Message From Home

by Pharoah Sanders

Overview

The world music-minded producer Bill Laswell gets a hold of Pharoah Sanders here and lo, the sleeping volcano erupts with one of his most fulfilling albums in many a year. Message From Home is rooted in, but not exclusively devoted to, African idioms, as the overpowering hip-hop groove of "Our Roots (Began In Africa)" points out. But the record really develops into something special when Sanders pits his mighty tenor sound against the pan-African beats, like the ecstatically joyful rhythms of "Tomoki" and the poised, percolating fusion of American country & western drums and Nigerian juju guitar riffs on "Country Mile." In addition, "Nozipho" is a concentrated dose of the old Pharoah, heavily spiritual and painfully passionate, with a generous supply of the tenor player's famous screeching rhetoric, and kora virtuoso Foday Musa Suso shows up on "Kumba" with a touch of village Gambian music. This resurrection will quicken the pulse of many an old Pharoah fan. ~ Richard S. Ginell

Product Details

Release Date:	03/19/1996
Label:	Verve / Polygram
UPC:	0731452957825
Rank:	60982

Tracks

1. Our Roots (Began in Africa)
2. Nozipho
3. Tomoki
4. Ocean Song
5. Kumba
6. Country Mile

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Pharoah Sanders   Primary Artist,Bells,Bowls,Flute,Vocals,Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano)
Charnett Moffett   Guest Artist,Bass (Acoustic)
Foday Musa Suso   Guest Artist,Kora,Vocals,Doussn'gouni
Hamid Drake   Guest Artist,Frame Drum,Vocals,Tabla,Drums
Bernie Worrell   Guest Artist,Vocals,Keyboards
Steve Neil   Bass
Jeff Bova   Keyboards
Aiyb Dieng   Gong,Bells,Chatan,Congas,Vocals
Fanta Mangasuba   Vocals (Background)
William Henderson   Piano,Vocals,Piano (Electric)
Salie Suso   Vocals (Background)
Mariama Suso   Vocals (Background)
Fatoumata Sako   Vocals (Background)
Dominic Kanza   Guitar
Michael White   Violin

Technical Credits

Bill Laswell   Producer
Jeff Bova   Programming
Tom Ruff   Mastering
Foday Musa Suso   Composer
Jean-Pierre Sluys   Assistant Engineer
Robert Musso   Engineer
Pharoah Sanders   Composer
Danny Kadar   Assistant Engineer