PHAROAH SANDERS - Heart Is a Melody (1982-1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This Evidence CD is a reissue of a Theresa LP, adding two songs ("Naima" and "Rise 'n' Shine") to the original program. Pharoah Sanders is heard at his best on a 22-minute version of "Olé," where the tenor really gets a chance to stretch out. His "vocal" on "Goin' to Africa" is spirited, but otherwise most of his solos are very much in the tradition of John Coltrane. There are some fiery moments but few surprises on this date chiefly recommended to Sanders fans. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Olé 2:13
John Coltrane    
2     On a Misty Night 7:00
Tadd Dameron    
3     Heart Is a Melody of Time (Hiroko's Song) 7:32
William S. Fischer / Pharoah Sanders
Vocals – Andy Bey, Cort Cheek, Debra McGriffe, Flame Braithwaite, Jes Muir, Kris Wyn, Mira Hadar
4     Goin' to Africa (Highlife) 3:49
Pharoah Sanders    
Bells – Paul Arslanian
Vocals – Pharoah Sanders, Audience
- BONUS TRACKS -
5     Naima 7:28
John Coltrane    
6     Rise 'n' Shine 15:07
Stephen Ballantine / Buddy DeSylva / Vincent Youmans
Credits :
Bass – John Heard
Drums – Idris Muhammad
Liner Notes – Dave Holland
Piano – William Henderson
Producer, Tenor Saxophone – Pharoah Sanders

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)

PHAROAH SANDERS - A Prayer Before Dawn (1987-1993) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Recorded in 1987, A Prayer Before Dawn is one of Pharoah Sanders' gentle, reflective dates. Some jazz fans may cringe at his versions of "Christmas Song" and Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love of All," but the music displays a heartfelt spirituality as opposed to financial slickness. It is the opposite of Sanders' characteristic fire-breathing tenor of his Impulse days, but there is nobility in taking this tranquil direction; Sanders refuses to repeat himself. He demands you listen with open ears, dropping preconceived notions. For instance, unlike the adult contemporary direction taken by one-time free jazz tenor titan Gato Barbieri, this date doesn't sound like a polished commercial venture as much as a quiet, meditative one. The use of tabla, sarod, and chandrasarang adds to the session's spiritual nature. Al Campbell
Tracklist :
1    The Light At The Edge Of The World 5:08
Written-By – P. Piccioni
2    Dedication To James W. Clark 5:15
Written-By – P. Sanders
3    Softy For Shyla 5:21
Written-By – W. Henderson
4    The Greatest Love Of All 8:23
Written-By – Creed, Masser
5    Midnight At Yoshi's
Written-By – P. Sanders
6    Living Space 4:32
Written-By – J. Coltrane
7    After The Rain 6:34
Written-By – J. Coltrane
8    In Your Own Sweet Way 7:08
Written-By – D. Brubeck
9    Christmas Song 7:25
Written-By – Torme, Wells
Credits :
Drums – Alvin Queen
Piano [Acoustic] – John Hicks
Piano [Acoustic], Synthesizer [Kurzweil] – William Henderson
Sarod, Sarangi [Chandrasarang] – Lyn Taussig
Tabla – Brian McLaughlin
Tenor Saxophone, Instruments [Miscellaneous Instruments] – Pharoah Sanders

PHAROAH SANDERS - Moon Child (1990-2015) RM | Timeless Jazz Master Collection 37 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

By this point in his career, Sanders had largely withdrawn from the kind of screeching avant-gardism on which he at first staked his reputation. The opening "Moon Child," with its attractively spacy vocals, is reminiscent of the days of "The Creator Has a Master Plan," but this version sounds too contrived to rival the classic earlier recording. The mood is subdued throughout and the choice of tunes definitely on the conservative side ("All or Nothing at All" and "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," among the six tracks). William Henderson is lovely on piano, while the drummer (Eddie Moore) and percussionist (Cheikh Tidiane Fale) keep to the quiet side. The results may have originally disappointed some of Sanders' fans, but with time the saxophonist clearly reinvented himself as a more traditional improviser capable of thoughtful and pensive deliberations. Steve Loewy
Tracklist :
1    Moon Child 8:07
Written-By – P. Sanders
2    Moon Rays 6:10
Written-By – H. Silver
3    The Night Has A Thousand Eyes 12:17
Written-By – B. Bermien, J. Brainin
4    All Or Nothing At All 9:23
Written-By – A. Altman, J. Lawrence
5    Soon 5:29
Written-By – G. Gershwin
6    Moniebah 10:43
Written-By – A. Ibrahim, Dollar Brand
Credits :
Bass – Stafford James
Drums – Eddie Moore
Percussion – Cheikh Tidiane Fale
Piano – William Henderson
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Pharoah Sanders

