Pharoah Sanders Retrospective From 1970

Pharoah Sanders in 1969/1970

The following article appeared in Jazz Monthly, the March 1970 edition. However it refers to Pharoah Sanders' latest album as Tauhid, released in 1967. The article may have been written before 1970, or Karma and Jewels of Thought had not yet been released in the UK.
The article is interesting as a contemporary account from 1969/1970, before modern thoughts on Coltrane had solidified. It describes how Coltrane needed Sanders more than Sanders needed Coltrane, so that he would inject the needed impetus into his 'classic' quartet. Coltrane's motives were easier to understand than Sanders' and the author questioned whether joining Coltrane would have been the right musical direction for Sanders, and in joining such a tight-knit group. Coltrane got the positive stimulation he wanted, but it had the opposite effect on the rest of his quartet.

A GOOD LOOK AT PHAROAH SANDERS / Simon Randolph

With the appearance of any new developments in an art form, it is not long before the critics attempt to discover some kind of pattern emerging from these developments. So close to the event, such exercises can be of considerable interest at the time, creating inevitable controversy. But with the benefit of hindsight it can often be seen that these attempts were somewhat speculative, and that judgements were made before the artist concerned were given sufficient time to evolve their styles. In jazz in particular, where the evolution of the music has been rapid compared with most other art forms, the critics have been particularly susceptible to this kind of thinking. Thus Leonard Feather, in his many ways excellent book Inside Be-bop written in 1947, traced the growth of the then latest development in jazz, but tended to categorize the musicians playing at that time as either ‘be-bop’ or 'non be-bop'. For example, he states categorically that Monk is "not a be-bop pianist nor do his solos have any of the mystical qualities attributed to them by some non-musical admirers". In the early 60's, with the advent of a movement away from be-bop the names of Ornette Coleman, Dolphy and Coltrane were often linked together by those wishing to find some kind of pattern emerging from these latest innovations. It was implied that they all played a central part in bringing about these changes in the direction of the music. We are now sufficiently removed from the event to see that though their aims were in some ways compatible, their styles and their methods of achieving them were far from similar. As to their relative importance in this post bop movement, and in influencing other musicians, these are issues which will not become fully apparent for some time.

Now, in print, we sometimes see the names of Shepp, Ayler and Sanders strung together when the avant-garde is being discussed in general terms. It is not the aim of this article to consider whether this grouping is a valid one. To do so would probably result in the kind of premature conclusions mentioned above. And to attempt to compare the methods, styles, and achievements of these three musicians would be a mammoth task indeed, and certainly not within the scope of this article. l do think however, that some kind of survey and assessment should be attempted of Sanders's work so far, and from this we might then be in a position to start considering where Sanders fits into the avant-garde scene and his significance in relation to men like Ayler and Shepp.

Pharoah Sanders was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1940. He began his musical career, as so many American jazz men do, by playing in his high school band, starting on drums and experimenting with tuba, clarinet, and flute before graduating to tenor in 1959. Two years later he moved to California, playing in rock-and-roll bands and local jazz groups. lt was in San Francisco that he first met John Coltrane but he did not play with him there. ln 1962 Sanders went to live in New York. Here he worked with several groups, among them those of Billy Higgins and Don Cherry, and it was here that he renewed his acquaintance with Coltrane and they subsequently became close friends. lt is likely that Sanders was building himself quite a reputation in New York at this time for he made his first appearance on record for ESP in August 1964, and on this date he was the leader. It was about this time that the modern jazz scene in New York was beginning to undergo a series of traumatic changes, as the earlier tentative experiments in extending the innovations of musicians like Ornette, Cecil Taylor and Elvin Jones were now really beginning to be stretched much harder. These early innovations no longer formed a pattern to which the jazz musician had to conform, but merely a flexible framework which could be used as a basis for building further structures. And for some, the early innovations were sufficient to provide the stimulus for a breakthrough into further iconoclasm.

