PHAROAH SANDERS — The Impulse Story (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Like the Archie Shepp and Alice Coltrane volumes in the Impulse Story series, the Pharoah Sanders issue is one of the flawless ones -- despite the fact that it only contains four tracks. Ashley Kahn, author of the book the series is named after, wisely chose tracks with Sanders as a leader rather than as a sideman with John Coltrane (those were documented quite well on the John and Alice volumes). The set begins with "Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt," recorded in 1966 while he was still a member of the Coltrane band. Featuring Sanders on tenor, piccolo, percussion, and vocals, it also contains a who's who of the vanguard: pianist Dave Burrell, guitarist Sonny Sharrock, bassist Henry Grimes, percussionist Nat Bettis, and drummer Roger Blank. Sanders could take a disparate group of players like this one and wind them into his sound world. Burrell is the most automatically sympathetic, and lends a hand in creating a series of call-and-response exchanges with Sanders so Sharrock and Grimes follow suit -- not the other way around. This is also the place where the listener really encounters Sharrock's unique (even iconoclastic) playing -- he performed on Miles Davis' seminal Jack Johnson album but was mixed out. At over 16 minutes, it is barely a hint of what is to come. This cut is followed by Sanders' magnum opus, "The Creator Has a Master Plan." Based on a simple vamp, it unravels into an almost 33-minute textured improvisation that sounds like it could move heaven and earth because it almost literally explodes. Recorded for the Karma album in 1969, "The Creator" also features the late great Leon Thomas on vocals, providing his eerie, deep, and soulful "voice as improvisational instrument" approach that sends the tune soaring. Other sidemen here are bassists Richard Davis and Reggie Workman, James Spaulding, Julius Watkins, pianist Lonnie Liston Smith, Bettis, and drummer Billy Hart. This is where this track belongs, not on the box where it took time and space away from other artists. "Astral Traveling," from the 1970 platter Thembi, follows, with the great violinist Michael White serving as foil to the lyric Pharoah. The last two tracks really chart Sanders' development not just as an improviser and composer but as a bandleader and in his mastery of the soprano saxophone -- only Steve Lacy and Coltrane did it better. The sprawl is tightened -- this cut is less than six minutes long -- but mainly in the way he leads the band with his approach to the saxophone and its dynamics. Cecil McBee plays bass here and Clifford Jarvis is on drums, and Smith uses an electric piano to fantastic effect. The final cut here, "Spiritual Blessing" from the Elevation album in 1973, is widely regarded as another Sanders classic with the man himself on soprano. He is accompanied by a group of percussionists, including Michael Carvin, Jimmy Hopps, John Blue, and Lawrence Killian. Sanders uses the percussionists as a counter to the featured drone instruments (with Joe Bonner on harmonium and Calvin Hill on tamboura). At just under six minutes, it's a song that perfectly fuses Eastern and Western musical improvisational traditions. Listening to this volume of the course of an hour is literally an aurally expansive and spiritually enlightening experience. If you can only have one of the CDs in this series, this may be the one to snag -- along with Alice Coltrane's chapter, this is spiritual jazz at its very best.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Upper Egypt And Lower Egypt 16:16
Bass – Henry Grimes
Drums – Roger Blank
Electric Guitar – Sonny Sharrock
Percussion – Nat Bettis
Piano – Dave Burrell
Tenor Saxophone, Piccolo Flute, Percussion, Vocals, Composed By – Pharoah Sanders
2    The Creator Has A Master Plan 32:45
Bass – Richard Davis
Composed By – Leon Thomas, Pharoah Sanders
Drums – Billy Hart
Flute – James Spaulding
French Horn – Julius Watkins
Percussion – Nat Bettis
Piano – Lonnie Liston Smith
Tenor Saxophone – Pharoah Sanders
Vocals, Percussion – Leon Thomas
3    Astral Traveling 5:48
Bass – Cecil McBee
Electric Piano, Composed By – Lonnie Liston Smith
Soprano Saxophone, Percussion – Pharoah Sanders
Violin – Michael White
4    Spiritual Blessing 5:40
Bells [Bell Tree] – Lawrence Killian
Drums – Michael Carvin
Harmonium – Joe Bonner
Percussion – Jimmy Hopps, John Blue
Soprano Saxophone, Composed By – Pharoah Sanders
Tambura – Calvin Hill