PHAROAH SANDERS - Welcome To Love (1991) RM | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

When this was first released, the slow, straight sounds of Pharoah Sanders on a series of mostly famous ballads came as a bit of a surprise to some. Others saw Sanders as following the road of his mentor, John Coltrane, who had recorded most of these tunes himself. In retrospect, the inside playing of Sanders is less of a surprise, the saxophonist having followed that path regularly since at least the '80s. This performance has held up well through the years, and while the thin, reserved approach is reminiscent of Coltrane, it is still marked with Pharoah's print. The competent and thoroughly professional rhythm section of pianist William Henderson, bassist Stafford James, and drummer Eccleston W. Wainwright takes a decidedly reserved cue from the saxophonist, but each song is infused with a subtle emotional quality that simply does not let go. Steve Loewy
Tracklist :
1    You Don't Know What Love Is 4:55
Written-By – D. Raye, G. De Paul
2    The Nearness Of You 5:18
Written-By – H. Carmichael, N. Washington
3    My One And Only Love 8:05
Written By – R. Mellin / G. Wood
4    I Want To Talk About You 8:12
Written-By – B. Ecksteine
5    Soul Eyes 9:22
Written-By – M. Waldron
6    Nancy 6:53
Written-By – J. Van Heusen, Ph. Silvers
7    Polka Dots And Moonbeams 7:20
Written-By – J. Van Heusen, J. Burke
8    Say It (Over And Over Again) 6:56
Written-By – F. Loesser, J. McHugh
9    Lament 6:13
Written-By – J.J. Johnson
10    The Bird Song 6:50
Soloist – Pharoah Sanders
Written-By – Pharoah Sanders
Credits :
Bass – Stafford James
Drums – Eccleston W. Wainwright
Piano – William Henderson
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Pharoah Sanders

PHAROAH SANDERS QUARTET - Crescent With Love (1993-2009) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Lonnie's Lament 8:00
Composed By – J. Coltrane
2    Softly For Shyla 3:44
Composed By – W. Henderson
3    Wise One 13:46
Composed By – J. Coltrane
4    Naima 6:46
Composed By – J. Coltrane
5    Crescent 9:49
Composed By – J. Coltrane
6    After The Rain 5:36
Composed By – J. Coltrane
Credits :
Bass – Charles Fambrough
Drums – Sherman Ferguson
Piano – William Henderson
Tenor Saxophone – Pharoah Sanders

PHAROAH SANDERS - Message From Home (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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
Tracklist :
1    Our Roots (Began In Africa)    10:21
Written-By – Pharoah Sanders
2    Nozipho    9:43
Written-By – Pharoah Sanders
3    Tomoki    6:26
Written-By – Pharoah Sanders
4    Ocean Song    8:49
Written-By – Pharoah Sanders
5    Kumba    7:50
Written-By – Pharoah Sanders / Foday Musa Suso
6        Country Mile    6:03
Written-By – Pharoah Sanders
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – Charnett Moffett
Backing Vocals – Fanta Mangasuba, Fatumata Sako, Mariama Suso, Salie Suso
Bass – Steve Neil
Drums, Tabla, Drums [Frame Drums], Vocals – Hamid Drake
Electric Piano, Piano, Vocals – William Henderson
Guitar – Dominic Kanza
Keyboards, Programmed By – Jeff Bova
Keyboards, Vocals – Bernie Worrell
Kora, Kora [Dousongonni], Vocals – Foday Musa Suso
Percussion [Chatan], Congas, Bells, Gong, Vocals – Aiyb Dieng
Producer – Bill Laswell
Saxophone, Flute, Bells, Vocals, Singing Bowls [Bowls] – Pharoah Sanders
Violin – Michael White