Among this melting pot of influences and ideas, there were fairly permanent groups of musicians working together. The New York Art Quartet, the Jazz Composers Orchestra and the Blue Note School were three active examples, all involved in rethinking and remoulding jazz.

Pharoah Sanders thus found himself in a musical environment extremely conducive to experimentation and change and was probably exposed to a wide variety of techniques and approaches to the music that few other young musicians in their formative years can have experienced to quite such a degree. There was also available to him a wide choice of groups with which to work in an atmosphere of virtual revolution. lt is perhaps a little surprising then, that Sanders chose to develop his still immature style with John Coltrane's group. I say surprising because although Coltrane was a giant in the eyes of most jazzmen, his quartet had achieved their own piece of iconoclasm about three years earlier, when Elvin Jones joined him on a permanent basis. From about 1962 to 1964 the Coltrane quartet had successfully absorbed the innovations which Elvin's drumming had created and had consequently become a very stable group, with a well established rapport between every member. The music they produced during this period was generally of a high standard and Coltrane always put together albums which were well balanced, demonstrating various approaches and manifesting the talents of the members of the group in both ensemble and solo work. Nevertheless this period was clearly one of consolidation rather than further experimentation for them. To join such a close-knit group does therefore seem an unusual musical decision for Sanders to make. But it was clear that Sanders showed a considerable admiration for Coltrane, both as a man and as a musician. And perhaps in the end it came down to just needing a job. The fact remains that Sanders accepted Coltrane's offer to join his group, though it should be pointed out that he never became a permanent member.

Apart from Sanders' first record for ESP, and his most recent one, 'Tauhid', nearly all his recorded work has been with Coltrane, and consequently this study of Sanders's work is also closely concerned with tracing the growth and changes that took place in Coltrane's group and in his own playing, as a direct result of Sanders's presence.

Coltrane's motives for wanting Sanders with him are perhaps easier to understand than are Sanders for deciding to work with him. He must have been getting restless at this period, wanting to push himself on to yet further fields of expression, sensing that there was little potential in the quartet as it then stood, for further change. (There is sufficient evidence on record l think to see that once Coltrane had decided to take this step forward, Garrison, Tyner and Elvin were not entirely happy with the direction the changes were taking, but this will be substantiated later in the article.) He was also obviously impressed with, and sympathetic to, the efforts of some of the younger musicians working in New York, such as Archie Shepp and Sanders himself, and must have felt the need to try and absorb certain aspects of these new developments into his own music. For Coltrane, Sanders must have promised the ability to inject the group with the necessary stimulus to bring this about.

Of the records which Sanders made with Coltrane, I want to examine two in particular, which I consider to be the most important, both as examples of Sanders own playing, and as examples of the effect of Sanders's conception of musical expression on the group's performances. These are ‘Meditations’ and 'Live at the Village Vanguard'. But first l think it might be worth considering briefly, the first record Sanders made with Coltrane, for l think it has some bearing on Sanders's development even though it is anatypical example of the musical set-up he normally worked within.

