NDR Kultur have released a rare and hitherto unreleased live recording of Pharoah Sanders in concert at the Fabrik club in Altona, Hamburg in 1980, accompanied by Curtis Lundy on upright bass, former Jazz Messenger John Hicks on keys and the experienced Idris Muhammad on drums. The set is an energetic, powerful live affair, comprised mainly of tracks taken from Pharoah’s 1980 Theresa album Journey to the One, in my book one of his finest bodies of work which eschews the free form and polemical musical stylings of some of his braver and more spiritual output on Impulse back in the 1960’s, often challenging and raw at times—possibly a clarion call for the loss of Coltrane. The live recording was captured during a period where Pharoah came back to his instrument after a conceivable pause, having departed from Impulse in 1974 after recording Love In Us All. Notable works from his mid-seventies era include the 77 set Pharoah (Harvest Time) on India Navigation and his 78 album Love Will Find A Way on Arista, a lightweight project featuring some frankly uninspiring duets between Sanders and vocalist Phyllis Hyman. In 79, Sanders began a relationship with Theresa Records releasing his first output alongside Oakland pianist Ed Kelly (although his contract with Arista meant that he couldn’t feature on the record under his own name and was referenced ambiguously on the ensuing album, Ed Kelly & Friend). Subsequently, Sanders would record Journey to the One and Rejoice in close proximity, soaring, masterful sets that demonstrate Sanders’ enduring talents as one of the finest tenors since the likes of John Coltrane, recorded alongside a who’s who of jazz royalty (Elvin Jones, Idris Muhammad, Billy Hicks, Joe Bonner, Bobby Hutcherson and Babatunde Lea). So, the recording is taken at a sweet spot in Pharoah’s trajectory, a fertile and creative period for the Arkansas native where he recorded some of his most notable and popular compositions, tracks that even crossed over onto British dance floors—Pete Tong famously being the first British DJ to break You’ve Gotta Have Freedom, while Journey to the One notably sold in wholesale quantity at Paul Murphy’s Fusion Records in Exmouth Market, which subsequently became the now defunct Palladin Records. Sanders was hip to many ears at this time, his contemporary releases finding favour among serious jazz audiences and club-goers alike.
Moreover, a live recording from this particular period in Sanders’ musical career by all logical reasoning should be strong, as far as the renewed quality of his recorded output evidences, music that embodied a fresh creativity and vital Esprit de Coeur at the heart of his playing. Well, I can assuage all doubts here and affirm that it is, in fact, very good, fresh and exiting takes on seminal sessions from the saxophonist who blows hard with an inspirited sensibility, channelling a high-octane energy which is shared by the quartet as a whole. With the average song length at between 10-15 minutes, there is plenty of time for extended dialoguing between the players—plenty of which goes off piste, rather gloriously. The opening version of You’ve Gotta Have Freedom swells and glows with the warming chromaticism of Hick’s keys, followed by Sanders’ trademark multiphonic saxophone tones that serve as a call to arms, a marker for the sonic identity of the song and a surging, muscular signifier for the players to know where they’re at, milestone blowing which sets par for the course. Sanders’ tenor is low and mellow in passages, spitting fire and bellicose in others, a Jekyll and Hyde performance of great heights and a window into the spiritual hornman’s musical character, operating in a habitat in which he thrived–spontaneous live performances which demanded improvisation and serious technical rigour. The hook kicks in after a good three minutes of playing, accompanied by luscious keys comping and romping upright bass – the Floridian native Lundy lurching between pitches like he’s in automatic transition. One of the highlights is the deft live performance of Doktor Pitt, a track which swings far out with radiant changes and melodic intensity, built up to a fever pitch over the ambulatory course of twenty minutes. Superb spiritual wailing from Sanders traces Hick’s authoritative keys, although it is clear who is leading this session—the music moulds itself around Sander’s larger-than-life tenor. Not enough can be said for Idris Muhammad’s drumming, bringing a clearly defined and structurally savvy New Orleans soulfulness to his playing. The track Greetings to Idris is a heartfelt and emotional ballad performed with a softer, tender touch, clearly an evocation of Sanders’ connection with the drummer and one of the gentler moments of an undeniably energetic body of work. For fans of Pharoah Sanders, this album is an essential purchase, a unique live recording that provides the listener with an unfiltered view into Sanders’ horn playing at one of the richest musical periods of his life. There is untapped beauty on earth, and for those currently in the dark, this album being an absolute wellspring of it.
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