Pharoah Sanders
Within jazz, there is no one weirder or more out-there then Sun Ra, but Pharoah Sanders comes in at a close second (Sun Ra came up with the "pharoah" nickname and I believe the typo is intentional). Besides performing with Sun Ra, Sanders also joined up legendary jazzman John Coltrane on his later free jazz records.
Sanders is mostly known for his fusion of jazz and world music. On practically all of his albums, exotic instruments join in with the more traditional brass and drums ensemble. The results are definitely original and include a touch of psychedelia (but they never sound as primitive or tribal as Sun Ra's more exploratory moments). Unlike his mentor, space and exploration are not his main interests, but there remains something esoteric about the imagery he uses and there is a strong reference to african-american culture. The music however transcends all of this and it can appeal to any fans of weird and exploratory music. Any of the earlier Impulse! and ESP are definitely worth investigating.
I used to own a few of his recordings back in the days when I worked in a record store in Stockholm (something about the cover art for Deaf Dumb Blind compelled me to give it a quick listen and on that same day it was mine), but I sold them to move back to Sweden in 2003. I do plan on getting them back some day (and a few more!).
Summun, Bukmun, UmyunLabel: Impulse Release: 1970 Format: CD Cat. no: IMPD-265 |
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Black UnityLabel: Impulse Release: 1971 Format: CD Cat. no: IMP 12192 |
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