LEON THOMAS WITH OLIVER NELSON — Live in Berlin (1971-2002) RCA Victor Gold Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Leon Thomas makes a soaring, impressive vocal contribution. Nelson's alto sax solos sizzle. Ron Wynn   Tracklist & Credits :

RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK & AL HIBBLER - A Meeting of the Times (1972-2004) Atlantic Masters | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

On first glance this LP combines together a pair of unlikely musical partners; the unique multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Duke Ellington's former ballad singer Al Hibbler. However Rahsaan was very well acquainted with Ellington's music and he plays respectfully behind Hibbler on many of the standards, taking the wild "Carney and Bigard Place" as an instrumental. Hibbler (who did not record much this late in his career) is in good voice and phrases as eccentrically as ever on such songs as "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and "I Didn't Know About You." One leftover selection from Rahsaan's session with singer Leon Thomas ("Dream") rounds out this surprising set. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me 4'38
Duke Ellington / Bob Russell
2     Daybreak 3'12
Duke Ellington / John Latouche / Billy Strayhorn
3     Lover, Come Back to Me 3'48
Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg
4     Don't Get Around Much Anymore 2'53
Duke Ellington / Bob Russell
5     This Love of Mine 4'55
Sol Parker / Henry Sanicola / Frank Sinatra
6     Carney and Bigard Place 5'34
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
7     I Didn't Know About You 4'01
Duke Ellington / Bob Russell
8     Something 'Bout Believing 6'05
Duke Ellington
9     Dream 2'30
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Credits :
Bass – Major Holley (pistas: 9), Ron Carter (pistas: 1 to 8)
Drums – Charles Crosby (pistas: 9), Grady Tate (pistas: 1 to 8)
Piano – Hank Jones (pistas: 1 to 8), Lonnie Liston Smith (pistas: 9)
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone – Rahaan Roland Kirk
Vocals – Al Hibbler (pistas: 1 to 5,7,8), Leon Thomas (pistas: 9)

ARCHIE SHEPP - For Losers + Kwanza (2011) RM | Impulse! 2-On-1 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Though the two titles featured on this Impulse two-fer were originally issued four years apart, they were recorded pretty much at the same time. For Losers, released in 1970, reflects Archie Shepp's deep fascination with rhythm & blues and soul, as well as showing how vanguard jazz drew directly from the tradition. Produced by Ed Michel, this album (and Kwanza) features Shepp in the company of Grachan Moncur III, Jimmy Owens, Woody Shaw, Charles Davis, Dave Burrell, Cedar Walton, Andy Bey, Robin Kenyatta, Cecil Payne, James Spaulding, Wilbur Ware, Beaver Harris, Bernard Purdie, Joe Chambers, Leon Thomas, and Doris Troy, to name a few. It ranges from the funky stomp of "Stick 'Em Up" with Thomas up front and which draws equally on James Brown and Rufus Thomas, through to an avant version of Duke Ellington's "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)," with Troy's vocal atop a warm but angular and elastic harmonic arrangement, to a nearly straight version of Cal Massey's classic ballad "What Would It Be Without You," with beautiful interplay between Shepp's tenor and Payne's flute. The entire second side is taken up by "Un Croque Monsieur (Poem: For Losers)," an outside jazz jam of epic proportions. Kwanza, though it was recorded at nearly the same time, was not released until 1974. Its cuts display the same lineups as those on For Losers. While on the surface it would seem to be a collection of outtakes and leftovers from the earlier album, it doesn't doesn't play like one. With Michel producing only one track, and the balance by Bob Thiele, it sounds more like a direct follow-up. Shepp composed three tunes here; two of which ("Back Back" and "Slow Drag," with killer trumpet work by Shaw) reflect the tough, nasty soul and rhythm & blues foundations of the earlier album, while the other, "Spoo Pee Doo," while brief, is a curiously strange midtempo jazz ballad sung by Thomas. Moncur's modally based free workout "New Africa" appears as the set's longest and most satisfying number, with another Massey number, "Makai," which has its repetitive, labyrinthine counterpoint played to the hilt by Shepp and bassist Walter Booker. Together, For Losers and Kwanza are hotly debated but essential parts of the Shepp Impulse discography; they embody not merely the paradoxes of his vision, but the enormity of it.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
For Losers    
1    Stick 'Em Up 2:05
Alto Saxophone – Robin Kenyatta
Bass [Fender] – Albert Winston, Wilton Felder
Drums – Beaver Harris
Guitar – Bert Payne
Organ, Guitar – Mel Brown
Piano – Andrew Bey
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Martin Banks
Vocals – Doris Troy, Leon Thomas, Tasha Thomas
2    Abstract 4:20
Alto Saxophone – James Spaulding
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis
Bass [Fender] – Bob Bushnell
Drums – Bernard Purdie
Guitar – Wally Richardson
Organ – Dave Burrell
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Jimmy Owens
3    I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 5:16
Alto Saxophone – Clarence Sharpe
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Vocals – Chinalin Sharpe
4    What Would It Be Without You 4:05
Baritone Saxophone, Flute – Cecil Payne
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
5    Un Croque Monsieur (Poem: For Losers) 21:49
Alto Saxophone – Clarence Sharpe
Baritone Saxophone – Cecil Payne
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Matthew Gee
Trumpet – Woody Shaw
Vocals – Chinalin Sharpe
Kwanza    
6    Back Back 5:45
Alto Saxophone – James Spaulding
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis
Bass [Fender] – Bob Bushnell
Drums – Bernard 'Pretty' Purdie
Guitar – Wally Richardson
Organ – Dave Burrell
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet – Jimmy Owens
7    Spoo Pee Doo 2:37
Bass – Albert Winston
Drums – Beaver Harris
Guitar – Bert Payne
Piano – Andrew Bey
Trumpet – Martin Banks
Vocals – Doris Troy, Leon Thomas, Tasha Thomas
8    New Africa 12:47
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis
Bass – Walter Booker
Drums – Beaver Harris
Piano – Dave Burrell
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet – Jimmy Owens
Vocals – Archie Shepp
9    Slow Drag 10:08
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Trumpet – Woody Shaw
10    Bakai 9:57
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis
Bass – Walter Booker
Drums – Beaver Harris
Piano – Dave Burrell
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet – Jimmy Owens