‘Ascension’ is an intriguing and important
record, providing much material for discussion, though in the end l think its importance will be seen in an historical rather than a musical context. lt is not within the scope of this article to discuss and analyse it in detail, but it does represent the first example of Sanders's playing on record since his ESP album. He appears here as one of an eleven piece band, though perhaps 'band' is the wrong word to use for such a deliberately loosely organized session. The whole piece which occupies both sides of the record is organized round a blurred suggestion of a theme, allowing the players considerable freedom in the extended ensemble sections and in their solos which are interspersed between the passages of collective improvisation. The result is perhaps predictable — a pretty wild session all round, and with seven horn men all blowing together in the ensemble sections the textures tend to become too cluttered, though there are moments when these coalesce into structures of fierce beauty. The horn solos are generally good, though Freddie Hubbard seems a little out of his depth in these surroundings, and Tchicai's rather introverted approach to his playing doesn't really fit into this orgy of sound. But Coltrane, Sanders, Shepp and Marion Brown all produce interesting solos, Sanders playing particularly well on tenor when it is his turn, and apart from (Coltrane's solo, it is l think the most fluent and confident on the record. This might be what one would expect in any case, as Sanders must by this time have become used to playing with Coltrane's rhythm section and would therefore have been more relaxed than the other soloists, when it came to his turn to play. But there is more strength in his solo than just the element of confidence. He exploits fully the sounds which are normally considered extraneous to the instrument, producing moments of considerable excitement in the process which seem completely in keeping with the general mood of the whole piece and further, seem to grow quite naturally out of the emotional fervour of the ensemble section which preceded it. Three main impressions emerged after the appearance of this record. Firstly, Coltrane was once more committed to another period of experimentation and change in his music. (This had been hinted at in the earlier 'A Love Supreme’ and the 'John Coltrane Quartet Plays’ albums, but the basic quartet structure here severely restricted any real break away from his work of the early 60's). Secondly, the young tenorist who had been playing fairly regularly with him promised a considerable talent and demonstrated a very personal method of expression on his instrument. And thirdly, that Sanders's continuing presence in the group must have played an important part in implementing this fairly radical reorganisation in Coltrane's music. Meditations, the next record Sanders made with Coltrane confirmed these impressions, and it is on this record that we have the chance to hear him playing extended solos. The quartet in addition to Sanders, was now augmented by a second drummer, Rashied Ali.

Much has been said about the essential disseminating influence of Coltrane on the thinking and playing of many modern jazz men. But I think that on this record, there is definite evidence to suggest that Coltrane was himself coming under the influence of another musician, name Pharoah Sanders.

‘Meditations’ is in some ways a continuation of the 'Ascension' experiment, but there are signs of refinement and it is conceived on a smaller scale. Certainly The Father and The Son and the Holy Ghost track is reminiscent of 'Ascension' in its general structure. All of its basic elements are found here. The brief suggestion of a theme, alternating passages of solo and ensemble and the performance maintained at a high emotional level for most of its length. This track is an outstanding one and will I think come to be recognised as one of the finest examples of Coltrane's musical career on record, both at a personal and a group level. But the whole piece seems to have been conceived around the style of Sanders's tenor playing; almost in fact to have been created for Sanders, and although we can only speculate here, we must assume that the two men had been playing in live sessions along similar lines for some while before making this record. During this time some of Sanders's ideas had obviously become absorbed into Coltrane's own style and this becomes very clear as soon as he starts his solo. He plays quite furiously, in a way that he had never achieved before, even on records like 'lmpressions' which in itself was a tour de force. Here he achieves playing of an exceptional emotional level which for all that never loses its direction or logic. Because of the sheer intensity of the music, we find during this solo that he borrows elements from Sanders's own extreme emotional vocabulary in order to successfully sustain the pitch of the performance, particularly towards the end of the solo where he incorporates some of the typical high register screams normally associated with Sanders's playing. l have made little attempt so far to analyse Sanders's tenor playing, but as we mentioned earlier, this record provides the opportunity to hear him playing extended solos and to examine what he is doing in them. First though, it should be pointed out that from the evidence of his latest record and indeed from his work with Coltrane on the 'VilIage Vanguard’ album, it would seem that he has not as yet completely settled into any one style of playing. Because of this open minded and flexible approach to his music, I want to try and avoid making any sweeping generalisations about his playing for he is clearly preoccupied with experimentation and not entirely certain about the direction he is taking. The best way to approach a study of his playing is I think, to look at individual solos and from this collection of detailed observations, try to extract those common elements which form the basis of his music. On 'Ascension' Sanders was very much involved with getting sounds from the tenor which are not normally associated with the instrument. In fact, it becomes difficult to identify any conventional notes at all. in this of course, he was not alone, for there were certain affinities with other tenorists. Ayler had already broken this ground and made sounds rather than notes a basic premise of his style and Shepp by this time was also moving into this general area. On 'Meditations' Sanders continues to pursue this method of expression but not with the same success on both tracks. By far the better solo is to be found on '. . . . the Holy Ghost’. Here he takes over from Coltrane with complete assurance, building on the already high emotional peak at which Trane had left the music so that there is in no sense a feeling of anti-climax at this point, nor throughout the solo as a whole. Sanders’ technique, not only here but on all his recordings, is quite staggering. He has developed a vocabulary of sounds far greater in number and far wider in range than the equivalent notes available to the conventional tenorist and he demonstrates on this track the fluency with which he can use them. The manner in which he builds up his solo owes something to Coltrane's own approach, and it is I think on a structural level that one can see Trane's most obvious influence on Sanders's style. But there is, I think, a closer link with Albert Ayler's structural approach, particularly on the 'Spirits Rejoice' and 'Spiritual Unity' recordings. In constructing a line Sanders plays a phrase, and then repeats it perhaps two or three times, on each occasion subtly altering the order of several of the notes or sounds that made up the preceeding phrase, perhaps adding small embellishments as well, before moving on to another group of phrases where the process of modification of the initial phrase of this new group is repeated. Each group is often organically linked with the preceding one by taking a part of the last phrase of the preceding group and using this as a growth point for the next group, so that on this solo at least, it becomes quite easy to trace a logical pattern of development in Sanders's line once one accepts the unusual tonal effects inherent in his playing.

