones I've heard.

1) Tauhid - solid debut

2) Karma - the best of the bunch

3) Jewels of Thought - underrated

4) Summun Bukmun Umyun - very ethereal

5) Thembi - patched together

6) Elevation - not bad, not great

All in all, Karma is my fav, followed by Jewels of Thought.

[AndrewHill]

Besides these records, I own the ESP, which is almost like the same problem that Ayler had on 'My Name is Albert Ayler' where Pharoah is fighting a really straight-laced band.

You think so? I don't hear it that way at all. I hear it as a typical "practicing" jam session, the kind that's different from the staged public kind. I hear Pharoah ebbing and flowing in terms of inspiration, playing through it all. It's the way real jam sessions sound. As for the band, Jane Getz is no slouch, even if she's no Titan either. The rest of the band is jam-session caliber, I think.

The difference for me is that everybody was more or less on the same page. Pharoah in 1964 was not the Pharoah of a year later. Ayler, otoh, was aready someplace else, far removed from his what his accompaniment could even begin to think about.

I understand what you are saying, and agreed, Ayler was way ahead of Pharoah, but I see these two sessions as being identical in terms of circumstance only. With Ayler, NHOP was on bass, who I don't consider to be a slouch, but he in fact played pretty much inside on that date. And on the ESP date, Jane Getz may be a key player, but she was pretty much playing inside too (as I think she was on the Mingus live date as well). My only point was that there are two players that were pushing ahead, and they were stuck with forward-thinking bands. The only difference is that Ayler and Pharoah recorded about two years apart. Ayler though, as you indicated, is in another bag, and that bag I respect tremondously. Pharoah had his work cut for him and he too was trying to push out, but he was stuck in a similar circumstance as Ayler, it just happen that Ayler was stuck with a similar band just two years prior.

[clifford_thornton]

Jane's playing is fine on that Pharaoh (and enjoy it on the Mingus Jazz Workshop side too), but I have to wonder how things would've differed sans piano. Patillo can swing - dig the first Simmons on ESP for more proof - and Bennett and Foster could certainly keep things rolling. Just a thought.

Still need a clean LP copy of Live at the East...