LEON THOMAS & GARY BARTZ QUINTET - Precious Energy (1987-1993) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Leon Thomas and Gary Bartz are two tremendously gifted artists who have had problems with direction and taste. Thomas' seminal works with Pharoah Sanders, Lonnie Liston Smith, Santana, and others in the '70s weren't matched by some things he did in the early '80s, while Bartz's tough combo dates also weren't equaled by some pop-oriented recordings he cut later. The two have since gone back to their strengths and made an excellent team on the 1987 session Precious Energy. Although he doesn't try the ambitious yodeling and special effects he did with Sanders, Thomas does demonstrate the creamy sound and full force of earlier years, while Bartz's solos are once more fluid, strong, and expansive. Ron Wynn
Tracklist :
1    Precious Energy    12:55
 Leon Thomas
2    You Treat Me Like A Yo-Yo    8:15
 Leon Thomas
3    Sunflowers    11:13
 Freddie Hubbard / Leon Thomas
4    Cousin Mary    6:58
John Coltrane / Jon Hendricks
5    Woman    4:53
 Leon Thomas
6    Close Your Eyes    7:11
Bernice Petkere
7    Boom, Boom, Boom    15:38
 Leon Thomas
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Gary Bartz
Bass – Geoff Harper
Drums – Steve Johns
Piano – Bob Butta
Trumpet – Eddie Henderson
Vocals – Leon Thomas