The other track on the record is less successful by far than the one which has just been discussed. Less successful, not only as far as Sanders's playing is concerned but also as at complete performance. There are three sections or moods to this track though it is played without a break and it is in the middle section, sandwiched between subdued opening solos by Garrison and Coltrane, and a post-catharsis closing solo by Tyner that we hear Sanders' own solo. Coltrane must have conceived this middle section as a kind of showpiece for Sanders's emotionally extrovert playing.

Unfortunately it doesn't come off, largely because this section seen’ quite detached from the mood of the rest of the performance despite the use of linking passages, Perhaps this situation was a somewhat artificial one. For much of the time he limits himself to exploring the freak effects to be found in the high register, playing a series of protracted shrill squeals and screams which are over-repetitive and lack the variety of tone and the subtle phrase manipulation which he employs on the other track. This does provide us with an example of Sanders's technique applied within a limited area but I don't think a closer examination of this particular solo would contribute anymore to an understanding of his music.

At this point I want to return to a suggestion made earlier, that although Coltrane was stimulated by the addition of Sanders to the group, the three other men were by no means affected in such a positive way. This point is worth considering in a little more detail because it was an important by-product of Sanders's influence on the group in that it finally resulted in personnel changes which were to alter quite significantly the general musical environment in which Sanders and Coltrane worked on the 'Village Vanguard’ album. On 'Ascension' there are the first definite signs of the rhythm sections’ inability to cope with the increasingly free rhythmic and harmonic approach with which Coltrane and the other horn men were experimenting. Elvin's drumming, although powerful in volume. doesn't really provide a loose enough metrical pulse for the horns, in fact for much of the performance he provides a basic 4/4 time. Exactly what part Sanders played in bringing about the addition of Rashied Ali to the group on ’Meditations’ and the substitution of Elvin Jones by Ali on the ’Village Vanguard’ album must remain a matter of conjecture. There is an immediate change apparent in the drumming when Ali joins in on 'Meditations’. The two drummers’ styles, although quite different, do complement each other, but the end result is a much more open rhythmic approach and with the loss of Elvin on the ’Village Vanguard’ album Ali achieves a virtual emancipation from metric considerations. There were also indications that Tyner and Garrison were finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the changes taking place in Coltrane’s music. Both were unable to adapt their fairly conventional harmonic approach to Sanders’s use of sounds rather than notes. Garrison, on several records, produced acceptable though hardly inspired accompaniment but on solos he seemed content to demonstrate his prowess on the instrument without creating music which related to the performance in hand. In fact, his solos seemed not only irrelevant, but paraphrases of themselves, and although Garrison worked with Coltrane right up to his last album ’Expression’ he was never really able to accomodate his style to the changes that occurred once, Sanders joined the group. Tyner on the other hand always managed to produce solos of interest, but a style which had been an ideal one for the earlier records like ’Ole Coltrane’ and ’My Favourite Things’ seemed anachronistic in the context of ’Ascension’ and ’Meditations’. Also, Tyner’s accompaniment became rhythmically stilted in these surroundings, relating to an imagined regular beat which was in reality being steadily destroyed, in part by Elvin Jones and in the main by Rashied Ali.