PHAROAH SANDERS - Save Our Children (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Back with Bill Laswell after their ecstatically successful pan-African collaboration Message From Home, Sanders tries to capture that lightning again but this time, the ambience is mellower, the spirituality less fierce. Though the African percussive element is still present, it now takes a back seat to subtle layered electronics and influences from India and the Middle East, and the huge, passionate Pharoah sound of old is mostly toned-down and recessed, sometimes squeezed into a double-reeded instrument. The 14-minute "My Jewels of Love" captures the ethereal Sanders particularly well, his cool soprano rising over tablas, harmonium and electric piano as Laswell's production imperceptibly changes the scenery over time. On "The Ancient Song," there are some ghostly fascimiles of the exciting Pharoah of not very long ago, and Sanders attains some gentle spiritual fervor over the subtly layered electronics of "Kazuko." Then there is the anomaly of "Midnight In Berkeley Square," which is "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square" done pretty straight, with Pharoah playing sweet and almost sentimental tenor, until the dream world of pop standards slowly dissolves at the close. This record has a sleek, absorbing sound of its own, but that's mostly Laswell's triumph. Richard S. Ginell  
Tracklist :
1    Save Our Children 7:51
Voice – Abiodun Oyewole, Asante
Voice, Talking Drum – Abdou Mboup
2    Midnight In Berkeley Square    9:17
3    Jewels Of Love    14:00
4    Kazuko    10:15
5    The Ancient Sounds    10:51
6    Far-Off Sand    9:09
Credits :
Bass [Acoustic] – Alex Blake
Drums, Tabla, Percussion – Trilok Gurtu
Harmonium – Tony Cedras
Organ, Piano [Electric], Synthesizer – Bernie Worrell
Piano, Harmonium – William Henderson
Producer – Bill Laswell
Saxophone [Tenor, Soprano], Reeds [Double], Percussion, Voice – Pharoah Sanders
Synthesizer, Programmed By – Jeff Bova
Tabla, Voice – Zakir Hussain

PHAROAH SANDERS QUARTET - Ballads With Love (1992-1999) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Known for his harsh excursions into the avant-garde with John Coltrane in the late '60s, Pharoah Sanders is at his most appealing interpreting ballads, such as these 2002 sessions. Well accompanied by pianist William Henderson, bassist Charles Fambrough, and drummer Sherman Ferguson, Sanders offers a fluid interpretation of the nearly forgotten gem "Too Young to Go Steady," showcasing his warm tenor sax and Henderson's lush touch as well. His take of Anthony Newley's "Feelin' Good" shows Coltrane's influence on him, while Sanders gives this show tune a gospel flavor. One fascinating choice is Piero Piccioni's "Light at the Edge of the World," written for the film of the same name, a big-budget 1971 film starring Kirk Douglas that flopped at the box office; Sanders' decision to look for obscurities such as this gem pays off huge dividends, with his robust playing in a soft bossa nova setting and Henderson's shimmering piano glistening like the sun on the ocean. The arrangements of favorites like "Body and Soul," "In a Sentimental Mood," and "Misty" are also among Pharoah Sanders' best recorded performances. Recommended. Ken Dryden  
Tracklist :
1     Too Young to Go Steady 5'58
Jimmy McHugh
2     Feelin' Good 7'15
Anthony Newley
3     Light at the Edge of the World 6'24
Piero Piccioni
4     Body and Soul 91
Edward Heyman / Robert Sour
5     Misty 5'45
Erroll Garner
6     In a Sentimental Mood 6'36
Duke Ellington / Manny Kurtz / Irving Mills
Credits :
Bass – Charles Fambrough
Drums – Sherman Ferguson
Piano – William Henderson
Tenor Saxophone – Pharoah Sanders

PHAROAH SANDERS QUARTET - The Creator Has A Master Plan (2003-2016) RM | SACD | 24bits-88.2hz | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Pharoah Sanders is one of the few horn players whose sound is instantly commanding and recognizable. He's often compared to John Coltrane in their similar power, spirituality, and preference for the meaty middle register of the tenor, and in fact, one of the selections here is a long, atmospheric meditation on Coltrane's "Welcome." This CD is a rare treat, since Sanders has not been recording as prolifically as he did in the first four decades of his career. If he's not quite as pyrotechnic as before, his sound and soul are undiminished, and he's still coming up with unusual timbres The title track, his timeless 1969 hit, gets nine minutes here rather than the 32-minute original exposition with Leon Thomas's memorable yodeling, but it's still a tour-de-force. Everyone gets to stretch out on "Tokyo Blues," and while the band isn't particularly inspired by
"The Greatest Love of All," (Whitney Houston's hit) they do a fine job on Sanders's own "Tina, and "It's Easy to Remember," the latter of which showcases Sanders's way of excavating a ballad. There's also great support and propulsion throughout from bassist Ira Coleman, and drummer Joe Farnsworth, with pianist William Henderson supplying some swinging solos. Judith Schlesinger  
Tracklist :
1    I Want To Talk About You 7:13
Composed By – Billy Eckstine
2    Moon Rays 7:19
Composed By – Horace Silver
3    Tokyo Blues 13:07
Composed By – Pharoah Sanders
4    Greatest Love Of All 6:26
Composed By – Michael Masser
5    The Creator Has A Master Plan 8:59
Composed By – Pharoah Sanders
6    Welcome 11:14
Composed By – John Coltrane
7    Tina 6:17
Composed By – Pharoah Sanders
8    It's Easy To Remember 4:59
Composed By – Richard Rodgers
Credits :
Bass – Ira Coleman
Drums – Joe Farnsworth
Piano – William Henderson
Tenor Saxophone – Pharoah Sanders