PHAROAH SANDERS - The Impulse Story (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Like the Archie Shepp and Alice Coltrane volumes in the Impulse Story series, the Pharoah Sanders issue is one of the flawless ones -- despite the fact that it only contains four tracks. Ashley Kahn, author of the book the series is named after, wisely chose tracks with Sanders as a leader rather than as a sideman with John Coltrane (those were documented quite well on the John and Alice volumes). The set begins with "Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt," recorded in 1966 while he was still a member of the Coltrane band. Featuring Sanders on tenor, piccolo, percussion, and vocals, it also contains a who's who of the vanguard: pianist Dave Burrell, guitarist Sonny Sharrock, bassist Henry Grimes, percussionist Nat Bettis, and drummer Roger Blank. Sanders could take a disparate group of players like this one and wind them into his sound world. Burrell is the most automatically sympathetic, and lends a hand in creating a series of call-and-response exchanges with Sanders so Sharrock and Grimes follow suit -- not the other way around. This is also the place where the listener really encounters Sharrock's unique (even iconoclastic) playing -- he performed on Miles Davis' seminal Jack Johnson album but was mixed out. At over 16 minutes, it is barely a hint of what is to come. This cut is followed by Sanders' magnum opus, "The Creator Has a Master Plan." Based on a simple vamp, it unravels into an almost 33-minute textured improvisation that sounds like it could move heaven and earth because it almost literally explodes. Recorded for the Karma album in 1969, "The Creator" also features the late great Leon Thomas on vocals, providing his eerie, deep, and soulful "voice as improvisational instrument" approach that sends the tune soaring. Other sidemen here are bassists Richard Davis and Reggie Workman, James Spaulding, Julius Watkins, pianist Lonnie Liston Smith, Bettis, and drummer Billy Hart. This is where this track belongs, not on the box where it took time and space away from other artists. "Astral Traveling," from the 1970 platter Thembi, follows, with the great violinist Michael White serving as foil to the lyric Pharoah. The last two tracks really chart Sanders' development not just as an improviser and composer but as a bandleader and in his mastery of the soprano saxophone -- only Steve Lacy and Coltrane did it better. The sprawl is tightened -- this cut is less than six minutes long -- but mainly in the way he leads the band with his approach to the saxophone and its dynamics. Cecil McBee plays bass here and Clifford Jarvis is on drums, and Smith uses an electric piano to fantastic effect. The final cut here, "Spiritual Blessing" from the Elevation album in 1973, is widely regarded as another Sanders classic with the man himself on soprano. He is accompanied by a group of percussionists, including Michael Carvin, Jimmy Hopps, John Blue, and Lawrence Killian. Sanders uses the percussionists as a counter to the featured drone instruments (with Joe Bonner on harmonium and Calvin Hill on tamboura). At just under six minutes, it's a song that perfectly fuses Eastern and Western musical improvisational traditions. Listening to this volume of the course of an hour is literally an aurally expansive and spiritually enlightening experience. If you can only have one of the CDs in this series, this may be the one to snag -- along with Alice Coltrane's chapter, this is spiritual jazz at its very best.
|> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <|
Tracklist :
1    Upper Egypt And Lower Egypt 16:16
Bass – Henry Grimes
Drums – Roger Blank
Electric Guitar – Sonny Sharrock
Percussion – Nat Bettis
Piano – Dave Burrell
Tenor Saxophone, Piccolo Flute, Percussion, Vocals, Composed By – Pharoah Sanders
2    The Creator Has A Master Plan 32:45
Bass – Richard Davis
Composed By – Leon Thomas, Pharoah Sanders
Drums – Billy Hart
Flute – James Spaulding
French Horn – Julius Watkins
Percussion – Nat Bettis
Piano – Lonnie Liston Smith
Tenor Saxophone – Pharoah Sanders
Vocals, Percussion – Leon Thomas
3    Astral Traveling 5:48
Bass – Cecil McBee
Electric Piano, Composed By – Lonnie Liston Smith
Soprano Saxophone, Percussion – Pharoah Sanders
Violin – Michael White
4    Spiritual Blessing 5:40
Bells [Bell Tree] – Lawrence Killian
Drums – Michael Carvin
Harmonium – Joe Bonner
Percussion – Jimmy Hopps, John Blue
Soprano Saxophone, Composed By – Pharoah Sanders
Tambura – Calvin Hill