Thus we find on the ’Village Vanguard’ LP a radical reorganization of Coltrane’s group which now consisted of Coltrane and Sanders, Alice Coltrane on piano, Jimmy Garrison, Rashied Ali and another drummer/percussionist, Emanuel Rahim. In this new set-up one senses a relaxed atmosphere that can only come from a group where the members are sympathetic to each others aims. Alice Coltrane is much more at home with Ali’s conception of rhythm than was Tyner; she plays floating chords in accompaniment which are far less predictably placed than Tyner’s ever were. Within this flexible rhythmic framework, it is somewhat of a surprise to find Coltrane choosing to perform two of his old standards Naima and My favourite things," but in the event, the choice is seen to be a most worthwhile one. Coltrane’s playing throughout the record is faultless and he tums in beautifully executed solos even by his own high standards. Sanders is not quite as consistent, but his solo on Naima is l think his most interesting,satisfying and successful on record. It also presents us with an enigma. At first hearing it seems to bear little relationship to his earlier work already discussed and further, shows little connection with his later work on ’Tauhid’. Again,we don't know whether Sanders had been playing in this manner at live sessions, and if so for how long. lt may even be that this is the first time he attempted to play like this and has since rejected this style. The fact remains that it is an outstanding solo and this clearly has something to do with the nature of the material on which he has to improvise. Naima as a composition is in complete contrast to the thematic material found on 'Ascension' or 'Meditations', and Sanders fully recognises this fact in his playing. He uses an essentially melodic approach here, making greater use of conventional notes, but without neglecting either to exploit the areas between notes or to make continuous use of tonal effects throughout the solo. lt is indeed a solo of great richness, both of sounds and ideas. He seems rhythmically more at ease in this setting, his playing weaving easily into and out of the broken patterns set up by Ali and Rahim. He also shows considerable variation in his choice of phrase length, often producing long fast slurred runs of notes which may be suddenly contrasted with sustained high register effects or short, fragmentary staccato attacks in the low or middle register. The development of his line is consequently not as immediately obvious to follow as in the earlier records, for he only incorporates to a limited extent the construction of groups of phrases as previously described and then mainly towards the end of the solo. Its inner logic this time is to be found in the shifting melodic line which on occasions becomes temporarily lost while Sanders leaves it to develop a subsidiary theme suggested by a particular phrase or sound before returning to the original tune once more. Another factor which is in part responsible for the success of this solo is Sanders's deliberate attempt to resolve the raw emotional content of his playing. The emotion, so essential a part of his work,is still there, but it is now integrated into the overall structure of his music.

