Pharoah [Expanded Edition]

by Pharoah Sanders

Overview

Pharoah Sanders' India Navigation album Pharoah is among his most beloved, but he remained critical of it. Thanks to Luaka Bop, the oft-pirated title gets its first official re-release with excellent remastering. Sanders entered the studio in August 1976 with a band that he never hired again: Organist Clifton "Jiggs" Chase (who co-wrote Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's "The Message"), electric guitarist Tisziji Munoz, drummer Greg Bandy, upright bassist Steve Neil, then-wife Bedria Sanders (a classically trained pianist) on harmonium, and percussionist Lawrence Killian. An impoverished Sanders, released from his contract with Impulse! two years earlier, was seeking to include rock in his evolving sound. The first session produced two long jams: the celebratory, soul-tinged spiritual jazz tune "Love Will Find a Way" (recut as the title to his 1978 Arista debut), and "Memories for Edith Johnson" after an aunt. Sanders was unhappy with the results. Producer/label owner Bob Cummins convinced him to return in September. The latter session went much more smoothly and produced the incantatory spiritual anthem "Harvest Time." While Sanders wasn't pleased with the completed record, he admired its compositions. He performed the raucous "Love Will Find a Way" and "Harvest Time" for the rest of his life, and, after four years of discussions with Luaka Bop, fully cooperated with this release. In hindsight, it's easy to hear what threw Sanders off in that first session: the sound is muddier, and despite the intensity, its approach differs aesthetically from his Impulse! titles in that it experiments with a wider dynamic range of mantra-like repetition and lusher textures. He allowed Munoz -- a truly unconventional and original stylist -- generous solo opportunities. Thankfully, Luaka Bop understood Pharoah's import. The first disc offers a wonderfully remastered version of the studio album. The more "ambient" textures in the deeply spiritual, 20-minute "Harvest Time" emerge from Munoz's Santana-esque chordal vamp to invite bass, harmonium, and sax in. There are no drums. Following the saxophonist's blue modal solo, the tune travels across drones, transcendent guitar, and bass breaks, and near-instinctual interplay between the rhythm instruments. Both "Love Will Find a Way" and "Memories of Edith Johnson" offer resplendent and balanced sound, rendering their joyous melodies and vamps more dynamic and resonant than on the original pressing. The second disc includes two unissued live versions of "Harvest Time" from jazz festival stages at Middleheim and Wilisau in 1977 with a band that included pianist Khalid Moss, bassist Hayes Burnett, and drummer Clifford Jarvis. The Middleheim version introduced by drums, percussion, and Sanders' horn, delivers the tune in a more uptempo yet restrained version enhanced by drums. The Wilisau version isn't as long, but Sanders' wildly experimental solo saxophone break shows up in the final three minutes. In addition to the music, the 64-page booklet is lavishly illustrated and offers liner essays and notes by Harmony Holiday, Eliza Grace Martin, Pierre Crepon, and Marcus J. Moore. For most Sanders fans, Pharoah remains a masterpiece, and as such, it finally gets the respect it deserves. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	09/15/2023
Label:	Luaka Bop
UPC:	0680899800815
Rank:	19908

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Pharoah Sanders   Primary Artist,Bells,Vocals,Percussion,Sax (Tenor)
Clifford Jarvis   Drums
Lawrence Killian   Keyboards,Percussion
Steve Neil   Bass
Greg Bandy   Drums
Bedria Sanders   Harmonium
Clifton Chase   Keyboards
Hayes Burnett   Bass,Percussion
Khalid Moss   Piano,Piano (Electric)
Tisziji Munoz   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Chris Bellman   Mastering
Pharoah Sanders   Composer,Cover Photo
Yale Evelev   Executive Producer
Bob Cummins   Engineer,Producer
Peter Shepherd   Cover Design
Paul Diddy   Design
Eric Welles-Nystroem   Executive Producer
Harmony Holiday   Liner Notes
O. Star   Illustrations