PHAROAH SANDERS - Meditation (Pharoah Sanders Selections Take 1 & 2) 2xCD (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although Pharoah Sanders first made his name in the free jazz scene of early-'60s New York and then by playing with John Coltrane in his most radical lineup, the saxophonist has never been merely a harsh, aggressive player. Meditation: Pharoah Sanders Selections, Take 1 does Sanders a great service by introducing the uninitiated to his work through music that is accessible and at times downright pretty without watering down his often-astonishing melodic freedom. 1970's "Thembi" marries an African rhythm to Sanders' graceful soprano sax and a fluid lead violin line by Michael White. "Morning Prayer," from the same sessions, has a hypnotic feel rooted in its polyrhythmic hand percussion (courtesy of Lonnie Liston Smith and a four-man team of African percussionists) and features an outstanding set of solos by Sanders on alto flute. "Colors" suffers a bit from being taken out of its original context as the becalmed coda to 1969's epic "The Creator Has a Master Plan," but Leon Thomas' incantatory vocal still has an eerie power. Finally, the epic 15-minute "Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah" has the ecstatic frenzy of a classic Sun Ra Arkestra side and the cockeyed grace of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's best work, blended with perhaps Thomas' finest vocal ever, mixing the staid cadences of a four-square preacher with some defiantly outside ululations. Besides the album's four other tracks (which include 1971's rare "Mansion Worlds," a fairly traditional piece of modal jazz making its CD debut), these tracks alone are evidence of Sanders' abiding spirituality and restless creative spirit, making Meditation: Pharoah Sanders Selections, Take 1 a perfect introduction to the man and his work. Stewart Mason  
Meditation - Pharoah Sanders Selections Take 1 -
1.    Greeting To Saud 4'06
Percussion – Jimmy Hopps, Kenneth Nash, Lawrence Killian, Michael Carvin, Pharoah Sanders
Piano – Joe Bonner
Tambora – Calvin Hill
Violin – Michael White
Vocals – Sedatrius Brown
2.    Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum Allah 05'05
Drums – Roy Haynes
Drums, Percussion – Idris Muhammad
Flute, Thumb Piano, Percussion – Lonnie Liston Smith
Percussion – Cecil McBee
Tenor Saxophone, Contrabass Clarinet, Flute, Thumb Piano, Chimes, Percussion – Pharoah Sanders
Vocals, Percussion – Leon Thomas
3.    Mansion Worlds 9'14
Bass – Cecil McBee, Stanley Clarke
Drums – Norman Connors
Flute – Art Webb
Piano – Joe Bonner
Soprano Saxophone, Vocals, Percussion – Pharoah Sanders
4.    The Gathering 13'53
Bass – Calvin Hill
Congas, Bell Tree – Lawrence Killian
Drums – Michael Carvin
Percussion – John Blue
Piano, Flute, Horn, Vocals, Percussion – Joe Bonner
Sopranino Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Vocals, Percussion – Pharoah Sanders
5.    Morning Prayer 9'12
Bass, Effects – Cecil McBee
Percussion – Anthony Wiles, Chief Bey, Majid Shabazz, Nat Bettis
Piano, Finger Cymbals, Thumb Piano – Lonnie Liston Smith
Tenor Saxophone, Alto Flute, Handbell, Thumb Piano, Maracas, Fife – Pharoah Sanders
6.    Thembi 7'02
Bass, Finger Cymbals, Percussion – Cecil McBee
Drums, Maracas, Bells, Percussion – Clifford Jarvis
Finger Cymbals – James Jordan
Piano, Electric Piano, Claves, Percussion – Lonnie Liston Smith
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Bells, Percussion – Pharoah Sanders
Violin, Percussion – Michael White
7.    Memories Of Lee Morgan 5'37
Bass – Cecil McBee, Stanley Clarke
Congas, Percussion – Lawrence Killian
Drums – Norman Connors
Percussion – Hannibal (Marvin Peterson)
Piano, Flute, Percussion – Joe Bonner
Sopranino Saxophone, Vocals, Percussion, Bells – Pharoah Sanders
8.    Colors 5'38
Bass – Reggie Workman, Ron Carter
Drums – Freddie Waits
French Horn – Julius Watkins
Piano – Lonnie Liston Smith
Tenor Saxophone – Pharoah Sanders
Vocals, Percussion – Leon Thomas
Meditation - Pharoah Sanders Selections Take 2 -
1    Shukuru 5'49
2    Rejoice 12'45
3    Pharomba 4'35
4    Origin 5'44
5    Naima 7'31
6    Sun Song 6'05
7    Think About The One 4'18
8    Midnight At Yoshi's 6'00
9    You Got To Have Freedom 6'51
10    Heart Is A Melody Of Time 7'34
11    Light At The Edge Of The World 5'09