It would be possible to spend more time on this record, but I think it would be more valuable to close this article with a look at Sanders's most recent L.P. — 'Tauhid'. On this, Sanders is the leader and all the compositions are his own. Although not a great record, the music always holds ones interest and the album as a whole is a most interesting one, giving us a chance to hear Sanders for the first time in new surroundings, faced with the responsibility of leadership. ln the main l think, it represents a summary of his achievements so far, though there is nothing here to quite equal his work on Naima. But in addition, it contains elements of experimentation. Despite a pervading individual sound to the group, what stands out above all else is Sanders's debt to Coltrane; his influence is unmistakable and it is inevitable that one cannot listen to this record without recalling the whole idiom of the Sanders/Coltrane association. ln fact, the long track on the second side, Aum, Venus Capricon rising might well have been subtitled 'ln memory of John Coltrane’, and a casual listener to this track could be misled into thinking he was hearing the old partnership in action; for Sanders seems to have set himself the task of recreating a typical performance of this period. This is not to suggest that there is a type of plagiarism at work here. On the contrary, Sanders creates a highly personal statement, but one which owes so much to Coltrane, which possesses the kind of strength and beauty which could only have been achieved through intimate contact with, and a deep understanding of Coltranes's own music.

On this track, Sanders opens on alto, playing in a style which relates to his work on tenor in the dramatic use of high register sounds at intervals throughout the solo, but in the main demonstrates yet another facet of his playing. The pace is very fast and he adopts a very busy style, executing a line consisting of a long rapid flow of notes with little let-up in pace. He is joined in this section by the guitarist, Sonny Sharrock, who seems to have evolved an entirely original technique on this instrument, which is almost impossible to describe. He does add an unusual textual quality to the music and remains sufficiently in the background to avoid any display of the cheap histrionics of which he is sometimes capable. Out of this section develops a lyrical theme played by Sanders on tenor, and it is from this point to the end of the piece that one is constantly reminded of earlier Sanders/Coltrane sessions for he plays a dual role, alternating Coltrane's soaring majestic and melodic style with passages of his own established overt emotional work in the high register. Here, these two contrasting elements, produced as they are by only one player, coalesce into a structure of great unity and beauty, and this piece must surely be recognized as a most moving tribute to Coltrane.

The remaining tracks on this record are less successful though still of considerable interest. Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt is an extended performance occupying the whole of one side. l don't want to analyse this track in detail, but merely to mention one or two points arising from it which might be indicative of the direction Sanders's music will take in the future. Mention has already been made of the textural effects of Sharrock's guitar playing and this is further apparent at the beginning of this track. Sanders is clearly interested in the use of these effects, and in the rhythmic and textural subtleties possible through the addition of percussion instruments. This track also finds Sanders playing piccolo an instrument which he also used on Coltrane's last record Expression. He gets pleasing sounds from it but it is not open to the kind of emotional exploitation that he has developed on the tenor and he seems to be using it here as a kind of exotic touch in contrast to his tenor playing. It may well be that this instrument will come to play a more important part in his music as he becomes more familiar with it, in the way that Eric Dolphy only really achieved mastery of the flute just before he died. Another interesting ingredient is the use of a simple melodic and rhythmic riff built up in the middle section over which to improvise; this is. reminiscent of a favourite element of Archie Shepp's compositions and it may be that this too will become a common constituent of his work. Finally, Sanders's use of his own voice must be mentioned. He intones a simple chant towards the end of this track and also sings on the short Japan track. My first reaction on hearing this was amusement, but on repeated hearings these vocal interjections seem quite in place and add a kind of naive charm to the music, particularly on Japan. It may well be that this development will become more prominent in his work, for it could be considered a logical step from a style which is already steeped in vocalization techniques and it is interesting to note that Ayler also makes most effective use of his voice on his latest L.P. 'Love Cry'. Japan is a most pleasant piece though there is little substance to it and represents perhaps an excursion into light relief as a contrast to the essentially emotionally committed style of most of his music. I hope l have been able to show in this article that Pharoah Sanders is a musician who has produced, in the comparatively short time he has been on the scene, a body of work which although not the product of a mature mind, containing as it does a variety of approaches reflected in an as yet malleable style, does possess the qualities which one usually associates with an important figure in jazz — namely, a considerable degree of originality, great strength of conviction in his playing and a willingness to experiment.

Whether Sanders is a major jazz figure is a question which cannot yet be answered. All we can do at this stage is await further records with impatience; and it is from these that we shall be able to come closer to answering this question.