Biography of Pharoah Sanders

After his first solo album on the radical ESP label, tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders joined John Coltrane in 1965 for his ground-breaking Ascension album, playing alongside such dynamic young modernists as Archie Shepp, John Tchicai, Marion Brown, Freddie Hubbard, and others. This was a time of great transition for John Coltrane, and the addition of Sanders to his newly enlarged recording and touring group signalled the leader's commitment to the musical freedom and egoless Eastern spirituality of his final phase. In the weighty sound-mass of what was essentially a free-jazz unit, Pharoah alternated long linear solos or engaged his boss in fiercely heated horn duets that marked this group's most explosive climaxes. His was an equal voice to Coltrane's, and he often exhibited superior expressiveness on tenor as well as other wind instruments, going all the way out in shrieking and gutteral ranges, unfettered by the vestiges of bop and modal structures.After Coltrane's death, Pharoah recorded a string of acclaimed records for Impulse, consistently developing his freedom of expression in a deeply spiritual and often introspective setting. Like many of his peers, he began incorporating African, Asian, and other musical forms into his work in the late '60s, and he maintains a global focus, recently including a Moroccan traditional musician in his group. Infrequent collaborations with Don Cherry, the Jazz Composer's Orchestra, Sonny Sharrock, and a few others are noteworthy, but by and large he has followed his muse in expansive small groups, ably furthering the legacy of the '60s on a handful of small record labels. ~ Myles Boisen