PHAROAH SANDERS — Izipho Zam (1973-2006) RM | Serie 70年代ジャズを味わう!! – 11 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Two years after the death of his mentor and boss, John Coltrane, and just before signing his own contract with Impulse!, Pharoah Sanders finally got around to releasing an album as a leader apart from the Impulse! family. Enlisting a cast of characters no less than 13 in number, Sanders proved that his time with Coltrane and his Impulse! debut, Tauhid, was not a fluke. Though hated by many of the jazz musicians at the time -- and more jazz critics who felt Coltrane had lost his way musically the minute he put together the final quintet -- Sanders followed his own muse to the edges of Eastern music and sometimes completely outside the borderlines of what could be called jazz. That said, Izipho Zam is a wonderful recording, full of the depth of vision and heartfelt soul that has informed every recording of Sanders since. Guests include Sonny Sharrock, Lonnie Liston Smith, Chief Bey, Cecil McBee, Sirone, Sonny Fortune, Billy Hart, Howard Johnson, and others. The set begins with a gorgeous soul tune in "Prince of Peace," with Leon Thomas doing his trademark yodel, croon, and wail as Smith, McBee, and Hart back him and Sanders fills the gaps. Next is "Balance," the first blowing tune on the set, with the African drums, the modal horns, and Sanders' microtonal investigations of sonic polarity contrasted with Johnson's tuba, leaving the rhythm section to join him as Sharrock and Smith trade drone lines and Sanders turns it into a Latin dance from outer space about halfway through to the end -- it's astonishing. Finally, on the 28-minute title track, the band members -- all of them -- begin a slow tonal inquiry, a textured traipse into the abyss of dissonance and harmonic integration, with Thomas as the bridge through which all sounds must travel on their way to the ensemble. From here, percussion, bells, whistles, Sharrock's heavily chorded guitar -- all provide rhythm upon interval upon tonal figure until the horns enter at about 12 minutes. They move slowly at first and gather force until they blast it right open at 20 minutes and the last eight are all free blowing and an endurance ride for the listener because, with four minutes left, Sanders leads the band in a gorgeous lyric ride that brings together all disparate elements in his world and ours, making this track -- and album -- an exhilarating, indispensable out jazz experience.
> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <
Tracklist :
1     Prince of Peace 8:50
Pharoah Sanders    
2     Balance 12:43
Pharoah Sanders    
3     Izipho Zam 28:50
Pharoah Sanders    
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Sonny Fortune
Bass – Cecil McBee, Sirone (Norris Jones)
Drums – Billy Hart, Majeed Shabazz
Drums [African] – Chief Bey
Guitar – Sonny Sharrock
Percussion – Nat Bettis, Tony Wylie
Piano – Lonnie Liston Smith
Saxophone, Percussion, Composed By – Pharoah Sanders
Tuba – Howard Johnson
Vocals, Percussion – Leon Thomas

PHAROAH SANDERS - Karma (1969-2019) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Pharoah Sanders' third album as a leader is the one that defines him as a musician to the present day. After the death of Coltrane, while there were many seeking to make a spiritual music that encompassed his ideas and yearnings while moving forward, no one came up with the goods until Sanders on this 1969 date. There are only two tracks on Karma, the 32-plus minute "The Creator Has a Master Plan" and the five-and-a-half-minute "Colours." The band is one of Sanders' finest, and features vocalist Leon Thomas, drummer Billy Hart, Julius Watkins, James Spaulding, a pre-funk Lonnie Liston Smith, Richard Davis, Reggie Workman on bass, and Nathaniel Bettis on percussion. "Creator" begins with a quote from "A Love Supreme," with a nod to Coltrane's continuing influence on Sanders. But something else emerges here as well: Sanders' own deep commitment to lyricism and his now inherent knowledge of Eastern breathing and modal techniques. His ability to use the ostinato became not a way of holding a tune in place while people soloed, but a manner of pushing it irrepressibly forward. Keeping his range limited (for the first eight minutes anyway), Sanders explores all the colors around the key figures, gradually building the dynamics as the band comps the two-chord theme behind with varying degrees of timbral invention. When Thomas enters at nine minutes, the track begins to open. His yodel frees up the theme and the rhythm section to invent around him. At 18 minutes it explodes, rushing into a silence that is profound as it is noisy in its approach. Sanders is playing microphonics and blowing to the heavens and Thomas is screaming. They are leaving the material world entirely. When they arrive at the next plane, free of modal and interval constraints, a new kind of lyricism emerges, one not dependent on time but rhythm, and Thomas and Sanders are but two improvisers in a sound universe of world rhythm and dimension. There is nothing to describe the exhilaration that is felt when this tune ends, except that "Colours," with Ron Carter joining Workman on the bass, was the only track that could follow it. You cannot believe it until you hear it.   

|> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <|

Tracklist :
1 Creator Has a Master Plan 32:47
(Pharoah Sanders / Leon Thomas)
Bass – Richard Davis
Drums – William Hart
Flute – James Spaulding
Percussion – Nathaniel Bettis
2 Colors 5:36
(Pharoah Sanders / Leon Thomas)
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Frederick Waits
Credits :
Bass – Reggie Workman
French Horn – Julius Watkins
Piano – Lonnie L. Smith Jr.
Tenor Saxophone, Music By – Pharoah Sanders
Vocals, Percussion, Lyrics By – Leon Thomas

PHAROAH SANDERS ft. LEON THOMAS - Shukuru (1985) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Pharoah Sanders and singer Leon Thomas had a reunion on this Theresa recording on two of the numbers (most notably "Sun Song") and, although the magic of "The Creator Has a Master Plan" is not recaptured, the music is still enjoyable. The other four numbers are instrumentals featuring Sanders' tenor with keyboardist William Henderson, bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Idris Muhammad. Sanders does a close impression of late-'50s John Coltrane on "Body and Soul" and "Too Young to Go Steady" and shows a bit more heat on the other two numbers. But fans of his most passionate dates are advised to get a sampling of the earlier Impulse recordings instead. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Shukuru 5'44
Pharoah Sanders    
2     Body and Soul 7'33
Frank Eyton / Johnny Green / Edward Heyman / Robert Sour
3     Mas in Brooklyn (Highlife) 3'41
Linger Francisco    
4     Sun Song 6'04
Leon Thomas    
5     Too Young to Go Steady 5'21
Harold Adamson / Jimmy McHugh    
6     Jitu 5'43
Pharoah Sanders    
7    For Big George 7'59
Pharoah Sanders / Leon Thomas
Credits :
Bass – Ray Drummond
Drums – Idris Muhammad
Synthesizer [Kurzweil 520] – William Henderson
Tenor Saxophone – Pharoah Sanders
Vocals – Leon Thomas (pistas: 3, 4), Pharoah Sanders (pistas: 1, 3)

PHAROAH SANDERS - Oh Lord, Let Me Do No Wrong (1987) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Although Pharoah Sanders was originally considered a firebrand, thanks to his wild early free jazz work in the '60s, his later records are actually more in the tradition of players like his one-time leader John Coltrane and, especially, Rahsaan Roland Kirk. The title track from this 1987 session could have been on any of Kirk's Atlantic albums, a mixture of gospel sway and free jazz honk that builds into a hypnotic swoon under Leon Thomas' rich baritone vocals. (Thomas also appears on his own composition, the blues "If It Wasn't for a Woman," and the closing "Next Time You See Me.") On the extended, relaxed take of Coltrane's "Equinox," Sanders doesn't try to copy his former boss' phrasing, but there's certainly a Coltrane-like elegance to Sanders' lyrical solo. In fact, Sanders' playing on the standard "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," which also features a lovely Vince Guaraldi-like piano solo by William S. Henderson III, is downright pretty. Oh Lord, Let Me Do No Wrong is a mellow and peaceful set by a player who no longer needs to make noise; whether old-school fans will appreciate this is debatable. Stewart Mason  
Tracklist :
1    Oh Lord, Let Me Do No Wrong 5:35
Lyrics By – Leon Thomas, Pharoah Sanders
Music By – Pharoah Sanders
2    Equinox 9:25
Composed By – John Coltrane
3    Polka Dots And Moonbeams 6:11
Composed By – James Van Heusen, Johnny Burke
4    If It Wasn't For A Woman 4:39
Composed By – Leon Thomas
5    Clear Out Of This World 13:45
Composed By – Al Dubin, Jimmy McHugh
6    Next Time You See Me    3:54
Credits :
Bass – Tarik Shah
Drums – Greg Banoy
Electric Piano – Donald Smith
Piano [Acoustic] – William Henderson
Producer – Bob Thiele
Tenor Saxophone – Pharoah Sanders
Vocals – Leon Thomas (pistas: 1, 4, 6)

JOHNNY HODGES WITH LEON THOMAS AND OLIVER NELSON - Three Shades of Blue (1970) lp | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
A1    Empty Ballroom Blues    4:54
Duke Ellington / Cootie Williams
A2    Duke´s Place    3:35
Ellington / Thiele
A3    Echoes Of Harlem    4:20
Duke Ellington
A4    Disillusion Blues    3:56
Leon Thomas
A5    Yearning    5:20
Oliver Nelson
B1    Welcome To New York    4:10
Leon Thomas
B2    Black, Brown And Beautiful    3:50
Oliver Nelson
B3    Rockin´ In Rhythm    3:09
Ellington / Mills / Carney
B4    Creole Love Call    4:56
Duke Elligton
10    It´s Glory    2:55
Duke Ellington
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Johnny Hodges
Arranged By, Conductor – Oliver Nelson
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Grady Tate
Guitar – David Spinozza
Piano – Earl Hines, Hank Jones
Producer – Bob Thiele
Saxophone – Danny Bank, Frank Wess, Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Joe Farrell, Bob Ashton
Trombone – Al Grey, Garnett Brown, Quentin Jackson, Thomas Mitchell
Trumpet – Ernie Royal, Marvin Stamm, Randy Brecker, Snooky Young
Notas.
Original first pressing.
This album was recorded in New York City, March 17 and 19, 1970 and the liner notes by Nat Hentoff were written before the untimely death of Johnny Hodges on May 11, 1970.

JACKY TERRASSON — A Paris ... (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Jacky Terrasson's 1999 album, What It Is, represented something of a risk. The young pianist's first three albums were barebones trio affairs that had won him rave reviews, whereas What It Is featured additional instruments and was more slickly produced. Gone, it seemed, was the sparse, acoustic approach that had originally given Terrasson his fame. But while this new direction yielded mixed results and left some fans a bit befuddled, one had to respect Terrasson's need to grow and evolve as an artist.Terrasson does much better with his follow-up, A Paris, an homage to the city of his youth and early adulthood. While not a return to the simple piano trio format (there are five guest musicians in addition to two alternating rhythm sections), the album has a spontaneous, natural sound that was lacking from the studio-centric What It Is. What's more, A Paris is packed with new and varied ideas that work, not to mention passionate, fiery playing throughout.Only the last two tracks are originals, the fewest ever on a Terrasson album. "Rue de Lombards," a funk fragment that sounds like an in-studio improvisation, is credited to Terrasson, drummer Terreon Gully, and bassist Remi Vignolo. The rest of the tracks are Terrasson's highly personal readings of songs from French culture. Most will not be familiar to American listeners, with the possible exception of "La Marseillaise" -- the French national anthem -- and the Edith Piaf classic "La Vie en Rose," played in a calypso feel by Terrasson and percussionist Minino Gara.Guitarist Bireli Lagrene's cameos on the bluesy title track and the swinging "Que Reste-T'Il de Nos Amours?" are nothing short of brilliant. The latter, which bears an uncanny likeness to Lerner & Loewe's "Almost Like Being in Love," features Terrasson on Fender Rhodes electric piano. Saxophonist Stefano di Battista also makes two fine appearances, playing tenor on the fast, tense "Jeux Interdits" and soprano on the lively and pretty "L'Aigle Noir," one of the two originals. Both Lagrene and Battista return for the brief, full-company finale, an intoxicating funk line by Terrasson titled "Métro."
Another highlight is Terrasson resuscitating his funk version of Cole Porter's "I Love Paris," the only song by an American writer and the very one that led off Terrasson's 1994 debut album. Bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Leon Parker, Terrasson's trio mates from his first three albums, both return to play on the Porter track, as well as the opening Piaf number "Plaisir d'Amour" and an exquisite reading of Jacques Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas." The latter briefly features Gregoire Maret on harmonica, who played on What It Is. Several rather short pieces are grouped right around the middle of the album, giving that part of the program a collage-like feel that can seem a bit superficial. That aside, Terrasson has pulled off something rare: a concept album that succeeds on a variety of creative levels. In the process, he's given exposure to several excellent European musicians, not to mention some beautiful French music that American audiences ought to hear. David R. Adler  
Tracklist :
1 Plaisir d'Amour 3:10
Public Domain / Traditional 
2 Les Chemins de l'Amour 4:24
Francis Poulenc 
3 Jeux Interdits 6:27
N. Yepes / Narciso Yepes 
4 A Paris 8:52
Francis Lemarque 
5 I Love Paris in the Springtime 3:10
Cole Porter 
6 Que Reste-T'il de Nos Amours? 4:20
Charles Trénet 
7 Ne Me Quitte Pas 4:43
Jacques Brel 
8 La Vie en Rose 3:11
Guglielmi Luis Guglielmo 
9 Nantes 2:00
10 La Marseillaise 3:16
11 Rue des Lombards 1:08
Terreon Gully / Jacky Terrasson / Rémi Vignolo 
12 L' Aigle Noir 3:22
Barbara 
13 I Love You More 6:22
Jacky Terrasson 
14 Métro 1:31
Jacky Terrasson 
Credits 
Bass – Rémi Vignolo, Ugonna Okegwo
Drums – Leon Parker, Terreon Gully
Guitar – Bireli Lagrene
Harmonica – Grégoire Maret
Marimba – Stefon Harris
Percussion – Minino Garay
Piano, Producer – Jacky Terrasson
Saxophone – Stefano di Battista